The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1914-04-25
Man Beside Bob Gets Ready to
Order Angel Wings and Take
Some Harp Lessons
SPEED KING TUNES UP
CAR FOR SPEEDWAY RACE
Is Making Flying Tours Through
Lower Michigan, Visiting
Former Haunts

The writer knows now why they
call Robert Burman-ki ng.pin OF all
The auto racing speed crew and the
man who has reeied off the fastest
mile OF any pilot. living or dead r
Wild Bob"
He's the most careful driver in the
world. II he wasn't both OF us right
now would be taking harp lessons OF
Tie angels and getting measured for
our wings.
We shot in from Battle Creek yes
terday afternoon at 4,45 In Wild
Hob's' brand new racing machine
The BuEman" tit ought To- be called
Creased Lightning"D. which ne cbm
pleted only last Thursday at tht
Greek, on his tnirtieth birth anniyer.
-aaiY. for the famous 500-mile speed
Was> event at indianapolis May 80, fl
as fast as an Oklahoma cyclone II
snorts Ike a wart hog. coughs like a
clap Of thunder, purrs like jungle
tiger and reflects Bob's" every touch
and mood just as Kubeliks Cremona
minds irs tcusled master
After an eyentful trip Eve don't
know whether to call it flight or
drivel from the pure-food town we
drew Up IN -trnAt- ~ 4-Ae = fii+4t-
az exactly . bells by the town clock
We left the Creek at 10 a. m. and
therefore negotiated the distance ef
SO miles in the time OF seven hours.
including stops of two hours at Jack.
son for dinner. and 10 put on a new
tire
Rut that deesnt express anything
90 fI a 81. IL. a..
Of corrugated swale dignitied by the
name OF roads-we loped along at
camel speed, while on the straight
away cement course from Ypsi TO De-
iroit We hit 'er up at the hair-raising
rate of more than 100 miles an hour,
The "Burman" Is tuned up to do 100
niles an hour on the track and as
Wild Bob" Youchsafed the comfort.
ing information that he only let the
iaby out to the first notch" We firm
~ believe Il can go the limit and not
turn a hair
Just why wild Bob" selected the
writer to accompany him on this lit
lie tryout" over Michigan's country
roads IS more than we know lie pre-
faced the invitation with the enlight-
ening information that he had never
5eel killed in any OF the numerous
accidents In which he has figured in
he nine years OF hrs Checkered rae
Jug career and that he didn't see why
ish-ga-worry over taking q spin with
anyone so lucky.
Anyway, You cant get killed but
once" was the gist OF Wild Bob s.
cheering philosophy.
Friends at the Greek proffered the
encouraging information thAF Wild
Bob" was the luckiest dy{fer in the
world: that several guys that had
gone on trips with him, or had ridden
in races as his mechanician, had been
killed, while Bob the lucky devil
always escaped injury; but not TO let
that fact cause our pedal eXtremities
TO become polaric as to temperature
You're lucky Yourself they said,
and If you get the rinky-dink In an
accident, we'll send flowers and 60
around telling what a nice young fell
low you were
Thus scothed We fell for the gan
Near Parma o foolish flock OF trust
full barnyard fowls delayed crossing
the road until we were in the midst
OF their happy little party. Bang
hutter. The owner OF those Shang.
hais will have five fat chickens for
dinner Sunday. But he will have this
comfort as he and his'n are devourng
them-they were slain by the speed
lest racing machine ever built by the
hand of man
At Jackson-"BobAs'i old home town
the speed king was given an oya-
ton, hundreds focking TO the Dalton