ago. His racing interest dates back to 1907, when he was attending Yale College at New Haven. A number of the students formed an automobile club, and as motor car racing was a sporting feature of owners at that time, the members of the club, when club race meets were planned, would strip down their private cars for the contest. From 1907 to 1910, Bragg's racing was confined to these Yale Club events. In 1910, upon graduation, he was presented with a car, and at that time took a high-powered speedster, which he raced. In 1911, he took part in the race for the Grand Prix in Savannah, Ga., and also in the Atlanta, Ga., speedway contest. In 1912 he won the Grand Prix race at Milwaukee. In 1912-13 and 1914 he drove in the big Indianapolis speedway contest.
Earl Cooper.
Earl Cooper, who will drive a No. 8 Stutz car, has been thought by many to be a California boy, but Cooper was born in Nebraska 29 years ago, and came to the State when he was a year and a half old. To speak of Cooper means to speak of the automobile racing game of the Pacific Coast, for his first race took place in 1902, the year following the fall when the motor vehicle first made its appearance in San Francisco. In 1902 he was winning races with the single cylinder Cadillac, and kept up that sort of game through the different cities and counties in the State until 1906, when he commenced racing the Comet. In 1906 and 1907 he took part in many of the "bush" events throughout the State and coast, winning the majority. In 1908 he won the Portola race, and many other more prominent contests. This was followed up in 1910 with another string of victories, still racing the Comet. In 1911 he started in racing the Stutz car. The principal events which he won were the Fresno and Tacoma contests. In 1912 he was prominently connected with the victory and the money in the Santa Monica race, as well as first in the Tacoma. In 1913 he was declared the road race champion. Out of eight prominent events he only lost one, and that was a second. He won two Tacoma races, two Santa Monica races, two Corona races, one Fresno free-for-all, one Bakersfield free-for-all and another Fresno event. He also was relief driver at the Indianapolis speedway. In 1914 he raced in the Vanderbilt, the Grand Prix, the Tacoma, was first in the Tacoma free-for-all, and took four firsts out of six events at the Seattle meet; one the Fresno free-for-all, one the Phoenix free-for-all, and broke down three miles from the finish in the Corona when he had second place well in hand. He also was in a winning position in the big Indianapolis contest of 1914, when the car went out of commission.
Harvey Kennedy.
Kennedy, who is to be at the wheel of one of the Edward's Special cars in the Vanderbilt and Grand Prix races, was born in San Francisco 27 years ago. He first raced at Santa Monica in 1909; then in Redlands Hill climb, and various track meets through the Pacific Coast, including San Diego and Corona up to 1910. He defeated Burman on the Emeryville track, and raced against the noted driver at Madison Park, Seattle, and other meets throughout the Northwest. In 1913 he was a member of the Benz racing team that campaigned through the United States, staying with them until the latter part of last year.
Louis Gundy.
Louis Gandy, who raced one of the other Edward's Special, was born in Virginia in 1880. He has had charge of the Stevens-Duryea racing cars that took part in the Portola races in Alameda County, and also acted as relief driver in the big event at Del Monte. At one time he held and made the record for fast driving around the bay. He also drove the Sunset in the track meets on the Tanforan course, as well as at Santa Rosa. He was one of the designers of the Sunset car, and is the designer of the Edward's Special, as well as builder.
Tom McKelvy.
McKelvy, of Fresno, who will drive the Overland car in the Vanderbilt and Grand Prix races, was born in Farmington, Minnesota, December 20, 1885. He came to California in 1900, when quite a boy, with his father, and settled on a farm near Fresno. He has always been mechanically minded. In 1907 he Associated himself with the Cobb Evans Automobile Company at Fresno, agents for the Overland car, and has been connected with that company ever since. In 1912 he was continually asked the question by prospective buyers why the Overland did not race their cars, and as the Overland had not been identified with the racing business, he was compelled to tune up an Overland car.
In April, 1912, he entered this Overland car racer in the 200 mile road race at Fresno, and won the light car race and second place in the free-for-all. In June of the same year he lowered the Toll House Hill climb record by 2 minutes and 2 seconds. This is considered the longest and steepest hill climb in the country, 7½ miles long.
He also holds the record in the high hill climb at Coalinga, Fresno County, with his Overland. On New Year's day in 1913 he won the 150 mile race at Lindsay, Tulare County. On September 28th and 29th he won three races on the Bakersfield track.
October 3d of the same year he won the light car race on the Fresno track, July 4, 1914, he won the 150 mile race at Visalia. In 1914 he won the 25 mile race on the Fresno track. He is considered one of the most conservative and level headed racing drivers on the coast.
Long Wear in Gravel Roads
Well constructed gravel will sometimes sustain years of traffic without showing marked deterioration, even when there has been no maintenance. Such roads sometimes even improve during the second season; more frequently, however, they show ruts or the formation of chuck holes. It cannot be expected that the average life of a gravel surface will be greater than that of a macadam surface.
The average interval for resurfacing macadam roads is between six and seven years. If a sum equal to two-thirds of the original cost of the gravel surface itself is provided for renewals at six-year intervals, it should be estimated at from $150 to $250 per mile per year. If $30 is then allowed for annual dragging and small repairs, the total annual cost of repair and maintenance of gravel roads would be from $180 to $280 per mile. The annual cost of strict maintenance is sometimes below $30.
In Bennington County, Vt., during 1912 175 miles of gravel roads were maintained at a cost of $20.70 per mile. The annual cost of maintenance and repair on sand-clay roads, including all necessary resurfacing at periodic intervals, should not be fixed at less than 10 per cent of the original cost.
The cost and repair and maintenance of water bound macadam roads has been determined with some considerable exactness from Massachusetts figures and checked by resurfacing charges in other States and in Germany. From $100 to $125 per year ordinarily pays for necessary small repairs, such as patching, cleaning culverts, etc., and from $400 to $425 per year is the necessary annual charge for resurfacing at periods varying from six to seven years.
The sum of $525 per mile, on an average, should therefore absolutely maintain macadam roads if changes and increases of traffic are not excessive. It must be understood, however, that in many instances where macadam sufficed for the volume and character of traffic prior to 1906, it will not withstand the action of the motor vehicle traffic, which has developed since that time.
