The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-08-18
.STEARNS CAR
FOR HONOLULU
Make of Auto Selected by Mr..
D0Wsett Has Fine Record
in Los Angeles.

The report that j. M. Dowsett has
bought a Stearns car must be of great
interest to local automobilists, as this
make is one that has been heard of only
during the last year to amount to any.
thing but has lately proved its eff.
ciencv and speed.
The Stearns is high priced car but
every cent of the purchase is well in.
vested as the different parts are all
carefully fitted and the strength of the
whole fabric is such that the car will
stand almost any amount of hard work
The Stearns people have only recently
followed the example of other manu-
facturers and put cars of their make
In hill climbing contests and other
events of this kind. But, since they
have followed this policy, their press
agent has been very busy writing about
victories and handing out pictures of
victorious ears of the Stearns make
Only a few months ago there was
big auto race meeting in Los Angeles
and the main feature of the event was
hundred mile Derby driven over a
one mile circular track. There were a
dozen entries but the race was conceded
to lie between the Franklin, the Stearns
and the Cadillac. The day before there
had been a fifty mile race on the same
track and the Franklin had won with
the SteaFns a close second and the Cad
lilac not far behind in third place.
Ralph Hamlin, the local agent for the
Franklin, drove the car of that make;
Lester Pattee drove the Cadillac and
Daniel Kuhl, known in racing circles
as "Fiery DAM drove the Stearns.
When the race started the Stearns rush
ed into the lead and kept it for twenty.
FIVE miles, then the awful strain Of
turning the corners began to tell on the
tires and the Stearns was obliged to
stop for new ones.
The Continental Tire people had
charge of the Stearns station and they
had ready inflated tires and a large
gang of tire shutters. The first tire
was replaced in ffty-four seconds, but
this was long enough for the Franklin
to gain nearly lap. But Fiery Dan
shot out and soon gained on the Frank
lin until Hamlin was well behind. Then
the weight of the Stearns car began
to tell again and there was another
wait for tires. This time three wheels
had to be reshod and three minutes
elapsed before Dan could go on. This
gave the Franklin long lead of two
laps and half and it looked bad for
the Stearns.
When the Franklin stopped for tires
in the sixty first mile it was four miles
ahead of the Stearns but the big car
was working splendidly and was ham
mering out the laps in sixtyfour ana
sixty Eve second time. The Franklin had
rims and the tires had to be
pumped up after replacing so that the
wait was a long one. This gave the
Stearns chance to catch up and. when
the eightieth mile was reached nine
cars were out of it while the Stearns
was first, the Franklin second and the
Cadillac close third.
Round and round the track those ra'
GERS flew, the Stearns gaining all the
time till the ninety-seeond round. The
Stearns was at the upper turn when
a Tourist. some twenty laps behind.
veered at the bend. Fiery Dan was
close behind and swerved TO avoid the
other ear when his front tire burst with
a loud bang. His car shot into the
fence and turned completely over, PIN
ming Dan and his mechanic TO the
ground.
The Mortified spectators rushed TO the
spot expecting TO find two lifeless bod
les, but, wonderful to state, neither
of them was badly hurt and the car
suffered no worse damage than bro
ken steering wheel and badly battered
front seat.
The car was towed back to the gar