The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-03-08
GARDNER SEDAN
ENDS. LONG
TRIP
"CannonbalF" Baker Crosses
Continent in MidWinter
Over Bad Roads.

Erwin G. "Cannonball" Baker
finished his spectacular New York
to Los I Angeles transcontinental
run, the first endurance trial ever
made in a closed automobile in
mid-winter, at 4:30 o'clock Tuesday
afternoon. The car he used was q
stock Gardner sedan, taken at Sran-
dom from the service department
of the Gardner Motor Company,
Inc. in st. Louis, where it had
been used by officials of the COM
pany. The car was christened 1.-THE
Blizzard"
Next to the binding blizzard and
snowstorm which Baker encount-
cred west of Lancaster, Pa, in the
Allegheny Mountains, with snow
drifts from two to four feet deep,
and the sleet storm east of Union
town, Pa, were a siXty-mile head
wind and ice-glazed roads compelled
him to wear chains on all four
wheels Of his car, Bakers most try
ing experience was with the mud
roads of Missouri. H. +. Van Horn,
the indianapolis newspaper man
who accompanied Baker as OBJ.
server, photographer and recorder.
spoke In his dispatch from Kansas
CITY to the Gardner Motor Company
or Bakers experiences as follows:
Leaving Jefferson City at 1855
a. m. we encountered Missouri
roads that were declared impossible
between Jefferson City and Sedalia
We ran the Gardner 25 miles in low
ana second gear. 1t was impossible
to go through any of this stretch
In high. In Sedalia 200 persons
gathered at the Gardner dealers
salesroomS to see the car when it
arrived. Sedalia citizens declared
that no car had come over this
road In the last two weeks, that
the roads to Kansas City were i'm.
passable, and that no motor car
mad made that trip during the last
two weeks. We put on chains be.
fore attempting to cross this section
AFTER entering the 65-mile stretch.
we realized that the difficulties Of
the journey were even greater than
mad been pictured by the reports
Inc roads were frozen in places
with deep holes with practically no
bottom caused by water standing
IN road. The surface was soft
que to the days thawing, making
the highway very treacherous. Mud
rolled up on the wheels and gath.
cred on the tenders. One other
car made 25 miles Of this journey
In a days time, being pulled out
nv teams six different times. The
Gardner never stalled and pulled
through the deepest holes where
travel was thought impossible.
The record made in the run was
reported by Van Horn from Los
Angeles, after the run ended. as
3,39S miles, covered in ELAPSED time
OF seven days, seventeen hours and
elght minutes. The running time
was reported at four days, fourteen
hours and fifteen minutes. This
transcontlnental run was the sixty
fourth made by Baker 1t was not
the fastest of Bakers runs, nor
was there any expectation that il
would be. All Bakers previous runs
We're made in the summer months
In cars with the top strapped down
or entirely removed from the car.
The new records is sedan record.
Bakers fastest transcontinental run
was in 1920, when he drove a
Templar car from New York to
Los Angeles in six days, seventeen
hours, thirty-three minutes, ELAPSED
time, and four days, five hours,
rorty-three minutes, running time.
On this run as on the Gardner
run, and others made by Baker, one
man drove all the way. In the
present tour exceptional weather
conditions were confronted and the
large surface offered to the wind
by the sedan body imposed an un.
precedented obstacle.