Century of Butte Stories

Auto Speed Record Set by Herbert Riley in 1916

By John Astle

(Stories celebrating the millennium and featuring articles from Butte’s newspaper for the past 100 years).

The automobile speed record of 3 hours, 33 minutes and 30 seconds, from Butte to Missoula was set September 6, 1916 by Herbert Riley, of Perham & Riley, Butte Cadillac agents. Thousands of dollars were wagered on the timed race and Riley won a $600 bet made with a rival automobile agent.

He bet he would beat the record of Matt Barry, Billings, which he did by 21 minutes and 30 seconds. He also beat the record set the day before by John Berkin, manager of Butte's Motor Car Distribution Co., 108 E. Broadway, by nine minutes and 30 seconds.

Riley drove from the front of the Anaconda Standard office on East Broadway in Butte to the Western Union office in Missoula. At the start of the race he drove through the west side of Butte at 50 miles an hour.

About four miles from Warm Springs, while cruising' along at 60 mph, he and his co-driver, Joe Mickle, hit a large hole in the graveled road and the car careened forward on its front wheels almost tipping over. The jolt broke the radiator hose and water began to leak. Riley slowed to 40 mph while Mickle used a screwdriver to fix the water line and they made it to Warm Springs and filled with water.

Between Warm Springs and Deer Lodge they reached speeds up to 72 miles and hour, and drove through the main street of Deer Lodge, which had been cleared by Mayor Conley, at 65 mph. Conley, in a telephone call to Butte said, "He will either break the record or his neck."

Some vandals had spread roofing nails on various sections of the road, which forced Riley to make five stops because of punctured tires. Six miles out of Garrison they had to drain two gallons of gas from another automobile and then stop a second car to get oil. These stops cost them 25 minutes.

They ran into a viaduct near Bonner when, going 55 miles an hour on a flat tire, the car skidded into the posts. The car jumped a culvert after it hit the viaduct. They had to stop and pound out the fenders off the front tires to get going again. Both were lucky to escape with no injuries. The impact shook the oil through the valves and gasoline leaked out of the gas tank, which had been punctured by a tire rim. Riley drove the final eight miles to Missoula on two flat tires.

In 1915 Riley displayed his reckless courage when he raced the famous race car driver, Barney Oldfield, who was appearing in Butte. Oldfield gave him a handicap, but Riley, in a stripped-down Ford, made a name for himself by his daredevil driving, especially going around the turns.

Tragedy struck in 1917 when Riley was returning home from Whitehall on the evening of June 17. He was nearing the bottom of a gulch about one mile north of the Nine Mile house, when the hub cap on the front wheel came loose and allowed the wheel to slip from the hub. He was traveling about 45 miles an hour. The axle dropped to the ground, caught on the gravel roadway and swung the car around. The car skidded about 25 feet and completely rolled over once. Riley was caught under the car as it rolled. He was found about 10 feet from the car.

Raymond Ruhle, vice president of McKee Printing, 313 W. Broadway, and Charles Gamer, secretary-treasurer of Gamer Shoe Co., 10 N. Montana, were driving toward Butte when Riley passed them south of the Nine Mile on the Thompson Park road. He was traveling at a high rate of speed. They came on the accident three miles down the road. Ruhle put the unconscious Riley into his car and started for Butte. He died before they reached the Murray Hospital. Herbert Riley was 30 years old.

Copyright © 2000 John Astle