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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 13, 1912)
TIIE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, OCTOBER 13, 1913. TRANSCONTINENTAL JOURNEY IS AT ONCE REMARKABLE AND UNIQUE "Billy" Bristol and "Ed" Jorgensen Have Experience of Lifetime in Traveling by Automobile from Coast to Coast Off Beaten Tracks and Had Many Experiences That Are Worth While. Special Attention, White Owners We desire to notify you that we have opened a more convenient office for our mutual benefit, and now that we are centrally located we expect to see you often Ve realize that your success means our success. A great many owners do not call as often as we would like to have them. Just because your car or truck is running O. K. is no sign you should not visit us more freely Our Supply and Parts Room is located with our office Every possible effort will be put forth to give WHITE OWNERS the best obtainable service. w HE:r "Billy" Bristol and "Ed" Jorgensen trundled Into Port land. Me., In a Pierce "Six"' of the vintage of 1910, they not only completed a trip that was remarkable and unusual In many details, but they rendered a lasting service to motorists of the United States. Aside from the countless unique features of their transcontinental journey, the Portland motorists compiled complete data for the cross-country ramble. Theirs is the first complete and authentic de tailed route available for the run. Leaving here August 20, the Intrepid tourists followed a zigzag course across the continent, picking out the route that combined the best going with di rectness and scenic attractiveness, and each day compiled accurate informa tion concerning the roads, distances. hotel accommodations, garages- and routes of the country traversed. The data are wonderfully complete, tsy fol lowing the notes and directions they have set down, any motorist can travel from the Atlantic to the Pacific with out the slightest trouble and without fear of losing the way. Bluebooks, road maps ard "home spun" Information are virtually worth less In making such a trip, according to Mr. Jorgensen, part pilot of the Portland car. All the route books ob tainable were inaccurate and hindered progress instead of facilitating It, he declared on his return here last week. So, after numerous attempts to get over the country with the aid of published routes, they laid aside the tour books altogether and got up new and vastly more complete notes. M'ork M ill Help. As a result of their work. It Is likely that scores of transcontinental motor ists will come through Portland next 1 3ear on their way to California, In-, stead of taking the Southern route over the old .Santa Fe Trail. All along the route after reaching Nebraska they en countered autoists who Intend motor ing Westward next year. The Oregon men informed the Eastern pleasure seekers what they were doing. This called forth many requests for their addresses, so that they may write the Portland men (for the data when they are ready to start for- the Pacific Coast. Getting off the beaten tracks of travel entails severe hardships and countless disadvantages as well as pleasant experiences. In some details the story of the Brlstol-Jorgensen joy Jaunt sounds like excerpts from fairy tales. "You motorists who have toured for a few hundred miles at a time through Oregon. Washington and California may think you are experienced, but you're still in the motoring kindergar ten." says Mr. Jorgensen. who Is pro prietor of the Lenox Hotel. VA trans continental trip does more to educate one than years of motoring around home. There are experiences to be gained that cannot be had In any other manner. After making such a trip. It is easy to appreciate the simplicity and luxury of touring around home. When the Jolly and genial duo start ed for the wilds of the Great American v a ' ' .i r h:, iV?'?-r--rt:fc- v a PZ&fatte OJzJfjr JT ........ i pf ;fw a , . ; r lipase - 'Wii-wis - . J?' i.vf,-' r' T 17- V coats, rubber suits, 10 extra Inner t do N For White Pleasure Gars and Trucks Investigate through users the work they are doing in Portland and elseWhere, The cost of upkeep, gasoline consumption, oil con sumption, depreciation, and ascertain whether or not these plea sure cars and trucks deliver the goods "Quality Counts" Ask Our Customers , TE CAR AGENCY 69 SEVENTH STREET, NEAR QAK WHS Desert many of their friends laughed at the equipment on- their car. It con talned everything that one could pos sibly need to meet emergencies; it was the last thtngr in completeness, from the African water bf.g-s to the crowbar, pick and shovel. All Were Needed. "And the humorous part of it is that we used about every tool and accessory we included except the big supply of inner tubes and casings," explained te legal half of the party. "The tire changes were few, but the strenuous work of digging out the road, remov ing young mountains and burrowing through the desert happened fre quently." Included In the "extras" carried were eight African water bags. SO gallons of gasoline. 20 gallons of lubricating oil, ax, shovel, sledgehammer, ropes, four 40-foot strips of canvas, crowbar, lan tern, rifle, two revolvers, compass, cooking utensils, provisions, leather j coats, rubber suits, 10 extra tubes and two extra casings. . Of all the hard going experienced, that of the desert country in Idaho and Wyoming receives the distinction of being the most difficult and exas perating to negotiate- The torrid heat of the day made work disagreeable and eliminated whatever pleasure might be found In traversing the great arid waste under favorable conditions. m "Why, one morning we started out at & o'alock. Intending to get an early start and make great headway, and when we finished at 8 o'clock that night we had gone Just 20 miles," ex ploded the lawyer-motorist. "It was here that our four strips of. canvas stood us in good stead. Without them we would have been on the desert yet." In explaining this method of loco motion, Mr. Bristol pointed to photo graphs showing the car in a sandy stretch, with the four wheels resting on the canvas. The operation consists of stringing the 40-foot strips ahead until firm ground is reached. Traveling 40 feet at a time necessarily entails much labor and does net permit of record- breaking speed. Some doubt was expressed as to whether the Portland men got very far away with their "boat." In deny ing the Implication, Mr. Bristol refers the doubting Thomases to John J. Jlur phy. representative of the Cleveland Plain Dealer at Ashtabula, Ohio. "Seeking the right road out of that town,,we stopped a pedestrian and in quired tne way, saia air. jsristoi. no was going in the same direction and volunteered to direct us. When he discovered we were from Portland, he asked me if I knew Pete Swedenborg. When I replied in the negative, he described his friend and told me he was a reporter on The Evening Tele gram. Right away I said it must be Bill' Strandborg. " "So that's his name now,' said Mur phy. "When we were working together on the Plain Dealer It was Swedenborg, and later he turned It Into Swensen.' - Identlflcatlon Complete. "His identification was positive and complete." Reverting to the scenic beauties of an overland automobile trip, Mr. Bris tol and Mr. Jorgenson were agreed i that Oregon possesses all the rugged grandeur and beautiful valley scenes found on the entire trip. "We didn't see anything that Oregon cannot boast of," said Mr. Jorgenson. We have it all right In one state. Eastern motorists would be bewlld ered by an automobile trip through Oregon." Colorado s progress In road-building was Impressed vividly on the minds of the Rose City wanderers. They paid the compliment to that state of having the best roads outside of the New .Eng land states. Colorado's state highway system Is being built with convict labor. While the desert going provided many disagreeable experiences, it also produced the most wonderful meteor ological phenomena the Oregonians had ever witnessed. While on a night drive over the last stretch of the vast desert, the sky began to change until It was converted into a veritable wonderland. Straight ahead it was somber black to th right the moonlight and star light was reflected vividly against the bleak sky, and in another mrection flashes of lightning and peals of thun der split the air. Mountains were on all sides of the plateau they were driving on. Extra Oil Saved Walk. "Only the fact that we carried an unusually big supply of extra oil saved ' us from a 58-mlle walk across the 'desert Into American Falls," said Mr. Bristol In recounting one of their ad ventures. "We were driving up natu ral steps of lava rock, so steep it was necessary to send the car headed at high speed to make the ascent. Just at the top we dropped down so far on the other side that the crank case was punejjtred. pur supply of canvas and wire came in handy. We laced the canvas with wire around the case and corked the openings .with waste. We were forced to spend the night on the desert and as we had only enough water, for the engine our meals con sisted of nothing of a liquid .nature. When we arrived at American Falls we had used all but about two gallons of our extra oil supply." In the matter of tire trouble, they made a record that probably will com pare favorably with any yet made. Ac cording to Mr. Jorgenson, the same air they started out with was in the front tires when the car was left at the fac tory In Buffalo to be overhauled. They drove within 12 , miles of Cleveland without even a puncture and the first and only blowout came near Scranton, Pa. At Chlcopee Falls, Mass., the trans continental motorists were entertained a clambake by the officials of the Flsk Rubber Company. They Inspected the Flsk factory and. according to; Mr. Jorgenson, found the only true West- :rn ntrspiiaiiLy uiin uiui mey expeu- inced on the whole Journey, excepting rhen, entertained by personal friends. The route followed took them through Eugene, Burns, Bend, Vale, Nampa, American Falls, Pocatello, Evanston. Green River. Cheyenne, Denver, Central Nebraska. Chicago, South Bend, Tole- Cleveland. Blnghamton. Scranton, AUTO DINNER LURES Many Motorists to Meet Clubhouse Tuesday. at MEMBERSHIP GROWS FAST Reservations for Banquet Indicate Kecord Attendance Will Be on -Hand Aims of Organization to Be Talked. Motorists will gather at the automo bile clubhouse Tuesday night to cele brate the permanent establishment and the formal opening of the institution. Reservations that will tax the capacity of the dining hall have been made with Julius L. Meier, chairman of the ban quet committee, and a large attendance is assured. The interest taken in the event shows the manner In which the members look upon the clubhouse and the work of the directors of the Port land Automobile Club In making It a success. Despite vehement protests on the part of several directors when the club house plan was first suggested, Pres ident Clemens urged that the idea be carried out. Opposition finally died down and the house was built. To date the institution has been self-sustain ing, something even its most enthusi astic champions did not hope for at .the start. In every way it has proven a sue cess. The manner in which it has been conducted has left no room for re proach. Members have been lavish In their praise of the service and the work of the chef. Tuesday night there will be gathered around the banquet board many mem bers who will be dining there for the first time. According to Mr. Clemens, only a small percentage of the mem bership has been out to the clubhouse and tasted of the assortment of good things to eat there. The coming of more members, he says, will mean a big In crease In steady patronage. At this week s Jollification car own ers will learn what the club has been doing in the past few months. The good work now being accomplished, the projects in view and the club s pol ley on questions of importance to mo torists will be clearly aeunea. speaa ers will explain the vital necessity of co-operative effort on the part of all automobile men and snow wny more in terest should be taken in the work of the club. The following reservations have been made: BolelKh Trimble, two seats; John K. Bur- rard. two seats; A. H. Ellors, two seats; J. C Hoyt, four seats; Ralph Hoyt, four seats; C. S. Jackson, five seats; Fred A. Jacobs, two seats; Dr. H. A. Rockey. four seats; R. J. Linden, two seats; A. Lumsden. four seats; Ed. Newbegln, two seats; F. A. Nitchy. two seats; H. P. Palmer, two seats; J. P. Porter, six seats; F. H. Ransom, wo seats; Dr. H. - A. Rocky, tour seats; W. M. Umdenstock, two seats; Paul Wes singer, two seats; J. B. Yeon, two seats; C. Elmore Grove, two seats; George Staple ton, three seats; M. M. Johnson, four seats; Charles G. Arnold, two seats; John S. Beall, seats; Charles F. Wright, tour seats; S. C. Friendly, four seats; Frank C. Kiggs, quests A. E. Dovle and wife. 4 seats; H. J. Ottenhelmer, four seats; O. K. Jeffrey, two seats; J. L. Meier, six seats; samuei nui, four seats: Mrs. L. E. Juston. four seats; P. Buebke, four seats; Sol Blumauer, four seats; W. J. Clemens, four seats; L. H. Rose, telephones from the clubhouse. The line was completed last week. Since the opening of the clubhouse and the success it has met with, many Improvements have been planned for the club's grounds out on the banks of tne banuy stiver. I'lans nave been or dered for an amusement hall, to con tain bowling alleys and billiard and pool tables. Two tennis courts of con crete will be built this Winter. Sev eral small bungalows will be built across from the clubhouse on the picnic grounds and will be rented to members during the Summer. The clubhouse road will be entirely rebuilt in the Spring from the Twelve Mile house to the Sandy River. Tem porary repairs are being made along the road now. TltTJCIC SOLV1XG BIG PROBLEM Headquarters of AVIiite Agency Moved to Beck Building. "It Is a significant fact that, while until very recently motor trucks were to be found mainly on the streets of the great cities, they .have lately ap peared in sufficient numbers In the smaller cities and towns at large to Indicate that the business man is ac quiring interest and becoming con cerned in this revolution of transpor tation methods," says Manager Hill, of the White agency. "Just as thfi streetcar has solved the problem for transportation of human freight, so has the power wagon opened the way for simplifying the transportation problem in the commer cial world. Facts point In but one di rection the horse must give way to the more powerful, more reliable and more economical motor truck." Following a rapid Increase In both pleasure car and truck business Mr. Hill found it necessary to change his sales location. The main office of the White agency now Is located at 69 Seventh street, in the Beck building. The White garage and repair shop will be continued at the same place. Kissel Plant to Move. Following close upon the news ot the Kissel Motor Car Company's ac quisition of an additional plant at Mil. waukee, thus nearly doubling the pro duction capacity of this enterprising concern, comes the announcement that the general offices of the company will be removed from Hartford, Wis., to Milwaukee, Meanwhile the auto mobile trade is talking about the Kissel horseshoe, which brought the company in contact with a "ready-made" plant just at the time and Just in the loca tion most desirable. The plant requires very few alterations and will be in full operation in a little more than a month. " - ew Brunswick, New York, Hartford, Boston. Portland, Me., Pittsfteld, Al bany, Utlca, Syracuse, Auburn and Buffalo. American Car Praised. Representing tbe commercial organi sations of 45 nations, the members of the . International Congress of Cham bers of Commerce were guests of the Packard Motor Car Company at lunch eon In their plant in Detroit recently and made a complete Inspection of the big motor car factory. Guides speak ing the various languages of the visi tors were drafted from the company's offices to accompany them through the 30 buildings. . The foreign experts paid high tributes to American motor car manufacturing as exemplified in! the Packard factory. I four seats: H. L. Keats, two seats: M. Dickinson, four seats; Dr. Andrew Smith, four seats: E. B. Piper, two seats: R. M. Dooly, Jr., two seats: M. H. Houser. four scats; Fred Krlbs, four seats; Ira Powers, two seats; A. E. Jackson, two seats; c ti Bauer, two seats; R. W. Schmeer, two scats; I. White, two seats; Henry Metzger, two seats. Lack of funds could not stop the im provement on the clubhouse road. When the officials asked the county authori ties to go ahead with the work of cut ting down the grade and making the curves less dangerous, they were' in formed that the county coffers were low and 'that the work would have to be postponed. Then came to the rescue E. Henry Wemme, the good roads an gel. Mr. Wemme could see no reason why the work should be halted. He In sisted that the road was in need of re construction and that the work should not be delayed. So forthwith produced the necessary money, as a loan to the county, to let the good work go on. Membership applications are coming in steadily to the automobile club and it will not be long before the total reaches the 1000 mark, President Clem ens believes that the Increase will con tinue to be rapid and that next Fall the club will be able to boast of a mem bership of at least 1300. Through the co-operation of C. H. Moore, manager of the Pacif io States Telephone & Telegraph Company, there now Is direct connection with all city We Have a Few 2d Hand Cars AT BARGAIN PRICES See Us They May Interest You 340 346 East Morrison Corner East Second AS GLIDDEIT TOUR WINNER. ALWAYS IN THE LEAD The Car of Proven Durability, Economy and Reliability. UNITED AUTO CO. 622-28 Alder Street. . Phones Main 4337, A 7171. "The Is -DIFFERENT from all other automo biles." "If you know the dif ference, you will buy a Cadillac." COVEY MOTOR CAR COMPANY Washington and Twenty-first Streets Portland, Oregon 9
