Los Angeles herald., 1907-12-01
RIVERSIDE IS
TOOEXPENSIVE
CROWD DOES NOT JUSTIFY THE
OUTLAY
BOX SPRINGS MAY NOT BE USED
AGAIN
Element Of Chance Played Big Part
in Thanksgiving Climb and Not
All Dealers Played
Fair

Several things were clearly demon
strated at the Riverside hill climb, to the
dealers, at least, that will tend to elm
mate a large number of the entries In
such events in the future and may cause
that feature OF the game to be discon-
tinued in Southern California at least
The large expense necessary to enter
two or three cars at contest so far from
Los Angeles is another thing that will
probably make this years contest the last
to be held on the Box Springs grade.
The local dealers are almost a unit in
their opinion that the largest crowd that
can be attracted to Riverside is too small
to nay for making such an expensive
demonstration.
AS was said before in these columns,
the grade is insufficient to make it a real
hill climbing contest. Any of the machines
that participated the other day can go
up the entire grade on the high gear,
and so far as the public being able to de-
termine anything from the result of the
contest and Judge the relative merits of
the various cars the contest was waste
of time and money.
Many of the cars that made poor
showing were the best cars entered, as
the element of chance was the strongest
factor in the race.
Bad Luck for White
The White steamer that should have
easily beaten the best time made accord
ing to the time made in the tryouts was
unable to win even against low record.
The car that had been tuned up to enter
the contest had been climbing the hill
IN 514 time after time, but on account
of a slight accident it was withdrawn
and a car belonging to Mrs. A. F. M
Strong that happened to be in Riverside
was borrowed and used. No time was
II g., avad han ae
sent over the course in the contest there
were twenty or more vehicles coming
down or going up that had to be passed
At one place full stop was made to pre-
vent wrecking a rig that was in the way
Even then the time it made was better
than that made by number of the win
ming machines in other events
The Rambler was driven at rate that
would have put it across the line in less
than six minutes, but stalled its engine
with stuck piston and coasted the last
half mile without the application of
power.
The Pope Hartford could not start at
all, as two of the bolts that fasten the
clutch cup to the fywheel became loose
and could not be taken out before the
time to start had passed.
The Pope Hartford had been making
the tryouts in 5:42 without opening the
throttle full and would at that rate have
beaten the winner in its class by full
minute.
Ignition Trouble
The Haynes developed ignition trouble
and lost In it's event and the Stoddard
Dayton. which won, making the fastest
time over the course for automobiles, had
special carburettor that made its fast
time possible. The car does not come
equipped with the speed carburettor and
the one that was loaned to the Stoddard
Dayton people was removed after the
contest.
The Tourist machines that won three
cups are said to have been equipped with
q larger sized carburettor than is placed
on the cars ordinarily, and the speed of
the machines was increased considerably
in that way. Such juggling with stock
models is not fair to the buying public,
as they expect to learn what a car such
as they would receive themselves can do
under prime conditions.
The public has become wary of the
claims made by some of the dealers as to
what their cars will do, and the hill
climbs have become ineffective as an adj
vertising medium. as some of the dealers
will not play fair and the contests are as
a rule badly managed.
The endurance run with a sealed bonnet
is a good means of demonstrating the re-
liability of car and does not afford the
opportunity of taking that the average
hill climb does under the conditions that
prevail in the contests as they are held
in Southern California.
Things are just as bad in the motor
cycle game as in the automobile. but the
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