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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (June 21, 1914)
THE ."'SUNDAY . OBEGOXIAX; rORTLAXD, JUNE 21, 1914. AUTO FIGHTS SNOW AND WINS TROPHY Buick First Car to Reach Tahoe Tavern Over Emi grant Gap Road This Year. JEST CONSIDERED CRUCIAL Jlany Difficulties Encountered on Trip Over Summit of Sierra K vada Mountain Told by Motor ist Cup Conditions Met. The question of what car was to win the silver trophy cup for 1914, offered bv Tahoe Tavern to the nrst automo bile to cross the summit of the Sierra Nevada Mountains over the Emigrant Gao state road under its own power, was answered the other day when a 1914 B25 Buick touring car, in cnarge of Joe Schmidli and Claud McGee. of the Howard Automobile company, drove up to the door of the popular lake resort. The Tahoe Tavern cup Is one of the most-sought-after trophies in this part of the state. The conditions under which it must be won make it one of the hardest imaginable tests. on every part of the car, as well as on the driver. The rules to be followed in compet ing for this prize are: The car must be fully equipped; it must make the entire trip over the Emigrant Gap state road on its own wheels and under its own power; no paraphernalia to help engine to be used, except that which is carried in car. The only time the motor is allowed assistance is when the road is blocked impassably and a detour is necessary. The car must pro ceed on its own power, however, as soon as it is again on the road. Tahoe Tavern Cup Won Three Times. Complying with these conditions, the Buick has won the cup for three con secutive years. It has proved that it is just as much at home in a contest over the snow as it is in a mud plug, a. long-distance endurance run or on a race course. A Buick of this model holds the rec ord between San Francisco and Port land and another Buick of this model holds the world's speed record for 100 miles for cars of its class. Two cars of this model tied for nrst place in the recent 3000-mile tour of France relia bility run out of 134 starters,, and an exact duplicate of the Tahoe cup-winner had the honor of being the first car over the road between Truckee and Reno in 1914. Trip Considered One of Hardest- Mr. McGee, who made the entire trip from San Francisco to the Lake, gives the following interesting account of what is considered one of the hardest trips ever made by an automobile: "When Fred Gross -and I left San Francisco, we carried in the tonneau of our Buick a complete camping out fit and supplies to last us two weeks. . as we realized that the winning of the Tahoe cup this year was to be a much harder proposition than ever before, as the unusually heavy snowfall -of last Winter and the continued hot weather of this Spring had left the snow in very bad shape. "The one difficulty, however, that we were unable to anticipate, was the weather we were to encounter after we reached the snow line. We had at least a sample of every kind of weath er. The first night's camp was near Soda Station. Thunder Awakens Men. Just at midnight we were awakened by a heavy peal of thunder and in less than five minutes the rain was coming down in sheets. It was then we con gratulated ourselves on having a fully equipped car. . It was then only a min ute's work to out the top on the Buick and store .our food supply in the ton neau. We returned to our water-proof sleeping bags then, and let It rain. "The next mornine the sun came out hot and this and the rain of the night before made the snow, so soft that proarress was almost an Impossibility. After a mile and a haif of the hardest kind of work, we found a good place to camp and decided to wait for more favorable weather. . About noon it turned colder and a hailstorm struck us at 2 o'clock. The hail turned to rain later. "Just to fill our cup of trouble full, Mr. Gross received a telegram that he must return to San Francisco at once on account of illness in his family. I was all alone that nlerht. and the next day, and it took turns raining and snowing, with a little hail and sleet mixed in. Substitute Arrives tor Trip. "Mr. Schmidlt came up to take Mr. Gross' place. The next morning after his arrival it was raining harder than ever. As there was no indication of better weather ahead, we decided to try and make Soda Station before night. The continued stormy-weather had so softened the snow that there was prac tically no bottom to it. and to make matters worse, the water running un derneath it had made it full of holes which were not visible on the surface. Even now it is a mvstery to us how the car ever pulled through, but pull it did. "Sometimes we would back up and take a run at a drift and maybe make six inches headway. Other times, in making a run at a bad place, the front wheels would drop out of sight in a hole undermined by water. It was then a case of throw the car in re verse and pull the front end out of the hole, but the worst of all was when the back wneels would drop into one of these water holes. . "The car would settle down to the running boards, and the only thing to do was to shovel out the snow until the back wheels could get traction on the ground. This usually meant that the car was sittin on an angle of from 30 to 45 dr- when it was ready to pull itself out of the hole. fnor Is 10 Feet Deep. "In spite of the unfavorable weather and road conditions, the Buick arrived at Soda Station .that evening-. As the next three miles was an easier grade, we expected no trouble in making the Summit Hotel the next morning. "Once more we did not figure on the weather. The first sight to meet our eyes in the morning when w crawled out of our sleeping bags was six inches of tresh snow, and more falling all the time. "About noon there was a change in the weather, and at last it was a - change for the better. At 3 o'clock the Buick left Soda Station, and at 6 o'clock it was at the Summit Hotel. Three miles in two hours may not seem very fast, and for once we were not in any fear of being arrested for speeding. But when it is taken into consideration that the snow was from three to 10 feet deep, and that the front and rear axles were buried all the time. It Is to wondered at that the car could make any headway at all. "That evening it was clear, and Mr. Growling, manager of the Summit Ho ' tel. assured us that we would have cold weather the next morning. We went to sleep wth the thought that at last our luck and the weather had changed, and sure enough it had. The morning was clear and cold with a light crust on the snow. This gave the chains something to grip, and the Buick climbed the big drifts between the hotel and the Sum mit without difficulty. "The crossing through the snow sheds at the summit was blocked with 20 feet of snow, and In order to get onto the road on the north side' of the sheds. It was necessary to cross di rectly over tbe top of them. This crossing was made at a point, known to railroad men as the eastern end of tunnel 7. At this place the snowsheds join a round -granite knob. By driv ing the ear up a steep, narrow ledge It is possible to get within 12 feet of the top of the wooden shed, but this last 12 feet Is the hard part The roof of the shed is built on a one-te-two pitch, and the chains on. the rear tires almost wore in two the heavy planks which form the roof. v Descent Is Perpendicular. "The descent from the top of the shed to the road a quarter of a mile below was almost perpendicular, but by exercising a due amount of precau tion it was negotiated without trouble. It will never again be necessary to cross the . top of the sheds, as the Southern pacific Company and the State Engineer are now building a crossing under the railroad tracks. This crossing Is located in such a po- SPEED MODELS AIM Stock Cars to Speedways Be Chased Off Hereafter. PISTON PRESSURE IS CUT Designs for Next Year Calculated to Win Back Title on Tracks Lost to European Slakes at Indian apolia Race Meet. INDIANAPOLIS, June SO.' (Special.) Five hundred miles, at 100 miles an hour, without a stop or tire' change, on one gallon of oil, and 25 gallons of gasoline, is the difficult target the management of the Indianapolis motor every principal highway leading out of Dallas Is oiled for a distance of over five miles. The main road between Dallas an Salem, has been oiled for nearly the whole distance, as well as the road between Independence and Salem. The road leading north out of ' Dallas toward McMinnvllIe is oiled nearly to the Yamhill County line. This oiling is proving a great success and is keep ing the roads in good condition. SHERIFF PREFERS 'CHALMERS Tillamook Official and Former Agent Drives New Car Home. Sheriff Crenshaw, of Tillamook County, passed last week in Portland. looking over the automobile market. "In 1909-10 and '11." he said. "I was the Chalmers agent at Tillamook. While it was satisfactory at that time, I didn't know but that some of the other makes had overtaken and surpassed them, so I have taken my time this week in making a thorough investigation of the Portland automobile market. ' Sheriff Crenshaw has held his pres ent office for eight years. Duties In connection with his office at the time of his first election compelled him to give up the agency. On Friday be de cided to invest in a "Little Six" Chal mers and drove It home. In a message received by H. L. Keats MOTOR TRUCK FINDS YET ANOTHER FIELD TO INVADE. WHITE TRUCK FOR THE AERO SQUADRO.V, UNITED STATES ARMY. E. W. Hill, manager of the White.Company's branch in Portland, in speaking of one peculiar field which the motor truck has found for itself, said: ,,,, "If George Washington, the founder of our Army, could pay the United States a visit today, he would be hard put to recognize the country in which he Is proudly and unanimously given the title of 'Pater Patriae," but he would experience even greater difficulty in recognising the service to which he success fully devoted the greater part of his life. ' ' "The advance and multiplication of modern inventions has nowhere wrought greater alterations than in the Army, and these great changes in no one thing find better exemplification than .in the accompany ing photograph of a White 1-ton truck that is owned and operated by the aerial division of the United St&tcs Army "The White which has to date made -more than 35,000 miles without needing a repair part, is used as a consort truck in conveying the Army aeroplanes with their supplies to and from the hangar. "Thus it will be seen that, while the heavier-than-air machines in no way replace or trench upon the activities of the motor truck In its chosen field Insofar as they themselves are concerned, aeroplanes have succeeded in making motor trucks accessories both before and after the fact." gition that it will be free from snow long before the summit is open. "When we finally got back on the i i . ohitvA Trt tinur Lake we uiBimnj " ' - thought our troubles were over, but one more .disappointment was in wrs for us. This last trial, was in the shape of a snowdrift about 100 feet long. When we arrived at the lower end of it the Buick faced an almost sheer drop of 25 feet. "A consultation was held and Schmidli decided that he could drive down the face of the drift This he did without accident, but it is safe to say that an automobile was never in tentionally driven down . a steeper place. This was our last experience with the snow. . Road Open to "Touring Parties. 'The Buick arrived" at Tahoe Tavern - ...,,,. l.tep . wh it. and its crew were -warmly welcomed. "In spite, of the tiara goins wu.u ... n. i l ...tnr.H ' II (it the least me i un: jv - bit of mechanical trouble was experi enced and the tjooayear nu-nu-v. tires demonstrated that they would not . . thav w-a run absolutely flat for at least 20 miles and this with chains on. Upon our arrival at Con ner Lake they were pumped up to nor- 1 arnt thAFA WU TlOt th6 mm J,ltool"u " . . least sign of the hard service they had just been through. "The Emigrant jap roaa wao o - i .A 4.n-4np nnrties irom enow atu - - - June IS. From what we could see of tt below snow line, it will be mucn oei- ler lute J v ... . Engineer Baxter is working along Just below snow line ana tne worn. - -. ; a nprmnticnt nature. puiLlUK a" " " 1 r : There are 35 men now working on the road between Truckee and Tahoe Tav ern, and this piece of road Is better than usual, even at mis eariy uam. STANDARDIZATION OF DESIGN IS I EDA AT NEW YORK MEETING. Equitable Service to Users and Closer Adherence to Standard Warranty. Are Two Points Emphasised. 'NEW YORK, June 20. (Special.) At a meeting of the commercial ve hicle committee of the National Au tomobile Chamber of Commerce, held last Tuesday in New York, a number of matters of importance to motor truck makers, dealers and users were discussed. Foremost among these was standardization of truck design and the danger of proceeding too fast in this direction at the present time. Wide differences exist in fundamen tal characteristics between the most successful and widely used makes of commercial cars and an insurmountable obstacle to standardisation of such characteristics is the variation in work ing conditions and the kinds of work the ears are called upon to perform. Standardization of equipment along proper lines, it was agreed, is both desirable and feasible. Another topic considered was the possibility of bringing about a clearer recognition of what constitutes rea sonable and equitable service in look ing after trucks sold to users. The committee agreed that the chief need is to bring about a more general and closer adherence to the terms of the standard warranty and that, owing to differences in conditions and practices. It seems impracticable to do more than define broadly. what constitutes service. The adoption of such a definition, however, was left for some time in the near future when a convention of com mercial vehicle makers may be called, at which the views of many manufac turers on the subject can be obtained. The meeting waa attended by W. T. White, president of the White Com pany, chairman; H. Kerr Thomas, as sistant manager of the Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company, and 1L J. Bud lontr. president of the Packard Motor Car Company, of New York. speedway has set for the motor indus try of the world to shoot at during the next three years. First to reduce fuel consumption, the cubic inch piston displacement of the next Heosier contest has been cut to 300, the minimum weight, however, remaining the same, at 1600 pounds. These specifications are expected to stay in force at least three seasons, or until every branch of the science in this class of competition has been thor oughly probed. When there is no more to learn, a further reduction will be effected, less than 161 cubic Inches be ing the final goal. . ; ' Speed Experiments Planned. Regulations of this character nat urally put automobile raelng into the experimental division of the Industry, where, properly, it belongs. The day when makers can -take stock or semi stock mod-Ms and compete with them successfully is past, as the last 500 mile sweepstakes race, won by foreign ers in specially built cars, amply testi fies. Europe has for some time re garded gas contests as a laboratory, not proving ground, which explains in a large measure Its buccsss. In line with this Idea, it is thought a number of American factories will enter the game from business if not patriotic motives. Special racing de partments, having no connection what soever with the ordinary branches of p'roduction, except to lead' the way, will be instituted, and a determined ef fort begun to put the United States once more on a footing with, her foreign competitors. ' Stock: Cars to Be Banned. ' This movement, naturally, will see the finish of the . "barn built" car, which has been so prominent in Ameri can racing of late. With the finest en gineering skill and the best of ma terials required to win success, it Is not thought likely that the heterogene ously assembjed freak will have a chance. In advancing the artOf course, the speedway proposes to W Its material as well as moral share. Td render high speed work more safe, the surface of the track will be widened 15 feet on the inside and retaining walls built Additional comfort will be provided for drivers and mechanicians by a club house inside the grounds, with a swim ming pool and every other imaginable convenience. In short, if the gasoline efficiency of the present era is not raised wonderfully during the next few seasons, it will not be the speedway's fault AJAX TIRES FEET HEAVY TEST Contest SJiows Use Derived From Proper Care of Goods. Illustrating the saving In tire ex pense and the largely increased mile age which can be obtained by proper use and careful driving, the result of the AJax 1500 high-mileage contest for chauffeurs teaches a lesson from which owners of automobiles can de rive great benefit The contest was for employed chauf. feurs and covered a period of one year, the chauffeur obtaining the highest mileage on one AJax tire receiving the first prise of $500. Mr. Oibney, of Marlboro, Mass., ob tained the highest mileage -with 16,782 miles, on a Locomobile: the second highest Fred Dickas, of Detroit Mich., obtained 13,900 miles on a Packard; the third, W. Mann, of Victoria, B. C 13.761 miles. In fact the lowest mile age obtained by any of the first 15 was 9500 miles. OILED ROADS FIND FAVOR Dallas' Movement Sleets With Suc cess and Highways Benefit.. DALLAS, Or, June 20. (Special.) The movement started by the Dallas Commercial Club during the early Spring to have the roads around Dallas oiled has met with good success. The' Independence Commercial Club joined in the movement The oiling was done at the expense of the Dallas and Independence Commercial Clubs, the County Court and the farmers living along the roads oiled. Today he says: "Had a delightful trip, de spite the bad roads In spots. No trou ble of any kind. Everything In good order in every detail. Wouldn't feel at home driving anything else but a Chalmers. Will never drive another 'four.' Everything Indicates that the easiest picking that I ever had when I had the agency before Is going to be duplicated. Am certainly glad that the way is open to permit me again to act as your representative in Tillamook County." REGAL AGENT TAKES CHARGE J. R. Moler- to Make Headquarters for Northwest In Portland. J. R. Moler. special factory repre sentative of the Regal Motor Car Com pany, is in the city to secure an agent for the Regal car. Mr. Moler will have, charge of the Interests of the Regal motorcar in the Northwest and will make Portland his headquarters. More Economy Tests Held. In a number of economy tests recent ly, made by the motorcyclists In vari ous parts of the country, unusual re sults were obtained by some of the riders. At Stockton, CaU Will Rundel rode his motorcycle 109 miles on a gal lon of gasoline, while Ed Perkins got 162 miles out of his machine, using the same amount of fuel. Grlton and Hofer of Los Angeles present affidavits show ing that they made 117 miles on a seven horse power chain drive motorcycle. And O. E. Evans and 3. Roy Hoskinsoif of Dayton, Ohio, made a gallon of gaso line carry them 108 and 109 miles re spectively. - Wisconsin Man Buys Auto. Charles Steinbach purchased a Studebaker car early last week. Who's next? North Chilton correspondence, Chilton (Wis.) Times. ENGLISH SEE MERIT American Cars Recognized by British Experts. I THIS IS CONFIDENTIAL LONDON TIMES GIVES DATA m r Those Interested in Motor Trucks Should Secure This Book SHOWS 90 PER CENT OF THE TRUCKS MANUFACTURED IN AMERICA , - Write for it today FREE I B. F. Goodrich RubberCo. Broadway and Burnside St. . " PORTLAND, OR. Writer Still TTnwilling to Concede Superiority of American Makes, Vet It Marks Beginning of Friendly Rivalry. BY K. K. OERMNGER. That there is merit in American ears has at last coma to be recognised by the English. It has come with reticence and their natural prejudice. H Is true, yet. nevertheless, it should mark the beginning of a more friendly rivalry and a better reception of American cars abroad. The London (England) Times, ac- knowledared the uremler newspaper, in an article published recently commends the modern construction of motor cars "hailing- from the United states,' choosing the Oakland as representative of American cars. . Writer la Critical. . The article is In reality a resume of American tendencies as compared with English and European designs and that the writer was still unwilling to con cede American superiority is evidenced by the heading of the article, which reads "British Influence on American Cars." ' Indorsing the Oakland's long stroke motor, the article continues, "the gear, ing is not excessively reduced and, a very radical departure, the whole chas sis Is slung as low as most European machines. In the monebloa engine there is one excellent feature which Is al most purely American. The cylinder heads are detachable, an arrangement which permits of easy and thorough decarbonlzation. The general scheme Is sensibly planned, the carburetor, in particular, being placed In a position unusually accessible for an American engine. "The body is certainly one of the best American bodies fitted to any chassis of this price, and it has the further advantage of giving low seats, a quality which la seldom found In American cara - Details Are Watched. an the running of the car the first and most important virtue to be noticed (and one which lifts this chassis wen out of the ruck of trans-Atlantic ma chines) is the vlbrationless action of the engine. Every possible test was annlled to search out lurking crank shaft vibration period, but at no speed at which the car could be driven, from 10 in 12 miles an hour, was there the slightest approach to that very evil and common falling. It is certainly one of the smoothest running engines I have driven without consideration of price. It is very well balanced, it Dioked ud smartly and accelerated very rapidly on all gears. The engine makes very little noise at any speed and the car is an excellent hill climber." The fact that American manufac turers first introduced dependable electric starting, lighting and ignition systems Is overlooked and the com- entary on the ueico equipment is characteristic "The Delco starting, lighting and Ignition system is used. and on trial proved to be perfectly ade quate." AITKEN IS SEXT TO EUROPE National Wants Driver to See Race and Factories on Trip. John Altken. a member of the experi mental department of the National Motor Vehicle . Company, of Indianap olis, is being sent to Europe by his firm to visit the foreign automobile factories and to witness the Grand Prix race. Altken has every year bathed In the limelight at the time of tbe speedway races. For many years he was a driver In races for the National Company, and then managed the National's race teams, most noteworthy being the 1912 500-mile race, when the National won. Last year Altken managed the Peugeot team at the Speedway and brought Jules Goux home an easy winner. This year he managed the Peugeot team again. He sails about the :otn ana win De the guest of Jules Goux while In Paris. The Frenchmen became greatly at tached to Altken and have been per sistent in their invitations. Altken Put on DIAMOND Squtege Trtad Tira and save MONEY. Non-Skid None Better WE HAVE A SET IN RESERVE FOR YOU. ARCHER AND WIGGINS : 0K STRKKT, t OH.r.H ITH i AUTOMOBILE SUPPLIES. EPORTINO GOODS ."V 1 tt Halladay Shock Absorbers for Your Ford "THE GOAT takes all the bumps $ 1 2.50 Set of Four DALLOU ? WRIGHT BROADWAY AT OAK, PORTLAND. OR. RfllVQFP GASOLINE a GASOLINE and OIL TANKS on ristifl in rti. I. IMvalfJara. Ma-oeaala- tlva. 411V Lerbett IS. Mala I4T. DIAMOND TIRES V&aniziij<etreadmi R.LEL0DCE1T. "-"ftilS!..0 NORTHWEST AUTO CO. Factory Distributors of Cole, Lozier, Reo Cars BROADWAY AT COUCH STREET Main 8887 A 4959 The mark of m Quality, Service, Endurance, Safety, Satisfaction. Chanslor& Lyon Co. 627 Washington St. in .-. his says that a rar will he placed st h .!-...( .-Uh aa C n art laih.ainaaia it In chauffeur, lie says that ne win vim the various Automobile factories and win auena ine urino -nx ' v . It Is said that Altken will msnae the Peugeot team In the Urand Prix. It Is known also that when the French men were here they Invited Altken to drlva one of their machine In M race, which Is the annual red cleaur of Kurope. f.rsr leaves M"t . f'e. Captain W. II. lrer has ri! manager of the Northwest Ante Com pany. Heverel Inviting propositi""" have been pre anted to Captain O'av but he will taka a wall-earned vacation hafnre emoarklnf In fcuaieaaa nm ri r- 1 . v Service j W 01 free to jQP 4 y- Owners Only Howard Service to Buick owners has become a factor with the automobile buying public of Portland. We now propose to extend this service, so far as possible, to every Buick awner in the Pacific Northwest. . To that end we have promoted Edgar C. Albee to the position of Service Expert. Mr. Albee has been in our employ far four years, working exclusively on Buick cars, and we believe him a qualifie4 expert on Buick cars, together with the Delco generating, starting and lighting system. He will endeavor to call on every Buick owner in the Pacific Northwest, and will gladly render any aid or service toward the improved operation, care and maintenance of all Buick cars. Any advice or effort by Mr. Albee will be absolutely gratuitous. We trust Buick owners and prospective automobile buyers will appreciate this extension of the Howard Service, and beg to remain, Yours very truly, Howard Automobile Company Phones: Main 4555, A 2550 Mel G. Johnson, Manager Fourteenth and Davii Streets