Los Angeles herald., 1909-03-13

Good rider that Jake is and good
machine as the Indian is, there are 9TH
er men and other machines at the TRACK
which undoubtedly are every Dit as
good. To argue otherwise is to assert
that the perfection mark in men and
machines has been reached and, as a
matter of fact, the work of improve
ment in both is but just begun.
There is the Reading Standard ma
chine, for instance. No one VIII say
that it is not a good machine and ex-
pect to get away with it. Some there
are who say that the new seven morse
power racing model of that name plate,
which has Just arrived at the John L.
Bill & Co. agency is just bit raster
than the Indian that 1t is something
like 90 per cent power and the other
one per cent is only slightly impaired
poWer due to a trace of friction Whlch
the designers of the machine haven't
found as yet. And there are those al
mirers of the Reading Standard who
have got to be shown that Win faui
Derkum "up" it can't go out and snow
the way to the Indian. Derkum has his
detractors. So did Grover Cleveland
have and so has Teddy Roosevelt. But
no one should allow the idea TO pos
sess them that Derkum hasn't some
goods that his opponents mad oetter
figure on.
what has he done?" they exclaim,
and his friends aren't a bit slow in
telling him that he has burned up as
much wind in as few ticks of a stop
watch as any man that has ever opened
up a throttle on any coast and under
any sun-on a dirt course. But TINS
is a board course, a saucer track, tney
say. And his friends will tell you with
perfect justification that any man VINO
has done what Derkum has done on
a dirt track won't require very mucn
actual competition on the saucer track
to go out and repeat as equally spec
tacular a performance on the coliseum
track. Derkum's one handicap and the
thing he must guard against the most
is his extreme good nature and friend
liness toward everyone. 1t has been a
falling Of men in the past to allow
this element to sometimes beat them
out at the tape. But Derkum has nerve
"a world of it; has readiness the equal
of any of them; has quick wit, per-
feet understanding Of his machine ana
the kind of mettle of which racing men
are made, And the man or men who
won't stand back of their local man
and give him all the encouragement
and we'll wishes that lies in them had
better inject a few atoms of local pat
riotism in their blood. Here's to Der
KUN and may he win his first race.
If not the first, then win the nrst one
he can. But may he win.
The very unfortunate accident to
Kreamer the past week has called for
more than one word of regret in motor
cycle circles. Kreamer is most low
able fellow. He is said to smile in his
sleep: no one ever saw him in his wax
ing hours without the smile at least.
He has worked like beaver in helping
to push through the saucer track. He
has explained that he was reducing
his weight, but nothing short of en-
thusiasm and a stout heart could make
man work as he has worked. Kream-
er had been figured as one of the like
liest men to lower DeRosier's colors.
He has ridden on every track of any
note in the world, whether in Europe,
Asia, Africa, North or South America.
He is a globe trotter of the best, or
worst, type. de knows and has met
every rider of motorcycle in the world