The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-03-13
NEW GAR RECORD
 ON PACIFIC COAST
Studebaker Light Six Makes Sensational Race From Los
 Angeles to San Francisco

San Francisco, Cal, March 1s-Tn one of the most thrilling races ever staged , by an automobile a Studebaker Light Six, stock touring car, piloted by Hart L. Weaver and James F. Gurley of the Chester N. Weaver company yesterday broke the valley route record between San Francisco and Los Angeles by four minutes and 10 seconds, completing the gruelling test of All miles in hours, 15 minutes and 10 seconds. With this sensa- ttional performance the Studebaker Light Six now holds all road records between the two cities. having smashed the coast route record by hours, B minutes, 20 seconds and established q new round-trip record in the remark able time of 21 hours and 23 minutes three weeks ago. The figures are all elapsed times.
 CAUGHT IN FOG
 The hazards and dangers of the fast race were increased a hundred fold between Tulare and Merced, | distance of more than 100 miles, where the little car went through a dense tulle fog without lights and with no lessening of speed. Phil Sheridan, san Francisco newspaper man, who acted as official observer on the run
 
 run through the fog:
 "Only wonderful luck and the fines. 1 kind of driving could have brought the car through that fog. The atmos- phere was so dense that it was almost impossible for us sitting in the ton neau, to see the pilots in the front seat. The lights were shut off and. without diminishing speed the car Was sent into the darkness ahead with the throttle wide open. The pilot of i the car could only see d few wards l of the road ahead but driving with l fine nerve and with the electric siren sereaHfinA like some strange animal lie 1 went through without stop or mishap ! and without losing more than Ia min utes on the hnndred-m stretch be- low normal running time.
 TO TEST STAMINA
 The start on the run, designed 10 test the stamina of the car and demonstrate for the government the practicabil of the automobile as an auxiliary means of carrying fast United States mail between the two cities was made at 10 o'clock Tuesday night from the main postoffice in Los Angeles. The car carried sack of special lrnited States mail under special authority from the postmaster-g In aad- dition to the two daring pilots, who took turns at the wheel. the car car ried W Cook of the Chester N. Weaver company. mechanician, and Phil Sheri- dan, official observer
 Starting from Los Angeles at a ter- rife pace the Studebaker, q car or only 1l2-inch wheebase, weighing but ,, 100 pounds plunged into one of tn. most severe tests to which an auto mobile can be ppt. Mile after mile hour after hour the car was pressed to the limit of its endurance and DOW er
 e ONLY TWO STOPS
 Only two stops were made on tie entire run. The ear halted for eight minutes at Fresno for gasoline ana was forced to wait 10 minutes on it's arrival at the Creek route ferry slip in Oakland awaiting the automobile ferry.
 The car was checked in by D. NJ. Ritchie, night foreman at the Ferry postoffice in San Francisco at 7:15:5O o'clock yesterday morning, just hours 15 minutes and 10 seconds after leav- ing the main postoffice in Los An geles.
 The automobile beat the time of the fast Southern Pacific mail train by hours, 30 minutes and 10 seconds