The San Francisco call., 1909-08-27
LONG AUTO TRACK
RACES HARD STRAIN
j. W. Leayitt Tells of the
Accidents on the Indian
apolis Speedway
Course Rough and Drivers OF
Machines Collapse From
the Trying Work
BY r. R. L'HoMMEDIEU

BY r. r. L'HOMMEDIEU
j. w. Leavitt has returned from his
eastern trip, which included a visit to
the Indianapolis speed track during the
contests in which several lives were
lost. Leavitt, in speaking of the con-
tests, said:
The track was too rough. being full
of ruts and holes The 500 mile
event was too long for the drivers to
stand the strain. Bourque came to his
death just as he was entering the home
stretch. He had been driving wide dur
ing the contest, and for some reason
looked back, and before he knew it was
In ditch on the upper side of the track
and the next second was through the
fence. The strain on the drivers when
covering such a rough course was
frightful. The Jackson was leading at
the time 1t stopped at the repair pit
When ready to start the driver tried to
crank his car, but fell over exhausted
The mechanieian turned to the starting
crank and tried to turn 1T over, and he
also fell to the ground from the exer-
tfoh. The two men literally were done
up from their exertion of riding over
such a rough course"
In speaking of the proposed 500 mile
track meet at Tanforan. Leavitt said
that the men that were going into the
contest did not know whit they were up
| against. 1t was all right for 10 mile
sprints but when it came to long dis
tance events on track 1t was a fright
full strain on the cars, tires and men,
and more so on a mile track
Leavitt tells good story on A. d.
Plugoff. who accompanied him east. 1t
seems that accommodations in Indian
apolis were scarce, and the automobile
men that knew one another bunked in
rooms together the best they could The
first night Sam Sharman of Salt Lake.
A. d. Plugoff, Tony Nichols and Leavitt
had room together. Leavitt and
Nichols slept in the alcove, while Shar-
man and Plugoff had the main room.
AS the men turned in for the night at
different hours the door of the room
last to arrive and he failed to turn the
key. The result was that during the
night a sneak thief cleaned up the
three hotels in town. Plugoff lost $3.50
and Sharman awoke to find he was
minus his coin. Leavitt and Nichols,
being in the alcove to one side were
passed up by the thief.
Leavitt had an exciting ride in trying
out the new 1910 Stoddard- Dayton. He
made the distance between Dayton and
Indianapolis, over rough roads of 10
miles, in three hours and 20 minutes
He was within five miles of Indianap-
oils, when, turning to speak to one of
the men In the tonneau, he allowed the
car TO leave the road and when he
looked back was headed for ditch. To
straighten a car on the road meant to
hit bridge in front. He plunged
through the ditch, over swampy
ground, through creek and up the
embankment to the road again beyond
the bridge. In the wild ride he took
down several saplings, which wrecked
the glasses in the headlights, but 9TH
erwise went through the experience
safely.
Joe Matson. driver of Chalmers De-
troit racing cars, states: In road
race one of the
Signal. Auto II Race. sRInss IS RGassR. 5RlenaIs.
wind. the bark of
| cars and other things make talking i'm
possible in race One has to have
signals and on them only depends VIC
tory or defeat. One. usually has sig
| nails with the man in the repair pit,
though for the most part the holding
up of one arm, to show that a stop will
De maze on the next lap, taxes care or
| the pit. This time is always shown on
| a board in front of the grandstand
But the signals between driver and
lmechanician are most important. I al
ways devote lot of time to perfecting
my code. and making sure that my
mechanician is perfectly familiar with
| 1T. The mechanician spends most of his
| time looking behind. This the driver
can not do, as the removal of his eyes
| from the course for even an instant
might mean a lost race or instant de-
struction. And if anything happens
behind, of course, the driver has to
know 1t. That makes signals neces-
sary. Mine are simple. If the machan-
ician holds one finger before my eyes
1t means car coming Two fingers
signifies car close behind three fingers
means car very close behind and four
fingers, car wants to pass When he
holds his thumb and first finger in the
form of 'O' l know we are out of oil.
That about covers them, but 1t is mighty
important that both of us should be
perfectly familiar with the code. In
many a race those few signs are the
only communication between driver
and mechanician. Until one has been
in race without well developed sie-
nails the real value of them does not
strike home"
Prior to leaving New York, Private