Evening journal., 1914-01-22
AUTO SPEED
KINGS BUZZ
Bob Burman Wants to Win
Indianapolis Classic This
Year
WIRE WHEELS ON THE
NEW RAGING CARS
BY HAL SHERIDAN.
Cwritton for the United Press

National and American Leagues are
fixing their fences, the Federal
League making their hair-rais.ng
midnight raids on the organization
corrals. and the college crews be-
ginning TO timber up, things arc also
stirring i'm automobile circles for the
big sporting event of the year in that
lire Tho 800 mile sweepstakes run
on the Speedway at Indianapolis IS
now the real wallop of the year so
tar as automobile speeding is con-
lcernod and manufacturers and drivers
are already making preparations for
the grind.
Bob Burman. Speed King" who
has made more of a record as an eN-
hihition driver in smashing records
than by plotting cars to victory in
open competition is out this year with
la firm resolve to cop the Indianapolis
classic Bob saw the Sheridan coat
of arms on the palatial Sheridan Of
fee ~ New York recently and drop
ped in to explain how he expects 10
turn The trick.
In the first place he is building
special car at Battle Creek. Mich.
This car is Burman's idea of the last
word in speed construction. II is 20
carry a sixteen valve motor, to
each cylinder, and is generally framed
along lines figured to pull out every
ounce OF power and speed possible.
Many of the foreign racing cars are
now equipped with the sixteen valve
motors. hut this feature is new TO
American machines. Burman has also
reiiggercd The usual arrangement of
90 Ion -. I.Hs ~.
racing cars. The seat for his mech
anician is to be set alongside the
driver, as usual, but back some six
Inches or more. The mechanician s
body viii therefore be on a line with
the back OF Burmans seat leaving
free arm room for stearing the car.
Burman found that his elbow was
constantly humping his mechanician
in his old cars
The new racing car is to be equip
ped with wire wheels as Burman be-
lievcs they are now the most prac-
tical 81 did things last year with
wire Wheels said Burman. that
would have meant certain upset had
been using wood The wire wheels
ARE stronger and better in every way.
One day last summer my mechanic
was hitting it down the road better
. than fifty miles an hour when he went
Off a bridge. The car plunged into
space and fell fifty feet on a railroad
track. landing upright on the wheels.
The mechanic escaped with hardly a
scratch and the wheels on the ma
chine were scarcely put out OF true.
Thcwhccls were wire. OF course
wooden wheels would have been
- smashed to pieces"
Burman has decided to withdraw
from the transforming game he has
/ been following He has sold his
! Benz car and will confne his racing
, TO the big open events with his spe-
cial car. His efforts will be center
ed on the indianapolis race. Burman
: covered one lap Of the Speedway at
; the rate OF % miles an hour last year
. and believes he will be able to do
better than this with his now speeder
Never having engaged baseball team
or 2reanzed league We are not in the
! position to adNi-C Che rcstaprantcu
5 op-icr ard fish merchants bankers.
lawyers, coal dealers brokers. real es-
tate dealers and members of the Cana
dian Parliament ON how the Federal
: League should proceed in ripping tho
liniug out of organized" baseball But
; there is an interesting problem to be
5 worked out by the lcsglie leaders.
p With Joe Tinker signing mp bic
p leagucrs for his Chicago team and All
report, Indicating that President
Noocghman has no moro regard ion
J money than ham sandwich when il
comes to signing mp players. informa
{ tion as to the make up of some of the
s teams would be interesting. This is on,
= baseball muss, however. in which the
fan. the fellow who pays his money. may
-it back and smile. lic stands To come
out ON top whether the Federal Lcagu,
+ lives OF dies II IL lives and puts M
good baseball at popular prices well
that will be one step toward lowerin;
the cost at living n it dies (whicl
Iocsn seem a matter TO worry over hi
3 present Judging from the lusty swatt
j handed the National Lcagucl the or
{, ganizcd' baseball interests will probabll
g come from the poStmortcm consider
b ably chastencd and much wiser.
8 league is not going 10 he held mp long
G however with one, or possibly tw
p strong clubs in the circuit The rae
,. must be reasonably close to Keep M
Z interest III the Federal League hasn
= some way of distributing players the
n NAV find Joe tinker and his Chicag
j bunch brcczing through hands down. In
dianapois won the pennant last yeal
4 but where will Dill Phillips and hi
4 team stand this wear with the Chicag
e bunch 81 Louis has Miner Brown
Baltimore. otto knabe. and kansa
lCity. George Stovall. but one ma
doesn't make ball team any more Ia
v one swallow makes a spring or a drunl
n One high class man makes lot q
4 difference IN IN otherwise mediocre clul
n but he can't necessarily put up a iigl
= against a well balanced team.
Baseball may be sentimental to a cel
tain extent. hut they arc going TO spcn
= their cash where they get the best bas'
n iball for the money. The America
/, League GOT them. and the Feds wi
/, draw their share If they deliver O.
T. goods Crowds are not going TO be al
tractcd. however, with one or two ias
, classy teams and the rest hopping alon
ON crutches Every league must has
r. its top and bottom of the pcrccntae
n column. OF course. This means ths
a there will probably always be st. Lou
d Browns. Cardinals. Brooklyns, etc. Bl
le there must be a balance. Every lea2t
B. will have its one or two weak team
}: but FIVE or six teams can't be left
d. their fate while two or three other clui
Id owners. blessed with plenty OF cas-
build mp world bcater ponnant chasers