100 years ago in Spokane: Speed rider ‘Cannonball’ Baker rolls through the city

E.G. “Cannonball” Baker, an auto and motorcycle speed record holder, made a quick stop in Spokane.

Cannonball was testing the new Revere automobile in a lengthy trip that had begun in Indianapolis. He and a companion had driven 7,600 miles and had visited 19 state capitals.

“All along the way, with the exception of nearly 1,000 miles in the southern part of the country, we have had excellent roads,” Cannonball said. “By the time we get to Helena we will have covered practically half our trip, and will be a little better than five weeks ahead of our schedule.”

He was using Royal Cord United States tires, each good for several thousand miles, and he was proud to report that “so far we have had only seven punctures.”

Cannonball was the holder of the transcontinental auto record, having traversed the country in about 7 1/2 days. He also held a record by riding a motorcycle 1,531 miles in 24 hours – an average of about 63 miles per hour.

On this trip he apparently was going for endurance, not speed.

From the war beat: The Spokane Daily Chronicle issued an evening “War Extra” edition, with a huge front page headline reading: “French Push Germans Back Two Miles West of Heights of Montdidier.”

The tide of the war had turned over the summer, as millions of American troops arrived on the front. A Reuters correspondent reported that the Germans were engaged in three retreats, two voluntary and one involuntary.