The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-05-30

sun-baked bricks have literally eaten
up tires. making changes necessary
They were hoping the day would re-
main moderately cool
BY H. d. GARRISON
Speedway, Indianapolis. May 80
Thumb back among the mustiest
pages of modem mythology and there
you will find where a cockney person
wise-cracked to the effect that hit
amt the 'eavy 'aulin as 'urtS the 'orses
'oofs-hit's the 'ammer. 'ammer, am
mer of the ard 'ighway-
And what was true of the hay burn
ers of that remote period likewise
bears the stamp of exactitude in the
500 mile automobile sweepstakes here
today.
rs not the heavy hauling-nor yet
the long haul-that hurts in this en7
durance test of more than a score of
the worlds best speed creations and
their crafty drivers. It's the hammer,
hammer. hammer of the hard high
way.
The most difficult race course in the
world, perhaps. is the Indianapolis
speedway and its 4 mile oval is not
Unmatched bricks try the mettle of
the pluckiest drivers and the metal of
the sturdsest mounts-and of both
there are a plenty in this race.
All Come to Races.
The brightest galaxy of race stars
speedway-death defying drivers Of
two continents. who have performed
their feats of daring before crowned
heads and potentates are here for the
5-century derby.
And out to see them are customers
from Bangor to Butte and beyond,
and from san Francisco to st. Angus
tine and all points OF the compass be
tween-at least $4,000 of them in
gay and colOrful array. A few odd
thousand of them have been camping
at the gates of the speedway since
mid-afternoon yesterday, waiting for
the grand rush for choice parking
space.
Thirteen of today's entries did bet
ter than ninety-five miles an hour on
their ten mile qualifying tours. Jim
my Murphy clipped it off at a hun
dred plus and the experts" say eigh-
teen of the list are equal to the one
hundred mile pace.
The Thrills Are Left
That is considerable speed for this
particular track for it might be ex-
planned right here. the Pioneer In
dianapolis speedway was laid out with
the county fair oval as its only model
The speedway saucer track had not
been thought Of Sharp turns here
clipped miles off the average but they
rob this nightiest of all speed events
OF none of its thrills.
Compare these short trip figures
then with Tommy Millions winning
or with Ralph De Palma's 1915 record
of S9.S4 miles an hour, and things
look good for a new track record
Moreover. the cars are more evenly
matched than ever before. They hold
forth greater promise of radiator-to-
radiator brushes as they rip down the
roaring road on the quest OF nearly
500 600 in prize moneys
Some are betting on the youths who
push their mounts from the start
Others are banking on the steadier
Old-timers to win. Then there are
those dark horse fans who caution
YOU to look out for the equine Eth
Opian.
There are two men who will have
the choicest seats at the Speedway
during the race and they won't even
see the race They are Chester Rick
er, chief scorer and ODDS Porter, head
OF the timing division Their resting
place during the long grind is in the
judges stand But they are too busy
with the bookkeeping Of the affair to
see the thrills of the event Then as
q soon as the race is run they go into
solitary confinement and rerun the
race from the records. checking every
move OF every car, and spread before
them is the tale of the sensational
sporting event of the season. 1t takes
longer to check the records than it
does Tor the winning pilot to drive the
500 miles.
DiOge1es used a lantern to find an
honest man but he lived too many
Years ago, for he could have found
one without a lantern in Pittsburgh
j. M Woolson,. of Pittsburgh deserves
the title One. day last week he was
IN Johnstown. Pa, and found an en-.
velope containing tickets to the In
dianapolis 5O0-mile race. The aver
age man would have welcomed the
chance to see the race without charge
but Woolson promptly mailed them to
T. E Myers, secretary and general
manager of the track. Mr. MverR'
secretary. E s. Dallenbach, was OPEN
ing the mail when a messenger boy
arrived with a telegram from the
owner of the tickets. who wired that
they had been mislaid. The owner
will get his tickets when he arrives in
indianapolis for the race.
Chief Yellow Calf war leader OF
the Arapahoe Indian tribe, will pre-
sent the winner OF the 500-mile drive
for 100000 with an historic Indian
war bonnet. a relic of frontier days
on the Oregon trail.
Chief Yellow Calf viii be accom-
panied by Gen. T. J. Mccoy of Their
mopolis. Wyo.. who IN behalf of the
Thermopolis Chamber of Commerce.
has taken the chief to Chicago where
he presented Mayor William Hale
Thompson with a peace pipe.