The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1911-12-28

Only very, very, little Is need
ed. A few drops may be too many.
The veteran user OF picric acid in
gasoline knows his danger. but he
pours 1t in his tank, climbs aboard
and turns the egine loose, trusting
TO his stars, his luck, his patron
saint and all the good spirits. At.
any minute something may happen,
and then again he may race for
years without having any trouble.
Teere are others who pin their
1alth to mere pinch off the end
or stick of dynamite when they
go into a race, This tiny bit of
explosive is pinched off the end of
d dynamite cartridge and allowed
| TO dissolve In the gasoline. When
the engine is set going the prac-
tleed ear can tell there Is some
thing wrong with the clatter of the
machinery. In spite OF the open
nufflers and the consequent crash
and roar every motorcycle or auto
mobile driver looks at his neighbor
and shakes his head. 1t Is a de-
monicaI drumming that such
'doped" engine gives out. There
Is nothing healthy nor wholesome
about 1T. 1t is like the uncanuy
prancings of a "doped' race horse
lit lines up for the start.
Some OF the racing autoists use
ether in their gasoline. A couple of
ounces to the gallon Is more than
enough. 1t has a real advantage in
that it aids in cooling the machin-
cry. 1t Is its power of evaporation
that gives 1t this quality However,
the motor driver does not use it be-
cause Of its cooling powers. He
uses it because he is able to get
mere power out OF his engine, and
more power means more speed, and
more speed may mean the cup, the
prize money and all the honor and
glory that comes from the winning
OF speed classic.
Say "nitroglycerine" to the aver
age person and he will shy away
from you with Hurried expression
on his countenance. He does not
care for it. That is the fluid from
which guncottcn, torpedoes, bombs
and various other destructive things
are made. Some enterprising en-
/ glne driver experimental with 1t
one day and found that it would
make the wheels go round a little
faster and little harder when put
Ill gasoline. Soon dozens or riders
and drivers were using it for that
! purpose.
Now nearly every professional
lows all about it. But little
Id about these tricks for fear that
spectators might think that
were in danger of being blown
~ general explosion. They
rowd the turns and hug the
Gus places while big race is
- it doesn't seem that the driv-
should worry much about the
crowds. They seem to hunt danger
anyway.
A few of the crack motorcyclists
/ of the country have adopted the
plan of putting a couple of ordinary
moth balls in their gasoline tanks
and allowing them to thoroughly
dissolve before starting ON a race.
This has much the same effect on
the engine that some of the other
tricks that require a few drops of
some high explosive.
The sole purpose of all these
tricks is to develop more power.
They would probably use ray nitro
glycerine If they supposed that their
machines would hold together un-
der the force of its explosions.
Any man that will sit bumbed up
on top of a machine weighing about
zoo pounds while said machine is
tearing through space at the rate of
ninety miles an hour will risk most
anything.
1t is like showing a lump of raw
meat to a hungry tiger to feed
strong gasoline engine a little pic
ric acid or nitroglycerine. 1t Is
savage thing enough when it is
running under the stress of clean,
honest gasoline, but it yammers and
chortles like tigress when it is
fed few drops of one of these
high explosives. There is a sa'
cry in its poundings and
ltngs. When the race bee'
the very heat of the CT
1t almost racks itself
Jennings.
Naturally ado
usually restrict
| being used J.
When race
miles So
ant
aci