Evening star., 1915-01-10

until the finish flag was waved at 'h'
last car running in the Corona race
THANKSGIVING day road records "ei'
being constantly smashed.
II was at the Corona meet that the
sensation of the year was PROVIDED
when Eddie Pullen, the newly crowned
speed king of the road drivers, ptlotec
his Mercer car over 301 miles OF roads
at an average speed OF SI.3s miles al
hour. q record never before equaleG
ana one that Is likely to stand for some
time to come. Throughout the year the
Mercer cars had been campaigned IN
road events with such success that d
compilation of the seasons perform
..nces ranks them ahead of All other
American cars participating in this
form of competition.
There were eleven road races held
during the year under the sane
ton of the American Automobile AS
sociation ana in all of then: speed OF
an unusually high degree was main
taincd by the leading cars to finish
The historic Vanderbilt cup race, in its
new western setting, was the initial
road event OF the year and in it Old
field in q Merce:. finished second with
an average of 1906 miles an hour to
his credit This was close to one mile
an hour faster than the former record
for this race, 7407, made by Ralph
Mulford in 1911 at Savannah. Eddie
d
ming in the lead in this race when an
unfortunate accident on one of the
dangerous turns rendered him hors de
combat. but two days later he was
ready for the starters call in the
grand prize of the Automobile Club of
America, the only international road
race held in this country.
Pullen displayed high road driving
ability in the grand prize. and scored
the first American car victory in the
international classic for the Mercer
when he piloted his mount home first
with an average of 1I-2 miles an hour.
new record. The previous grand prize
mark was 14.45 miles per hour, made
by the late David Bruce-Brown in a
giant foreign creation at Savannah in
1911
Out at Phoenix, Ariz., the automobile
race enthusiasts celebrated Indepen-
dence day with road race over the
outer loop" course, and of the eight
starters. Murphy, at the wheel of a
Mercer. proved the speediest. covering
the s3.7 miles of dangerous roads in
l hour 20 minutes 81 seconds.
The next road races of any impor-
tance on the automobile calendar were
the annual events at Elgin, Ill. The
thousands that gathered around the
watch city course were thrilled dur
ing the running of both the Chicago
automobile cup trophy event and the
contest for the Elgin national trophy
with the comet-like speed produced by
the Mercer entries. particularly the car
piloted by the late Spencer Wishart,
who met with his unfortunate and fatal
accident during the running of the lat
ter contest.
Wishart drove his car around the
course at a ninety-mile-an-hour gait
for some distance in the Chicago A. c.
event. but was forced out through
minor trouble. The next day he again
set the field a merry chase, covering
lap after lap of the course at over
ninety miles an hour until his fatal
collision with another conteSting car.
Pullen, who was in the van of the rest
of the field following Wishart, finished
second, close to two miles an hour
ahead of the previous record of 72.5
miles an hour. i
With the ideal roads and climatic
conditions of California again being
offered him at Corona, November 26,
Pullen uncorked some real Mercer
speed and stability and set the world
agog when he romped home a winner
to the tune of S7.S9 miles an hour, a
mark never before eQua1ed in compe-
tition in this country or abroad. The
worlds road record previous to Pull
lens fight was 70.7 miles per hour, as
made by Teddy Tetzlaff in a Fiat over
the Santa Monica course In 1912. By
his sterling performances on the roads
Pullen earned the speed championship
of the year.
The lighting scheme of the automo-
bile show to be held in the 5th Regi-
nent Armory. Baltimore Nd, January
19 to 25, both inclusive, will this year
be an innovation. SURPRISING anything
that has ever been shown there in the
way of decorations.
In the place of the usual white col
umns dividing the various exhibits
there will be palm trees eighteen feet
high containing a shower of natural
leaves on top, natural bark on the sides
and moss at the bottom Concealed in
the leaves there will be bird cage
containing live singing canaries, and
the total trees will approximate 100.
There will be suspended from each
tree rustic sign, hung from a suit
able rod and chain, which will bear
the names of cars exhibited in the re-
spective booths
Outlining each of the exhibits there
will be. placed at uniform distances
natural potted palms: the floor of each
exhibit will be covered with green ma
terial: the ceiling will contain sky
blue canopy covered with numerous
stars, and there will be suspended on
invisible wires 100 white doves. The
below the balconies and the balcony
rails will be covered with material
containing scenic effects: under the
canopy of the ceiling there will be sus-
pended numerous streamers at inter-
walls of eight feet, entwined with
southern snlilax, which will contain
f0e-watt tungsten lamps. the entire
ceiling throwing forth light to tho ex-
tent of 900 watts.
Under the four balconies there will
he suspended two rows of tungsten
lamps. 25-watt each. at distances of
every eighteen inches. The balcony and
gymnasium will be appropriately dec
GRATED to harmoniZe with the main
floor.
The Sioux City Speedway Association
In arranging it's racing program for
1915 has selected July for the date of
the annual race instead of July 4, as
of last year The change was made on
account of the South Dakota state laws
prohibiting Sunday racing, on which
day the Fourth will fall next year The
contest board OF the American Automo-
bile Association has been requested for
an assignment of this date to Sioux
City instead of June 25. which date was
tentatively allotted at the annual meet
ing OF the contest board during the
early part of December
Three hundred miles will be the dis
tance. the same as last year, and the
classification will likewise be $50 cubic
inch piston displacement Twenty-fyA
ylytl