The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current, December 09, 1917, SECTION FOUR, Image 56

The Sunday Oregonian., December 09, 1917, SECTION FOUR, Page 6, Image 56

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Newspaper Page Text6 - THE SUNDAY OREGONIAX. PORTLAND, TJKCE3IBER 9, 1917, VAST PART TAKEN BY AUTOS IN WAR Light Cars Even Go Right Up to Second Line Trenches, Big Ones Stay Back. MANY SMASHED BY SHELLS Joseph Patterson Gives Graphic Pic ture of Auto Truck and Ambu lance Service Behind French Fighting Front. Joseph Patterson la a former member of the staff of The Oregonian who Is home for brief rest after nine months In the Verdun and Rheims sectors of the French front as ambulancler in Section 1, American Ambu lance Kleld Service. He was asked by the Automobile Editor to tell or the work done by automobiles behind the fighting lines. This vivid narrative brings the guns of Valiant Verdun booming almost in one's ears. BT JOSEPH PATTERSON. No Industry has been more called upon to play a part In the war than the automobile Industry. The condi tions at the front depend on the care of the cars. A comparatively small tractor does. the work of 50 horses in pulling a large cannon to its station. Large trucks, called camions In France, go almost up to the second-line trenches and many are destroyed by hells every night. The only advantage horses have over trucks is that they can go in and out of shell holes where a truck would stick. Horses are subject to stampedes and work on the nerves of the men, whereas the only danger from a truck Is In having It skid and sideswipe pass ing troops or vehicles. Of course, lightweight cars are the only ones that could reach the second trench. Only Ford ambulances go there with regularity. Big Flats, Rolls Royce, White and other makes have tried it but the larger cars are not satisfactory on roads which are filled with shell boles. Holes 12 Feet Deep. In saying "filled with shell holes," ao exaggeration is made, for in front of Verdun 2200 men are at work every night, some in daytime, repairing the roads. Often holes 12 feet deep and 20 feet in diameter at the surface of the ground are made by big shells, and the roads are scarcely 20 feet wide at any place. In other places mounds of rock and earth are thrown on the roads by shells dropping beside them. Add to this smashed trucks, wagons, their contents, cannon wheels, dead horses and oc casionally dead men who have been buried beside the road and later dug up by shells, lying undiscovered in the dark, and you have a picture. Furthermore, the drivers are not al lowed to use lights of any kind and nearly every night have to wear gas masks, humorously called "blinders" by the men using them. The masks have isinglass eyes, which fog up. Automobiles used by staff officiers are ordinary touring cars of French, English and American make. The lighter cars are preferred for the rides close to" the front, whereas the heavier cars are always preferable for making trips back of the lines. French roads are famous the world over, which calls to mind that the Co lumbia River Highway is well known In Europe. Many French people have driven over it and it is highly adver tised by American tourist agencies and American banks. In France the roads are hard surfaced, generally level and have a double border of shade trees placed at equal intervals. All Cars Marked. When a truck goes over a bank a tractor with a caterpillar tread is used to recover It. Officiers go by auto to within about two or three miles of the trenches in daylight and walk the rest of the way or board an ambulance. An ambulancier who carries a General al ways asks him for a souvenir and the courteous French officials always of fer their revolver, a button or some thing from their person. The officiers do not attempt to go over the roads in their cars at night. The roads are too crowded and a car would be Bmashed before it got very far. An ambulance is the only vehicle ever allowed to use the left side of the road or to crowd in behind a wagon, thus mixing in with a convoy. All cars are marked on the wind shields and have their military number and convoy or regiment insignia. Each driver must have identification papers to correspond and an "order de move ment" every time he goes anywhere. The leader at the head of a convoy has an order for the entire convoy. The ambulanciers have- blanket orders al lowing them to move within the rone of their army division and may not be stopped by a military policeman or sentry and questioned if they have wounded. Entering a new locality a sentry first looks for the wounded; if the car is not laden he may ask you for your signa ture and compare it with that on the papers and also your appearance with the officially stamped photographs on the same. Limousines Scarce at Front. Many persona ask how close to the line railroads run. Steam engines are replaced by gasoline engines about five miles behind the lines, because the former might throw out sparks, which would draw the-enemy's fire, as they would know that munitions were being hauled to the batteries. The trains move only at night, as aviators would spot them In day time. The roadbeds and tracks are severed In many places every night, requiring constant watch ing and repairing. Generals carry flags at the side of their cars and may pass a military po liceman without showing identification papers, but a division General must show his papers to his own policeman when he leaves his own zone. This is sometimes amusing, as the policeman, or gendarmie, is only a private soldier under instructions from the General whom he compels to identify himself or be shot. Large limousines are seldom seen, because they burn too much gasoline, which is about the scarcest essential In France. Once I saw General Petain. whose . headquarters were at that used by automobiles Is of very low grade. None may be purchased by any body In France not connected with the government or doing war work. Then the allowance is very limited and care fully watched and costs a small for tune. Ambulance men take the hot water out of their radiators to shave and bathe with. To crank up a car which has stood unprotected in zero weather for 24 hours requires much exertion and patience. It is impossible to heat water near the front to thaw out the radiator and pipes, so a hot cloth is placed about the carburator and the back wheels are Jacked up. It may take two hours even then to crank the car and make the engine run. Ambulanciers are not allowed to de sert their ambulances when the cars are smashed in dangerdus places at the front. This is obviously to prevent men becoming frightened from pur posely smashing their cars by driving into a hole or over a bank and then running back to report or lying asleep in a dugout. The next ambulance re ports the accident and the repairing is done until the car may be moved, the driver staying, eating and -sleeping by his car. ' Roads Too Bad for Motorcycles. . Motorcycles are used a great deal, but cannot go over the worst roads which exist at the front. A man could smash a motorcycle a thousand .times in one trip if he tried to make the rront. They leave their motor cycles at a place near the front and walk the rest of the way to take or deliver dispatches. Metal-studded tires are used almost Invariably, because there is so much OAKLAND SENSIBLE SIX FOR 1918 HERE New Models Arrive for Motor Sales Corporation, Distrib utors in Portland. GASOLINE ECONOMY IS HIGH More Power, Easy Riding Qualities, Greater Flexibility, Slanting Windshield Among Refine-'-ments Marking New Model. . Even lighter than before, and hand somer, more powerful and. more flexible in action, the new 1918 Oakland Sensible Six is here. Several of-the new models arrived last week at the salesrooms of the. Motor Sales Corporation, dlstribu- 15 miles was maintained. The test was officially observed by three . disinterested persons W. D. Edenburn. automobile editor of the Detroit News and local representative of the American Automobile Associa tion: C. G. Steinhauer, automobile edi tor of the Detroit Journal, and E. W. Sullivan, assistant secretary of the Detroit Automobile Club. Before making the run the truck was loaded with a Maxwell touring car weighing 1 1970 pounds, the driver weighed 210 pounds and Mr. Sullivan tips the beams at 200 pounds even. The gross weight of truck and load was 6525 pounds. A stock Maxwell truck was used, and under the close scrutiny of the three observers a gallon tank was filled with gasoline. During the en tire run the Maxwell truck gave evi dence of its efficiency and economy, The truck and Its load went over the city streets and rural highways very smoothly. The engine constantly beat with, phenomenal regularity. There never was a hitch to mar the demon stration. Whenever occasion demanded, the truck responded with alacrity to the use of the brakes or speeded up to avoid getting caught in congested traffic. The test was as remarkable in showing the efficiency of the one ton Maxwell as it was in acquiring i wonderful economy record. TRIP TO CHICAGO IS REWARD Overland Sales Managers Average One Sale a Day for Year. ' As a little measure of appreciation WAR PLANT RUSHED Dodge Bros. Building Huge Munitions Works. MANY AUTOS ALSO ORDERED during the French offensives in front of Verdun last Summer, riding into the town of Verdun inclosed in a large -limousine. I first noticed his flag and Of course recognized the General. At his side sat a small dark man in military uniform. All sentries come to attention and all soldiers the same, unless marching, and salute a General when he passes. The General answers the salute in person and nobody ac companying the General may salute with the commander-in-chief, as he ranks above all. King Returns Salutes. I was astonished to nee the little man In uniform saute with the General. An officier with whom I was walking smiled and said: "That was the King of Italy," which explained what I thought was a gross breach of eti quette. The gasoline In France used by aero planes -is the finest to be obtained, but JOSEPH PATTERSON AND HIS AMBULANCE BEHIND THE FRONT LINES IN FRANCE. i 1 1 ? . -3 " - mm . - -T'""T'"'11 ' "uL"11 '"' "ism "' 1 - C-'"' - .li' 4 v, vv' J - N 1J- u.v . T 1ST ;1' tJ&S? - is r T.VrS MR. PATTERSON IS THE CENTER MAN IN THE GROUP. THE PHOTO WAS NEAR THE CITX" OF RHEIMS. TAKEN AT FORT ST. THIERY, sharp metal, pieces of shell, etc.. along all the roads. Each ambulance carries two inflated tires on rims, four extra tubes and a complete set of tools. . Once while going to post in front of Fort Douamont, which is several miles In front of Verdun, I saw a large un exploded shell, about 15 Inches in diam eter, lying across my path, I sup posed it had dropped from a French ammunition wagon and was about - to roll it to one side when I observed the percussion cap protruding from the front. Instantly I realized that it had to be a German shell which had fallen on Its side without exploding, because the French large-caliber guns were never closer than several miles of the front and were moved on rails. A French artillery officier from a nearby battery removed the cap by un screwing it and together we rolled the shell off the road. But a touch on that cap while it was In place would have exploded the shell. On the morning of September 9 I met General Riberpray, commander of the 128th Division of the French army, who had smashed the wheel of his staff car and was- unable to proceed. His aide requested me to carry General Riber pray and him to the post de secours behind the second trench in front of Fort Douamont, which request I ac cepted as an honor. General Taken Back Dead. When leaving the ambulance ac the post General Riberpray wrote his name on a card and presented it to me, say ing that I cuuld get anything I wanted by presenting his card to any of his men. '. There was a French attack on and the General went down to the first trench to observe the fighting. Twenty minutes later his aide came back slightly wounded in his arm and I ex claimed: "What's the matter " "General Riberpray is dead," was his response. A shell had killed the General before he reached the front trench and wound ed his aide. Thirty minutes later I carried the General's 'body back. NUMBER PLATE SHOULD SHOW Goodrich District Manager Warns Against Hiding It With Tire. Motorists should be careful that the spare tire on the rear of the car does not hide a part or all of the num ber or license plate, says W. D. Al bright, Northwest manager of the. Pt F. Goodrich Rubber Company. He warns tnat tne owners or automobiles should see that the plate is properly lighted up at night. The police in many sections are en forcing the law very strictly. This is especially true In Seattle, and paying a fine is a very expensive way of learning about mistakes. tors for the Oakland in- Portland and Multnomah County, and are now on ex hibition there. The Oakland, always has been noted particularly for its lightness of weight, compactness, easy riding qualities and tire and fuel economy. The new model has these qualities to an even, greater degree than its predecessors! - In addition, it has several refine ments that mark It especially as a car that will merit public esteem. The straight windshield, for Instance, has been replaced by a slanted windshield, which gives the. car a particularly stylish appearance. The windshield has a one and one-quarter-inch over lap to prevent rain from leaking in. The lines of the car, also, are gener ally straighter than those of previous models. The streamline effect is more nearly attained in the design of the hood and the forepart of the body. Long, semi-elliptic rear springs ex plain one reason why tne new Oakland is a remarkably easy-riding car. An other reason is that the car is equipped with oversize tires, .32 by 4 inches, al though its total weight is only 2130 pounds. The body of the car is broad and roomy. The 44-horsepower engine pro vides a great abundance of power for every need and makes the Oakland especially responsive on acceleration. The car is a capital hill climber. Something of the popularity of the Oakland Sensible Six may be Judged from the fact that in the past two years, 70,000 of these light cars have been sold. The refinements on the new model are certain to make it more in demand than ever. EGONOIREGORDMADE SHOWING OF MAXWELL . TRUCK FINE IN TEST RUN. Total of 17.S Miles' Made by Loaded Vehicle, Weight Being 5325' Pounds on Gallon of Gas. Seventeen and eight-tenths miles on one gallon of gasoline is the remark able performance recently of a loaded Maxwell one-ton truck. This economy demonstration was accomplished in traffic in Detroit and over rural roads adjacent to the city. So far as shown by available data the Maxwell truck performance is by far the biggest mileage on a gallon of gasoline ever made by any truck. It is - believed to be the world's record. The driver had never before driven a truck, and the road used did not al low of any coasting to increase the mileage. An average speed of about for their good work during the past year, the Willys-Overland organization has notified Raleigh Peterson, sales manager of the Overland-Pacific branch here, and Sales Manager Parks, of the Seattle branch, rnai all their ex penses will be paid for a visit to the Chicago automobile show next January 26 to February 2. The two sales man agers have kept the automobile sales in their branches up to a car a day ror the year. For Rust Prevention. When metal parts are to be exposed to the air any length of time, precau tion should be taken to prevent the formation of rust. It Is customary to give such parts a coating of grease or oil, buf there is a superior method to this... The Mparts are covered with cup grease. over which is wrapped fabric madeby'pasting absorbent paper on background of burlap. This covering has the quality of absorbing moisture, which. latter causes the formation of rust. . Overlands Slake Record. Willys Six. and Willys-Knight cars set astonishing records in a recent 1000-mile tour held in Oklahoma by the Oklahoma City Dealers' Association, traveling through the northern and western parts of the state with perfect marks. There were more than a score of cars entered in this tour. Crane Heads Racine. K- tf. crane, former sales manager of the Double Fabric Tire Company, has been appointed manager of the sundry division of the Racine Rubber Company, Racine, Wisconsin. Mr. Crane Is a veteran in the rubber business and his past experience. fully qualifies him for-his new position. Spark Plug Test. Do not condemn the spark plug un less It is at fault. To determine this first find out which cylinder is missing explosions. Short-circuit each spark plug with a screwdriver. If engine Blows down it is a live plug. If it does not, the cylinder Is not firing. ' New White Truck Salesman. C. O. Lynn, formerly star truck sales man for the KisselKar branch, has joined the sales force of the White Company's Portland branch. under Manager Cornell. Mr. Lynn is well known among the automobile frater nity and the local business men. The records show that of 217 motor truck companies listed today only 8H per cent have been In existence more than five years and only 36 per cent for more than three years. NEW OAKLAND SIX, 1918 MODEL, AND MEN WHO WILL DISTRIBUTE IT IN PORTLAND AND MULTNO MAH COUNTY. i 2 i:riTJ In Real ax tne neei xm Mr. w. Amity, Sales Manasrer for Motor Sales Corporation, and N. A. Ely Is Beside lilm, Scat; W. U. Ulldcbraudt Is on Left sad Louis von ivieln on Rtgkt Sldfi. New Plant Entirely Separate From Motor Car Factory and Is Not to Interfere With Production - of Passenger Cars. DETROIT. Dec. 8. (Special.) There is no doubt In the minds of Detroit residents about the Government's de termination to respond promptly and energetically to Premier Lloyd George's Pleas for a "million men and a moun tain of arms." Although many indus tries have quietly taken over the man ufacture of munitions since the war began, the new rush started only re cently. Gigantic new structures are being put together with amazing speed to handle Immense new contracts for the Government, No shortage of ma terials handicaps . these undertakings. Everything comes under Government priority order. Probably the most prominent ex ample, both in magnitude and dispatch, is the immense new plant wJiich will house the Dodge Brothers munitions) industry. The day after a contract for millions of dollars' worth of special recoil mechanism had been allotted to Dodge Brothers by the Government a force of hundreds of men. teams and machines was on the ground excavating and assembling materials. Government Work Taken Quickly. The work since then has been Dushed with great rapidity, the force of work men being enlarged as fast as laborers and mechanics are available. Over night acres of ground are transformed Into broad, level floors of concrete. Great masses of material are piling up on all sides in readiness for a build ing which will measure S7S by 18 feet. It Is Intended to have the plant in op eration next Spring,, with thousands of workmen employed. The entire work is in charge of Dodge Brothers own construction superintendents. Dodge Brothers' willingness to ac cept this contract was induced by their realization of the necessity for prompt and complete co-operation with the Government, and not through any de sire to engage in a business other than the manufacture of motor cars. As in the case of their motor car industry, the Dodge Brothers are their own ex ecutives and their own directors. There were no prolonged meetings, no de bates. When the Government asked them to take over the contracts, the work was ordered, and It is being done Government Orders Dodge Cars. Dodge Brothers are building the plant entirely apart from their motor car factory. Neither will interfere with the other. Not "only are Dodge Brothers now engaged with this tremendous project, but they are building hundreds of cars for service in the Army, both of the passenger and commercial type. The latter is similar in almost all details to the Dodge Brothers' commercial car, on which deliveries began a few weeks ago. As a whole the automobile Industry is co-operating with the Government on a vaster scale than the public gen erally imagines, this being but one ex ample of the energetic spirit which is enabling the country to get to the front promptly with men and supplies. rr CHALMERS GAR SPEEDY JOE DAWSON SETS NEW ROAD REC ORD IN TEXAS. Drive From San Antonio to Dallas, 303 Miles, Made In Six Hours, 55 Min utes, 40 Seconds. Bounding and lurchinog over a road badly rutted from weight of Army transports and commissary camions. Joe Dawson has once more driven a Chalmers to victory and the possession of a speed record never equaled by any known conveyance, including Army plane?, motorcycle couriers and the fastest limited in the State of Texas. Driving the same make of car with which lie recently shatterad all existing 24-hour records at Sheepshead Bay, Dawson has this time piloted a four- passenger Chalmers Duplex over Southern roads in faster time than the speedy Texas Special. Leaving San Antonio at 6:30, Dawson set out over a comparatively strange road and checked In at Dallas at 1:27 afternoon. The speedometer registered exactly 303 miles and, regardless of all existing obstacles, the run was made in the remarkable record time of six hours, 65 minutes and 40 seconds. The speed attained is 'considered remarka ble by Lone Star racing enthusiasts: but of equal prominence to Chalmers owners Is the fact that although the duplex is a four-passenger car, it aver aged 134 miles to a gallon of gasoline over a badly broken highway. Road engineers and Army officers familiar with the stretch between San Antonio and Dallas are marveling at the Chalmers performance, the most sensational stock car record made in Texas in recent years. The average time of the fastest train betwen these two cities is seven hours and 55 minutes, 69 minutes and 20 sec onds slower than the Chalmers record. WHITE SALESMEN JOIN COLORS Manley Treece and Ti. Llttlepage Enlist for the War. Two of the White Company's sales men have enlisted In the service during the past few days. The first to go was Manley Treece, who is now "somewhere In New York," preparing for his duty on board a submarine chaser. Next was L. Littlepage. who goes Into the Avia tion Corps, where he will be engaged In the truck division. Mr. Littlepage is known as one of the best and most resourceful drivers In the business. He will be stationed at present at Fort Sam Houston. Mr. Littlepage had been with the White Company for the past five years. Auto Dealers to Meet Monday. The Dealers' Motor Car Association of Oregon will meet at 8 o'clock Mon day night in the quarters of the asso ciation in the Commonwealth building. Only routine matters are to be considered. Play In Linkage. When excessive movement of the throttle Is needed to get response from the carburetor the trouble may be due to excess play In the linkage from the steering post bottom to the carburetor butterfly lever. Hyatt Car to Be Heirloom. F. E. Slason. owner of the Buick car now known as the Hyatt Roller, which Via nine years established . a. mileage 55 You will sense among Liberty own ers a feeling about their cars that is almost that of affection. The Liberty satisfies their , practical desire for performance their artis tic desire for beauty their physical desire for comfort. There is a difference in the way the Liberty rides and drives. You must drive it you must ride in it to appreciate the meaning of its superiority. Mitchel & WalHngford 522 Alder St. Main 2492 JjlIBEBTr record of 264,000 miles, has received many offers to purchase the car, but one small boy little more than a year old makes him decline. The car will be given to Slason's son as soon as he becomes old enough .to drive It. , Busses Supply Troops. Actual figures taken from the books kept by a meat transport column In service on a portion of the French front show seven meat buses were supplying a division of three regiments, or 16,000 men. This means that one bus is fur nishing 2300 men with two meat rations a day. The books show these seven buses carried 18 tons of fresh meat in a month, which works out roughly at a ton a bus a day, or a pound of meat a day for each of a little more than 2000 men An anti-smoke campaign in Pitts burg is reported to have reduced its famous smoke by at least 75 per cent, thereby saving on property alone $7,500,000 annually. AUTO DIRECTORY 4-pass. Rdstr., $1745.00 7-pass. Touring All Chandlers are equipped with Bosch magnetos TWIN STATES AUTOMOBILE CO. 64-66 Broadway. Phone Broadway 512. Franklin offers more of "what you actually need and want in an automobile." BRALY AUTO CO. Alain 4880, A 388 L 19th and Washington Sta. LlMKi'Y SIX The car which sells best in. direct comparison Kith others. MITCHEL & WALLINGFORD, 522 ALDER MACK Trucks Capacities, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 5, GM, 1V Tons, Complete Stock Repair Parts. F. C AT WELL, Sales Agent. Washington at 21st. Tel. Mar. 440. SIXES New Light Six, $1250, Factory Mitchell, Seven-Passenger, $1525, Factory MITCHELL, LEWIS & STAVER CO. First and East Morrison Oldsmobili Distinctive High Grade. Light Weight. OLDSMOBILE CO. OF OREGON. Broadway and Couch, t Phone Broadway 1640. Is ready to serve your requirements with suc cess. Touring $2340. Roadster $2340. D. C. Warren Motor Car Co. S8-60 N. 23d ST. MAIN 780. i J If J t fiif i"7 n Tha Car w,tn an aluminum motor. High-grade con- P If I I C la ,tructlon throughout. A car for particular people MITCHELL & WALLINGFORD, 522 ALDER ST. CAPACITY IN TONS S1325 SieOO S.703S rrit'H ucuverea ax ronmna. ROBERTS MOTOR. CAR CO, 46 81020 S2950 Park and Flanders Stm. Smilh-Form-a-Truck Trucks BALLOU & WRIGHT Broadway at Oalc. Plstrtbucora for OrrfOB. Some unoccupied territory open. Writ for propositi- Moreland Distillate A ton to 5 ton. Vim delivery, J ton, and Commerce 1-ton Capacity. McCRAKEN MOTOR CO, Main 83 490 Burnside St. The mltell' Merles Represent the Latest and Best la Motor Cars. New value at acuun rricea. D. C. WARREN MOTOR CAR CO. SS-SO Slorth Twenty-Third Street. Phone Main TSO. OAKLAND Oakland Motor Co. of Oregon 344-50 Burnside, off Broadway. Phone Broadway 80. AUTO ACCESSORIES DAWCCD GASOLINE and OIL TANKS till .lr.Sl STORAGE SYSTEMS FOR PUBLIC AND PRI- 1 M J J Mi JL nt VATIC UARAUES. S. D. Stoddard. District Bast. antes. 71B-20 Corbrtt Bids. Main 147s. SATISFACTORY COOK & GILL CO. MOTOR CAR Phone Broadway 26. REPAIRING J 409 Davia Street. Dtj pT TT" fin ie treatment") with Gibson Electric . NKArvlVjof 'crossed wires', I Garage & Storage AV V-'-B- t-B-VJ-' 1 "sparkless" b a t-f Battery Co, Alder at SPECIALIST Iteries, etc Offices j 12th. Marshall 1752. CwjfillD Wm Stock Them. We Repalx Th We Ctaara-e Then. Freo Advice and Inspeetloaw AUTO ELECTRIC EQUIPMENT Sixth and Cnrnsid Streets. CO.