Hi all. I have been lurking for years but this may be of interest and I may be able to get more info here then just local lore.... I just bought a home with a nice three bay barn in the back yard. Naturally excited to begin with I was really excited when I found out prior to purchase that the barn was used to build race cars in the early teens. I am looking for info on Aurthur Applegate of Eatontown Nj. The history packet we got with the house summarized that he "bought the Lozier Auto Company and three cars." He built the "Applegate Special" in the garage. I assume that he bought the Lozier race team and parts when they liquidated. What really fired me up as a pilot and armchair aviation historian nut/car guy was that Applegate was friendly enough to pal around with Eddie Rickenbacker and invited him to prepare his car here prior to the 1916 Sheepshead Bay race that he went on to win. Also mentioned as doing prep work here for that race were drivers Ralph Mulford and Billy Chandler. I am looking for anything related to these people and cars! I am getting in touch with the local historical society and the son of the owner who owned the place after Applegate.
Welcome to the HAMB! Here is a Lozier hub cap I found at a local fleamarket a few years ago, it's in Australia now. Post your info request on the Auto Racing 1894-1944 thread. I'm sure Jim Dillion will have some info for you. Best wishes. Bob http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=380814&highlight=auto+racing
If O. Applegate is the same fellow this is the Lozier he entered in the 1912 INDY 500 driven by Joe Matson to finish in 14 place. Bob
Here is the pic of it when we first looked at the house 7 months ago. Since then its been cleaned out, painted and the wall structure repaired. Its had a lot of termite damage on the north wall. The roof is the next big project. I dont have any old pics yet. Thats what im looking for.....
JTramo, I am swamped with work right now but can tell you a few things. Not sure of an Arthur Applegate but an Otto Applegate entered a Lozier and finished 14 at the Indy 500 in 1912, driven by Joe Matson.. It was a large 4 with 500 plus cubic inch I believe. There may have been a couple of Loziers running some 400 plus cubic inch engines in 1916 but the AAA limit at the time was 300 cubic inch. These Loziers were outdated by then but may have taken part in some second tier or state fair type races. I generally do not research too much the cars that ran at those second tier events as it is very difficult. As to 1916, when Rickenbacher stopped by, along with Mulford and Chandler it was probably for the May 13 races at Sheepshead. I may have a picture of these cars in my files but nothing of the Lozier (that comes to mind). The only event that Rickenbacher won at Sheepshead in 1916 was the 150 miler (5/13/16). Crawford had his Chandler but went out early in the 20 miler and Mulford had trouble with his Peugeot in the 20 and the 150 but Mulford won the 50 miler. There were a couple of other events at Sheepshead iin 1916 but I believe this May event was the only one where Rick, Chandler and Mulford were present. If you want to find stuff on the Loziers in racing it may be wiser to study the period from let's say 1911 to 1915 you may have better luck. What you have with history there is pretty cool and is definitely worth pursuing. If I run across anything I will let you know.-Jim
Thought you might like to see these , they are from a photo album of my grandparents ,it's from a 1914 race at a track in Elgin Ill, one of our family managed from 1910 to 1920 ,his name was Fred w Jencks, thats all the info I have ,tryed to clean up the scans best I could , Tim Jones
Talk about crazy. The agent sent my wife the history pack just before we looked at it. I was away do she read it to me over the phone. Three bay garage? Sold. Used to build race cars? What??! Sold! Her: "says here some guy named rickenbacker worked on his car..." Me: "RICKENBACKER??!? Sold I don't even need to see the house dear" I have always had a sticker of the "hat in the ring" squadron art on my map/chart case I drag around the country. Now all I need is something a bit more vintage then my 70 Duster project to work on inside Anyone have a guess what this pattern in the floor is? There was a hole for electrical conduit that I filled to the right that you can see. Maybe an old lift or workbench?
Ya more pictures of the barn as well. A lot of neat history in that building. Maybe a full write up on the sister site Garage Journal as well!
Planning on a full story there. Short of findin actual pics of the garage I'll need help researching period garages as I want it to be functional but as period correct as I can get.
Dragsled-Tim- those are some pretty cool pictures. some are a bit fuzzy but in the second grouping the first picture is Mortimer Roberts who drove the Tahis special which carried a Wisconsin. This car is still around in original condition and vintage races. Picture #4 in the same grouping is Rickenbacher. Picture # 7 is Ralph DePalma in front of his pit with the SOHC Mercedes he just brought back from Germany at the outbreak of WWI. This is the car that won the race and won at Indy the following year. This car does not survive sadly. I have run across the name of Fred W. Jencks who was associated with the Elgin road course I thought until it closed. I also thought he promoted some races in the Chicago area for a number of years. I really wish someone would do a definitive study on the patrons of the sport back then. Fred would probably make the cut. I notice that I was not specific about which is DePalma. His is the creme colored car on the left that carried the number 10. The #5 car was Eddie Hearne in one of Burman's Wisconsin specials. I believe that is Eddie on my right talking to DePalma on the left besides DePalmas' creme colored Mercedes.-Jim
Have you looked around behind the barn? you know where they used to toss the stuff they didn't want any more?
Just amazing. Once you get things all squared away, I bet you could rent the garage out for vintage photo shoots!!! Gary
Thanks for the info in our family tree info it states that Ferd Jencks was a pioneer automobile owner, haveing the Ill. license No. 85 till he died in 1936, Most of my dads famliy was from the burlington and Chicago area, Thanks again for the info Tim Jones
Nothing is there on the surface but I plan on buying or renting a metal detector. The other problem is that back then the property was much bigger but was sold off in pieces. Now there are several other houses in the old property. The previous owned said he used to dig up very very very old pottery and "junk" whenever he pulled a stump or dug deep. One mans junk.......
It looks like it may have been a "pit' to walk under the cars and work on them, alot of old garages had them. very cool!
You found that house in Jersey? Please... Do me a favor and tell me it wasn't in Bergen County so I don't have to go and kick my own ass for missing it. What a score... I'd kill to find a place with a garage like that!
Yeah its way too small for a pit. I assumed the "ears" were mounting bosses bolted to the floor and the conduit hole was for the tools or the lifting mechanism. Its a small rectangle but given the fact it was much smaller teen era cars it sort of makes sense. Monmouth County so dont hurt yourself!
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