The San Francisco call., 1907-06-10
MOTORISTS ARE TOLD
HOW AUTOS ARE STOLEN
System by Which Cars Are
Taken Revealed to the
Club Officers
BY r. r. I'rIon1rredieu

By r. r. l'f1Or11med1eu
The automobile club evidently has
put stop to the stealing of cars. The
big reward offered by the club, the
dealers association and the Fireman's
Fund insurance company has induced
the minions of the law to- keep a
weather eye open for those who are
inclined to purloin vehicles belonging
to others. There is standing reward
for Information leading to the con-
viction of any one who steals an auto
mobile belonging to a club member or
a member of the dealers association.
or who is insureA by the F1reman's
Fund company. Officers of the club be-
lieve they have procured the arrest of
the thieves who have been giving the
most trouble. One of the officers said
yesterday:
From what has been told us by
one of those we have had arrested,
there was an organized band that was
stealing automobiles. 1t would meet
each evening and start at O'Clock on
a hunt for cars. Sometimes the thieves
would walk around for hours before
they could get away with an unguard-
ed machine. They would drive the car
down to the Barbary coast and pick up
passengers. After they had accumu-a
lated few dollars they would go for
a little time by themselves with their
friends. Usually they became the
worse for liquor and wrecked the car.
We are going to see this matter to the
end, and will do all in our power to.
have the culprits sent to state prison"
M. Rosenthal ana party of friends
spent yesterday on the roads between
San Francisco and Byron springs in
Rosenthars Studebaker.
A decision of sweeping Importance to
motorcycle manufacturers and enthu-
siasts has been announced by the Of
f1cers of the association of licensed
automobile manufacturers. 1t provides
for the exhibition of the little machines
at the next automobile show to be held
under the auspices of the A L. A. NJ,
and which will take place the first
week in November. The shows under
Independent auspices have already let
doyn the bars for motorcycles, but up
to this time the licensed makers have
been unwilling to concede the privilege
That the victory was secured is directly
traced to the strong arguments that
have been put up by the Cycle manu-
facturers' association.
A member of the Automobile Dealers
association of California will present a
resolution at the next meeting of the
association, which is to be held this
week, asking the officers to try to open
the roads between San Francisco land
Los Angeles over the coast route for
one day, SO that all those who have
been inoculated by the speed bug may
try for the record set by Fernando Mel
son. This would be an attractive event
and one that would be watched through
out the world.
The ofiters of the Automobile Club OF
California also will meet this week.
The dates for the nationa. meet of
the federation OF American motorcy-
clists at Providence. r. L. have been
finally changed to August 1, 2. and 4.
This will result in starting the F. A NJ.
endurance contest from New York on
Tuesday. July 80. It has been decided
thAt there shall be two classes in the
contest, with valuable gold or diamond
medals for both the single and double
cylinder machines. A wedding out"
that will try the riders severely has
been devised in the shape OF an ascent
of Jacobs Ladder, a notable hill in the
neighborhood of Lee. Mass, in the
Berkshires. A half pint economy test
on Hills grove track at Providence is
also proposed.
Barney Oldfield will be seen again on
the local tracks. James w. Coffroth
has entered into an agreement with
President Thomas H Williams whereby
he has engaged the Emeryyil1e and
Tanforan tracks for automobile racing.
The first days racing Will take place
on July 13 at Emeryvil1e. Oldfield will
try to lower many of the present rec
ords. Besides the speed exhibitions
there will be races for amateurs and
events for machines of varying horse
power and regular stock cars. The
monotony of the racing will be varied
with novelty and freak contests. After
the Emeryvi1le races Oldfield will come
to this side OF the bay and race on the
Tanforan track. which will be remod-
eled especially for automobiles. Old
field believes that the Tanforan track
can be made the fastest for automo-
biles in the United States.