New-York tribune., 1910-01-23
TIMELY AUTOTOPICS
LOS ANGELES R4CING.
4de and HIS Rolling Peanut"
Chicago Election.

: The dates for the open race meeting of
the new Los Angeles mile board track were
announced yesterday. That the manage
ment Is assured Of big entry list is evil
dent from the fact that no less than eight
days are named which contests will be
held. The days set aside for the races are
April 8, .. 10. 13. IA. Is. Is and II.
Work on the track was begun last week
It will differ from other courses in that 1t
will be a perfect circle. one mile in circum-
ference and % feet wide. with S-foot
banking all around. The track will be built
of pine wood 1t is thought that a wood
course will not have such a wearing effect
on the tires Of the racing cars
Most OF the leading drivers have already
announced their intention of driving cars
IN the meet. Among them are Lewis
strans. George Robertson and Ralph De
Palma.
George Ade, the humorist, is a keen
motorist. He likes to drive his own car
His motoring experiences have been tinged
with Incidents which abound in humor.
Mr.. AIDES favorite machine is a Mitchell
roadster. in which he has driven thou
sands OF miles over the Indiana highways
Eight years ago, when living in Highland
Park, a suburb OF Chicago. he purchased
a curved dash Oldsmobile. which his chum,
John T. McCutcheon, the cartoonist, who
is now shooting at lions and tigers in
Africa, christened the rolling peanut
a name which clung to it until its dis
integrating days.
Mr.. Ade used his rolling peanut to run
from his home over to the Exmoor Coun-
try Club, where he was probably the keen
est. but certainly the worst. golfer. After
while he found that the capacity of the
rolling peanut" even with its auxiliary
back to back seat. was insufficient to ac-
commodate those who wanted a lift" TO
the golf club.
So he bought a one-cylinder touring car
which got its first real test IN taking Hub
bard Hill while carrying load Of actors
into the city after a golf game In time
for the opening of one of Mr.. Ades plays
at the Studehaker Theatre. 1t stopped at
the foot of the hill, and it could not be
coaxed. cajoled. pushed or budged.
Then for the first time Mr.. Ade raised
the hood of the radiator, and there COM
paratively as big as the knee of gnat Law
that one cylinder surrounded by enough
space TO accommodate few OF the passen-
gers. 1t was the beginning OF the end.
The actors took trolley car, and Mr. Ade
hired team to haul the one-cyl;nder car
nOIilcWdfu AI-el eeNerdl weeks OF In
effectual tinkering with 1t. a happy thought
struck the humorist: II Will give 1t to
Brother Bill for a Christmas present"
He did
Brother William was the proudest man In
Indiana when the automobile was received
at Kentland. the home OF the AIDES A
month later, after having all the locomotive
and stationary engineers within calling dis
tance examine the mechanism and shake
their heads, and after he had spent sundry
sums in the advertising columns of the
Hoosier papers in a vain effort to dispose of
his motoring ''old man of tho sea-" Brother
Bill, soliloquizing one afternoon, said, Just
to show Brother George that I'm as gem
erous as he is. I'll return him the car
and he did, freight collect.
About this time Mr.. AIDES nephew, Harry
Davis, returned from a trip to London, and
Uncle George wanted to make him a pres
ent. Why not the automobile? OF course.
Harry was overjoyed and he had the one
cylinder touring car hauled from the sta
ton TO the Chicago agents store. where he
gave a carte blanche order for repairs The
bill came-over $4Oo-and the automobile
stayed at the repair shop, as MIR. Davis
started for London when he heard the
amount. Eventually the repair man sold 1t
to second hand store and Mr.. Ade paid
the difference between the price received
and the repair bill, and every one is happy
except the second hand dealer, who has the
car yet.