Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-05-24
HOW BAKER MADE
! MOTOR CYCLE MARK
Trip From San Diego to New
York Was Carefully Planned
in Advance.
STUDIED WEATHER CHART
FOR THE PAST TEN YEARS
Knew All About the Roads and Con-
ditions Which He Would
Have to Meet.

Erwin G. Baker. riding 1914 seven
horsepower twin two-speed Indian motor
cycle, with electrical equipment, arrived
in New York city few days ago from
San Diego. Cal, having smashed the
coast-to-coast motor cycle record. He
covered the distance of :;.497 miles in
II days ~ hours and 10 minutes clipping
off about nine days from the previous
record.
Baker in telling of his trip on his ar
rival in the metropolitan city. said. that
he really achieved the feat about four
months ago. having made thorough prep
arations and endless calculations during
that period. Speaking further of his rec
breaking trip. he said:
First 1 laid out my route-a matter of
no small importance in selecting roads
and towns through which to pass Then.
having done this, l enlisted the co-opera-
ton of a weather expert, and together we
examined weather conditions over my
chosen territory for ten years past. An
alysis showed that, contrary to general
opinion, May was the best month for me
to undertake coast-to-coast ride on a
motor cycle.
Weather True to Form.
| so. relying on the weather's past per-
| formancea, I determined to start in May.
| leaving San Diego on the Sd at II O'Clock
eastern time. The weather ran true to
| form and I did not hit rain until after l
| had gotten east of the Mississippi valley,
at which point l struck gravelly roads
which absorbed moisture readily and gave
me minimum trouble This was just as
1 had planned. 1 followed a storm area
| trailing from west to east and struck nc
storm until another one finally caught up
with me. During the rainy period I COW
| cred one stage of seventy-two miles
| through wind and water in one hour and
f1fty-five minutes.
Another matter of foresight which
helped me was the planting of tanks
of gasoline ahead of me at remote
spots where 1 knew that no gas would
have been obtainable. Thus I avoided
Between Mammoth. Cal, and Glames
rode sixtyfour miles on the railroad
ties. crossing trestles and bridges.
I'm 1.027-mile desert stretch Of
sand. cactus, heat, thirst and desolate-
ness I Travelled lis miles without see
ing a single living thing except gila
monsters and snakes.
Crosses Four Mountain Ranges.
-Four mountain ranges were nego-
tiated. At one point at the northern
end of Arizona I climbed from 200 feet
below sea level to an altitude of 9647
feet into the mountain SHOWS. 1t was
in this mountain work that the two
speed showed it's supreme qualities My
brake power. too, in making the pre-
cipitous descent of the winding noun
tain trails, never failed me for a mo-
ment II it had ] might not be able
now to tell this story.
when ] struck Indiana the authori-
ties raised the speed limit for one day,
so that / could do my best. And / did.
making 376 miles in eleven and a half
hours. ! am a Hoosier. and the welcome
and encouragement which the people
of my home state gave me as 1 passed
from town to town was a generous
and appreciated demonstration.
From Columbus. Ohio, to Greens,
my way through 232 miles of midland
was mighty glad to get out of 1t on
to firm ground again.
Final Dash to Goal.
my final dash was a 41S-mile one
from Greensburg, Pa, to New York city.
This 1 did in twenty hours. sixteen of
which was actual riding.
Total time for the trip was eleven
days twelve hours and ten minutes. dur
ing which I took only forty-six hours
sleep-about four hours per day. Aver
age mileage per day was 3O4.
Il took along an extra electric light
bulb. expecting to need it with such hard
riding. But 1 arrived in New York with
the original bulb still in its socket and
burning brightly. Ny batteries were
still in fine condition and needed no re-
charging or attention during the ride.
I'm my estimation it was the cradle
spring frame above all that contributed
to my success. 1t absorbed all road
shocks and vibrations. and this, of
course. saved all my strength, and, be-
sides. enabled me to make speed over the
toughest roads"