The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-26

| Good sport is promised in the automo-
bile and motorcycle meet to be held at
| the fair grounds on July 4. There have
been large number of entries in both the
automobile and motorcycles events from
local enthusiasts and interest Is waxing
hot Some of the local autoists are out
| for each others blood. Larry Smith and
John Armistead are talking of scalping
one another, and in the classy Knox and
National cars, respectively, they will I'M
doubtedly hSing the spectators to their
feet. These two, however, are only part
of the entries, there being a great num-
Der of others who are talking of winning.
and who have cars capable of backing
up their boasting.
The motorcycle entries should prove
thrilling with Stubs of Birmingham, the
southern champion, and Rodenbeck, the
Georgia champion, as the star entrants.
There are a dozen more local entrants
who have fast machines, and 1t is rumored
that the number includes a few dark
horses.
| The Glidden tourists are reaching their
journeys end. and another step in the
education of the general public to the au-
tomobile is taken. At every point along
the route an enthusiastic welcome greeted
| the contestants, and those making the
trip who took part in previous ones have
voted it the most successful one held.
Their praise of southern hospitality has
been great, but the praise was fringeo
with slight criticism of the general condl-
/ IT. he below
Dixon line Many stretches We're struck
In which the roads excelled anything to
be found in the country, but the major
portion of the way was rough and hardly
more than an excuse for road.
! 1t is to be regretted that Birmingham
failed to be included in the itinerary OF
the Glidden tour. A little get-together
somehow the old town let 1t get by.
Things generally are slightly dull in Biz.
mingham. and the entertainment of the
| Glidden tourists would have furnished ex-
element for one day at least.
Birmingham's danger trap corner con-
tinues to produce its quota of accidents
and narrow escat,es. This is the corner
of Fifth avenue and Twentyfirst street.
and 1t has only been through the smiling
down and close shaving of good luck that
| a serious accident has not happened. Last
week there were half a dozen accidents
| at this point and in nearly every instance
| the autoists were either travelling at too
rapid pace or on the wrong side of the
| street.
There were three accidents In which
boys on bicycles were run into In one
| instance the street was wet and the boys
| bicycle slipped when he attempted to
dodge the automobile, which cut the cor
ner close when 1t should have swept well
around to the right. In the other two
| instances the boys were on the right side
of the street when run down. In all three
| instances the driver of the machine was
at fault Messenger boys have often been
accused of running into automobiles, and
they very often do, but in most of the
instances the accident could have been
avodCG had the driver of the machine
shown any regard for common-sense driv-
| ing rules.
The Under Three Flags run is prov
| a bit about it:
| "Richland. Mo-, June %, 1910
| THE EMF Co., Detroit, Mich.
According to all road information
available from the natives here tonight
the Flanders 90 Under Three Flags car
has crossed the Ozarlls at last and should
| get better going. Today's run was less
spectacular. than that of yesterday, but
was every bit as replete with handicap.
The cars forded 20 creeks, climbed prob
ably 80 hills over rolling rocks, and as
tcnished the natives by appearing trium-
plant at Hancock, Croker, Richmond and
numerous way stations, pulling in here
at 6 o'clock.
"At Dixon the only cylinder oil obtain
able proved to be of very poor grade.
The car kept going finely, but Pilot
Meihzinger drained his tank at Swede :
borg when a better article offered and
this cut down the mileage somewhat IF
road conditions turn out as reported the
car should spend tomorrow night at
Springfield, though Meinzinger and
Bruske have begun to doubt the existence
of any real roads in this section of Mis-
souri,. PAUL H. BRUSkE.'
I'm the eleventh century tire Chinese
proved their mechanical genius" said Ed
win G. Baldwin of Boston, Mass, in
ventor of the Baldwin Auto Guide"
by inventing and using a taxi vehicle
In the year 1927 A. D., they produced this,
curious forerunner of the modern taxi
cab. The chariot was Of wood and with
each revolution of its wheels. which were
little over five and half feet In dame
ter, just 18 feet of ground was covered.
On Its body, where the modern dash
would be, were fixed two or three wood
en- figures of men armed with drum
sticks At every 1900 feet of ground trav
eled the registering mechanism caused
one of the figures to raise his drumstick
and strike drum. At the completion
of every $4,000 feet travelled the second
figure raised his drumstick and struck
a bell, which, strange to say, was Gu
riously like the gong of q modern fire
wagon There is no record that I can
learn of the reason for SUCH machine"
When recently the postoffice building
in Fall River, Wis, was moved a new
use was found for the automobile. By
means of 2S-horsepower Franklin tour
ing car the structure, 20 by 80 feet IN
ground dimensions and containing a safe
weighing nearly ton, was drawn nearly
two blocks along the street and set on
a new site. All furnishings and equip
nent remained in the building during
the trip.
With the automobile the operation was
simple enough The building was raised,
rollers were placed beneath and the au-
toroble was attached to it by tackle
Driven ahead, the motor car moved the
postoffice steadily away. Once upon
time the operation would have been done
by hand. Ten years ago 1t would prob
ably have been done by horsepower. But
in This case it was decided the up-to-datc
method would be the use of the auto
A1t1