Los Angeles herald., 1908-11-01
TWENTY-FOUR
HOUR RACE is
SPEEDING ON
AUTO CONTEST HAS LITTLE
TIRE TROUBLE
"PARlS PET" RETIRED, CRANK
CASE BEING BROKEN
Franklin and LocomobiIe Machines
Are in Lead Early in Morning, and
Barring Accident Should
Retain 1t
SCORE AT 1:45 A. M.

A Il THE end of seven hours six OF
II the seven automobiles starting in
IA the twenty-four hour race at AS
cot park were running. The Paris
Pet" a special car entered by Louis
DenkeF went to pieces in its one nun
dred and forty-SiXth mile and came
near injuring a number of persons
along the track with the flying metal
that came scorching from under the
hood
The crank case had broken and parts
of the machinery flew in all directions,
narrowly missing the spectators and
endangering other cars on the track.
The track is slow and all of the
larger cars skid wide on the turns.
The best mile recorded up to II
o'clock was made by the Franklin, in
lis, with Guy Irwin driving.
Irwin in the Franklin and Paige In
the Locomobile are the leaders, there
being only one mile difference In their
scores at the end of the first run.
Absence of Tire Trouble
A remarkable feature of the race is
the entire absence of tire trouble, when
it was feared tires would have to be
changed every hour, at least on the
heaviest cars. One puncture only was
reported, and that came from nail
picked up at the end of the seventh
hour.
The score as the cars stopped to allow
of track repairs was as follows:
Franklin, 1888.
Locomobile, 292.
Sunset. 236.
Chalmers, Forty, rs.
Studebaker. Thirty, 1SS
REQ Kiddo," single cylinder, baby
REQ. 116.
"Paris Pet" 146.
The Paris Pet is hopelessly out, and
has been withdrawn, and the Chalmers
Forty has developed so much engine
trouble that it can win only in the
event that the other cars haV9 eX-
tremely hard luck.
Seven sputterng automobiles lined
up under the wire at Ascot park yes
terday afternoon and as Starter DICK
Ferris fired the signal seven drivers
simultaneously let in their clutches and
the 24-hour road race was on.
Next to the pole was the long, slim
hooded Franklin Greyhound with
Guy Irwin at the wheel; next came the
Locomobile, which r. ]. Leavitt affec-
tionately calls Casey Jones.
The little Sunset stood No. and
Jumped to the front with a good lead
on the turn. Bert Dingley drew fourth
place with the Blue Bird and outside of
his. car came the Studebaker, with
Harry Lord at the wheel, and then the
dark horse, the single cylinder "Reo
Kiddo' Lee Gehricke sat in the single
seat without a mechanician.
On the outside the paris Pet" en-
tered by Louis Denker, ended the line.
To Harold Stone was intrusted the
guidance of the rebuilt Pope Hartford
for the first part of the race, but hard
luck was his portion and the car went
to the repair camp before he finished
the second lap.
The cars finished the first lap with
the Sunset leading, the Blue Bird sec
ond, Locomobile third and the Stude-
baker, Pope Hartford and REQ trailing
in the order named.
The Blue Bird assumed the lead on
the second lap, leaving second place
for the Sunset. The Locomobile and
Franklin followed close with the Stude-
baker quite a ways back. The REQ
kept plugging along, but was rapidly
Tapped by all of the cars.
Dingley easily led the field with the
Blue Bird and piled up two laps more
than the Locomobile and the Franklin.
His glory was transient as he went into
the hospital at 5:10 with main bear
ing burned out and the engine max
ing a dreadful fuss.
The repair crew hastily rugged lamps
and began work at once in replacing
the bearing and read1uStlng the motor.
While the Blue Bird was out the other
cars were reeling off mile after mile,
the Loco making the highest speed, but
loosing it's lead on account of frequent
stops for oil and fuel. 1t had not been
supplied with large enough tanks and
was forced off the track nearly twice
as frequently as the Franklin.
All Cars Stop Frequently
All of the cars made frequent stops
for supplies or change of spark plugs,
the Paris Pet giving quite bit OF
trouble on account of poor ignition.
The REQ plugged faithfully along
until $50, when all of the cars were
required to stop for lights.
Trouble in getting the electric tail
lamps to burn made it pecessary to re-
place them with oil lamps, and loss
of fifteen minutes was suffered. Not
long after that a leaky water tank laid
them up again, and it was $500 before
it went on the track again. When 1t
made it's appearance the crowd cheered
Justify as it's steady, persistent plug
ging was appreciated on account of
the Loco's stops for oil and gasoline
the Franklin gained five laps in the
fourth hour. but the Loco was speeded
up and gradually cut down the lead
until it led the Franklin by nearly
lap at 8 o'clock.
AT the end of the fourth hour the
mileage was 209 for the Franklin, 2lO