The Washington times., 1911-12-03
e0AD|T|ON OF MAN
At WHEEL IS BIG
I. FACTOR IN RACING
Physical Shape of Driver
Tells in the Long
y Contests.

racing tnan most persons realize. David
Bruce-Brown, winner of the Grand
Prize race at Savannah, perfect giant
In physical strength, was able to drive
harder and to keep forcing 1t for a
longer time than the much slighter
Hearne, who finished second.
Granted that the two cars had been
exactly even In quality Brown would
undoubtedly have won because of his
greater strength. Not a dare devil
driver" as some folks are prone to
term the reckless ones. Brown is at
the same time as unafraid as any hu-
man being can be
That and his rugged strength earned
MIN the triumph in as hard a contest
rs could be well imagined. To win two
successive Grand Prizes with two diff
1erent makes of cars is to show some-
tning more Of the quality of the man
than of the automobiles themselves. 1t
was whole lot for the Fiat to win a
race against such brilliant opposition,
out 1t was even more for Bruce Brown
TO take the honors two successive years.
II any one thought he was lucky last
year because he won out by legs than
two seconds that man seeing HIM drive
on Thursday must have realized that
luck had little part in It,
The American ears may not have
shown UP in such fine shape, hut the
American drivers did. In every case
II was an American born who sat at
the wheel of the car that's finished.
aemery and Wagner did not go as far
pookmakers had a fine thing Of it with
Hemery, who was favorite before the
race. It Is explained by one expert that
very likely the foreign drivers suffered
because they did not have anywhere
near as much practice as the Ameri-
cans.
There has been q great deal of racing
IN this country all year long and very
little OF 1t on the other side. So when
tnese men came over here especially
with the Benz cars, which went from
the drawing board to the race with
scarcely any work, it is small wonder
that they did not make a better show
Ing. Besides, as has been said before,
the American drivers have learned
lot.
w. c. Frazer. of wellsville. Ohio. a
veteran OF the civil war, recently COM
home to Savannah over the Identical
route he marched with General Sher-
man almost half a century ago. He
drove d "a Maxwell runabout. and his
only guide book was a diary he made
while the army was advancing on Sa-
vannah. Mr.. Frazer was a member of
the Seventeenth Army Corps, command
ed by Major Gen. F. P. Blair.
Spencer e. Wishart, who has been in
the public eye recently on account of
his daring automobile driving. is about
to embark In the manufacture Of motor
trucks in New York. Wishart is a
wealthy automobile enthusiast and has
gained a big reputation as a racing
who own their own cars, and entered
the game wholly for the sport Of it, He
ts considered one of the most successful
free-lance drivers in the business. With
nr Ave rcs v-fano
ing driver Wishart is we'll qualified to
enter the manufacturing end Of the
motor business.
Word has been received from DIR.
Charles G. Percival to the effect he has
succeeded in driving his tt-Detroit
Bull Dog" car. equipped with Good
year tires, over the dreaded White Pass
in Alaska, and on to Carmack, a point
never before reached In an automobile.
Regular automobile service between
San Francisco and Lo. Angeles Is to be
started within the next week or two,
and during the entire winter season 1t
will be possible for tourists to travel be-
on schedules as definite as railroad time
tables. The cars to be used in the SER
vice are four Garford machines which
recently made trip from New York to
the Pacific coast.
The Cook & Stoddard Company re-
ports the sale of a 1912 Cadillac limou-
VeagS. ~ h. Sff The ear IS e eauipped Sk With ae the
new self-starting device and Is cleo
trically lighted.
Among the sales made during the
week by Miller Brothers. agents for
the Ford. were the following: W..
Marche. roadster; j.. II. REID. touring
car; Mrs M. A, !.addor. torpedo. and
-
One of the best posted men in the
automobile industry is John N. Willys,
pany Commenting on the 1912 season
he recently said Nineteen hundred and
twelve will be the banner year in the
motor car industry. Never. We're the
the output so big.
There are now. registered in the
United States A05, 900 automobiles. There
are approximately $4,000 in the States
where no registration is required. We
boast Of a total population of 80 900 900
people; thus up to date only one In
every 200 owns an automobile.
Now, 1t is a fact that any man
who has an income of even 81, 800 or
5000 year can afford to own a small
automobile; and as a matter Of fact will
but an economical convenience. have
had an opportunity to make some COM
PARSONS and ! know for a fact that a
man can operate one of the small cars
gasolene. and oil-all not to exceed s25
a month; providing. of course. he drives
the car and handles 1t as II should be
handled I find that most of the ex-
travasance of operating automobiles is
due entirely to carelessness, poor driv-
ing ard wanton waste.
"From the best figures available there
will be produced in the United States
during 1912 about 2bn 900 cars of all
kinds. so that It will he readily seen
that although we read of the enormous
production of enormous factories. we
have not yet been able to supn'v the
demand. for passenger automobiles. ia
saw nothing of the almost limitless field
offered in the building of commercial
motor vehicles"
LEROY Mark. manager of the South
eastern division Of the Touring Club OF
America. has received word that
Thomas W. why. who has Just com
pleted trsnscontinental tour for the
Touring Club. will arrive in Washing.
ION during the latter part of the week
1t. is expected he will be received by
PfSjTient Taft and he will also call on
Vice President Sherman, who Is one OF
his relatives.