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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (March 7, 1920)
THE SUXDAY OKEGOMAX, POUTLASP, MARCH 7, 1920 G i i J Kincits LOS M6ELES RAGES Most Thrilling He Ever Saw, Says A. A. A. Chairman. DUESENBERG WINS FIRST ) ! Track Terrifically Fast, Probably Fastest In America, Asserts Portland Racing Fan. Frank E. Watkins, chairman of the contest board of the American Auto mobile association for Oregon, re turned home Wednesday from a com bined business and pleasure trip to Los Angeles. Mr. Watkins officiated at the 250-mile automobile races held on the new Beverly Hills speedway last Saturday. This race, which was for 250 miles on the new board 1V4 mile speedway, was one of the great est, he declares, from a spectator's point of view and also for the re markable time made, ever held in America. The race was won by Jimmy Mur- nhv. former mechanician, who is now a. first-string driver on the crack Dusenbcrg racing team. He drove one of the new Duesenberg racing creations, which he will also drive at the Indianapolis speedway race. May 31 ntt. "Murphy's win was unexpected by the general racing public." Eaid Mr. Watkins. "although the fans, in spite of the fact that this was his first year as a driver jn big league conipanx his experience as a mechanician in racing cars for the past several years his clever driving in the iry- ni'ts made him a favorite in their betting. 73,000 Fans In Stand. The weather for the race was ideal and it is estimated that 7.1.000 people saw the event. The race was started nrortiDtlv at 2 o'clock and was over at about 4:30. Murphy's speed for the 0 miles was at the rate or ivs.t miles per hour. The outcome of the race was in doubt until right up to its finish, as only about two minutes separated Murphy from Joe Thomas, the Tacomaboy. who finished second in one of Louis Chevrolet's famous Frontenac racing creations. "At the start of the race Joe Boyer. who also drove a Frontenac, and Tommy Milton in the other Dueser. -berg, set a fast pace. hard-presseJ by Ira Vail in the Philbrin special and Eddie Pullen in the Richard special and Art Klein in a Peugeot. The average speed for the first 100 miles was about 106 miles per hour, which is terrifically fast. . But that is prob ably the fastest track iu the world. Gee whiz! but it is fast. If a car couldn't beat 100 miles per hour in the tryouts, mind you, It was hooted from the stands. "There were two miraculous escapes from bad smash-ups during the race. Goodson, driving a Frontenac, took one of the turns at a little too slow a speed, with the result that his car turned a complete circle and kept on going straight ahead. Frn(ol Throws a Wheel. -What might have been a very bad accident happened when Art Klein's Peugeot threw a rear wheel on the bank track and shot up to the top of the track, waltzed around awhile ana then shot down and hit the pole rd. throwing both Klein and his mechanician out, but not injuring them. "Klein was in the lead at this time " and was setting a terrific pace. His escape from serious injury or worse was really marvelous. Fortunately there were no cars just behind him when the accident occurred, so a bad pileup was averted. This occurred to ward the end of the race and Joe Boyer then shot into the lead, closely pressed by Eddie Pullen. who had been driving a wonderful race all the time. "In the meantime Murphy was fol lowing along consistently within dis tance of the leaders and when the speed forccdi Milton's Peusenberg and Joe Boyer and Kddie Pullen out of the race with mechanical trouble. Murphy shot in the lead, never again to be passed. ".Eighteen cars started in the race. Nearly all of America's best drivers were competing. Cliff Durant showed a tot of speed in his Chevrolet special until mechanical trouble forced him out of the race. Durant is one of the millionaire drivers who drives en tirely for the sport of the rare, and it is largely through his efforts and financial- assistance that this beau tiful speedway at Beverly Hills now exists. Finest Speedway in America. "It is the finest speedway in Amer ica from a spectator's point of view, and is So scientifically constructed that epeed up to 120 miles per hour is attained "by the racing cars without much danger. The turns of the track are banked at such an angle that a speed of not less than 80 miles an hour is absolutely necessary for a car to ride them. "Another driver who made a very good showing was Reeves Dutton in a Stutz special. Dutton stayed up with the leaders for many miles, but the pace finally put his car out of the running. He was formerly Earl Cooper's mechanician. Ralph De Palma. driving tha French Ballot, which was built and sent over for the Indian apolis race last year, had more tire trouble than any other car In the race. He changed probably a doxen wheels and was unable to keep up with the leaders. "Of the 18 cars that 6tarted, nine finished in the following order: Mur phy in a Ducsenberg, Thomas in a Frontenac, Vail in a Philbrin. Sarlfes, who relieved Goodson. in a Frontenac. Kddie O'Donnell In a Hudson special, Eddie Heme In a Chevrolet special. Ralph Mulford in a Meteor. Ralph De Palma In a Ballot and his brother, John De Talma, in a Mercedes." Mr. Watkins also took in the auto mobile show in San Francisco, which he said was by far the finest show ever had west of Chicago. All the prominent makes of cars had splen did exhibits and the attendance was almost double that of last year. and oil consumption, minimum wear on tires, maximum power at minimum expense, most efficient' operation of ail nxea or moving parts, minimized wear and depreciation, big saving in time and labor, elimination of breaks or overstrain, lowest service expense, and small capital invested for parts stock. SERVICE IS BEST GUARANTEE Mileage Delivered Preferred to Promises on Paper. One of the healthiest signs of the times Is the growing tendency among tire manufacturers to discontinue their mileage guarantees. Real cause for wonderment .is the fact that it' has taken the tire industry this long to come to the decision. The guaran tee, sometimes little more than a vague "promise on paper," has so often been misunderstood to the tire dealer's great disadvantage. - Mileage delivered, as the cole cri terion by which to judge the worth of any tire, seems to have been a truth so obvious that It has been overlooked by many, as obvious truths so often are. Some dealers, however, never did put the loud pedal on the guarantee. One of the livest hustlers in the coun try, Zerweck-Grayson company. Star tire dealers In St. Louis, are credited with saying that they have always held that a good tire needs no guaran- THREE CUS lil A BIG AUTO MERGER Locomobile, Mercer, Simplex Join Forces. EX-PACKARD' MAN CHIEF Formation of Hare's Motors Is Big Bit of Gossip at Detroit. Other Late Xens. DETROIT, March 6. Some of the best known automobile men in De troit have been' mobilized into a newly formed transportation organ ization to be known as Hare's Mo tors, which expects to do an annual business of $200,000 -within five years. August 6, 1919, and before 1920 ends the Cadillac will be in its new home. The plant will contain 2,100.000 square feet, or 48 acres of floor space. To meet the increased demand for G. M. C. trucks and care for the busi ness incident to the increase in the output of the General Motors Truck company's plant at Pontlac, several changes in construction are being made. Recently a new material warehouse on property adjoining the plant was completed. This is a large one-story structure which affords sufficient room to store large quantities of ma terials of all kinds. Dealers t Get Welcome. At present the finishing touches are being put on the additions to the general offices. This is to give new quarters to the sales and engineer ing departments, and make addition al space in the present office for the expansion of other departments. The addition will contain a splen didly equipped drafting room and blue print room in addition to tbe private offices of the heads of the engineering and sales departments. There will also be a reception room for visiting dealers. Due to the freight car situation, which has become a source of worry to motor car shippers during the past two years, it has been necessary to ship G. M. C. trucks in gondolas and on flat cars as well as in regu lar automobile cars. To facilitate SPEAKING OF BEARCATS, THE TERM GOES DOUBLE FOR THIS CAR. i ,:s A Tv TH Wfe r.3 I 1 tYTvA FT t I - n This is a Stutx Bearcat roadster model, with special top, which C. D. McPhall, of the Autbrest Motor company, Stnts diHtrlbutors, Is driving as his own personal ear. The top was made under the direction of Everett Brumbauch of the Aato Top company, and is a fine piece of work. Cara with specially built tops like talv are all the rase in California at preaent, thouprh M r. Brumbaugh didn't copy any particular California de- lea, but made his ovtn. He waa 17 years in the top and trimming department of the Studebaker corpora lion, and ran give the Callforniana,a few pointers on design. tee. that they never talked guarantee, but pointed out to their customers that performance, actual mileage on the road, was the only factor really to be considered in the purchasing of tires. And the busy store of the Zerweck-Grayson company is visible evi dence of the soundness of their policy. MISFITS COST lOU MO.Y It Doesn't Pay to Buy Orphan Motor Trucks. Experience has proven that a motor truck to be operated economically and efficiently must first fit the purpose for which it is to be used, and second, employ fleet units of the same make. A misfit truck means not only high upkeep, but an investment that will prove a liability, because either too much ability will be expected or too little service will be realized. In the first Instance, the overload will pro duce premature depreciation and big repair expense; in the second Instance, you will be paying for excess capacity not utilized. By purchasing truck units of tha proper size and capacity for your transportation requirements, the fol lowing advantages will result low est cost per ton mile, low gasoline NORWAY REGULATES TIRES XBW LAW MAKES PSECMATIC ' EQUIPMENT COMPULSORY. Solid Tires Would Be Permitted Only -on Trucks Aboc Two Ton Capacities. Norway is the first country in the world to propose national legislation that will specify that motor trucks up to two tons - capacity must be equipped with pneumatic tires so as to prevent damage to roads and to cut down the excessive cost of highway repairs due to the use pf solid tires. Cable advices to the Goodyear Tire Rubber company indicate that the proposed legislation will be adopted. In fact motor trucks shipped abroad by American manufacturers have al ready been refused admission because they did not conform to the new wheel and tire specifications. All automobiles used for commercial purposes under this law must be equipped with tires at least five inch tread on all four wheels. This means that up to two tons trucks must be equipped; from two to 'three and a half tons either pneumatic or solid equipment of more than five inch tires is permissible; while trucks of over three and a half tons weight may run on solids. At preseint there is some doubt whether the new law will apply to city streets pending legislation par ticularly directed against the use of tires of less than five inch tread on country roads. The Norwegian gov ernment estimates that unless action in taken to specify the sizes of tire widths, the . country roads will be totally spoiled within two years. The new legislation will affect motor truck manufacturers particu larly, but in some cases the only change necessary In truck tire equip ment will be greater tire width on front whecl3, the rear wheels already complying with the provision of tbe new law. Don't depend upon your horn to clear your path. according to an announcement by Emlen S. Hare, formerly vice-president of the Packard Motor company, at a luncheon to newspaper men, ad vertising experts and auto dealers at the Hotel Claridge, New York. . The new organization is to con trol jointly the Locomobile, Mercer and Simplex companies. At the be ginning it will make three grades quality cars. As soon as deemed practicable it will extend its pro duction into the truck field and within five years expects to be mak ing a complete line. In a short speech outlining the hopes of the new concern. Mr. Hare said the following named Detroit auto men are connected with the en terprise: Prominent Men in Charge. H. D. Church, formerly chief en gineer, truck division, Packard Mo tor Car company; O. E. Hunt, for merly chief engineer, motor division, Packard; Henry Lansdale, former general carriage salesman, Packard; F. Van 7, Lane, formerly general transportation engineer, Packard. Mr. Hare announced the present models of both the Locomobile and Mercer would be continued. He said that already the new corporation was assured of sales of all the cars it could make for a long period. Ex pansion of the business will follow as rapidly as possible, he declared. The idea ofthe company is new, Mr. Hare asserted, as it involves an interesting quality-quantity concep tion. In the realm of quality cars, he pointed out, conditions and policies have been such as to restrict the output of the few factories devoted to this class of cars to such modest numbers that only a small group of owners has been served. There is a constantly growing de mand for quality cars, he declared. One reason, he believes, is that the federal, state and local governments have begun to realize the value of good roads. Big Plants Going; Up. The fact that Detroit and Michigan have been in the throes of the most severe winter weather in many moons has failed to halt the great construc tion and expansion work under way by scores of automobile plants. Work on the immense concrete structures of the General Motors group, Maxwell-Chalmers company, Hudson Mo tor. Paige-Detroit and other concerns Is progressing in a manner that pres ages increased production in the near future. "The finest factory in the world." This is what the Cadillac organizar tion is claiming for the gigantic new factory being erected at Clark ave nue and the Michigan Central rail road. First ground was broken on loading trucks on the flat and gon dola cars a large crane has been placed on the loading dock and trucks are now lifted and swung on the cars. This loading method makes possible a big increase in shipments each day. liTRUCK IS IN-iB-OUTER FEDERAL FALLS IX TO RIVER, GETS OCT, STILL RUNS. Three and One-Half Days at Bottom of Kootenai Don't Put It Out of Business. SPOKANE, Wash., March 6. After resting on the'bottom of the Kootenai river in 50 feet of water for three and a half days suffering the strain of being yanked out of the river bed by means of a steel cable hitched to an ice-bound ferry, near Porthill, a three and one-half-ton Federal truck, owned by F. J. Burns, contractor, is none the worse for its experience and is now hauling logs in the woods north of Spokane. While trucking ore from the Idaho Continental mine near Torthill, Mr. Burns drove the powerful machine over a temporary road that led across the ice of the Kootenai river. The ferry was frozen In the ice and other trucks had been crossin without dan ger. Because of the mild weather the Ice had begun to honeycomb and on the eventful trip a hind wheel of the Federal broke through the ice. Mr. Burns was suspecting trouble , and while midway across noticed a steel cable on the ice attached to the Ice bound ferry. When the rear wheel went through he immediately hitched the cable to the rear end of the truck. He then began throwing planks around the car, but his ef forts were In vain and In a short time the truck went to the bottom with a resounding crash of ice. Luckily the long cable was still at tached to the truck. Four horses were hitched to the cable. When the truck was lifted to within a few feet of the top the cable snapped. A hook was then lowered and in pulling up the hook broke. The third effort was successful and the truck was snubbed to the ferry end pulled ashore. Mr. Burns dried out the magnetoi wiped the engine parts, oiled it with fresh lubricating oil and gasoline and the motor started with little ef- American Beauty Six Built by Pan-American Motor Corp., Decatur, III. You Saw It at the Show You admired its beautiful lines, finish and wonderfully constructed chassis. We would be pleased to demonstrate the perfect riding qualities, flexibility and power. A ride on rough roads will con vince you. McCraken Motor Co. - ' Distributors, Oregon, W ashington and Idaho. 490 Burnslde St. Broadway 93 CHEVROLET SHOCK ABSORBER For 490 Model This is a real shock absorber for the Chevrolet 490 model. It is built to give car-riding ser vice and satisfaction. The workmanship is of the very highest order and all materials are guaranteed to be the very best obtainable. This shock absorber not only makes the Chev rolet the easiest-riding car ever mounted on 4 wheels, but it pays for itself in a very short time in tire and gasoline savings. I!', 1 'V "" "H 'J.'MW 1.11. U.U..HHI. M !.. Ill II U.I IU I.I III . I iWW ' . ':?' : ..if. Guarantee This shock absorber is sold under an iron-clad money back guarantee. After a fair trial if you are not en tirely satisfied in every way, your money will be cheerfully refunded and no questions asked. The Chevrolet Shock Absorber, makes your car ride like a cradle. It gives your oil pan and fly wheel one and a half inches more road clearance; relieves strain on mech anism of car. This is good insurance against breakage on rough roads. It is guaranteed to give you better service and more satisfaction all the time. Retail price $32.50 f. o. b. Portland. Sold by all Chevrolet dealers through U. S. and Can ada. In case your dealer can't supply you send retail price to us direct and jour shock absorber will go forward at once. See us or your dealer at once. Chevrolet Shock Absorber Co. J33 East Burnside, Portland, Oregon A. W. Rcgncr, President and Gen. Mgr. fort He brought the truck to Spo kane under its own power and when it reached the garage of the Oldsmo bile company of Washington it showed few signs of wear and tear. His load, including chains, tools and other movable parts, is still in the bottom of the river. 3000 Lamps a Day. The Indiana Lamp company, mak ers of Lexington's two-way head lamps, has a capacity of 3000 lamps a day. This gives Lexington the benefit of quantity production. The lamp confpany's plant is BOO feet long, 125 feet wide and Is completely equipped with automatic machinery. Reflector Polish. To guard against gritty substanoes dust the reflectors carefully with a small feather duster or with soft cot ton. Wet a piece of absorbent cutton with grain alcohol (if such can be obtained) and wipe the reflector from the bulb socket outward and dry with a clean piece of dry cotton. Cleaning Spark Plugs. Ques. How csn I clean my spark plugs? The terminals are very black and dirty, and even the porcelain parts are brownish. An. Immerse the plugs in kero sene for a few minutes and then rub them briskly with a stiff brush, such as you can buy In any accessory store. If this treatment does not take off the carbon you will have to dismantle the plug and clean the parts separ ately. Bracing Running Board. To give the running board of the Ford car the stiffening It usually needs bolt the emls of an old iron bei rail just behind the front fender. Long hooks sre next connected to the cen ter of the rail and to the frame of the car. This gives the running board the hraelng It need". Know how much your battery repairs will cost Repair of your battery is never a matter of guesswork with us. With our experience and equipment we can tell you just what needs to be done. Then we give you a definite, reasonable price in advance. We do not work on a "charge for time" basis. If, when we open your battery, you are not satisfied that a repair is necessary we do not want the job. We open your battery only with your permission and after we have done our best to charge it. Every repair we make is guaranteed for six months. We are able to do this because in making repairs on any make of battery we use Vesta patented features. You want scientific, prompt service on a reasonable price basis. That is what we give you. Come in and see for yourself. Gibson Electric Garage and Storage Battery Co. Alder at Twelfth lifOIUGEBATTDU W n sua lack ( mpmrt n Costs less per Month of Service