Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-11-25
Checked Out of Oklahoma City
at 6:451s, Arrives Here
at 10:14.
TIME ALMOST UNBELIEVABLE
Veteran Driver Used Four
Passenger Stock Car in
Making Record.


H. Tulsa on a record breaking trip
from Oklahoma City. With Joe Daw-
son. of the Chalmers engineering staff
IN the drivers seat The car covered
the distance in three hours and % "
minutes Until road conditions are
vastly improved, this record Is going
TO stand. but Just as soon as the rest
CT the counties between Tuls. and
Oklahoma City vote their millions for
road improvements the record is go
ing to be lowered Tho when it is
lowered it will not be half the strain
on the car doing it as the present
record was on the sturdy little Chal-
nIers Yet 1t came thru mechanically
Lerfect. This statement would be
hard to believe by those knowing the
lad holes and bridge approaches on
the road, hut it has been certified TO
by q. E. Shannon, auto editor of The
World, and a. j. Polin, owner of Po-
lin Tire service.
In order that there might be no
question as to the time made and to
SCI a definite method for others TO
follow In making the record, Dawson
was checked out of Oklahoma City ~
Charles Boggs. business manager of
he Oklahoman, who made an affi-,
davit TO the fact that Dawson left at
G.45H "a. m. ~...
A handicap that bothered Dawson
was the fact that he had to riSidly OBJ
serve the speed laws in the towns thru
which he paxsed.
Dawson and w. F. Sturm, oc tho
contest department for the Chalmers
company, expect to spend a couple of
weeks In Oklahoma. They were ad-
vised mot to make the attemp, this
year. owing to the prolonged dry
spell and the consequent poor roads,
Ettt no !,
Chalmers was built to stand any kind
of roads that any automobile could
traverse, As a possenger In the auto.
X. D. Johnson, of the Oklahoma
Chalmers company. got the thrills of
his life. He insists that the speedonl-
eter could not register high mileage
as the front wheels were ofc tho
ground half the time.
Used Stock Car.
The car Dawson used is the same
cne with which he set record of six
hours 55 minutes. forty seconds from
San Antonio to Dallas last month. 303
miles, and also from Galveston 20
Dallas, 35l miles in eight hours and
thirty minutes. It Is equipped with
the same United States Royal Cord
tires that were used in. the runs In
Texas. Dawson says hc find that
they are not only the fastest tire he
ever used. but their value In rough
driving also lies in their ease in steer
ing and the way they handle on turns
and in rough spots.
The Chalmers hot spot and rams
horn manifold. which makes 1t pos
sible to get 100 per cent efficiency out
of poor grade gas, Is one OF the big
interest points on the car with which
Dawson made the record. Starting on
cold morning and Instant power are
tho important advantages Of the hot
spot and new manifold.
While Dawson is a stranger per-
sonally to Tulsa his driving for the
rast ten Years Is not. On August
and he startled the world by setting
a new "a hour record on the Sleeps
head Ray track. covering 1898 miles.
beating the old record 70 miles AMI
averaging between 70 and eighty
miles an hour for the entire distance.
The motor used on that test is the
same kind that Is used In the Chal-
mers car of today.
Besides making history for the
Dawson holds the distinction of hav-
ing won the indianapolis five humid
red mile race In 1912 In National.
setting a new worlds record for that
distance. He won the Cobe trophy.
took first and second in his class in
the Vanderbilt Cup. held the worlds
nonstop race record for years and
made auto history generally. For
years ne had charge of the expert
mental department of the Marmon
company and teamed with the willy
Ray Harroun when the two of them
were making racing history with tho
Marmon.
Dawson is n quiet spoken chap.
never mentions himself and for that
reason his opinion Is highly valued
by the auto world. He takes keen de-
light In demonstrating a cars ability
on the road and is naturally very en-
thusiastio about the Chalmers. The
car with which he made the worlds
"a hour record Is in Tulsa with him.
May Speed Up Good Roads.
Oklahoma city to Tulsa in 8 hours
and 2Sh minutes!
people who have had to put in from
I to II hours making the same trip
on slow going railroad trains, and
when hours meantthousands of dol
lars to you, and then get In line for
a concerted boost for a substantial
automobile road between the two real
cites of Oklahoma.
II Joe Dawson can and did make
the trip in 3h hours In the present
condition Of the roads, how fast could
an ordinarily good driver make II on
concrete boulevard, safeguarded
with good bridges and protected rail-
way crossings. Time will tell for that
Is what is going to happen when vot-
ers and land owners get the good
roads idea thoroly thru their think
ing mechanism.
Put to begin at the beginning.
This trip between Tulsa and Okla
homa City has been a nightmare In
the busy men Of both places. Toe
much time on the road and too little
for business transactions in one day
Automobile men have been endeav-
oring to solve the problem and 90
have the advocates of better roads
They have received slow encour-
agement, but the roads are beginning
to be more passable than cattle trails