The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current, November 08, 1914, SECTION FOUR, Image 52

The Sunday Oregonian., November 08, 1914, SECTION FOUR, Page 6, Image 52

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Newspaper Page Textracers TO THRILL TITE SUNDAY OKEOOXTA PORTLAND. NOVEMBER 3. 1914. EXPOSITION CROWDS Forty Speed Kings to Smash ! Records in Mad Dash on Asphalt Track. Highest trophies up Oontest for Vanderbilt Cup and j Grand Prix Lure Fastest Drivers I in America to San Fran 1 Cisco Course. 5 BAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 7. (Special.) -t-If the people of the world retain the love of thrills they have evidenced through the 1914 years of the Christian Company, at which William K. Vander bilt is president. Los Angeles and Savannah were bidders for the 1915 event, but the activities of Hollls E. Cooley, chief of special events of the exposition, and local automobile men won the coveted races. William L. Hughson is chairman of the racing committee of the exposition and the contests ' will be managed under the direction of tha California State Automobile Association. The Vanderbilt cup meet is , open to all cars of 600-inch piston displacement and comes under classification E. The Grand Prix will be run under the rules of the Automobile Club of America and is open to all cars regardless of power, weight and other dimensions. The entry fee is 250, and the entries close at midnight of February 10, 1915. The exposition will put up $15,000 on deposit before February 1 to insure the awarding of the prizes. Auto Men Praise Count, Automobile men from every part of the United States who have seen the exposition course and the many ad vantages are enthusiastic for 1915 and predict the greatest road races ever held. One of the advantages, in addi tion to thos mentioned, that appeals to the automobile men with special force is the unlimited space for park ing of automobiles. Thousands can be placed on the -grounds without the wonderful Presidio hills, where thou sands more may have a view of the entire course. ' Winding about among wonderful ex hibit palaces, pavilions of 40 nations, buildings of 43 states and territories. ANYONE MAY AUTO New York Law Permits Blind or Deaf to Drive Car. EXAMINATIONS IN DOUBT Tests to Protect Ignorant Chauffeur or Machine of Owner From Dam age Subject of Discussion; Com petent Motorists In Evidence. In New York State, as is well known, any person is permitted to drive a mot or car upon the public highways, ac companied or otherwise, providing the machine is not driven for hire, when a chauffeur's license is required. The operator may be blind or deaf, he may know nothing about the construction or running of the car, and he may be in Diissiui ignorance of the rules of the road and of the obligations he owes THE WHITE "GOOD ROADS" TRUCK DESIGNED AND BUILT EXPRESSLY FOR ROAD CONSTRUCTION. 1 1 rap- -zm calendar and during the several thou sand years of the older calendars, there wll be two days of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition that will stand mountain high above the 28S days, crowded.. with world appealing special events. ;These two days are February 22 and ilarch 6. The first is the date of the Vtnderbilt cup race and' the second H the day of the Grand Prix automobile rce. But the mere fact that these races will take place on these days is iut the source of all the pleasurable anticipation. " Ian8rrr to Be Reduced. tFor the rirst time in the many years ol their history they will be held where hundreds of thousands may witness every part of the course. They will be held on a course without a single tele phone or electric pole along the edge. There will be more cars than ever lined up in a former race. The course will be the finest in many other re spects and It will have the feature that will make unusual thrills with the min imum danger. As an example of this the turns on tlje plaza of the Federal Concourse may be cited. Here the asphalt roadway is 200 feet wide and this is to be divided that one-half of it is given over to tlje speed demons going weeft and the ojher half of the racers going east. Ttie division line will be a nine-foot l'Wrrlcade of baled straw, burlap and pads held to the center of the plaza by anchored cables. If a driver swerves Into this wall the danger Is minimized apd It should not cause him to leave the race. :The same barricade will be erected at the "hairpin" turn and at the two right angle turns. In addition to the special walls the turns will be banked. ;One full lap of the course which utilizes the exposition's mile track is 3 9 miles. The Vanderbilt cup race covers a distance of approximately 300 miles, which means about 75 times atound the course. The Grand Prix will cover 400 miles with approximately 1Q0 laps. X Thousand to See Start. iThe start will be in front of the great ampitheater, which seats 18,000 parsons and which faces the bay. The machines will run to the left and start toward the east. The course runs to the south of the livestock area and skirts the state area until It reaches tlve "hirpln" turn at the plaza of the concourse of nations and then the course follows the avenue of nations and runs", into the avenue of palms on the south side of the exposition grounds. It turns at the Palace of Varied In dustries and runs along the avenue of progress until it strikes the Esplanade on the north side of the grounds paral leling San Francisco harbor. This and the preceding turn are right angles. The course follows the Esplanade until It enters the Federal Concourse and then swerves to the Marina, thence to the back stretch of the mile track and to the starting point. Barney Oldfield, the first entry In each race and whose check is now on deposit, looked over the course a few days ago and pronounced it the finest ever given over to the two races. The width ranges from 30 feet to 80 feet, and almost every foot of it Is asphalt. Forty Driven to Compete. Both races will start at 10 o'clock In the morning and are expected to be over by 2 o'clock in the afternoon. More than 40 drivers, representing the pick in every part of the world are ex pected to compete. Horacto Anasa gasti, Commissioner-General from Ar gentina, and an automobile manufact urer is planning to have an entry which will be his company's first ven ture in the big race. For these races the exposition is planning to construct bridges over the course to permit crowds to pass from one part of the grounds to another without danger of being struck by the big machines. In order to give contestants an op portunity to try out and study the course they will be given the use of the grounds from 6 to 8 o'clock every morning for a week preceding each race. This will be before the exposi tion gates are open. Ralph de Palma has given assurances that he cannot miss the Vanderbilt Cup races In 1915 for his two wins puts him in the position of having to win but one more to obtain the Vanderbilt cup. Tho prizes for the Vanderbilt cup event are: $3000 for first, J2000 for second. $1500 for third and $1000 for fourth. The Grand Prix prizes are the gold challenge cup donated by the Auto mobile Club of America and $8000 In cash divided as follows: $3000 for first, $2000 for second. $1500 for third nd $1000 for fourth and $500 for lifth. The races were given to the expo sition by, Jtlia Motor; Cups Holding ' . fy s 4 ' I &i -YT I .If" ""tlj WW-, . -it I Light Four and Baby Six Are Now ere 5, r23" ! rrSL f : HPHE Airship escort to the Great Mitchell 7500 Mile World's Record Car as It n tared Chicago, October 19th, 1914, completing over 6,000 mile of the run. Chief of Police Gleason has Juit inspected tha seals and fonnd them intact? The World's Record Loner Distance, Dailv Run, Mitchell Sealed Bonnet Car pleted Its Long Run in Pittsburgh Friday, Uctober 23rd, 1914 structures that bouse, the best of the culture of the world in the last decade, and in view of the spectators from every corner of thA. globe, there never has been a setting for a contest so wonderful as thjs that awaits by the Golden Gate in 1915. STUDEBAKER HOPES HIGH B. O. TVIL.LEBRA3TDS SAYS OUTLOOK FOR TRADE IS BRIGHT. Tkree-PaMengrer Car Favorites in Manx Circles AVhcn Chaperone Hm to Go In Party. B. O. Wlllebrand, Western repre sentative of the Studebaker Corpora tion of America, nas been in Portland for a week arranging for what he be lieves will be the biggest year in Stu debaker history. "Conditions are such that we cannot but expect the biggest business we have ever done," said Mr. Wlllebrand. "This applies to all parts of the coun try, but to the Pacific Coast more par ticularly. "The Studebaker did the biggest business of any month when in Sep tember $4,377,000 worth of cars were sold. This was at a time when things were not supposed to be at their best. "And now, with the dawn of a new era of prosperity right at hand we are preparing to keep up with the branches up and down the Coast. Peo ple soon will start to buy cars in an ticipation of the better traveling con ditions of next year and the possible tour to California. That's a bigger thing than many Imagine. "There are no hard times. Business Is merely a little hard to get because people are so intensely interested in other things." Mr. Wiilebrands has a lot to say about the new Studebaker three-passenger roadster, which has been hav ing a wonderful sale. The arrange ment is unique in that the driver sits Just enough ahead of the passengers at his side -to allow him complete con trol over the car. The two seats are at his right and back about six inches, but they still are so placed that the passengers are not out of sociable distance from th& driver. In that connection Mr. Wiilebrands has an interesting little story to re late. "We have an agent down at Heminseo Mexico.. This agent recently sent in his -orders, which . included but two touring cars. We asked him if he did not mean 20, but he told us that two were all he. needed. "It seems that the social system of the better class of Mexicans demands either a three-passenger - car or a chauffeur, and three-passenger seems to have the edge on the driver, i Every social engagement in Mexico ' includes a chaperone. "The three-passenger car in that way fills a want, and our agent tells us that therein is the actual reason for his many sales of the new. model." The Dozier & Bray Paint Co., of At lanta. Ga.. says the efficiency of their service has been Increased 50 per cent since their drays have been displaced by. motorcycles. " . . to other traffio; still he is legally au thorized to drive a car, regardless of age. skill or character. .. Thus described, this condition of af fairs, looks so ridiculous and unbusi nesslike that it is not surprising that the question whether every operator of a motor vehicle should not be required to pass .some preliminary qualifying test in the hands of the properly con stituted authority is one which period ically comes up for discussion here. An answer in the affirmative may be given from two points of view. One Is that of the man he may or may not be a motorist whose person or property has been damaged or exposed to damage through a car being driven badly or tgnorantly; the other is that of the owner who has had his car damaged through the incompetence of a Daid driver. For the latter, little sympathy should be felt, for If the owner is foolish enough to engage a driver upon the strength of a license certificate with out making any further inquiries as to the man's capabilities he has only him self to thank for any accident attribu ted to bad driving that may befall him on the road. There are schools which conscientiously train-their pupils and do not pass them until thev are compe tent and the certificates they issue to them are, of course, worth consider ation: but there are others, it is to be feared, which care for nothing but to rake in fees and turn out "finished" pupils as rapidly as possible. Examination Reaaona Many. Again, the owner who desires his driver to be. a skilled, mechanic need not be surprised If damage is done to an expensive car If he has accepted the candidate upon his own recommenda tion, without making proper inquiries as to his antecedents and without re membering or knowing that a really skilled mechanic is tha product of a long course of training. There is no Justification for setting up a system of official examination in order to save owners from this sort of folly. Parenthetically it may be noted here that those who would like to see such an arrangement Instituted, in the hope that It would save them trouble, may find comfort in the fact that the ten dency of modern car construction seems to lie in the direction of rendering a mechanic-driven machine more and more necessary. It is the fashion to praise engines for their accessibility, but there are manufacturers who re gard this as a doubtful value, but it in vites interference and adjustments which are more apt to do harm than good on the part of the persons who think they know and in spite of all that has been said about a wide diffu sion of mechanical knowledge, the pro portion of drivers who have more than superficial acquaintance with the mechanism of .their cars is still lim ited. From the point of view of the public the question of examination is more difficult. At first sight it seems wrong that anyone, no matter how ignorant or inexperienced he be, may be let loose upon the public highways in charge of a powerful car, yet It must be admitted that this system, haphaz ard though It may appear, does not work so badly when practiced and that the number of accidents which are due merely to unskilfulness of driving is not unduly large in proportion to the number of cars on the road. What the public needs to be protected against Is not so much the unskilled as the reck less and inconsiderate driver. The beginner is likely to go' slowly, and therefore, safely, until h.. haa Vy HEN the stock Mitchell 1915 Light Four ' v Reliability Run Car arrived in Pittsburgh EV;s4nr C Ol-J 101 A A ..a. t:i 1 . 1 .. nuaj, 171-j, luiuinouue msiory wasmaae. A new World's long Distance and Daily Run Record 1 e o 1 . r . was nung up ror a oeaiea Bonnet four Cylinder car. This beautiful lioht nr ba,l mn 7flf mil.. on ;i j t t r . vt 111 j iw fci udjr lur J VI consecutive days with sealed bonnet or hood. Think of it. Here's a light caj 35 horsepower four cylinder high speed motor that since September 23rd. uiiinapnwironi vnicaeo, Illinois to Portland, Maine New York City, N. Y., Washington. D. C, Wheeling, W. Va., Pittsburgh, Pa, St. Louis, Mo., Kansas City, Mo., Omaha, Neb., Minneapolis, Minn.. Milwaukee, Wis Chi cago and finally Pittsburgh! Half the Continent had been circled in 30 days. In all 21 state were traversed. Desperate conditions of roads and weather had been encountered Rains, Wash outs, reconstructed roads crushed stones mountain declivities, hub-deep sand and sticky clays. At one stage 65 miles had to be made on low speed and this marvelous engine did it without overheating in the least degree the radiator was cool. The propesi of this World's Record Car resembled a tour of triumph every whsra Mitchell enthusiasts and there are some 35,000 owners of Mitchell Cars scattered over this country Civic officials and Government officers welcomed lu arrival and acclaimed its prodigious' achievement. In Chicago an air ship escorted It arouod town. When the car arrived in Pittsburgh it was inspected the seals were fnd nnbrokea and the car revealed iualf to be ia superb condition. If VOU nwtlPfl nnp vnn N- ".' '..-'..'.' ' : nwtlPfl nnp vnn wouldn't give your Mitchell as V terrific use in five years as this K a 1VI.V.U1 VJ. vai lld.ll in the past 30 days. Yet if necessary, jour Mitchell could stand such use its capability is there its the Car that sta?ids up! Get the Personal Touch We will be glad to demonstrate a:i Mitchell Car to you and your family at am time you can hold the wheel yourself get t lu Personal Touch and you'll be under no oblisa tion to buy. Please call at your earliest convenin write us for literature. A Stock Car 1915 -:or j ft 7 M i e 'tis fvV-?wk " A M -feeVil VAX Now this is just ao ordinary "Stock Car la Cars on Exhibit In our dealers' Show rooms. no way different from Mitchell THE MITCHELL LINE FOR 1915 Mitchell I.lKbt Four 2 or 5 passens-eni 4 cylinder 85 h. p. 116-in. wheelbase 84 x tires , fl359 Ultcbell "Bbr" 8Lk 2, 6 or paaaena-ers 6 cylinder 4S h. p. 126-ln. wheelbase S . x4 tire. (The famous 112 Baby Six brought up to date In design and equipment) 1885 atltehell Special S 1 x 2 or 5 passengers cylinders 60 h. p. 132-ln. wheelbase 38 xi4 tires a is 93 Mitchell RpecIaJ Stx ( passen gers same above. .... . S199S F. O. B. Racine 1 Mitchell-Lewis & Staver Co. E. Morrison and XL First Sts. Light Four and Baby Six Now Here n n n hi el J3 ft fi fl Sljrzti t-JI id - LIGHT FOUR $1250 ,, f 0 jeers mf fmithfal arreice tm thm Ammwicmm pobUe learned the trick. It is afterward, when he has become skilled, In- the technical sense, that he may develop Into a danger or a nuisance. But It is difficult to see how any preliminary examination could be framed which would detect such undesirable, practice. By taking the candidate for a license out for a drive of a few minutes or hours the examiner could doubtless discover whether the candidate knew now to handle his machine, but that is only the beginning? of the good prac tice. The applicant would naturally be on his best behavior; he would drive cau tiously, with . due observance of the rules of the road; he would sound warning of approach sparingly and be apparently quite Ignorant of the very existence of such contrivances as muf fler cut-outs and In general, even if he were destined to become a "road hog" of the worst order, he would in most cases succeed in concealing all signs of his evil propensities. To ascertain whether he possessed the essential qualities that go to the making of a good driver, whether he was fundamentally considerate of other people and had that road sense which enables -a. man to realize and al low for the difficulties and necessities of other vehicles, the examiner would have to be With th rnnHirlnt. tny a longer period than could be afforded unaer any practical scheme of exam lnatlon. But If prevention before licensing is difficult there remains the remedy of insisting on a stringent code of good driving and deallntr sternlv bv rvns- tlon or suspension of license or by other means with those who Infringe "f"" me state and local automo bile associations might effect some thing by internal discipline, but the police, even under existing laws and regulations, might do still more to abate the nuisances complarned of In connection with motor cars If th would apply themselves to the things mat are important Instead of wasting their energies In the pursuit of driv ers who exceed the speed limits in places where such excess does no harm to anyone. - This procedure If applicable to wan ton noises at night could probably be extended to cover all objectionable practices defined by the term "road hog," but if this did not prove ade quate a provision enabling magistrates to deal summarily wtlh motor-car licenses would effectively serve the purpose. Repressive legislation will be adopted if offenders do not take heed of their ways, but it is to be hoped that this will not be found to be necessary. The bulk of the motorists are competent and considerate driv ers, though some owners might--do more to check the bad habits of thpir paid drivers, and it would be a pityH inuugn oy no means unprecedented, if they had to suffer restrictions on ac count of the sins of a few black sheep. I have spent but 6 cents for repairs other than tires during the entire sea son," says A. Guenther, a motorcyclist of St, Louis, Mo. . ROAD MAKER IS BUILT WHITE TRICK SUPPLANTS TRACTOR AMU HAS ADDED ADVANTAGES. Demonstrator Reaches Portland and Local Sales Managrer Describes Wonders of Novel Machine. Trucks which will make one mile of good road every four days are the latest things brought out by the White Company. These trucks, one of which Is in Portland as a demonstrator, al most resemble big tractors and have the advantage over the tractor in that they are able to carry loads them selves. E. N. Howe, local sales manager of the White Company, has a lot of claims for the new truck, though it looks as massive as a locomotive. Both front and back wheels are of special width, steel faced, and have arrangements whereby they can be made to pull through the softest mud. The truck will do grading, leveling, dragging, surfacing and rolling, as well as hauling, dumping and spreading sur face materials. It has a capacity of uve ions. ine aump can be com pleted, by power, in 30 seconds. Some of the things which the truck will do are: Pull two of the heaviest graders 40 miles a day. Pull a 1600-pound drag, covering a jo-toot roaa, &o miles a day. Pack and roll the surface with Its broad steel wheels Replaces the roller. Pulls trailers. Supplants the traction engine, runs faster, does more work and will turn on an ordinary road. Will cross bridges that would not stand the concentrated weight of the traction engine. The truck has been given some stiff tryouts In dtfferent parts of the coun try and everywhere It has been found one of the greatest aids in road, con struction. It has done away with the duplication of machinery capital, as It does the work of many machines. Because of its smooth wheels and comparative light weight. It does not injure the roads like the tractor or other heavy implements. Stock Cars as Racers. Automobile racing Is becoming a fad. It Is not confined to professional driv ers either. James Lephart. Maxwell dealer in Greenville, (X, stripped a 1916 Maxwell touring car, took off the body and built a small driver's seat on the chassis. He then entered his car in some local races In Greenville. The Maxwell turned a mile In one minute and 16 seconds. It covered five miles in six minutes 20 seconds. On several occasions Maxwell stock cars have been converted into racers and have made a creditable showing. These Instances are a flattering testimony or the sturdy construction of the car and the powerful engine of the Maxwell. COHEN'S TO SELIj MAXWELLS Brothers Buy Half of Capital Stock of Pacific Motors Company. Half the capital stock of the Pacific Motors Company has been bought by E. E. and Arnold Cohen, formerly the owners of the United Auto Company, at Sixteenth and Alder streets. The business will be carried on in the pres ent location of the Pacific Motors Com pany, at 682-4 Washington street. E. E. Cohen will handle the territory outside of Portland, while the other brother will take care of the city trade. At a meeting of the board of directors of the company. E. E. Cohen was elect ed president and manager. The Maxwell will be handled exclu sively. The allotment for Oregon and the Columbia River counties in Wash ington is 600 cars, but they feel satis fied ' that the demand will far exceed that number. E. E. Cohen is known as one of the pioneers of the Portland automobile business. He sold the first Maxwells in Portland In 1907 and kept the line until 1912. His friends rather expect ed him to go back to the line and they merely remark: "Well, back to the first love, I see. Couldn't keep away from it." Nearly BOO cities now have public play grounds and about half ot them receive municipal support. 191 I yy mqtqs'"aiii I SELL, IN OREGON The State Registration of automobiles selling above $1000 for the month of September, 1914, shows: Buick - - - 13 Overland - 6 Hudson - - 5 Studebaker 2 1915 BUICKS f . o. b. Portland Model C-24, 25 H. P. Roadster S1010 Model C-25, 25 H. P. 5-Passenger Touring S1085 Model C-36, 35 H. P. Roadster S1335 Model C-37, 35 H. P. 5-Passenger Touring S1385 Model C-55, 6-Cyl. 5-Passenger Touring S1S00 BUY A BUICK Howard Automobile Co. MEL 6. JOHNSON, Mgr. Phones: A 2550, Main 4555 14th and Davis Sts.