The San Francisco call., 1913-08-10

Oldheld. veteran OF a hundred ra
place, drove his Mercer over the dist
He was Handicapped by tire trouble.
Louis Nil<rent, at the wheel of an
other Mercer, was third His time
was 6 hours 2S minutes Is second.
Aside from the struggle between
Cooper and Oldfeld for first place,
the excellent work of Frank Goode,
driver OF Apperson No. II, kept the
crowd excited Apparently Goode was
certain of third place until the forty
seventh lap. when engine trouble de-
veloped and put him out of the rum
ming.
Teddy Tetzlan who won the two
previous races over the same course.
had motor trouble from the start, and
his Fiat car was never serious con-
tender after the first 10 laps.
Because the crowds began thronging
upon the course s Nikrent finished the
referees stopped all other contestants,
awarding them places In the order in
which they stood at the time. Four
teen cars entered the race, but five
were eliminated before the winner
crossed the line.
While no worlds records were shat
tered, the crowd was kept at constant
tension by the efforts of Cooper and
Oldfield to outgeneral each other. They
made the race.
Cooper led from the third lap and
from then on IL was a contest between
3 comparatively inexperienced youth
and the seasoned veteran Oldfield
Honors went to the youth, although
q tire change on the last lap permitted
Oldfeld TO draw dangerously near.
Cooper's heady, consistent driving
had won him too great lead. however.
to permit its loss with but one lap to
go, and oldfeid's superhuman efforts
to take advantage of his rivals mishap
went for naught
One fatality attended the race--a Z
year old boy, Buster" Breen of Los
Angeles. being run down and killed by
touring car driven by Lester Thomas
of Los Angeles. while the latter was
speeding near the course. Thomas was
arrested on a manslaughter charge.
T. l. Terry, mechanicfan for T. J.
Beaudette, driver of Cadillac No. IL.
tainted twice during the race the first
time at Death Curve The machine
came to halt and Terry, as soon as
revived, insisted on continuing.
Scarcely a mile farther on. at the
Nevada street curve. Terry again
tainted and the Cadillac was forced
from the race.
Plunging through murk of COM
blned sea fog and motor smoke the 4
cars sped away prompte> at O'Clock
this morning.
The observation of the course did not
deter the drivers from opening wide
their throttles and they sped around
the track at terrific rate.
Frank Verbeck, who won the Pan
ama-Paeinc road race from Los Ange-
les to Sacramento, July 4. was a last
minute entry He brought the total
number of racers to IA.
The numerals 13 were barred on ac-
count OF their supposed III omen, but
bad luck started on the first lap. when
Stutz car No. Z Lewis driving went
out with engine trouble.
Teddy Tetzlaff winner of two Santa
Monica road races, got into trouble
shortly afterWard, and he and his Fiat
No 4 also went out of the contest,
but only for few minutes He re-
turned two laps behind the leaders
On the fifteenth lap Cooper. in Stutz
No $, who had been leading, had to
change a front tire. and Oldheld. in
Mercer No. 8, took the lead.
Cooper, In Stutz No. S. gave the spec
tators a thrill when, at the end of the
sixteenth lap. he passed Barney Old
field in front OF the grandstand.
Oldfeid, a moment later. was forced
to stop and change a tire. The change
was made In less than half a minute,
and he lost only one place.
The sixteenth lap was disastrous for
Hanshue's Apperson No. ?. 1t caught
FIRE on the far side of the course and
the flames soon reduced the big machine
to wreckage.
Goode, in Apperson No. II, drove up
to third place during this lap, and held
the place when the timers caught the
leaders at the end of the one hundred
and f1ftieth mile.
Ambulances were rushed To the north
end of the course shortly after 1880,
when it was reported that the National
car had caught IRE and that Frank
Siefert, the driver, and his mechan-
ician, Cecil Woessner, were badly
burned The car was on its eleventh
lap.
With the race practically half COM
pleted at noon, the time of the leaders
indicated that this years mark for the
winner would fall short Of the world
record mark established last year when
Teddy Tetzlaf covered 202 miles at an
average speed of 1873 miles per hour.
Tetzlaff made the fastest time OF the
race today up to the 200 mile mark.
He covered his fifteenth lap at the rate
of SO miles per hour.
Cooper's average for the first 80 laps