THE SUNDAY OREGONIAX, PORTLAND, SEPTE3IBER 13, 1910.
4
T
MEDFORD CLAIMS LEADERSHIP IN
PER CAPITA OWNERSHIP OF AUTOS
Town Eu One Car to Every 25 Persons All Are Good Eoadj Boosters Fine Boulevards, Including Crater Lake
Highway, Now Being Built Tourist Travel Is Heavy.
v ; .-?JV v-,v .;unv.-l
a
Is
-I I
r v i -
. -
1 . -: -t
now and then a sprinMinr of arebruh
mnd meemiite.
JYom El Paso to Mexico City, a dis
tance of 1500 miles, th road to said to bo
one, of the worst on the American conti
nent. Stand atretohes of desert relieved
now and then by steep barren and rocky
mountains, mark the route across th
Mexican republic, and many driver in
times past have been compelled to aban
don the trip fter motoring several hun
dred miles south from El Paso. After
returninK to Southern California, Mr.
Gray wilt ship his car back to Portland.
Another notable trip during the present
season was the run from The Dalles to
Salt Iake made by George II. Watson.
Jfr. AV'atEon encountered many difficul
ties on this run. and after enduring meny
hardships on the plame of Eastern Ore
gon and through the steep mountainous
passes of Idaho, finally succeeded in
reaching Salt Lake.
The trip taken by Councilman Gay
Lombard with a party of friends through
Eastern Oregon into Nevada and Califor
nia is another notable achievement in the
touring line accomplished this reason. Mr.
Lombard departed from the. usual route,
and after crossing the southern boundary
of Oregon, drovo to Reno. Nev. After
spending a few days there, 'the party
drovo to Saji Francieco and thence into
Southern Caiifornia. - ,
The trip acrosn the continent from Bos
ton to Portland was accomplished by
Joseph C. fuller and A. M. HagiA, who
made the run in a 1S09 model Oldsmo
bllc After covering a distance of over
600 miles in 66 days, the two men ar
rived In Portland Thursdaj September
4. This trip is all the more remarkable
in that a number of enowBtorma and blix-
sards wera encountered while croesing
the Bitter Root Mountains in Montana
and Idaho. Some rough roads were also
encountered in the Dakotas. although
the machine did not appear to be greatly
damaged when It arrived in Portland.
Dealers Work in Harmony
to Better Auto Trade
Association. Sow Tbree Years Old,
Ta Proaprona.
MEDFORD. Or.. Sept. IT. (SpL)
Med ford Is automobile crasy. The
residents of this town were ln-
Vwulated with this mania three years
mgo and have been In the throes of It
ver since. Poor persons, rich people,
lII must have a machine, as to be
without on Is to acknowledge tbat you
tare down and out. Persons with no
lioraes of their own hare bought ma
chines rather tban a house. Families
liave been known to mortgage their
I Toper ty In order to have a car for a
lew fleeting months ere It Is thrown on
the rubbish heap.
It la estimated that the number of
automobiles In the Immediate vicinity
of Med ford totals 400. This gives an
automobile to every ti persons, which
1 claimed to be the largest percentage
of automobiles per capita In any city
In the world. Med ford has 2S automo- j
biles doing livery service, which is a
large number for a town of 9000 Inhab
itants. The large livery business is
due to the great number of tourists
who come each Summer and Fall to see
the orchards and to go over the road
from Medford to Crater Lake.
There' is no automobile club In Med
ford to make an organized effort for
good road. Several attempts have
been made to call the automobile own
ers together, but all have been futile.
There la little need, however, of such a
stimulating Influence among Medford
people, as they have been enthusiastic
good road boosters from the beginning
of the movement In the state and have
made wonderful advance along this line
of Improvement. There Is a 12-mtle
auto driveway up Bear Creek to Ash
land and there Is a fair road running
down the Rogue River 30 miles to
Grants Pass. Jackson County has Just
completed a fine macadamized automo
bile boulevard to . Jacksonville, five
miles from Medford, which Is equal to
any road in the state.
Medford people have begun the
building of an automobile highway to
Crater Lake from Medford. Disgusted,
but not disheartened by the nullifica
tion of the Crater Lake road bill by
the State Supreme Court, the Medford
Commercial Club undertook the con
struction of the road by private means.
Twenty-seven thousand dollars has
been raised In Medford and three ad
ditional thousand has been subscribed
to the undertaking by Portland people.
This sum is Insufficient to complete the
proposed road, but construction work
has been begun with $7000 of the $30.
000 promised. The Commercial Club
will leave no stone unturned until the
road Is completed. Even over the pres
ent road a weekly automobile stage
runs to Crater Lake and private auto
mobiles continually make trips.
ALBANY HAS NOW 150 CARS
fj Popularity of Machines Increasing Rapidly All Over Linn County Roads
!
I
i
t:
2
c
t
1
CAR OHJtED BY P. A. VOrJtC, OP AI.B4MV, If WHICH HK MADE
RI X TO PORTT.AXO IX THRKB UOtllS A D KIFTEK MIMTEti.
ALB.VNT. Or.. 8ept. 17. (Special.)
With a record of an Increase of 40
per cent In the past year, the number of
-automobile In use In Linn County Is
till Increasing rapidly. There are now
wbout IM machines owned In this county
sod of this number more than SO were
sold In the past 12 months. Local agents
are authority for the statement that
.cores of people who do not own auto
'mobilee are now considering the pur
m base of cars and that the sales In the
next season will probably double the
number of automobiles in this county.
The great majority of the automobiles
In Linn County now are owned by peo
ple residing in the cities and town.. Un
til a few months ago practically none
were owned by farmers. but several
farmers have purchased machines recent
ly and It is predicted tbat In the future
as many sales will be made to farmers
as to residents of towns.
A yesr ago there were no automobiles
for regular hire In Albany. Now there are
swveral and all enjoy a generous patron
mgr. This fact attests the growing popu
larity of the machine here for use both
as an Instrument of plfasure and as a
vehicle for necessary transportation.
Ti e increasing popularity of the auto
mobile In Albany and tbe surrounding
country Is shown by the fact that the
largest garage between Portland and Sac
ramento Is now In process of construe
tlon here. It Is being built by Barrett
Bros., at the southwest corner of Water
and Ellsworth streets. This garage has
a noor space of 10 by 138 feet. The build
ing Is constructed almost entirely of ce-
m-nt and is now nearing completion.
This will give Albany two large gar
ages. The other has been operated suc
cessfully for several months by J. L.
Irvin. This garage has a floor space of
60 by" 90 feet, with a machine shop 33 by
3i f-et attached. The only other public
garage in Linn County ts at Brownsville
and 1a conducted by II. B. Moyer.
There Is no automobile club in Linn
County. W. W. Crawford, of this city,
is vice-president for Linn County of the
state organization end co-operates on be
half of the local owners of cars with
those of other parts of the state In move
ment atfectlng automobile travel and
trafTie.
LONG TOURS ARE POPULAR
Autoists Journey for Thousands of Miles In Every Direction From Port
land Several Notable Trips Are Made.
NEVER before in the history of Port
land have so many extended tours
bscn taken by automobile drivers as In
tbe present season. When the automo
bile first became popular In Portland a
few years ago very few drivers ventured
farther than the nearby country towns
in the vicinity of Portland, but, like the
sailors of the middle ages, they gradu
ally widened the scone of their tours un
til at the present time Portland people
have made trips over the entire Amerl
ran continent, embracing a territory ex
tending from the snow-covered hill of
Northern Canada to the desert plains of
Old Mexico.
One of the most extensive tours ever
taken by a Portland man Is the present
trip being taken by A. J. Gray, a Port
land contractor. Early In the Summer
Mr. Gray, accompanied by his wife, his
daughter and his two sons, made an ex
tended trip into Northwestern Canada in
a Chalmers "Thirty" car. He was
equipped with a complete camping outfit,
and spent several weeks in touring
gradually northward. Sups were made
at the various hunting and fishing
grounds along the route, and by the time
the hot weather had set in he bad
reached tbe border of - a land which ie
covered with, perpetual snow. Here he
remained until August, when, with his
family, he drove back to Portland.
Shortly after reaching Portland. Mr.
Gray decided to take his family on a sec
ond extended tour, and accordingly sev
eral weeks ago he started for Southern
California, by way of Southern Oregon.
It Is his Intention to reach Los Angeles
by tho time the rainy weather In Oregon
has set in. and after spending a few
weeks in the Southern California metrop
olis he will start for Mexico City.
From California he will drive across the
broad deserts of Southern Arizona, New
Mexico and Texas, and will cross the
Mexican line from El Paso. This route
lies among rolling desert plains, where
the only vegetation is the cactus, with
I.N'CE Its organization, about three
1 years ago, the Portland Automobile
Dealers' Association has prospered
This is testified to by nearly all the
members and all the officers of the or
ganization. The scope of the associa
tion Is to benefit the automobile trade
In Portland and to promote the good
roads cause throughout the state. It
also gives the dealers protection.
A meeting of the association Is held
the first Monday In each month. These
meetings are largely attended, and
plans for the bettering of automoblling
business are discussed. For some time
the club has been Inactive In the get
ting of new members. Soon, however,
a decided effort win ne made to get
the new automobile agents established
in Portland to become members of the
association.
The annual election of officers will
be held the first Monday In November.
At that time a full turnout of the
membership of the association will be
on hand. The present officers of the
association are: Charles F. Wright,
president; P. A. Combs, vice-president;
R. E. Blodgett, secretary, and George
S. Brackett, treasurer.
That the club Is progressive, is shown
by the fact that It does not favor the
holding of the road races. ine au
tomobile business has got down to a
good, sound, all-the-year-around com
mercial basis, and It Is not required to
hold races to promote the Interest of
the automobile, according to the of
ficers.
The dealers' association is divided as
to the holding of the annual automo
bile' show. Some are willing and some
are unwilling. The members argue
that It costs them too much money for
the little benefit they derive from It.
It Is an educator to the public, they
admit, but. on the other hand, that
does not pay rents and nign ireignt
rates. If the association itself would
manage the show, most of the local au
tomobile companies would be willing
to have the show. As It Is. though,
with other Interests In control, they
seem altogether opposed to It. The
next show, if there Is to be a next, will
probably be held by the dealers' asso
elation.
Car'Knns Despite Break.
H. B. Black drove a Brush runabout
from Portland to Medford last week
and considering the fact that the last
half of the Journey was made with a
broken fly-wheel this run is considered
remarkable. The car was sold to the
Medford branch of the Sherman Clay
Company and will be used by their
salesmen in visiting the nearby coun
try towns. It was near Oakland that
the machine collided with a Ftump' in
the middle- of the road, breaking the
fly-wheel.-
"K III
JjtfL. m fill llll ii ii ii ii ii ii II i.EJZEEE,
Studebaker Electric Trucks
and Delivery Wagon3
Investigate this modern method of freight transportation
and you will be surprised at the saving in expense. We have
in stock for immediate delivery:
1 Open Delivery Wagon, one ton capacity,
1 Open Delivery Wagon, one and one-half ton capacity,
2 Panel Top Delivery Wagons, 1000 lbs. Capacity Each.
We are prepared to demonstrate to you that the electric
truck proposition is the correct one and has no equal. This
branch of our business is in charge of S. G. Thompson a suc
cessful electrical engineer from our Eastern factory, and we
invite all prospective purchasers to avail themselves of his ex
perience and knowledge on this subject.
Studebaker Bros. Co.
Chapman and Alder Streets
for 1911"
Licensed Under Selden Patent
J. W. LEAVITT & CO.
529-53 1 Washington Street, Portland, Or.
Distributors for
OREGON, WASHINGTON, CALIFORNIA AND NEVADA
Over 20,000 satisfied owners
now driving the wonderful Over
land Automobiles.
Model . to H. P.. 4 ryllnders, SS-lnch wheel bmi 7TS. A
Torpedo Roadater with same power Mill for i860.
22 four-cylinder models, from 20
to 40 horsepower, from $775 to
$1675; all prices include magneto
and full lamp equipment.
Model 40. 35 H. P.. rylindera. 1 OS-inch wheel base; $1095.
Made with S styles of bodies, including drllrrry body.
The maximum car at the mini
mum price. Strong, Efficient,
Dependable, Durable.
Model SO.- 30 H. P., HO-inch wheel base. Msde !o S-pas-aenger
oar with fore doors or open front, price BL250.
1911 Model 49s have arrived;
demonstration engagements by
appointment.
Our 1911 Book Free
Send us this coupon for our latest
book, showing all the new models with
complete specifications. It wil enable
you to make your comparisons. No
catalogue published shows so many
styles as tnis. Send for it now before
you forget it.
Model 54. SS H. P., 118-inch wheel baae. Aa attractive
aa was ever produced. Price. S1G73.
J. W. LEAVITT & CO.,
529-531 Washington St., .
Portland, Oregon.
Send me the 1911 Overland Book.
Name
Address.
SPEEDWELL
.teste mmmMAm
Model F Special Seven-Passenger Touring Car, Fore Doors $2900
Licensed Under Selden Patent
J
63
CO
. FOR
Model H 2-passenger Roadster - $2500
Model C 4-passenger Toy Tonnean 2625
Model D 5-passenger Touring Car
Model K 5-passenger Close Coupled
Model G 4-passenger Torpedo- -Model
H Special i-passenger "Toy
Tonneau, Fore Doors - -
2650
2650
2700
2700
1911
Model D Special 5-passenger Tour
ing Car, Fore Doors - - - $2750
Model F 7-passenger Touring Car 2800
Model F Special 7-passenger Tour
ing Car, Fore Doors - - - 2900
Model E 7passenger Limousine - 3850
All 4-Cylinder, 50 H. P., 121-inch
Wheel Base.
09
q
to
w
f
The absolutely dependable car. Both the car
and the price are the sensation of the season
It would be the sheerest folly to approach the Motor Car buying public in these days of
strenuous competition in moderate-priced cars with anything but absolutely the best value for
the money ever offered. A survey of the more important specifications listed above, reveals
the fact that no car, as many years before the public as the Speedwell, has developed so surely
towards perfection. The silent, powerful motor will be a revelation ; if turns over literally with
out sound or vibration, while the pulling power is phenomenal. We certainly do not fear the
competition of any other line of cars, and will genuinely, appreciate the opportunity to show
our cars on the same floor with any others of their type.
The work of distribution we believe will be facilitated by the establishment of sub-agencies.
"We have some good territory open now in the state, and are ready to close contract with the
right salesmen for 1911 cars.
Our literature sent. on request; it is interesting, makes plain every reason for Speedwell
superiority. May we. send it T
The Speedwell Motor Co.
Dr. C. B. Brown, C. A. Nation, Distributors and State Agents
Temporary Location 266 Eleventh Street, Portland, Or.