The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-04-04

stralglltaway fellows 2s or 20 sec
onds Nearly every dollar I possessed
was earned with blood, my own blood
and attendant physical pain put 1t did
not take inc long to mako up my
mind to bug the car with which /
used to break the worlds speed record
for every mark / went after IN Florida.
| ] want to go on record as saying, that
there Is only one race course in the
Wolfe world that Will permit the speed
made. That Is the Daytona Beach
course. MY first trouble upon trying
out the car was to get goggles that
would allow mo to use my eyes after
] reached the 100 miie-an-hou gait.
| My ordinary racing goggles almost
gougcd my eyes out, the pressure
caused by the wind being terrific. Az
ter a lot of experimenting I overcame
this difficulty
Had TO become Used to speed
Then came the work of getting ac-
customed to great speed. believe
am calloused to ordinary dangers Of
automobile racing, but here was new
dread and fear for me. The limit OF
speed ! was going was faster for mile
after mile than scientific automobile
engineers figured could be attained
without the tires being thrown off the
wheels by centrifugal force. The loss
| of traction was startling. Fully a
third of the distance the wheels were
off the ground, the front wheels were
shooting up and down In weird dance
that caused me to shut down my motor
until they would hold to the ground. 1
knew the motor was capable OF so
many hundred revolutions per minute
| ] knew that the gearing would admit
of speed of $50 miles an hour when
| the engine was wide open. 1t was up
to me to find out what the limit OF
speed really is.
| ] would wait for n particularly good
stretch of beach. and then / would
let the great old car have It's head
| Down would 20 the throttle and the
spark would be advanced we'll along
Then we would shoot through space. /
would begin to choke everything be-
| fore me would become enshrouded in
| haze and / would suddenly feel as
though / were in the middle OF a
nightmare about to jump off some
mountainous precipice. Then / would
| shut her down had driven faster
than humanity ever travelled. Far
| faster, for 142 miles an hour is al
most Il million times as fast as 1t looks
in print. That is as near the limit Of
speed as humanity ever will travel.
More powerful automobiles may be
built. though II is not necessary. for
my Benz has never been open. but not
even on Daytona Beach Will that speed
be beaten. I stuck to the wheel and
kept the car as far open as l could
4 until 1 felt myself becoming uncon-
sclous Another second or so and 1t
would have been all off. Others may
talk of such speed but I am the only
man in the world who ever got near
the limit of speed.
Proud of Record.
am under contract, foolishly en-
tered into before l knew the chance
4 would have TO take, TO drive my new
car in competition at the opening OF
the board track on the coast, but when
In finish there / will never drive a
/ car in competition on any track or
course in the world but on the Florida
beach | know that have made good
nv promises to show the world that
! am the equal of any man at the wheel
of an automobile, and 1t is hard Tor
anv reader TO realize how proud | am
of beating the whole world just about
the time they figured 1 should be go
ling TO an old mans home.