Crawford Earnhardt Almost Fooled Judges, Oct. 30, 1926

Joker Fools Judges Sure. . . Duke Student in Mileage Contest Makes 80 Miles to Gallon, Apparently

Durham, Oct. 29—There has been a tendency to forget all of the old proverbs in the bustle and confusion of this modern world, but the old maxim “a little bit goes a long way” was brought to mind when Crawford Earnhardt, member of the sophomore class of Duke University, ran his flivver for a total mileage of 80 miles on one gallon of gasoline ina consumption test recently held by a local dealer.

As in the manner of the other tests held all over the state, each car was furnished with one gallon of gasoline and the tank sealed. Approximately 50 flivvers entered the test and these started out with the judges’ car in the rear. On they crept at the slow rate of about 10 miles an hour and nearly 20 miles had traversed before the spluttering sounds began, that sound the death knell of an engine and which causes the heart of the motorist to sink despondently. From this time on the wayfarers continued to drop by the roadside until, after traveling for over 40 miles, only two cars remained in the contest, the car driven by Earnhardt and the other by a Durham citizen.

Mile after mile the slow-moving couple reeled off until the car driven by the local citizen was forced out of the race after having completed nearly 50 miles.

The test had started in the morning but by this time it was well after noon, and the judges were beginning to feel the gnawing of the pangs of hunger, but the Earnhardt car continued on what now began to assume the appearance of a world’s record run.

After a while the admiration gave way to suspicion and when this last contestant stopped after bettering his nearest competitor’s mark some 30 iles and with the motor not yet showing any signs of a shortage of fuel, they proceeded to give the car a thorough examination. On the top of the tank was found a hole through which young Earnhardt had, with the aid of a rubber pump frequently replenished his supply of gas. Had the collegiate prankster been satisfied with a more logical mileage, he would have probably won the prize without arousing the least suspicion of the judges.

From page 2 of the Goldsboro News, Saturday, Oct. 30, 1926

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