Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-24
BUICK HAS MADE
RUN TO PHOENIX
NIKRENT BROTHERS COMPLETE
DESERT TRIP
MAKE LEISURELY TRIP TO THE
TERRITORIAL CAPITAL
Experience No Trouble, Never Take
Hood from Engine, No Tire
Troubles, and Confident
of Sharing Prizes

Back from the trip across the desert
to Phoenix came Joseph Nikrent and
his brother, Louis Nikrent, as fresh as
the moment they started out from the
Howard Automobile company in the
little Buick white Streak'-the car
that has made fame and speed and
won more races in the United States
than any other car that has ever been
turned out
The two brothers-Joseph driver and,
Louis as his mechanlcian-arriVed in
the territorial capital without having
had the slightest trouble with their
car, the hood never having been re-
moved and not puncture nor break
of any kind in their tires, and on
Wednesday afternoon at o'clock the
Buick drove up to the Adams house in
Phoenix, carrying also Charles Fl.
Bigelow as a passenger Bigelow being
familiar with the route and acting as
pilot to the drivers of the car.
How closely the Nikrent brothers
had figured out all their necessities In
the way of gasoline on the trip, it may
be stated that they loaded up on leav-
ing the garage and took their entire
supply of gas with them for the trip
and on arrival at Phoenix and when
within two blocks of the Adams house
the car ran out of the necessary pow
er-making stuff, and supply sufficient
to carry them to their destination,
two blocks away, had to be secured
This is mentioned merely to show how
closely these two cool fellows had fig
ured out what their car would do, and
the calculation was almost perfect.
Charles Bigelow has been over the
course a number of times and prob
ably knows the roads of California
and Arizona better than any one else,
as he also piloted the car first over the
course last year.
The Nikrent brothers running rec
ords have heretofore been confined to
track events, and they have been most
successful, having won nine out Of
ten of the events in which they par
ticipated.
Asked Yesterday as to his opinion of
the road, Joe Nikrent said. in his usual
calm manner, "Well, it is a hard road
there is no mistake about that, and
any one that thinks he is going over
an easy drive need only tackle it, but
our car gave us not the slightest
trouble in either the car itself or Its
tires, as we never opened the hood
from the time we left Los Angeles un-
til we arrived at the Adams house,
and it hasn't been opened yet.
The roads are cut up from the late
rains that have fallen in eastern CAL
ifornia in the foothills and in western
Arizona, making the going very hard,
but the Buick, he stated, never failed
them in the pace they had set for
travelling the entire distance, which
was not one making time, but easily
and steadily and making colse obser-
vations of the course.
The most serious trouble experienced
on the trip was at the crossing of the
Colorado river The ferry boat got
stuck on a sandbar and all hands had
to jump into the river and push the
boat off, and the time taken to do this
was four hours, with the men above
their waists in the water.
The Buick left Los Angeles last sat
urday night, and by an easy run as
far as Banning the night was spent
there. and the following day the run
was made to Chuckawalla Springs.
and Monday night the car had made
Ehrenberg, where camp was made,
there being no houses there, and the
following day carried them into Har-
risburg, in Arizona, and the succeed
ing day they arrived at their destina-
tion. No cars We're met or passed on
the Journey, excepting the little Ford,
and it was in want of oil, which the
Buick divided with them and went on.
The opinion of Nikrent is that 1t
will be hard to pick the winner of the
race this year. as there are so many
high grade cars in the race. Nikrent
admits frankly that he has never
driven over a course like the Phoenix
roads, but feels that with his expert
ences with the Buick on this run ne
will be able to make a showing.
Joe Nikrent is one of the coolest
clear headed drivers on the coast. lie