H09.01.11_033_MID_UNK_0040O

Visitor's Comments		To add your comments about THIS PHOTO Click Here
Date:	Visitor's Name:	Comment:
09.10.11	Ed Duncan	The pictures are pre world war II. Great picture.
09.15.11	3Wide	What's the giveaway Ed... Helmets? Cars?, Wheels?
09.16.11	Ed Duncan	All of the above.
09.16.11	3Wide	I'm sure you are correct Ed, but I really don't know what the difference is. I guess I'd have to look at a picture from each decade and compare. I know that helmets got bigger... wheels became more specialized... and eventually guys started wearing uniforms. How long did they have the pump on the side?
09.16.11	Ed Duncan	The pump i am guessing they used into the early 50s.The outside brake handle was used into the mid-60s. Most of the midgets before World War II were homemade creations with many different engines combos. After the war the Kurtis Kraft midgets dominated, it became the same problem we have today, you needed a Kurtis to win and the home built cars were forced to the sidelines. Car counts went from 30-plus car counts to barely 20 per show.
09.20.11	fltlnjok	Back in the 40's & 50's there was a midget car driver from around South Plainfield, NJ named Jiggs Peters. He ~~had only one leg~~ but was quite sought after as a driver. Maybe it's him. (see comment below) The center helmet looks like the one that Hoop used to wear. Dates prior to '50. Prior to '40 helmets were mostly soft, just to hold the hair in place. The pump was for fuel pressure and I guess it was the cheapest and most reliable system.
09.22.11	Ed Duncan	Jiggs had both his legs. You're thinking of the great Bill Schindler.
10.11.11	Russ Dodge	The photo I think is 1939. The Peter's Machine Shop, owned by Fred Peters was driven first by Ken Fowler and replaced by Frank Bailey from New Brunswick in July, 1939. I believe it is Ken Fowler in this photo. There is no question as to it being the Fred Peters car. (I missed this show since I wasn't born yet!)
10.12.11	Chris Pedersen	Russ, you're correct about the time the photo was taken. The cars are all rail jobs, so it is pre 1945.After 1945 Kurtis Kraft were what everyone had. The pump on the side is to pressurize the fuel tank, the handle for the breaks. Took an awfully brave driver to race back then.
10.13.11	George Perkins	The 33 appears to be a high dollar ride, sure looks like the frame rails were chromed.
10.18.11	Russ Dodge	In 1938 midget races were held in Buenas Aires, Brazil. Cars and drivers were flown to South America. In 1992 a reunion was held at the NOTARC banquet at Flemington. Drivers who went South were invited. I had a chance to meet Babe Bower and get this autograph. Chris Economaki attended also. Click Here for a related article.
10.23.11	Gordon White	I agree that the photo is pre WW II, from the design of the cars. 1937 or 1938, probably. Very pretty rail frame jobs. The track might be Freeport, which had walls painted with the stripe on them. But Freeport was cinders until 1941, and this looks like a paved track I also agree that the inside # 33 car is the Peters Machine Shop Offy, and the driver may be Henry Banks. The middle car is the Al Krause # 9 Offy and the driver is probably Babe Bower. I can't identify the outside car and driver, but it looks like an earlier design than 1939. The pump was used to pressurize the fuel tank - only pump needed with carburetors. When fuel injection came along in the 1950s a mechanical pump was needed, but the hand pump was often kept to prime the system. The outside hand brake was common up into the 1960s, even on Indy cars.
11.26.12	Cliff Raison	The guy on the outside could be a young Joe Barzda from New Brunswick.
08.12.14	Wayne	The first photo has Morris "Babe" Bower sandwiched in the middle, not on the outside. The time frame is 1938-39 because Babe is driving the Bert Krause Offenhauser midget # 9 also shown in the autographed second photo. Portions of this information come the Jack Fox book "The Mighty Midgets" the rest from internet research and newspaper archives. Babe retired from racing in the early 40's while still on top. Great autographed photo of Babe!
08.13.14	Jack Burroughs	IMHO, the tires are the big giveaway, because after WWII tires became wider and lower.

Photo ID #	H09.01.11_033_MID_UNK_0040O_1
Car #:	#33 & ? & #1
Driver (s) :	Babe Bower
Location:	unsure
Date:	1940's or 50's
Photographer:	Michael Henry
Photo provided by:	Michael Henry
Comments:	Comment from Michael: ~~On the outside~~ in the Bert Kraus #1 is Babe Bower (see correction below in Visitor's comments). Can anyone identify the other two cars and drivers. There is no one taking credit for this photo or where it was taken.