The Washington times., 1909-08-29
WHAT'S 1T ALL WORTH?

ITO WHAT DO sucn racing ana SuCH
1 risks Iead?
They lead certainly 70 a form of mania
among the drivers. Walter Christie eN-
presses It by saying: There IS a won
derful e~xhlaration about fast driving.
To be lifted up and carried onward
the ground beneath unwinding like a
tape. is a stimulant that no liquor can
equal" Aitken observed dryly: You're
flirting with death every minute. Blu
YOU don't care. You get 20 look for
risks and eat EN- up" Barney Oldheld'
who takes Il all as a matter OF busl-
moss, lets his enthusiasm take the form
Of utterly ~6isregarding every other car
on the track. They can 90 the looktn
out" says he. And young Charley Merz.
within two DAYS after he had lifted his
6rinn,n9 body out OF that creek and
looked about on three OF his fellows
KILLED nv his car, said: Why you feel
as though nothing counted in the world
but speed"
Ealium had been besought by his
mother not to race. Strang had MS
bride in the Erandstand- Mrs Oldheld
vas not only at indianapolis, but al
every earlier meet in which Barney
has taken part this year. Ihere were
manufacturer looking on VINO mad
warned their drivers that no race was
-or.b a bi}nan life. Remember said
Mr.. Wright TO Bourque n HoIcoHno'
100, hovs are very dear 70 us here and
Int no wins at the sacrifice OF
safety"
., +b.s. ara not restraints. The wo-
-en themselves grow hysterical with
n.perness to have their husbands win
when Strang stopped his machine after
akin his nine world records on the
second day Re turned directly 10 the
stand and walked 70 Mrs. Strang. That
ifrtle woman in an exaltation Of pride
ran down the steps, met her husband
half way, caught his sooty. sweating
cheeks in her hands. and there before
thousands Of people. pressed her lips
against his a full minute
And the manufacturers have them
seives entered their cars into these
races. al great expense. for the sole
ana only purpose OF winning. Words OF
caution from them can hardly he anti
dotss for such a mania as this.
Very Poor Pay
For the Car Drivers.
Such racing n such risks rarely
lead TO great earnings. The chief sur
prise OF my stay In Indianapolis was
- AAAaNN VI GN8 AAHNFA1 So HtAN Wv
OF $40 a week. They are nearly all
young boys-Bourque was thirty, Ait
ken and Strsng are t~wenty-four. and
Merz Is only twenty-One. and hardly
looks that-and practically all Of them,
save Oldheld. Strang. and some Of the
foreigners. are from the factory. AS
they develop from testers 10 drivers
they are allowed abundant time 90 de-
Sign their own racing machines. and the
work comes 10 be more and more
merely a matter OF preparing FOR con-
tests and running races. Nevertheless.
t3 or 80 a week seems mighty poor
pay FOR the risk that Merz ran sat
urday a week ago.
Probably half a dozen drivers are
marked exceptions % the rule ~ low
salaries. The Buick practic-
ally supports its three drivers-Strane.
Chevrolet. and Burman. After the
Cobe races IL divided $1,000 among them
Any one OF the three with a wife a.
thrifty as Mrs. StranE can look forward
az he lives) to a beautiful home and a
good Business start. Oldheld rs some
thing OF a Ben Franklin. He and his
manager have upbulded a fine business
IN exhibition runs. In tie year 1905
alone he cleared $4,000. Robertson is
one OF those men who think the electric
Tights on Broadway ant be turned on
II he is not near. Otherwise he. too.
might be rich, for he earns not less
than $1,000 a year. and his employers
pay his hotel bills practically all the
year through.
What Can Such
Risks Mean to Buyer.
I was greatly interested To know
how far such racing and such risks
can guide the buyer Of a car for family
use. The winning has value to the
maker chiefly for It's effect as adver-
Using. and the advertising has value
only as It reaches the possible buyer.