Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-05-12
Manager Pelletier's proposition will be

Manager Pelletier's proposition will be
| accepted.
"Win the time ever come when the
name grade crossing will be buried in
| the archives of our remotest memory
asks the vice president of a western au-
| tomobile concern.
"Grade crossings, whether used for
| steam trains or electric cars, are the
| motorists worst enemy. They are death
traps. not only for the motorist, but for
the public at large. They represent
archaic methodist system which has
railroad. Other features in connection
with transportation have progressed, but
the Anticipated grade crossings with
| their crooked and oftentimes dilapidated
| gates, seem, like TennySOn's brook, to
| live on forever.
| True 1t is that some states have made
a feeble effort to enact laws for the
abolition Of grade crossings, but the en-
much impetus. Massachusetts probably
leads the country in grade crossing abo-
lition. and this commonwealth is setting
an excellent example to it's sister states
Our country is SCARED with grade
crossings. the greater percentage being
unprotected. even with gates Or signal
At night. when most needed, there Is no
protection whatever. and many fatalities
occur after dark. Thousands OF people
| have needlessly been sent to eternity
through improper protection at grade
crossings.
The Anticipated 'stop-look-listen' signs
are inadequate. Oftentimes they are
hidden from view around curve or be-
hind trees and shrubbery. Flagmen
should be at all high-speed crossings
| from In the morning until midnight
There should be some signal, such as a
loud sounding gong, to denote the ap-
should be used as signals. which might
| be seen from a distance by approaching
| travellers.
| There should be stronger protection
| Sundays, when there is an increase in
traffic by motorists and horse drivers.
All these are vitality interested in pro-
lection at grade crossings"
Harry c. Meem of the Baltimore and
Ohio railroad. stationed at Dickerson
Md. has received his 1912 model T Ford
| touring car. and during his leisure mo-
| ments will be seen at the wheel of his
| new car.
In view of the increasing number Of
| thefts Of motor cars and the appropria-
| ton of machines for Joy riding" pur-
poses, writer has suggested that motor
| lists provide themselves with strong, light
chains, incased in leather. to avoid dam
| aging the car. the chain to be passed
| around the wheel and through the front
spring Of the car and secured with a
| safety lock.
| One of the latest owners of 1912 Ford
| touring car is William NJ Wallace a
pioneer motorst of this city. This is his
| third Ford car. having purchased one Of
| the first cars of this make when first in
| troduced on the market.
| X = X
{ Elijah Heffner. formerly of Dickerson,
| Md, is the latest purchaser of a 1912
| Buick touring
| Another celebrity has been enrolled
! among those who have selected cleo
tries for their private equipage. Mrs.
Phoebe Hearst. philanthropist and lady
| bountiful to California State University,
has selected a Flanders colonial electric
| for her use.
Chicago man has just patented what
| he calls jiffy curtains, and they are well
named: for as the inventor himself says,
you can start adjusting them when you
| see a raindrop about to fall and have
them up and the car inclosed before the
drop hits the ground. The RICH Cor
porat ton of Detroit is the first to secure
| this latest innovation and all RICH cars
are now equipped.
These curtains slide in the pockets at
the top of the car and also slide backward
with the top. They are strung on nom
unstable steel cables and can be entirely
adjusted without leaving the car Pan
eled mica Iookouts run the whole length
| of the curtain. SO that the view of the
occupants Is not lnterIered with.
Since Louis Disbrow broke the five-mile
| speedway record for the 60O-cubic-inch
class on the Los Angeles motordrome last
| Sunday with his ffty-horsepower Sim
| pick all motordom has been talking about
the consistent record breaking this driver
has been doing since he obtained this car
saucer. he reduced the mark held by Bar
ney Oldfield from 1886 to 1881. Only
a few days previously, on the San Jose
mile dirt track, Disbrow broke the world S
| fifteen, twenty and twenty-five mile
marks, formerly held by Oldfeld. These
have just been approved by the ALtomo-
| bile Association of America contest board.
With this same Simplex Midget Ralph
de Palma and George Robertson. who
drove it before 1t was placed In Dsbrow' S
hands, had phenomenal success with the
mount, they having numerous world s
marks to their credit. Disrow is certain
ly proving worthy successor.
| These are the days of intense excite
ment and activity around the famous
Indianapolis motor speedway, where
many intrepid pilots are tuning" their
steel mounts for the coming JOO-mile con-
| test.
While the driver is the center of in
terest, and upon him largely depends the
outcome of the strenuous contest, there
is another figure not so spectacular but
none the less necessary. He is the mocha
nician.
car. Two good examples of this char
acter around speed events are those in
the National 40 team. Frank Farver
will ride with Howard Wilcox and Harry
Martin will be assistant to Don Herr.
These two young men are experienced
in the rigid discipline OF motor car rae
ing. They operate the oil pumps. watch