Old Bonneville Pictures

[jimmy six]

On your first pic it looks like Lee Chapel liner is between the Kenz-Leslie liner and the Pierson Coupe....

[Avanti Dan]

Anyone have pictures of the Burke Bros Avanti that haven't been posted. There were two pictures of the car on the ramp truck way back in the forum. Looking to complete the documentation of the history of it's 40+ years of land speed racing.
Dan

[floydjer]

Stumbled across this

[Glen]

As near as I can tell from my old files this is Probably The Mormon Wasp driven by Wilber D'Alene in 1914

[Tman]

As near as I can tell from my old files this is Probably The Mormon Wasp driven by Wilber D'Alene in 1914

Glen, is this shot at now what is the ditch south of the Interstate? Trying to remember something DW said about the powerline location.

[55chevr]

That looks like it would be south of I-80 ...

[Stan Back]

Glen --

Can't you remember?  You were there, right?

Stan

[Glen]

Stan, that was the other glenn

[MAYOMAN]

floydjer - that's Teddy Tetzlaff in the Blitzen Benz. He was part of a barnstorming group of racers and this was a promotional stunt to set the "world land speed record".
Spectators timed the car with stop watches and a record was claimed, but never certified for obvious reasons.

[kiwi belly tank]

Thats a "Wow" picture right there. It appears they even had their own train.
  Sid.

[Robert Rampton]

All -
Here is what is happening in the great historic photo posted by floydjer.  This photo was taken in the afternoon on Wednesday, August 12, 1914 at Salduro Siding, Tooele County, Utah.  It was likely taken by Salt Lake City commercial photograher Bill Shipler.  The original resides in the photo archives of the Utah Historical Society.  The racing automobiles shown in the photo are both 445 cid, 4-cyl. Maxwells.  There were three of them on the salt that day.  The closest one to the camera is the gasoline fueled #3 Maxwell driven by Theodore Tetzlaff.  The other car with the crowd gathered around it is the #25 Maxwell of "Coal-Oil" Billy Carlson.  It was fueled by kerosene as was the third car.  They were black in color.  The cars not visible in the photo, but were present and participated in the speed trials were a 496 cid, 4-cyl. Marmon Special driven by Wilbur D'Alene.  It was neither the wasp or a wasp, but a road race special constructed for the 1911 Vanderbilt Cup.  It was painted in the traditional Marmon racing colors of yellow and black.  Also present was a 180 cid, 4-cyl. Nyberg racer, called "The Endicott Special" driven by Rudy Goetz which was painted red.  Last, but not least, was the famed 1,312 cid, 4-cyl. 200PS Weltrekordwagon Benz "Blitzen" No. 2 also driven by Tetzlaff.  It used a gasoline and ether mix for fuel and was painted white.  All the cars and drivers were part of the Ernest Moross auto show that was barnstorming across the country.  The trials were held under a AAA granted 1/2 mile sanction that was later revoked rendering all times and speeds made unoffical.  Tetzlaff and his mechanic, Domenich Basso, pushed the Benz to a speed of 142.85 mph on thier final attempt.  None of the automobiles that participated in this event have survived history.  Neither has the salt they ran on.  This first course was located on the south side of the Western Pacific tracks at Salduro Siding, approximately adjacent to where the I-80, eastbound rest stop is located.  Nearly 100 years of mineral extraction in the area has destroyed a salt pan that was over 30 miles in circumference in 1914.
Bob.   

[Tman]

Wow!, Thanks Bob!

[Glen]

I got part of it right, was very hard to enlarge the picture for details. It's still a lot of fun to do research into the old days. It takes time but always worth it to find additional history that Bob has furnished. As he is in SLC and has the history more available in that area.

[Robert Rampton]

20 + years of digging and research on this topic hasn't hurt either.  Thanks guys for the comments.
Bob.

[floydjer]

Another to keep the discussion going.