Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-07-05
Celebrates Twentieth Anniversary Of
His Firm by Starting for Coast
in Automobile.
THIRD ANNUAL TOUR OF IN.
DIANA AUTOMOBILE MAN.
Something About Success Of Jack
Rabbit" Which Bears Little Re-
semblance to First Car.

III ctitDIdtlOu VI Tue GOlu duuAN 6I'
sary of the building Of America s first
successful gasoline automobile, con
strueted by the Apperson Bros, in Ko-
komO, Ind, in 1893, Elmer Apperson
was at the wheel of one of the Ap-
person ''Jaek Rabbit" entries when
the Indiana Pacific tour left Indian
apolis, July /. Two AppersOn cars will
take part IN this, the third annual tour
of the Indiana Automobile Manufae-
turers Association. This tour will be
! the biggest eross-country touring event
of 1918 and viii cover a distance of
more than 5000 miles. Governor Raj
ston officially started this tour from
the steps of the Hoosier Capitol on
July l at 2 P. m.
The idea of the tour originated with
the national coast to coast rock high
way which Carl G. Fisher, the Indian
apolis millionaire sportsman is sponsor
for. The tour will pathfind a suitable
route for such a road. Like the auto
mobile the idea of transcontinental
highway boulevard originated with a
HoOsier Twenty years ago on July
4 the first gasoline automobile in
America was driven out of the shop
in which it was built in Kokomo by
Elmer and Edgar Apperson and the
next morning the papers Of the coun-
try told of the wonderful "horseless
carriage" which this Indiana man had
built and which would run at a speed
OIL more than twelve miles an hour.
For the two decades that have passed
Elmer Apperson has been building the
descendants of this first car. OF course
Improvements have been made upon it
until the present models of the Apper.
son "Jack Rabbit" bear but little
resemblance to the first car that is
now viewed daily by hundreds in the
Smithsonian institute in Washington,
d. c. When the longest tour in the
history of the American automobile
contests was proposed by the Indiana
manufacturers the Apperson Bros. Au.
tomobile Company decided to celebrate
the goth anniversary of their car by
entering two touring models in this
event and sending them from their ma
tive heath across the plains and noun
tain ranges to the Pacific Coast.
From the time that Elmer Apperson
perfected his first machine, twenty
years ago, his name has been one to
conjure with in the speed arena and
the automobile contest world. The win
nings of he car that bears his name
read like a table of historical dates.
The Apperson, with Edgar Apperson
at the wheel, was the first car in
America to complete a 100-mile non
stop run. This feat was accomplished
on Long Island in 1901.
just before the dawn of the ooh cen.
tury the Apperson startled the world
when Edgar AppersOn drove overland
from KOkOmo to New York City and
delivered a car to a customer. This
was in 1898. The Appersons also won
the first crosscountry touring event in
1901 when Elmer and Edgar Apperson
finished first and second in the New
York to Buffalo endurance run of the
Automobile Club Of Amreica. As late
as 1909 Edgar AppersOn set a world IS
record that still stands when he COW
cred A-mile up a liz per cent
grade in l minute and "a seconds with
a standard Apperson "Jack Rabbit, !"
winning the Altadena.P Pasadena hill
climb.
The Apperson entries in the Indiana.
Pacific tour bear the numbers II and
is and the pair of Jack Rabbits"
have been costumed in coats of bril-.
liant red. That Apperson interests en-
route will he well cared for is assured
when glance at the makeup of the
Jack Rabbit" tour team is taken.
First, here will be eddie" Edenburn,
assistant chairman of the tour, one of
the most popular publicity men in the
Hoosier state, who will dispense hospi.
tality along the way as well as keep
the outside, world informed on how
the "Jack Rabbits" behave. Mr..
Edenburn comes to the Apperson as
Publicity manager for the tour after an
extensive experience with many Of the
leading manufacturing institutions Of
the Hoosier state, Then there is Max
Winters, long identified with motor.
car manufacture, and for better than
six years actively identified with the
Apperson organization. Nelson Ne
Lain, who is better known as relief
driver for Herb Lytle when the "Jack
Rabbit" was familiar on all the lead.
ing race tracks of the country, will
handle the wheel Of the second car.