TITE SUNDAY" ORERONTAN, PORTLAND, NOVEMBER 2, 1913. AUTOISTS CONQUER MOUNTAIN, DESERT UTAH AND WYOMING SECTIONS OF LOGTJS' TRIP PROVE INTER ESTING. Traveler Describes Results of Water on Barren Lands of Utah. MMB u -'"ii.i'.f .' . J i- EAD ROADS ENCOUNTERED ma ....... rf.' v rl--1 i , i fy- m u mmmmjg m High-Centered' Highways Responsi ble for Accident Agents for Tire Company Praised for Their Courtesy to Tourists. BT "W. R. LOOVS. (Part Four of an Interesting series of articles by an Oregon City man. who made a double transcontinental trip with his wife last Summer, to attend the Elks' convention at Roches ter. Automobile Editor's note.) When Lucln,' that small boundary town dividing Nevada and Utah, had been left behind about 6 o'clock on June 7, there stretched before us the Great alt Lake desert. We ran- along for 11 miles until we reached its edge and there we camped for the night, one of the most lonesome camps I can recall. Not a soul near us as far as we could tell, only the rather dismal calling- of the coyotes. Early next morning we were up and ready to be off. Right at the start "we imagined, like most other people that desert traveling is straight, smooth work, like racing on the sand at the coast but such an impression received a severe jolting, for after running aiong with gradually increasing speed we struck one of tnose arroyos or wash outs which will vary in width anything from two to 40 feet. You cannot tell where they are at all until you are right onto them and by that time it Is too late to slow up, and one receives a severe shaking. Consequently it pays to proceed at an even rate of speed, say 15 to 20 miles an hour with a watchful eye in one's head. Signposts Mlsleadlna;. We very nearly ran out of water that day, and had to go without our morn ing's wash when we started off again, making Nelson's ranch, 50 miles away, before we struck plenty of water. It was on our way there that we struck some signposts which neary threw us off In a wrong direction. Some mis chievous boys in all probability, for it la difficult to think that any sane and sensible person could ever have done such a thing, had changed the sign post around so that the directions were absolutely misleading. Just as we were going off I noticed the holes where the post had been pulled up, and investigated, with the result that we kept along what proved eventually to be the right road. Along this section we met with a largo amount of .very high-centered road, necessitating careful driving. Kelton we made for dinner, and be tween that town'and the city of Ogden there is that wonderful irrigated farm ing land, with gentle undulating pas tures and rolling hills. The roads are 60 feet wide, good very hard dirt, and last I should say for about 100 miles. All along the route prosperity ssemed to abound and this struck us all the more remarkable seeing that the land was once Just as much desert as the rest and is only Just an example of what irrigation will do for desert lands. Ogden we reached at midnight, this being one of the very few occa sions on which we had done any night driving, but the roads were so good, the moon so clear and the general at mospheric conditions so delightful that we enjoyed every minute of the time. That day our mileage record was 167 miles. Goodrich Agents Thanked. The next day we set out for Salt Lake, which we reached in time for lunch, and then spent our time see ing the sights there until 4 o'clock the following day, being "put wise," as they say, as to what we ought to see and ought not to miss by the kindness of the Goodrich Company's officials In charge of their branch there. I can not state too strongly how much we were indebted all along the route for their general desire to see us made comfortable during our stay and prop erly Informed as to our route on leav ing. It was the same at Denver and In fact all along the route. at was most Interesting running through Parsley's Canyon, the famous spot where Brigham Young looked down and said "This is the place." At . that time It was all desert like the rest, but now the green, perhaps by contrast, seemed more vivid than else where. The following day, June 11. saw us In what Is known as the Bitter Creek country, a land where the roads are difficult on account of the rocks and boulders and the stony formation generally. In one place It got so bad that we had to forsake the main trail and go down to the track of the Union Pacific. We ran alongside the track till night fall saw us at a small station and there, through the kindness of the of ficial, we were able to sleeep in the hut of a ahepherder, who was away at the time. First Antelope Seen. Our first view of anteiopes occurred the next day, June 12, near a place called Granger, in Wyoming. That is where one crosses the summit of the Rockies and I will guarantee that un less you were told it the Idea would strike you as absurd and Impossible, for it looks like a straight, level road. The ascent Jiad been so gradual that it was imp'ossible to realize that we were at an elevation of over 8000 feet, yet such was the case. Once beyond the summit we struck the Mississippi watershed, of course, and incidentally some more transcontinental tourists. A very Interesting spot was the next , town of any size, that being Medicine Bow, where Owen Wister wrote "The Virginian." The author, of course, is looked on as little less than a god there and the town is immensely proud of Itself in consequence of the notoriety or rather fame that the book has brought it. The town itself, if truth must be told, is very dirty; the inhabi tants seem to think nothing of leav ing animals to rot and decay but a lit tle way up the river of Medicine Bow, and the stench was unbearable to us on more than one occasion. When 27 miles from Laramie, Wyo. we snapped the manifold on a piece of high-centered road and for a time I did not think it would be possible to fix it. This occurred right In the sase brush, with the typical appear ance of a tnousand miles from no where, nothing but sage brush and red desert. However I got it fixed to such a degree that we could go along, but only at a high rate of speed all the time, and It was not until Denver was Teached that I got the thing put to rights. Laramie Waxes Greedy. At Laramie they did not forget to "soak" us for all the provisions we bought, for the gasoline and rreneral supplies, so I offer this as a warning to other people, for Laramie now has -" f 4 . 111 -. . . ., .g. ? a- , Erg -BaBBBBaBBBB it's: 5 :y'tWilV'.'';i - f' vASt Hi m "' ' ' j l ' ' " : r?vv -V- r - .' Completely Equipped f A Revision of Prices Downward I FOUR years ago we marketed a much small er car, than our 1914 model, for $1250. And this Tvas a bare car with no equipment Today we offer you a much larger car in every respect, refined right-up-to-date and completely equipped for only $950- 25fo less than our price four years ago. Four years ago the wheel base was shorter, the tires smaller, the motor smaller, in fact every essential part of the car represented less value. In addition to that you had to pay extra for all of the equipment. Today the Overland has a longer wheel base, a larger and more powerful motor, larger tires and complete equipment. In fact every individual unit is larger than heretofore. Yet the price is 25 under the market of four years ago; is 30 under the present market and has fully 200 greater value. All of which is accounted for by our gigantic production which has been increased each suc ceeding season. For 1914 we will build 50,000 cars. And a production of this size is the sole explanation, for it makes . possible the numerous economies which increase values and 'decrease prices. Still, you argue, other manufacturers must have reduced costs and increased values just as we have. But they haven't. Look around you. Think a minute of the cars you know of that have not reduced prices. Think of the cars that are about the same in speci fications and price as they were several seasons ago. Then go further and think of the manu facturers who have raised their prices. That's probably an angle you failed to con sider. That's probably a point you overlooked. But it's important. Check our price reductions and car enlarge ments and refinements during the last four years. The facts will astonish you ! Then call on the nearest Overland dealer and minutely examine the 1914 Overland. It has a powerful 35 horsepower motor ; it has ample five passenger capacity for family comfort; it has hand some and brilliant electric lights throughout even under the graceful cowl dash ; ' it has larger tires ; it has a wheelbase of 114 inches. There is a spacious body ; luxurious uphol stery ; the finish is rich, beautiful and simple ; the brakes are larger and stronger. There are Timken bearings ; the high grade Schebler carburetor ; the magneto is a Splitdorf and the speedometer is a jeweled Stewart. Everything is standard the world's best. But the price is loiver than ever. And, most advantageous of all, it is the most economical car on tires, gasoline and oil. there is an vjveriana aeaier near 'Phone him for a demonstration today. f t til 11 you. that reputation of treating tourists In a very unsportsmanlike manner. That night we camped at a ranch house, where all the cowboys in their most picturesque atttlre attended to us with a courtesy that one would hardly have expected. They went any dis tance to fetch anything we wanted, were exceedingly Interested In our trip and were quite sorry to see us leave them. When only nine miles, from Den ver, the following night, June 14, we camped beside a small lake, nothing more than a poor pond really, and we were so amused to see people Ashing there for catfish, every possible yard of ground around the lake seeming to hold at least one fisherman. And the mosquitoes that bothered them; How they can have thought it enjoyment I do not know; to me it seemed incom prehensible. Early next morning we reached Denver, where we were again shown where to go and what to do by Mr. Zelliff, of the Goodrich and Dia mond Company. He introduced us to the Automobile Club officials, who were exceptionally courteous, taking us for drives and sightseeing trips In a way that was most appreciated by us, see ing that both were complete strangers in the city. TIRE ADJUSTER'S WOES ARE MANY AND VARIED Expert With Auto Supply Houses Knows More Than Owner of Macaine May Think He Does Letter's Assertions Notwithstanding. .. BY WALTER GIFFARD. OCCASIONALLY in the course of one's travels something will oc cur which "1vb nn o fnrloii-lv to think" how life is made up of a strange commingling of comedy and pathos. After listening to a strenu ous struggle of. words in connection with the value of a tire and a request for replacement I am convinced that nowhere in the world 13 there such a glorious opportunity for study of the genus homo, his foibles and his follies as there Is in the matter of tire ad justments. Certainly a tire adjuster 'must need all the virtues and none of the vices with which the average mor tal man Is blessed or cursed, as the case may be. A prosperous, well-dressed man dis embarked (that is really the only word which could describe his descent from the large automobile which carried his portly frame from one part of town to another), from his automobile the other day outside Ballou & Wright's, and went In bellowing for the tire ad juster. Anybody who has ever dealt there knows the small, rubicund, jo cose philosopher who does the adjudi cating on such tiresome matters, Stanley Clemence. Well, the following conversation ensued: "That tire I bought from you less than a month ago, , why the thing has only done 900 miles and I think it's a disgrace and I want a new one to replace It entirely free of charge, yes, sir. that's what I want and what I'm going to get. or else I'll buy my tires elsewhere." (All that In one breath, with flashing, furious eye and all the other, typical attachments of stage "villyun"). Bad Roada Denied. ' "Now that's too bad that it should have gone like that. Isn't It?" (This, of course, from Clemence.) "You must have been over some awful bad road? "Awful, nothing, just city pavements, and the tire's a bum one, that's what's the matter." Needless to relate the entire conver sation. It was all in that strain, the owner bellowing, ferocious, snarling. patronizing and threatening all In one, with Clemence pacifying, soothing and so forth, yet all the time taking notes of certain numbers and marks unknown in their meaning to the owner or to anyone else outside the store. In the end our motoring friend went away with a new tire on which he had had to pay perhaps a third of its proper price, and the tire adjuster was ruminating on the mendacity of the average automobile owner. Then he pointed out to me that nine times out of ten, or 99 out of 100, the tire adjuster can tell to 100 miles how far the tire has gone and just how much should be allowed. Adjuster Con Tell. "We have numbers on each tire, which, of course, enable us to know when the tire was put on the market said Clemence, "and naturally with the time we have been in business we can tell what the average tire is called upon to do in a given length of time. Besides that, however, it would per haps astonish the man in the street to know how a tire -adjuster gets to be able to tell the usage that a tire has had to stand. He can tell easily enough if it has been run without suf ficient inflation; he can tell if It has been run on the rim after a puncture or blowout and over and above all this the number of tires that should be replaced free of cost are extremely rare and will go so quickly that even a novice could tell one at a glance. "If there Is anything radically wrong with a tire It will show that plainly before it has .gone 600 miles, and will show it in a different way from mere ly hard usage. Yet people come in here and expect us to believe that they have a tire there which has only done 900 miles when we know for a fact that they have had It on their machine five months and that they average 600 miles a month. We keep pretty close I J. W. LEAVITT & COMPANY, Distributers i 529 WASHINGTON STREET, PORTLAND jj The Willys-Overland Company j Toledo, Ohio j Manufacturers of the famous Garford and Willys-Utility Trucks. Full information on reguts.. 1 I fcwi E tab on what cars do, and it is not a difficult matter either; in fact, automo bile owners would be very much aston ished as a general rule if they knew how much dealers and supply men had to Know about their customers cars. Centralia Club Growing. CENTRALIA, Wash., Nov. 1. (Spe cial.) The extensive improvements be ing planned by the Centralia Commer cial Club are rapidly increasing the membership of the organization. The club now has 270 members, an increase of 10O In the last two months. When the proposed reading and billiard rooms are installed, the club will have as fine quarters as any of its Northwest. size - In the Turnip Grows to Great Size. CENTRALIA, Wash., Nov. 1. (Spe cial.) Planted after the high water re ceded on July 21. a turnip raised by John Price, of Kelso, weighed nine pounds and one ounce when dug from the ground. Only in the ground a lit tle over three months, the vegetable grew to the size of an ordinary man's hat. Price says that he has many more like them on his farm. Liberia In 1B12 produced 93.SS2 pounds of crude rubber. r Commerce Half Ton Truck iff" 1 "HXaNGE & CXX32Blix Arc PRICE $1075 TERMS $475 DOWN, BALANCE $25.00 WEEKLY, The best buy on the market for the money. The Commerce has a 4-cylinder Northway motor, Bosch magneto, Schebler carburetor, left band drive, - 102-inch wheel base. Goodyear tires, Klaxon horn, electric lights, etc., etc Come and see It or let us bring it to you. Moores Auto Co., 59 North Twenty-third St. R. I,. Phone Marshall 3983. OAKLEY. DISTRIBUTER FOR OREGON. i I' The Truck That Pleases When 66 2-3 per cent of owners of the "Wilcox Tnrx repeat their order, it is conclusive evidence that the highest degree of efficiency is obtained. Satisfaction is what you expect, and this is always as sured the owner of a Wilcox Trux. Wilcox Trux are equipped with bodies to suit your needs. We are always glad to talk the matter over with yoyj. Robarts Motor Car Co, Distributors Park and Flanders, Portland Phone Marshall 1369 H. E. Wilcox Motor Car Co. Minneapolis