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
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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
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it's: 5 :y'tWilV'.'';i - f' vASt Hi
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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