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Show Mormon mm. Meteor man from Sp. Fork - . - illiUHliiUHiitin!.,... II , ff mi I I I II I I I I 1 , , c . 7 ... ; flt m r By PAT CHRISTIAN The Dai'y Hera'd Born in Spanish lurk. David J Abbott Jenkins a 13 when came to I tah Territory Spanish fork's Mam Street was "paved" with dirt. Horses, horse-drawbuggies, bicycles and the tram were the speed of the day. (m!d have anyone guessed this native von ot a mall rural I tah Count) town who crew up in a house with a din floor would 1:0 on to become a M.iU'-h(H- n '2 i i ... -- world-famou- s Photo courtesy of Marvin Jenkms raee ear driver. Hut it happened "Ab" Jenkins set numerous world records in shiny streamlined ears that streaked aeross I tah's Salt Hats so fast that they bewail to name them Mormon Meteor 1. Mormon Meteor II and Mormon Meteor III. Later, he was eleeted mayor ot Salt Lake City. it s uncertain what the teen-age- r was doing KK) years ago when the bic statehood eelebration was held. His son. Marvin Jenkins, who today lives in St. George, said his famous father didn't keep a diary and had not spoke of statehcKJ. "Dad was never one to live in the past he was always looking at tomorrow." Man in said. Jenkin s love of speed eame before he ever heard the power of a gasoline engine. After the old Salt Palaee opened in Salt Lake City in 1898. everyone started talking about the fastest men. On bicycles thev competed on the Palace's quick, banked track made of wood, and huge crowds paid monev to watch. At first "Ah" Jenkins cheered the strong-legge- d champs of speed, watching some of the nation's fastest steeds. men pedal their And it didn't take long before he was on the fast track himself. Bicycle manufacturers like Harley Davidson and other began adding motors to their bicy cles. In the quest for more speed, motorcycle racing began to overtake bicycle racing in popularity Ab Jenkins bought his first motorcycle from Ted Heagen. one of Utah's fastest bicyclists who had transitioned into motorcycle racing. And he began racing the half-mil- e event at the old Wandamere Track in y racSalt Lake City and ing. y race 'During one from Salt Lake City to Blackfoot. Idaho, his motorcycle hit a ditch, and Jenkins was tossed 85 feet. He was nearly scalped, broke his nose, several ribs and chipped both knee caps. But the accident didn't deter his appetite for speed. 118 two-whe- el cross-countr- cross-countr- The Mormon Meteor III was driven by Spanish Fork native David "Ab" Jenkins to set a land speed record on L tah's salt Hats had always been a barrier. An early log of this v.st chala record of it being lenge was crossed on horseback by mountain-ma- n Jedediah Smith in 1827. In IS4I. John Bartleson led a wagon train across the salt flats. In lS9b. the same year L'tah achieved statehood, bicyclist W.D. Rishel and Salt Lake bicycle dealer C.A. Emise crossed the salt flats on bicycles. After 22 hours, they exited the salt near present-da- y Wendover. Railroad tracks were laid atop the salt and the steam locomotive was introduced to the salt flats in 1907. Wendover sprung up as a water stop for the locomotive's boilers. The first gasoline-powerevehicle to speed on the salt flats may have been Ab Jenkins". On a June day in 1910. he approached the salt flats on his motorcycle. It was the only route to the harder surface of the salt flats he knew that wouldn't surprise him with knee-dee- p mud. nevertheless, he still had to occasionally carry his motorcycle. He ran about 25 miles on the salt and reached bO mph. The first, dirt highway didn't cross the salt flats until 1925. and in conjunction with its dedication Jenkins wagered S250 that in a car he could beat the train in a race from Salt Lake City to Wendover. and did so in a big black Studebaker. In 1927. he broke the ercss country record from New York City to San Franciso with a time of 7b hours. But back on l tah's salt flats. Ab Jenkins pioneered racing. He made his first record run in 1932. setting a speed record average of 12.935 mph and driving the entire 24 hours without leaving the driver's seat. Later in Mormon Meteor I. a Duesenberg. he averaged 135 mph for 24 hours, and that included a 148 mph lap. In Mormon Meteor III. a custom the Bonneville Salt Flats. Jenkins was later elected mayor of Salt Lake City. streamliner powered by a V-- 1 2 Curtis Conqueror engine, world records were set and the car achieved lap speeds of 20N mph. "On a straightaway, the car would probably go about 240 miles per hour." said Marvin Jenkins. land Today, the wheel-drive- n speed record is 409.277 mph set by the Summers Brothers in 1965. 11 1 24-ho- ur 1 Professional Quality With d 125-pou- This year, on the salt flats pioneered by Ab Jenkins, another pioneer is going for the record. Ly n St. James is hoping to break the record in a 572 cubic inch Ford powered by natural gas. She hopes to reach 450 mph. She and ev ery one else w ho races at on the Bonneville Salt Flats owes a debt to pioneers like Ab Jenkins. Personal Karl Darrington OwnerManager Care! Karl Darrington, owner of D&B WOODS is proud to boast of traditional excellence in offering top quality wood furniture for your home! Karl takes pride in offering only the finest ready to finish furniture. And, Karl can offer you professional advice on what materials to best suit your finishing applications. 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