New Britain herald., 1928-02-20
CAMPBELL SPEEDS AT RECORD RATE.
Hits World Mart With 9O6.956
 Miles M Hour

esa
 Daytona Beach,, Fla. Feb. 20 N The figurative laurel which signi- fies attainment of the highest speed at which an automobile has yet been driven had been lifted today from the brow of one Englishman to rest on that of another.
 Captain Malcolm Campbell of London yesterday piloted his huge Napier Blue Bird special over the hard packed sands of the beach here at the rate of 2O6.95602 miles per hour, eciipsing by more than three miles an hour the mark established on the same sands last year by Ma jor H. o. D. Segrave, likewise Of England.
 One new record of earthbound vehicles came while two others also awaited an oppountity to test their machines against time-Frank Lock hart, of Indianapolis, with stutz Blackhawk special, and J. M. White of Philadelphia, with a 36-cylinder Triplex, which had not yet been &C., corded official sanction for one try, because of mechanical discrepancies.
 Captain Campbell. after his suc- cessful dash of a mile up the beach in 16.76 seconds, at rate Of more than 214 miles per hour, and his mile run back down against stiff gale exceeding 199, to make up his official mile. said he had not anti cipated formal effort at the record when he started out. But for the fact that he took only four mile rolling start, said the captain, he would have bettered the record still more.
 My motor had not even begun to pick up good when I crossed the mile stretch" he said. 'It was making about POS miles an hour when I crossed the wire and did not pick up until I had passed the half mile mark. Just before I finished the mile, I glanced at my instruments and was making 220 miles an hour. Before could look up had crossed the final wire and was headed for the soft sand dunes"
 At this juncture the 5000 specta- tors feared a fatal accident and Mre. Campbell, in the stands, covered her face with her hands until a tense moment of anxiety had passed. The captain tells the story:
 My machine struck a terrible hump on the. sands and I lost com plete control of my steering whee, I bounced half way out of the seat My feet left the accelerator and brake completely and my goggles were nearly torn from my head by the wind.
 Tt happened so quickly that for an instant I looked for bad spill. I recovered myself quickly. how ever and righted the car."
 Captain Campbell gave major credit for the recovery to a rigid fin. similar in appearance to an airplane rudder, which had been set up az the rear of the automobile to pre- vent tail wagging at high speeds.
 ; Congratulations from Major se- grave, the formeR record holder. came from London last night, along with cautionary word for the speed to be expected from Lockhart's entry. Sir Charles Wakefield donor of the thousand guinea gold cup which accords an annual income of . thousand pounds to the holder until 1880 unless the record is mean while broken, was quoted in London as delighted but not surprised at Campbell's achievement.
 Campbell declared he would un- doubtedly try again If Lockhart's effort should set new mark. The car of White, the Philadel- phian, has been refused sanction by the American Automobile Associa- ton because it is not equipped with clutch of reverse gear. White says. however, that if beach trials devel- op the speed he expects from his machine he will immediately change 1t to conform with A. A. A. specifi- cations.