The Washington herald., 1907-06-08
HONK WAGONS BUSY
Tear Up Benning Track for
Glory of ElkS.
TOM MILLER Is A WINNER
Pat ThrOOp Steals the Lazy Bike
Event without Being bothered by
the "AlsO ROdes"-WRIIace T..
Hood Has His Own Way In the Star
Event for the Grownups.

Honk wagons put 100 miles Of dirt track
all to the Virginia road out at Benning
yesterday while playing tag at a mile a
minute for the glory Of driver. car manu-
facturer, and the grand and glorious
order Of Elks. These foolish cart races.
four in number. were the cone-one-come-
all feature Of the second days programme
Of the Washington E1ks' grand jubilee
blowout and proved attractive enough to
drag a husky gathering.
Although the winner i'm each Of the
events apparently made a cradle robbing
out Of connecting with the silver cisterns,
the excitement attending the anticipation
That some cart was about TO stumble on
the near turn kept the spectators in as
pleasurable state Of thrill as though It
were hood-and-hood standof down the
stretch. No one was killed. or even in
Jured. but the public disappointment over
this display Of negligence was somewhat
soothed when one Of the bounding buzz
wagons was stricken with rear tire
hustitis and had 10 retire. with apollo
gies for the pun. The report that the tire
made on its demise wouldn't bear re-
pelting.
The oval speedway was in sand paper
shape when the first batch Of racers.
three benzine bicycles. took the starters
gun and fused and expectorated their way
around the near turn. A soft spot just at
the turn developed under continual
scratching into an liberated piece Of road
way that came near putting the death de-
fyers into a state OF chaotic junk.
My, How They Shivered.
Toward the close Of the events. it got
so that the fair young spectators would
shiver in ecstatic horror as each car
whirled into the jounce patch and squeal
aloud: "Oh. I bet he turns over" and
then. as the car would pass the ordeal
safely on one wheel and emerge from its
dust shroud, "Oh. no he didn't" just as
they would ordinarily refer to the failure
Of some dear expectation.
Pat Throop. on a Hollv-Davldson: " T.
Mangold, on an Indian. and George W.
Beall, on a Curtis, were the three no fin
ish in the money in the opening event.
that for the lazy bikes The distance was
three miles. and all the contestants had
single cylinders ThrOop got his sparkling
plug, Carbureter or dynamo-whatever
they are-going in nifty fashion from the
gun. and soon had his field trailed along
behind him ike one Of Father BHrs 2Oe-
tO-l shots carefully preserved for a mur-
der. After that there was nothing to IT,
The also r-des' were W. J. Wells G. T.
Tyler, p. Fl. Willis. and F. A. Mertens
What was scheduled 10 be the star
event fer the grown-up turpentine traps
was turned into a one-man exhibition.
Wallace r. Hood who captured the lGj-
mile deUCntia test ON Decoration Day
drove his f0-horsepower Thomas flyer
twenty-five miles for q silver booze Jug
al q sufficiently mad gait to ontitle him
TO it, His time for the distance was 500
This event was for 6f-hOrsepOWor ma
chimes or under. and Hood had as com
petitors at the start Harry a. Orme in
big Ford. and John +. Lutz In "a merry
Oldsm0bile. Orme stuck close To Hood
for few laps. but his machine weakened
and wouldn't stand the gan for some re4-
SON probably known only % its makers
and Providence LutZ iibed his Olds
around the bad turn AT a near ffty-mile
gait for fifteen one-mile laps, and then
his tire laid down on its rim and job.
Real EIks Get Busy.
The nearest thing 10 a race came off
when four good Elks grabbed the steering
wheels Of their touring cars and tore
around the oval for ten miles. The start
ers were Tom Miller. f. H. Neumeyer. ir..
AdOlph LOehl and Charles 2. St0hlman.
who drove Fred II. Geyer's car. Tom
Miller took his machine % the front at
the start and stayed there The race was
for the place. which Ncumeyer took hand
lily from Loehl on the eighth lap. Neu-
meyer then cut out after Miller. but could
not get within his dust cloud Large
cheering greeted the stout and afable
Elk as he swept by q winner, having
done the ten miles i'm l605
Three small cars entered the second
race. sam Luttreu, driving J. MueIheis-
ems Buick capturing the mug. He made
the five miles in G.o1. Charles 7. Miller.
in a Ford. got the place from A LoehL
Last night another good crowd gathered
under the Elks' banner in spite or the
rain. and threw their tithes into the
yawning void of the various cash boxes
running in connection with the assorted
l0t Of amusement enterprises conducted as
part of the jubilee and barn dance.
Everything but the German Village be
ing under cover. the enthusiasm was not
dampened The Post-ofIica. Paddle Stand.
Circus. and Barn Dance We're strongly
PLAYED by the popuace. and cantered in
easy winners. Altogether, the Elks feel.
and have reason to feel. proud Of their en-
terprise and its success. Several thousand
dollars were added TO the new home fund.
and the method of extracting il from the
dear public was apparently enjoyed both
by extractors and eXtractees.