The Washington herald., 1914-05-24

Baker, astride an Indian. clipped Just
eight days twenty hours md fifty-ons
minutes-nine days, practicaly-from ths
record which was established by volney
Davis. when he crossed between the Pa
cific and the Atlantic In twenty days
nine hours and one minute during tn.
summer Of 1911. Bakers time for the
trip was eleven days twelve hours and
ten minutes
ID It official? Yes, indeed. it is, for I,
was run under the sanction of the r.
A. M: and incidentally, 1t is the best
time for the trip that has been made by
any motor vehicle. bettering even the
automobile record which was set up
when pair Of drivers relayed a ma
Z chine from coast to coast in fifteen days
and ten hours.
Baker reached New York, his Eastern
terminus. early on Friday morning last.
May h He looked little, II any, the
worse for his 3.50o-mile grind. though
his friends in indianapolis. perhaps.
would scarce be able to recognize him
through his twelve-day accumulation Of
beard
The hardest part of the trip was
through the deserts Of the West and
across the mountains of Western Penn
syivania, though the latter would have
been easy had 1t not been for the mud
u
which fs all work and little pleasure. but
think the game was well worth. the
candle"
Baker left San Diego. Cal. at 3 o'clock
on the morning of Sunday. May g. On
the first day he travelled not quite 10
hours-9 hours and 4s minutes, to be
exact-covering els miles to Yuma, Arix.
OF the distance. some "a miles were over
railroad ties and at least five miles over
~
30 miles away in the same State. was
reached on the evening of the second day,
the rider having traversed $50 miles of
dest and having lost hours when his
tank went dry 4 miles from Aguacaliente
Springerville, AriZ., was reached on Tues
day evening. May 5. the day having been
spent In traversing some 265.6 miles of
rocky cliffs. The evening of the next
day saw the rider clear of the desert rid
Ing. During the day he covered s50s
miles between SpringervilIe and Santa
re, crossing the State line into New
Mexico. Throughout the four days
Bakers chief foe was the intense heat
of the desert. but his training in pre-
paration for the trip and his intimate
knowledge born Of broad experience in
going Of that sort: enabled him to sur
vfve the hardships which undoubtedly
would have proved the undoing of less
experienced rider.
On the fifth and sixth days he covered
Ss miles. to Waterous. N. NJ, and 344
miles, to Syracuse, Kan, respectively
The comparatively poor showing made
on the fifth day, was due in part. to the
road conditions and in part to punctures.
The day following he covered close to
253 miles. arriving at Ellsworth. in the
same State. on the evening Of May g.
1t was on this day that he encoun-
tered the fall that came within an ace |
Of being his undoing, only his pluck |
preventing him from giving way to his |
hurts and abandoning the trip. Going |
into Great Bend, he had the bad fortune |
to hit a dog, which resulted in a spill !
from which he emerged with a badly |
Eunged-up knee, q well-barked arm and |
an ankle that was well wrenched, each
In itself painful enough to cause the
average man to seek comfort in medical
and rest Baker. however
never quit and never even had his hurts
examined until he reached Kansas City, |
where a doctor attended him. It was,
as he explained it, his of day." for be-
sides his almost fatal fall, he had the
misfortune to pick up no fewer than
seven nails in his rear shoe.
The evening of May 10 and the close
Of his seventh day saw him in West
Lexington. Mo-, having covered 1877 miles
during the day and 2.o3o9 miles during
Inc week.
The 255 miles separating West Lexing-
ton and Greenville. Ill, were covered on
the next day, the mud encountered max
ing the going hard. Between Greenville
ana Columbus, Ohio. a continual down.
pour of rain made the going extremely
hard. Despite the fact, however Baker
piled up the remarkable mileage of 3T5
during the sixteen hours he was on the
foad. The mud was still heavy on the
next day. Wednesday. and the noun
tains in Eastern Ohio and Western Penn
sylvania detained him SO that he piled
up only 80 miles before he quit for the l,
tight al Greepsburgh, Pa. Bakers Indian
was shcd with Goodyear tires and the
mount was equipped with the regulation
itment which goes with the fully
equipped Indians.
Bakers machine was shipped to the In
iisn factory at Springfield, Mass, and {
lie will follow it. to spend a few DAYS I
It the place where Indians are made and [
est up a bit before returning to In
annapolis. :
The National Capital Motorcycle Club
which has gone to great expense to Civ. 7
auto fans a race meet of [
national Importance on Memorial Day. {
mas applied to the Stewart-Warner Cor v
ooraton for the use of an electric tim 4