Los Angeles herald., 1908-11-02
LOCOMOBILE Is
WINNER OF RACE
LEADS FRANKLIN AT END BY
EIGHTY MILES
SUNSET CAR CRASHES THROUGH
FENCE AT TURN
Driver Free Not Seriously Hurt, but
Auto Is Observation-Disclosures
Gets Third Place-Thou-
sands See Finish
rIN1sH OF RACE

With a crash and thud that
aroused a feeling of horror in the
hearts of the thousands who were
watching the automobile race at Ascot
park Yesterday the Sunset car, run
ming at the rate of fifty miles an hour,
went through the fence a hundred
yards beyond the timers stand.
Frank Free, who was driving, was
thrown from his seat and landed TWEEN
ty feet away in the deep ditch that
runs inside the track. His mechan-
ician, Sydney Dendall. stayed in his
seat and was unhurt. Free suffered
nothing more than a scratched anu
bruised left arm.
The Sunset went out of the race
shortly before o'clock Sunday on ac-
count of broken steering knuckle and
it was thought for a long time that 1t
would be impossible to put it back IN
again, but a repair of the broken part
was made and shortly after O'CLOCK
it came back on the track and hao
done two fast miles, running away
from the Locomobile and the Frank
lin, when the part gave away the sec
ond time and threw driver and car in
Hundreds of men and boys rushed
across the track from all directions,
and it was with the greatest difficulty
that the officers kept the crowd from
being run down by the fast flying ma
chimes.
1t was during a fast brush between
the Sunset and Locomobile that the
car gave way, throwing the front Of 1t
into the fence and forcing the rear end
to swing around until 1t was headed in
the opposite direction. 1t remained
right side up, otherwise a sadly differ
ent story would have been told.
The Locomobile won the race with a
mileage of 916 for the twenty-four
hours 1t had the race won by a safe
margin as early as o'clock and played
safe after that until the finish. 1t was
the only car that did not have trouble
other than tires and only four 'shoes"
were changed. Three Of them were
changed on account of punctures and
one because of wear.
Fifty-two castings were taken to the
track for the use of the Locomobile,
but the surface of the track was a sur
prise to all concerned on account of its
ease on tires. Several of the cars
finished on the same set of tires that
they had at starting and they showed
little effects of the days hard grind.
The Franklin car, which finished sec
ond, lost time on account of two
broken springs that went bad on ac-
count of the roughness Of the track.
One spring was replaced and at that
time the Locomobile got a long lead,
and when a second spring went bad 1t
threw an excessive strain on the driV-
ing shaft that twisted it off. Another
shaft was taken from a six-cylinder
car that was at the track, and the
Franklin went back on the track once
1,.tf f,.otr IoI oh
ty miles an hour for the last part of
the run, as it could not get first and
was safe for second place.
Hundreds went to the track after
shutdown to see the finish, but were
disappointed on account of the tame
ness of the exhibition during the last
three or four hours of the race. Mile
after mile the '.Reo Kiddo," a single
climber baby REQ, ran faster than the
Locomobile, and Tapped it q number of
times. The REQ was the get of the
crowd, and while 1t had to leave the
track several times on account of a
lealy tank, which was repeatedly brok-
en- open in the same place because of
the vibration from the rough track, 1t
always came back as strong as ever
and got the cheers of the crowd. Lee
Gehricke drove the car for the greater
part of the time, being relieved occa-
sionally by Charlie King.
Murray Paige, who came down from
San Francisco, deserves the credit of
driving a race that won for the Loco
mobile. He did the majority of the
driving, and was well tired out at the
finish, his hands being so sore that he
could not help wincing with pain when
the crowd shook his hand in congratu
lation,
Guy Irwin and Ralph Hamlin divided
the honors on the Franklin, both of
them getting fine speed QUE of the car
and keeping the turns well.
Bert Dingley was unfortunate in
having to retire the Chalmers "40'' on
account of motor trouble, but while
he was on the track he drove the fast
est miles reeled off and took the turns
at higher speed than any Of the other
drivers.
The total mileage hardly is a credit
to the cars, as the loss of time through
tire trouble practically was nil. In
fact, several of the cars had no tires
touched from the start to the finish.
The slowness OF the track initiated
against a big total, but during the last
part of the race there was at least
three hours when the cars seemed to
go at a snail's pace. If the leading cars
had been let out, even at safe pace,
the result would have been 1000 miles
at least.
cially, it being reported that at o'clock
Sunday Afternoon the gate receipts
showed a substantial net profit, and
after that time hundreds paid adrnls-
siions, and then gave UP so cents apiece
more for the privilege of sitting In
dirty grand stand without chairs, ex-
cept In the boxes at % cents extra.
The track at the finish of the race
was in bad condition, as it was cut on
the turns and where the stretches be-
gan. One place, Just beyond the wire,
was so rough that most of the cars
Rugged the outside of the track, pre-
ferring to skid in the deep sand than
be tossed about on the hummocks that
grew from the constant passing OF the
cars.
Bill Took HIa Leave
The Powder Manufacturer-Fancy