The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1915-07-06
Charles Johnson With Pack
ard Finishes In Second
Place.
THOUSANDS ARE PRESENT
One Of the Greatest Sport
ing Events Ever Wit
messed In City.

Before a crowd Of over 5000 automo-
bile enthusiasts yesterday the Beaver
Bullet OF Beaver Falls. Pa, won the
big professional 10.mile large car race.
at times walking away from Charlie
johnson, the winner Of the Uniontown
Hin Climb on June "a.
johnson in his long Packard Grey
hound" entered the professional race
with the greatest confidence in his car.
and when the starter got. them all
moving Johnson drew away with ter
rife speed from the rest Of the field.
but. was pacemaker for only a short
time, the Buick yellow Kid" squirting
nfter him and closing the gap to car
length. The Beaver Bullet" never
made any awful bursts OF speed, but
kept following for 21z miles. when
George B. Gardner, the driver and
owner OF the Bullet, made up his mind
to be pacemaker and Immediately
dashed past the Buick and Packard.
and after making gap between the
cars was never headed.
The Bullet is the owners own idea
Of car, he having built it himself Just
for racing purposes, and Is a combina.
ton OF parts Of the best cars in the
country. The speed made by Gardner
was too fast for Johnson. and It may be
said to Gardeners credit that the Pack
ard was working perfectly.
In this race was the 80 h. p. Simplex
which has been conceded to be the
most powerful car in the races. The
Simplex engine was kicking and a
kicking engine never won race IN
professional events. 1t was this fact
that known to l P. Fetterman when he
dropped out OF the race after two at
tempts to get his engine adjusted.
The Buick car also dropped out on
account of the air pump to his gaso-
line working badly. incidentally caus-
ing the driver, Roy Stintz. OF Union
town, to slow up so that his mechant-
clan could work on it, but it was nee
essary for him to drop out after losing
too many laps.
This left the race between Johnson
in his Packard and Gardner In his Bull.
let. The Bullet started leading the
race at the third mile. There were
many thrills experienced when the
big Parkard tried to cut around the
little Bullet.
Johnson's Packard missed the quar-
ter stretch fence about four feet on
one occasion IN trying to get around
the flying blue machine from Beaver,
but his efforts were futile, for every
time Johnson came close to him, Gard
ner went around the curves on high
and az . terrific rate OF speed, losing
the Packard
Gardeners time for the ten miles was
u minutes and 81 seconds, johnson
following him into the home stretch
nine seconds later. When the Bullet
passed In front OF the grand stand
there was tremendous noise and cheer.
lnS. It must be stated in Johnson's be-
half that his car was too big for the
curves, the weight causing 1t to skid
from one to i've feet every time it hit
the curves, while the Bullet went
straight ahead, never losing time.
In the small car amateur races
there were three cars started. Metz.
Ford and q Chalmers. The Metz,
with Walter Ballou driving, lost
chain on the first half mile and on
the sixth mile, when it got started It
made good speed, taking a chance on
the other cars having to renew rites
or engines working badly but after de-
Gliding there was no chance, the Metz
dropped out. The Ford was driven by
Josephs, OF Morgantown, and the Chal'
rners by Fred Hood, a former Fair
monter, but now Of Oakland. Md. This
race furnished more amusement than
any other when the Ford took the lead
At the start and was never headed.
This machine did not create any dis
turbance trying to smash fences or
see how far it could skid and stay on
the track, neither did 1t make any
noise. The Chalmers appeared to be
working all right, but was unable to
catch up with the Ford. For the ten
miles the Ford's time was minutes
and 55h seconds. The Ford did not
have its exhaust cut in and nothing
was heard but the whir Of the fan.
The second event on the program
was the two-mile for a track record.
FIVE cars being entered. The first car
starting was the Mercer Of Grafton,
driven by Walter Cook. Following him
were the Buick, Packard, Beaver Bull
let and Simplex. The Beaver Bullet
won this event, making the two miles
IN q minutes and 80 seconds. It was
"a this event that Walter Cook wrench.
Cd one Of his tires. causing him to
scratch his entry in the professional
race.
The last automobile race was the
Australian relay event. Only two cars
entered, the Bullet and the Packard.
Starting directly opposite each other.
It was necessary for the one to catch
the other. In this event the Bullet