The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1909-06-23
HEROIC EFFORT
SAVES THE RELAY
FOUR FARGO BOYS CARRY MES
SAGE THROUGH Mud AND
STORM FOR A DISTANCE OF t41a
MILEs-DERNER RAN 5Ia MILES
WITHOUT A STOP.

Running through mud and sorm. four
Of the Fargo boys in yesterdays big
relay race against time, proved them
selves Of heroic mettle by carrying the
message a distance of 14h miles. With
the rain pelttng upon them, with the
heavy, black Red river valley mud
rIinging to their feet and clogging
them, constantly ahead Of their auto
mobile, which they knew was crippled
and might have+g1ven out behind them,
the boys kept plugging doggedly on,
never stopping, seemingly never tiring,
and they got their message to Hillsboro
in time to make an average speed for
the fifty-one miles of six minutes and
thirty seconds. The event proved to
be an endurance test, a test of pluck,
Of energy, of indomftable perserver-
ance which will long be remembered
in the annals of the local 7. M. G. A.
1t was at the beginning of the last
half of the thirty first mile out of
Fargo that the race got ahead Of the
automobiles The storm struck the
boys a little this side of that, and all
the boys, after the rain struck them,
deserve special credit for their pluck
in holding to the road in spite Of wind
and rain.
At the beginning of the thirty first
mile one of the cars stuck in the mud
and DIR. Graves lighter Ford, which
was following just behind, crashed into
it. Homer Mcnamara had just re-
ceived the message and had started on
ahead of the cars, it bling the inten-
ton for the autos to overtake him be-
fore he reached the end of his sGhed-
uled run. with the boy who was to re-
IieVe him The crash crippled the Ford
to some extent. The ventilator was
broken and sprung a leak and 1t was
found that the high speed could not be
used.
It looked for a time as If the relay
would have to be given up. However,
McNamaEa was speeding away ahead
of the machines and there was a con-
sultatSon. DR.. Graves Immediately
went to work on Lis engine, and soon
had 1t flxed so that 1t would work, but
IT was badly crippled. w. D. Hodgson's
car had put on tho chains, and when
DR.. Graves announced that he would
go ahead and make a try to stick It
out, the. other car took its load of boys
ahead to relieve Mcnamara. It was
fBlOW going ana Wn6n the runner was
finally reached he had travelled a mile
and. a half. The boys in this car were
Pollock, Hannah and VIM. Keye. and
they IN turn took the message. BY the
time Keye had finished his turn. DIR.
Graves car had come UP and the mes
sage was handed by Keye to Will Der
ner.
Berner's Great Run.
Derner started away ahead Of the
cars and another consultation was
held. The road was a sea of mud and
the machines clogged up, slowed across
the road and finally Mr.. knights ma
chine put back to town. DIR. Graves
was importuned to try to get through
and In spite Of his crippled machine he
decided to make the effort to save the
relay. i...
Derner was ahead with the message
and the crippled Ford with its load OF
boys started after him. 1t was slow
going. The ventilator leak could not
be stopped up and great care was
needed to keep the engine cool. FIRE.
uuent stops had to be made to get more
water from the bitches and when al
last Derner was overtaken he had COW
cred a distance of 55a miles. During al
that time he had run on the open pra-