AUTO RACE DRIVERS ARRIVE HERE TODAY

O'Donnell, Alley and Chandler are in the City - Hope to Make New Records - Other Speed Purveyors Will Arrive Tonight.

By "Buddy"

"I'm going to break every world's record," confidently spoke Eddie O'Donnell from the bowels of his Dusenberg machine this morning. "There has never been a long race over a half mile track, and before I have finished the course every one of the present marks up to 100 miles will be broken.

O'Donnell laughed as he was talking, but the ring of sincerity was there, and it was plainly evident that he meant what he was saying. O'Donnell, Alley and Chandler, the Dusenberg team, and Joe Cooper and his Sebring arrived last night and are at present comfortably domiciled at the Cadillac garage on Washington street. The drivers and their mechanicians are busy as bees this morning, and will so continue until tomorrow afternoon at which time some of them will take a few turns around the oval to accustom themselves to the peculiarities of the track.

Alley and Henderson, his mechanician, were working like beavers replacing a crank case that had been broken at the Omaha event, and neither of them has much time for conversation. Their principal means of communication were by the use of gestures, punctuated by grunts from between clinched teeth. They had to work hard. Today and tomorrow and then the big race.

Alley Was Busy.

The engine was taken clear out from the car in Alley's Dusenberg, and the driver and the mechanic were in another part of the shop working on it. Even in the hurry Alley took time to look up and say, "I'm mighty glad to meet you. You see we're pretty busy or I'd like to take time and talk to you awhile. This old bus will have to get out and dust Friday is she is going to finish in front, and take it from me she isn't going to be more than a few yards back of any of the rest unless they show me something I have no idea they possess."

With that statement he went back to work trying to stillson a round plug out of the crank case so as to remove the crank shaft and place it in the case that was received this morning.

Chandler Cheerful.

Chandler was having a few troubles of his own, but was not making any very great amount of noise about it. He seemed inured to all night rides and a day of hard work following. At any rate he was on the job with his big smile, and the cognomen of "Nuts" Chandler did not seem to bother him in the least. He was in excellent humor and seemed of the opinion that he was here for the express purpose of showing his heels to the other drivers.

Joe Cooper, the "kid" of the outfit, and his Sebring were having a quiet session. Cooper was making a few adjustments, but was putting in the greater part of the time hoping his flywheel, the one wired for to replace the one broken at Omaha, would be here this evening instead of tomorrow morning. He said the wheel would be easy to get, but the earlier it arrives the better chance he will have to get a few practice turns.

Broken Flywheel.

Cooper is full of confidence and says his Sebring is going to show the world something. Something has happened to him in almost every race he has started and he is hoping the jinx has departed from him to stay. At Omaha he was going like a house afire and the flywheel broke. At Indianapolis he electrified the spectators by turning over twice, fortunately injuring neither himself nor his mechanician.

Something unfortunate seems to have been pursuing him all season and his venture on a half mile track is said to be with the hope that it will be the end of the ill fortune that has been pursuing him.

In spite of the excellent showing made by O'Donnell in the recent races, he was berating his "luck" this morning. He stated that he would have won out over "Rick" at Sioux City and Omaha had he had ordinary luck. At Sioux City, O'Donnell said, he ran 200 miles without water on his motor. This is almost unbelievable, but it is true, and he says he is going to get every world's record here to show the racing world.

Inquired Regarding Track.

Inquiries were made as to the percentage of the bank at the turns and of the fall at the end of the hand. He was told that there was a 12-foot bank and that on account of the depression at the west end of the track there was a fill there of 18 feet. On hearing this Henderson, Eddie's mechanician, grinned, shrugged his shoulders and turning to O'Donnell, said "For the love of Mike, use some judgment on making that west turn will you Eddie. You know that an 18-foot fall with a car on top of you is some fall and we might not like it." He laughed though, and showed in his every action that he had the utmost confidence in the ability of the man whose ability had guided the wheel of the racing Dusenberg.

Brown Arrives Tonight.

W.W. Brown, the driver of the Du Chesneau, will arrive tonight with his car. A wire to that effect was received this morning by the fair association. Brown got fifth at Omaha and in his wire said he was coming down here to take the money. He has been racing in hard luck all season and although he is admitted to have a fast car he has been the victim of accidents almost without number. He will prepare the car at Omaha and will be able to start right from the express car to the grounds.

Burman Coming.

No word has been received from Burman and in this particualr case no word is the equivalent of a good word. Burman raced in the Tacoma speedway event Monday and shipped immediately after that event for Burlington. He is expected here sometime tomorrow and will work on his car en route. He will be in condition by the time he get to Burlington and the spectators are assured they will have a chance to see the "Speed King" in action on the local track.

HOME

NEXT