, 1926-06-30
MAKES
RECORD In CROSS
COUNTRY RUN

When the wires flashed the news
of the record ocean-to-ocean run of
Alb Jenkins and Ray Peck in a
stock model Studebaker Big Six
Sheriff On June II. a final, thrill
ing chapter vas written into the
annals of many attempts to beat the
fastest train time from New York
to San Francisco in an automobile.
The combination of two Salt Lake
City business men and the Sheriff"
had finally done tin the record
smashingtime of sc hours, 20
minutes.
1t was a victory not only over the
abbreviated time schedule that had
defeated the several previous at
tempts, but also, over tempestuous
elements. For the greater portion
of the trip, the heaviest rains on
record for this time of the year
beat down on the plunging car,
obscuring the drivers vision and
turning the dirt roads into stretches
of slippery, t~reacherous mire.
The story written by jenkins and
Peck with the Sheriff. is one
that encompasses all the thrills and
romance of automobile road tests.
And it offers remarkable proof of
the stamina and power built into
the modern automobile.
Jenkins and Peck had broken all
of the records in their own terri
tory, holding practically everyone of
Importance in the west, even though
neither is a professional driver.
Jenkins is a successful building
contractor in Salt Lake and Peck,
the owner of a large garage. It's
just a hobby and a recreation with
them, this road racing. Just a short
time ago they drove their Sheriff"
from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City
in 16 hours, II minutes for a
record that attracted nation wide
attention. 1t was 8 hours, 8 min
utes faster than the fastest train
time.
They already held the record
from Salt Lake to San Francisco
and those from Salt Lake to Reno
to Provo and to Boise. There
wasn't any place more to run in
their country. They had to look for
more highways 10 conquer.
Lets go clear across the coun-
try" said Alb to his driving partner.
We've licked railroad time to a
standstill in the west.
Heavy Rains from Start
They drove east, leisurely. June
cr~oss-country attempt. And on the
18th it rained.
That rain was just a sample of
the drenching downpour to follow.
Right at the start from New York,
at 2:07 a. m. Eastern Daylight
Saving time. a delay in getting the
stamped Western Union departure
certificate caused the drivers to
miss the first ferry.
Fogs in New Jersey-five grade
crossings blocked by milk trains
and a road filled by rock blaster
from a quarry in the same state
driving rains that amounted virtu-
ally to a cloudburst in Pennsylvan-
ia, these were the trying condi-
lions hat met the drivers On the
first lap of the trip from New
York to South Bend, the home of
Studebaker.
A whole hour was lost on one
detour in Pennsylvania and the rain
continued to obscure vision and
make the roads slippery, but Jen-
kins and Peck pulled into South
Bend at 9:45 p. m. Central Stand
ard time, five minutes ahead of
their schedule.
Here a letter was delivered to
V~ice-president Hoffman of The
S%tudebaker Corporation of America.
a copy of this letter mailed in
New York by air mail at exactly
the same time the Sheriff. left,
arrived in South Bend the next
morning.
At all times consideration was
given to the rights of motorists,
and in passing through cities speed
regulations were carefully observed.
High speed was made through the
night on deserted country roadways.
A 4S-gallon reserve gas tank
had been set into the floor of the
tonneau, right against the back of
the front gear. This and changes
in the top, back seat. and tire car
rier were the only alterations made
in the regular stock model Big Six
Sheriff. On the floor between the
gas tank and the front of the back
seat, the auxiliary driver was able
to catch snatches of sleep, his heac
propped up against an air cushion.
Dry humorists, these viotors of
the c~ross-country trails Says Jen-
kins from his improvised bed after
leaving South Bend: This is a heck
of a hotel. can't even find the