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The Land Speed Record
Speaker: Eyston, Captain George E.T. Engineer, Holder
of the World's Land Speed Record
Date: 29 Sep 1938
Introduced by: Pratt, J.P. President, The Empire Club
of Canada
Published in: The Empire Club of Canada Speeches 1938-1939
(Toronto, Canada: The Empire Club of Canada, 1939) pp. 30-40
THE PRESIDENT: Today, we have as our guest of honour,
Captain George E. T. Eyston, M.C., an engineer, a lecturer
and the holder of the world's land speed record. We are proud
of the fact that he is British. We are thankful that thus
far he has escaped permanent injury, although he does tell
me he has bowled over a few telegraph poles and on one occasion
had to "unload," when his machine was on fire and
doing from sixty to seventy miles an hour.
Recently, Captain Eyston made a record on the Bonneville
Flats in the State of Utah. He drove his car over the measured
mile in 10.17 seconds, which is at the rate of 5.95 miles
per minute and 357.5 miles per hour. At this rate of travel,
Captain Eyston, if our highways permitted, could leave here
and reach Oshawa in six minutes, Kingston in thirty minutes,
and Montreal in fifty minutes.
Now, strange as it may seem, Captain Eyston's brother says
that in traffic he is the most careful driver he ever saw
and in fact is a snail.
I want to tell you something of the inconvenience the Captain
has been put to in coming to speak to us. He promised last
year that he would speak to The Empire Club but unfortunately
he was taken ill and could not do so. This year I got in touch
with him and he promised to come to Toronto if at all possible.
To get here today he had to fly from Chicago leaving there
last night at 12.30 and arriving at Buffalo this morning at
five o'clock. He left Buffalo by air at ten o'clock and arrived
here at eleven. That was so that he might keep his word to
the Empire Club of Canada. Had the Captain been able to drive
his "Thunderbolt" from Buffalo he would have arrived
here in twenty minutes instead of the forty-five that it took
to come by air.
Now, gentlemen, I might say we are not on the air today because
of war news, but I would remind you of Captain Eyston's desire
that you ask him any questions at the close of his address
and he will answer them. I have, indeed, great pleasure in
calling upon Captain Eyston to address our Club. Captain Eyston.
CAPTAIN GEORGE E. T. EYSTON, M.C.: Mr. President,
Your Worship, His Reverence and Gentlemen: I am awfully glad
to visit you today because, after all it is on the occasion
of so very much better news, so far as the Empire is concerned.
I always felt, having been through the last war from the start
to the finish, that we couldn't possibly have another one,
and I do think perhaps this is coming about, because it is
inconceivable that people could be so silly these days; and
it is really of historical importance, as you all know, that
there can be such a momentous conference as is taking place
today many thousands of miles away. I didn't come to talk
to you about that but I couldn't help mentioning it.
The subject of my talk today is "The Land Speed Record"--the
fastest ever travelled on land. It is a test of man and machine.
To begin with the two runs have to be made in opposite directions
and both of these runs have to be accomplished within a space
of sixty minutes. This is the international rule governing
this blue ribbon of records, the Land Speed Records.
Now you know this record is held at the present moment by
the "Thunderbolt" which I planned and built and
the present speed is 357.5 miles an hour or 575 kilometers
an hour. The run in the northward direction was accomplished
at 356.44 miles an hour and the run in the southward direction
was made at 358.57 miles an hour. The difference in these
speeds is attributable, I think, to the condition of the track
at various points, but it is significant that the fastest
speed record by the "Thunderbolt" this year on the
memorable September 16 was 359.64 miles an hour-over the kilometer.
That is, of course, in one direction, but it approximates
to about one third of a mile short of 360 miles an hour which
is the magic six miles a minute. It is only a hair's breadth,
really, and a very small percentage of the whole and, as pronounced
acceleration was noticeable on all runs through the measured
distance on ever occasion, it is certain the car did for a
few seconds exceed a speed of six miles a minute which, of
course, is another milestone in the history of motoring. I
am very glad to have been able to accomplish this with a British
car. (Applause)
You remember that this event took place, as your President
said, on the Bonneville Salt Flats, in Utah, a very long distance
from here. It is a fantastic sight to see this large field
of gleaming salt stretched far between the mountains of Western
Utah and Nevada. Only a small portion of this salt-bed can
be used for motor car records for the rest is soft salt and
mud. When we arrived in July the whole place was flooded to
about ten inches and it took ages for the liquid, as I would
call it, to evaporate, owing to it being salt brine. Then
we had to wait until the water level dropped several inches
below the surface before the beds were hard enough to run
on. It is important that they should be very dry in order
that the powerful motors in the car can have sufficient grip
to hurl the huge mass of the machine forward at over 530 feet
per second.
To give you an idea of what speed really means, my large
44-inch diameter tires were revolving at 45 revolutions per
second. Imagine the very largest wheel you have ever seen
on a huge commercial vehicle and picture what it means for
it to revolve at 45 revolutions while you count one.
On the salt bed which has to be carefully prepared by dragging,
we paint one or more black lines along the whole length. These
lines act as guides and prevent the driver straying; for errors
of a few feet in steering might culminate in disastrous results.
You see, you might drive a few feet away from the absolute
straight line, something else might happen and you get a few
feet more and, believe me, you will never get back.
The car is brought out over night from our little village
of Wendover and deposited with all our paraphernalia under
a large marquee on the desert. On the day of the record run
we get up at one o'clock in the morning and drive several
miles out to the marquee in the desert and commence heating
the oil for the engine and transmission, and bolt on our racing
wheels (eight in number) and when daylight appears we hope
that there will be conditions of no wind and, of course, no
rain. Just after dawn the car is pushed to the start and then
we have to see whether the time-keepers are ready. I have
to shut myself in the cockpit by means of closing the roof
and then adjust the fresh air mask which has saved me on very
many occasions. This mask, I would explain, is connected up
by a small tube about three-quarters of an inch in diameter
leading to the nose of the machine and therefore, of course,
you readily understand fresh air is always available no matter
what is happening in the cockpit. With two engines of a couple
of thousand horsepower each there might be a considerable
volume of carbon monoxide which wouldn't give you a second
chance.
When the word is given that the course is clear the car is
pushed off by a truck just to get it on the move and then
the huge motors roar out their message of immense power. The
car literally disappears down the course in a cloud of black
smoke, because, in order to keep the temperature down on engines
giving so much power, it is necessary to run with the mixture
very rich and the exhaust smoke trails out in a long stream
as the machine shoots forward. Undoubtedly, when going full
out there is a trail of perhaps three and a half miles of
this black smoke. Second gear is changed for top just under
two hundred miles an hour. The mile posts start passing as
if you were "running the hundred -yards" as we have
large square boards indicating the number of miles from the
start and the number of miles to pull up from the end of the
measured distance. These boards are awfully important since
you can soon lose track of where you are.
It must be remembered in connection with the "hundred
yards" I have mentioned that the measured mile is covered
in just over ten seconds. How many of you have run a hundred
yards "in evens"? Well, the car does the mile in
something like this or a trifle more. When going through the
measured distance you are conscious of being encased in a
projectile which nothing on earth will s' 'op, and it is just
a matter, really, of shooting through space. That is, of course,
unless something happens! And it is that fear of this "something
happening" which tends to add to the real thrill, never
to be forgotten.
As the car passes by, you "see the object," and
the sound follows about half a mile behind which is the real
thrill given to the spectators.
When you have got over this measured distance there comes
the anxious problem of pulling up, for only six miles ahead
of you there is a road and a railway at right angles to the
track. There is the end of all things and you must come to
a standstill. So you shut down the engines, quite gingerly,
and after a pause the air brakes are shot out. These project
on either side of the car. Of course there is no possibility
of testing them beforehand so it is really a great thrill
the first time you put out the air brakes, at 320, wondering
whether they are still in the machine or whether the tail
is being torn off. Because, generally speaking, people even
in aircraft do not put out brakes at 300 miles an hour! It
is not yet possible to apply the mechanical brakes. Therefore,
one rushes on and on--of course, far faster than ever experienced
before because no one else has done it! Toward the spot where
a halt must be called or otherwise disaster must result.
At last the time has come when the mechanical brakes can
be applied to the full and their wonderful power saves the
day. You have got to sit looking at the revolution counter
falling and the distance diminishing to where you have got
to halt and you hope your brakes are going to work!
To go on all through the business of breaking the record
and the actual driving would be much too long and technical
so I will just say this, that I am satisfied that Great Britain
has put the land speed record where it will be difficult to
beat by anyone outside the country. (Applause)
"Thunderbolt" has two Rolls Royce motors of 2,000
horsepower each which are geared together. The car is 35 feet
long and weighs nearly seven tons. We tried the bold experiment
of removing the stabilizing fin during the last run and it
was very thrilling to see what would happen at these great
speeds of over 350 miles an hour without the assistance of
this fin to keep the car straight. All was well, however,
and the reason of course for taking off this fin was to eliminate
the extra drag as we thought that we could do a better speed
without it.
The car was built in the works at Wolverhampton in England
on a large table over which there was a huge crane. It was
all accomplished in eight months, and well do I remember every
day of it, since I hardly slept a wink. We got out to America
in the late autumn of 1937 and took the Land Speed Record
from "Bluebird" at 312 miles an hour and the fastest
speed record last year was 319, which we thought was absolutely
terrific!
Well I'm awfully glad to be permitted to address the members
of the "Empire Club of Canada," and also those friends
of the Dunlop Company and C. C. Wakefield, whose branches
are out here and whose parent firm has helped me so much in
this great record. I can't tell you, Mr. President, how much
I value your looking after me and all the arrangements that
have been absolutely superb. I am sorry that I didn't sleep
last night-that was my fault. After the record there were
many things I had to do, both business and otherwise and it
has been necessary to resort to flying about.
As your President has said I shall be very glad indeed to
answer any questions you may like to put to me, always reserving,
of course, the right to refuse to answer those I don't like!
You might like to know something particular about the car
and its performance and what we did.
In conclusion may I say again how splendid it is to be with
you here. It is the first time I have been in Canada. I have
been very close many times but it was literally impossible
to make it. I do hope that the international situation will
clear up and that we shall go to our beds tonight with the
assurance that for some time to come at any rate the sky will
be clear, because I think we all have one common aim and that
is peace. If people don't want peace, let them stand back,
because as far as I know, a war today, as it will be, will
only lead to complete misery, and everybody knows this, so
we hope it will be averted.
May I thank you all for bearing with me all this time. I
hope I have succeeded in interesting you and may I wish you
all "the very best."
(Applause-prolonged)
THE PRESIDENT: I am sure we have all listened to Captain
Eyston with a great deal of admiration admiration of his skill,
of his iron nerve, and of his modesty.
On the way in I was asked if I would ask Captain Eyston to
tell us what effect driving the measured mile northward and
the measured mile southward and the subsequent few miles before
he may be liable to strike disaster, had on his physical condition
and also upon his nerves? Is that one of the questions you
prefer not to answer?
CAPTAIN EYSTON: I don't mind at all. I would certainly
like to answer your questions. As far as physical condition
is concerned, of course, it is necessary to go into a certain
amount of training. It isn't a long distance event, but at
the same time one does abstain from drinking and smoking to
as great a degree as possible and you must go into this-I
am back on this record-with all the wits you can muster. As
regards the strain imposed on the mind I think that is far
greater than the physical strain. The machine is sometimes
difficult to control. The gear shift, the clutch and the brake
are all very stiff and it requires all one's strength to operate
the machine. Therefore, one has to build oneself up to be
sufficiently strong to accomplish this. As regards the strain
in the event, the harassing part is having to stop at the
far end and wait while the wheels are being changed and check
up the car generally just to see that nothing is broken. This
has to be done in a tremendous hurry and the car has to be
torn more or less to pieces to get the wheels off and on again,
all in the space of twenty-five minutes, and there is the
anxiety that there has been something missed out. The best
part is when it is all over!
THE PRESIDENT: Now, gentlemen, the floor is yours.
You have the Captain at your mercy. I hope you are not going
to be backward. The Captain, I have found from my short association
with him, is a charming man and I asked him--I was going to
say hundreds but it is more like a thousand questions--coming
down from the air field this morning, so he knows what to
expect from Canadians.
MR. WARREN B. HASTINGS: How should a car be handled
by the driver when it goes at cruising speed on the road,
and when the driver enters a curve and realizes that the car
is becoming unstable-what should he do? If he goes into a
curve too fast or a tire bursts what should he do?
CAPTAIN EYSTON: First, I would suggest that the owner
of the car purchase tires that don't burst! But it is a very
difficult thing with one wheel on the rim when taking a curve
because there is a tremendous drag accruing from that and
you simply can't get away from it. Low geared steering would
help tremendously, in being able to get a mechanical advantage
in turning the wheel which is so sticky, but the fact that
the car heels over adds to the difficulties. The best thing
is to go straight on. Just as when anything happens in an
aeroplane when you are taking off and the motor stops. The
thing is to go straight on. It doesn't matter whether there
is a brick wall or anything else, the best thing is always
to go straight on. That is what I recommend if anything happens
on a curve when you are in trouble.
QUESTION: May I ask what was the petrol consumption
at the greatest speed reached?
CAPTAIN EYSTON: At the maximum speed it was consuming
about one gallon a mile.
MR. HARRISON SMITH: I want to ask a question. What
kind of gas did you use?
CAPTAIN EYSTON: Entirely out of order. (Laughter)
MR. MILES: I would like to ask just how gingerly the
Captain takes his foot off the accelerator after the measured
mile.
CAPTAIN EYSTON: As you will appreciate when it is
covering a mile at the rate of just over 10 seconds you must
be very quick about the business of closing the throttle;
otherwise too much ground is covered. At the same time it
is impossible to slam the throttle close because of the reversal
stresses, but it is essential to draw it back slowly and make
sure it is really closed. That would be a tremendous danger
if, by accident, the throttle wasn't more or less completely
closed because you want the full braking power of the engine.
Should it be opened ever so slightly, then you have made a
miscalculation.
QUESTION: What is the construction and performance
of the tire?
CAPTAIN EYSTON: All the tires are made at Fort Dunlop
in Birmingham, England, and they are sent over in cases, some
mounted on wheels. All tires are hand made. There is very
little rubber, about a millimeter, but it is a very remarkable
fact that even going 10 or 12 miles at a speed, 50% of which
is at maximum speed, the rubber has hardly been abraded at
all.
With regard to the performance of the tires it is quite obvious
that these tires have to be tested on special machines at
the factory, driven by electric motors on rollers and loaded
to capacity which they will be required to undertake on the
actual record. All these tests are made until a perfect article
is produced.
MAYOR RALPH DAY: Mr. President, it is said when a
golf club hits a ball (when it is driven by the President
of this Club), it becomes a sphere and is no longer round.
I wonder whether that tremendous centrifugal force enlarges
the tire.
CAPTAIN EYSTON: Yes, it is bound to enlarge the tire
and the casing will be deformed quite appreciably and assume
another shape. All the time it is called upon to flex because,
if you will realize, the wheel is revolving at 45 revolutions
while you count one and there are certain reflexes the tire
has to perform. It is truly remarkable that it can do anything
of the sort and transmit 1,000 horsepower at the same time.
MR. F. B. FETHERSTONHAUGH, K.C.: I would like to say
I had the pleasure or whatever you call it, of driving the
first car in Canada. Our speed was 12 miles an hour. It has
rather increased I see by what the speaker has said. There
has been a very great increase from 12 miles an hour to 357.
I think it shows a rather big advance.
CAPTAIN EYSTON: Thank you very much, sir.
MR. L. CRAWFORD BROWN: Mr. Chairman, several years
ago when the late Sir Henry Segrave made his, record, and
on the occasion when he failed to stop it was found that his
brake linings were molten metal on the wheels. This has obviously
been eliminated. What effect has the run and the braking on
the brake linings?
CAPTAIN EYSTON: I understand in the past burning has
taken place-the linings have been completely changed and further
the brakes were rendered absolutely useless ,by heat. All
this has been gone into most thoroughly during the course
of the last few years. The brakes on my car are especially
designed for the purpose. They are disk brakes which automatically
cool themselves with the result that I have twice the braking
area of a normal brake and the linings are in firstclass condition
at the finish.
MR. FRASER: Mr. President, may I ask a question? I
was in the army the same as Captain Eyston. The Captain said
that the greatest thrill that the spectators had was in seeing
the car half a mile ahead of the sound--would the Captain
explain to us what was the thrill he had?
CAPTAIN EYSTON: The greatest thrill I had was when
I finished the record.
MR. WARREN B. HASTINGS: What is the potential speed
of "Thunderbolt" as computed by Captain Eyston and
what is the topmost land speed in his opinion?
CAPTAIN EYSTON: Well, both these questions are difficult
to answer. It is purely a matter of conjecture, and I think
the less said the better. So far as "Thunderbolt"
is concerned it certainly could go faster.
With regard to the maximum possible on land 1 think a tremendous
amount of development work will have to be done to reach 400
miles an hour. Certainly we are quite a long way off yet.
I think we will have to be content with six miles a minute.
THE PRESIDENT: Gentlemen, our time is up. You have
heard enough from the President for one day. His Worship,
the Mayor, has very kindly said that he will extend your thanks
to Captain Eyston.
MAYOR RALPH DAY: Mr. President, Captain Eyston and
Gentlemen: When we were informed at the City Hall a few days
ago that Captain Eyston would be here to speak to the Empire
Club, it was our pleasure to immediately make some arrangement
for a civic reception at the City Hall. It is only because
of the fact that the Captain is spending such a very short
time in Toronto and Canada that those arrangements have not
been filled. I therefore take very much pleasure on behalf
of the members of this Club present and on behalf of my fellow
citizens of the City of Toronto of welcoming him to Toronto,
of wishing him continued success, and expressing the most
earnest wish that we will see him again next year if not earlier,
at which time I think he will, unquestionably, be here to
talk of 357 miles an hour as a record made in the past and
not the record then standing.
Sir, we do very, very much appreciate that out of an extremely
busy life you have found time to come to Toronto to address
this meeting and on behalf of the members of this Club and
my fellow citizens it is my duty as well as my very great
pleasure to thank you. (Applause)
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