The San Francisco call., 1910-05-30
SPEEDBURNERS
SCORCH TRACK
AT TANFORAN
Automobiles Vie With Gliders
and AerOpIanes on Open
ing Day of Meet
Eleven Year Old Youngster
Wins SIOO for Ascending
81 Feet Above Ground

Speed burners OF the earth and sky
wlafzzed around Tanforan track in q
series OF motor car races. aeroplane ex-
hibitions and glider flights at the meet
held by the San Francisco motor club
yesterday afternoon, and some good
records were made and a number of in
Seresting feats performed AS the rec
ORD OF q preliminary day the affair was
q great success. and ell is in readiness
FOR the big gathering today, when Ivy
Baldwin viii go aloft in his balloon,
The basket of which win be a fully
equipped motor car; the aeroplane
fights Of Harold Hall in his Greene BIZ
plane and Of Bray and Clark of San
jose IN their monoplane, the glider as
cents and the greater autmobile races.
All proceeds will be devoted TO better
ing the highways leading into San
Francisco.
The only accident worth noting dur
ing yesterdays swift succession of
events was the injury TO il year old
Walter Sittmsn OF Fitchburg, Alameda
county, who fell from his glider when
about 10 feet above the earth. Young
Sittman was being to1'ed by crowd
Of enthusiastic youngsters and they
serked at the ropes until the glider
shook the youthful aviator on the
ground causing him TO sustain a
sprained thigh. It is not thought that
the boy is more seriously hurt AS he
won first prize, 500. in the glider con-
test. his feelings were not as badly in
jure6 as his leg.
+ Harold Hall. in Roy Crosby's Greene
bfplane, expected TO make several prac-
t5ce flights in preparation for the as
cents he will make this afternoon, but
the wind continued so high in the later
afternoon. at which time his flight was
scheduled. that he could not get far off
the ground. He brought out his ma
cafna. however and satisfied himself
and. The interested persons around him
that the mechanical bird was ready.
AEIATORS TEST AIR CURRENTS
There VIII be no scheduled hour at
which Hall viii fly today, for. from 1880
in the afternoon until sunset he VIII
make aerial Journeys whenever the
weather permits him.
Bray and Clark, the San Jose avia-
tors. declare that they viii send their
monoplane into the clouds today. They
have just finished the machine, and per-
fected themselves in the art of flying.
having made several high and long
They were not able to take part in
yesterdays preliminary exhibitions, as
their machine arrived SO late that IT
was not assembled until o'clock al
night.
Ivy Baldwin intended to make a trip
sloft in his giant balloon. the Queen
az the Pacific, but while its IS, 900 cubic
feet OF gas was being pumped into it
q valve gave way The work Of repair
A1,o f1~TT
prepared for its flight today. Baldwin
viii take fully equipped Flanders
automobile aloft as a. basket. He ex-
poets TO sail across the bay and alight
somewhere in Alameda county.
YOUNGSTERS WIN PRIZES
The glider flights made by youngsters
supplied one OF the best features of
yesterdays opening day. Walter Sitt-
man captured first prize in these events
with a. fight that went 81 feet in height.
1lies Clara. Johnson won second prize,
"a feet, and Howard Winthrop and Har-
old Willsts, with flights Of SO feet each,
were given honorary mention. Sittman
and Miss johnson both are members
OF the Greater Oakland aviation club.
AS many as 10 gliders were in opera
tion yesterday.
Towed by John F. McLain's private
Franklin cer, and a Hudson, attached
70 each with a rope, R. F. Bergfeld
made q spectacular glider fight, the
machine tipping and plunging so that ii
seemed il would be dashed TO the
ground.
The San Francisco aero club was out
IA force, but the youngsters did not
have as much success as the transbay
birdboyS
From the hotly contested race be-
IL oil viz % 1e rn7l De-
3n their motorcycles. to the last 10 mile
handicap for winners Of previous
events, the auto races were of the
greatest interest, and at no previous
meet IN this city has the grandstand
found so much in exciting finishes and
close brushes to howl over. Every
foot Of speed was coaxed from the
Wflizzing machines.
CHUG CHUGS FURNISH SPORT
Bake on his Thor motorcycle bested
Collins on an Indian by a short dis
tance in the first event on the program,
making the FIVE miles in minutes
56 2-5 seconds. Collins neatly turned
the tables in another FIVE mile match
race between the two, however. bring
ing his Indian across the tape a few
feet IN advance Of Bake and making
st in 4 minutes 81 3-5 seconds.
Event No. 2 developed interest be-
Yond the mere contest of the machines,
for the Ford and the Buick, driven by
Al Ruddel and Frank Murray, We're
entered for a five mile race Billy
-FHugbson OF the Standard motor car
company had been led into laying a
bet of 500 on his Ford and when the
speedy: car brought home the bacon
Hughson split the 800, giving $50 to
the driver, Ruddle. and $50 to the good
roads. fund.
The Buick and Knox hooked up in
the fourth event for a FIVE mile race
and the two jockeyed for position dur
ing the whole course, Frank Murray
directing the destinies of the Buick
and Bert Oaks at the wheel OF the
Knox At the finish the Buick was
some four feet in the lead
FORD TAKES HANDICAP
In a 10 mile handicap between the
winning Ford and the Buick the Ford
car got a minute handicap and won
the race, making II In IL minutes 16 is
seconds The Buick finished in 10 min
ites z6 seconds and made the last mile
in So 3-5 Seconds.
A startling event developed when q
dozen motorcycles Of various makes
were started in a five mile handicap
race. Collins in his Indian took scratch
and the first man away got minutes
- seconds start. Collins could not
make up the time and Stone on a Thor
q syfv.srfe q. FsN "a cecoudS 1audfcaD won