256 



RECREATION. 



The much discussed St. Louis tour has 

 come to an end. It , was a long trip for pri- 

 vate owners to make, and this explains why 

 only 16 cars left New York for St. Louis 

 when many hundred had been advertised, 

 if not altogether expected. 



The run would have been better attended 

 had there been a return trip. As it was, 

 the tourists, once arrived at the finish, had 

 to send their cars back by train to New 

 York or Boston, or Buffalo or whatever city 

 it was where they joined the phalanx. A 

 goodly number of cars arrived at St. Louis 

 and the run must be termed a success. An- 

 other time it is hoped there will be less 

 rivalry among owners of fast cars, for the 

 racing indulged in by some of the tourists 

 had no good effect on the farmers. This 

 run was to help good roads and generally 

 to further automobiling, but the promiscu- 

 ous racing and efforts to get there ahead of 

 the other fellow did not tend co accom- 

 plish the desired results. 



The recent trip made by F. A. La Roche in 

 an attempt to break the record for a non- 

 stop run was successful. The record had 

 been held by D. M. Weigel, of England, 

 who had covered 2,013 miles without stop- 

 ping the motor. Taking the roads as they 

 came, through rain and mud and over 

 mountains, Mr. La Roche finished his trip 

 from New York to St. Louis and back, cov- 

 ering a total distance of about 3,400 miles 

 without having the engine of the car stop 

 once. It was not the distance, however, 

 that was the most remarkable part of the 

 feat. It was the rough travel encountered 

 and the time taken for it. Two days were 

 spent at St. Louis, and long steps were 

 made at various other places, and the trip 

 was a leisurely one, so that the total time 

 during which the engine was kept running 

 was 15 days and 2 hours. This performance 

 is a good concrete example of the usefulness 

 of the modern touring car. 



An American^ Heath by name, won the 

 Circuit D' Ardennes, one of the long dis- 

 tance road races of the year. The course 

 was in Belgium, and the distance covered 

 was 600 kilometers, or 350 miles, which 

 were made in 6 hours, 30 minutes, and 49 

 seconds. Mr. Heath was an amateur and 

 drove a motor racing car of 100 horse 

 power. The fact that an amateur could win 

 this important race in a field of profession- 

 als is significant and may have some in- 

 fluence on the present rule which permits 

 professional drivers to compete in the Gor- 

 don-Bennett cup race. 



Some motorists overwork their brakes. 

 Apart from the danger which lies in not 

 slowing the car until the last moment, and 



then suddenly applying the brakes, to say 

 nothing of the evil effects of this practice 

 on the tires, the probable result of such ex- 

 cessive wear should be considered. The 

 brakes might be used excessively and with- 

 out sufficient cause over a certain period, 

 and then give way, with disastrous results, 

 on being seriously needed, simply because 

 they had been prematurely worn out through 

 frequent needless use. — Automobile Topics. 



If you get a slight bend in the axle, have 

 it straightened without delay, for a wheel 

 that runs out of true will absorb a lot of 

 power.cause rapid wear of its bearings and, 

 what is probably the worst feature, play 

 havoc with the tire. If you run over a large 

 obstruction, or accidentally run one wheel 

 up on the curb, take a look at your axle 

 and learn whether it is straight. If not, 

 have it attended to — The Automobile. 



An automobile driver while waiting for 

 his employer in Hoboken, N. J., was ac- 

 costed by a doctor and a priest, who want- 

 ed to_ reach a man who had been struck by 

 a train 8 miles away. The driver rushed 

 them to the scene. The last rites of the 

 church were administered to the man be- 

 fore he died, yet this is the modern vehicle 

 in which mossbacks can see no virtue. 



E. S. Smith, an English authority 

 on automobiles, has compiled an interesting 

 table showing the numbers of automobiles 

 and motor bicycles in use in Great Britain. 

 The summary shows 45,987 in England; 

 1,460 in Wales; 3,636 in Scotland, and 

 2,086 in Ireland ; total. 58.000. This is 

 more than we have in the United States. 



L. L. Whitman, who was a pilot of one 

 of the 3 automobiles which crossed the 

 continent last summer, is at it again. He 

 left San Francisco August 1st in a 4 cylin- 

 der air cooled gasolene car. 



"Hello, Slouchy, in any regular business 

 now?" 



"Yep. I'm gittin' knocked over by auto- 

 mobiles and collectin' damages. Best graft 

 I ever had." — Detroit Free Press. 



She: Shall we go to church in the auto. 

 dear? 



He: By all means. It's bound to break- 

 down before we get there. — Life. 



Chauffeur — "A man who is smart enough 

 to operate an automobile, but clever enough 

 not to own one," says the Foolish Diction- 

 ary. 



