THE SUNDAY OBEGONIAX, POirLAyP. 1 AY 16, 1920
SMITH'S HILL MAY HAVE BEEN A MUD HOLE A FEW WEEKS AGO, BUT IT WOULD TAKE A
WATER-WITCH WITH A HAZEL FORK TO LOCATE MUD OR WATER ON IT NOW.
ROBE
lire ana
Few Rough Places, but Noth
ing for Tourist to Fear.
OVERLAND SEDAN LOGS IT
NO OBSTACLES NOW
ON PACIFIC HIGHWAY
r
The
RTS
Smith Hill, Woll Creek Hill, Cow
Creek Canyon All Found In
Excellent Condition.
BY H. GREGORT.
The Pacific hiVhway is passable
and tor th most part in good con
dition from Portland all the way to
the' California line. In the Siskiyou
mountains. Neither the Ad club car
avan nor any other touring party
should experience the slightest real
. difficulty In traveling over it. There
ia not so much as a mudpuddle in Us
317 miles.
True, it i not yet an all-paved
highway, or nearly so. There are
still stretches of it, and quite a 'few
of them, between Cottage Grove and
Grants Pass that are rough and jolfy
and uncomfortable to travel. Much
new construction work, with attend
ant short detours, is in prosrres
But alone the entire length of the
Pacific highway in Orepton there is not
one real obstacle to the -experienced
driver, not one place where he runs
the least danger of getting stuck or
held up by road conditions.
What constitutes "good road" and
"poor road" will ever be a moot point
with individual drivers. One man's
good road may seem a bad one indeed
to the pavement type of motorist who
seldom ventures on country roads.
Much of the Pacific highway still is
country road. But this much may be
said:
The real test of any road Is whether
you can get over it. and bow last.
22 1-3 Mile Averagrs Speed.
With II. H. Eling, manager of the
Wilys-Overland Pacific branch in
Portland, Harry Hays and Pat . Blake
of the same company, the writer
week ago went in an Overland four
sedan from Portland to Medford, 313
miles, by the highway, in exactly Jbhi
hours to the minute, an average of a
little better than 22 1-3 miles per
hour for the whole distance, including
stops.
We est ont from Portland at 4:25
o'clock A. M., just after dawn, and
reached Medford at 7:55 that night,
when it was just dark enough to re
quire lights. Virtually a daylight run
betweea the two cities, &. really note-
wormy periormance.
The actual running time was only
12 hours 45 minutes, the .15 V4 hours
including stops for meals, gasoline
oil, photographs and such; And that
not in an open car, but in a sedan,
built for comfort more than for speed.
So much for whetTer the Pacific
highway is In tolerably good condi.
tion.
This run, which the next day was
continued to the Oregon-California
line just over the Siskiyous, was made
primarily to log exact Pacific high
way conditions for the information of
the Pacific Northwestern Ad clubs'
caravan tour, which sets out from
Portland this coming Tuesday morn
ing for Stockton, Cal., and in general
for the benefit of all motorists pian
ning to drive north or south over the
highway in Oregon.
No Mud. Anywhere 9iow.
So much has been said In the past
few months of impassable conditions
on the highway, cars being stuck in
the iirud all along the route or towed
through by horses, that it was desired
to obtain actual first-hand informa
tion as to conditions now.. The stories
of mud a month ago no doubt were
true. But that was a month ago.
There is no mud now. j
Let it be plainly stated that no
motorist who wishes to make the run
either north or couth need delay his
trip one day through fear of bad
roads.
With new construction work now
under way at many points along the
highway, local conditions and detours
will change much from week to'week
and month to month. Even in one
week's time there will be changes, so
that no log of the highway willre
main absolutely accurate as to de
tails for any length of time. But the
highway ia now passable at least until
the rains of late fall, and by that
time it is quite probable so much
progress will have been made and
so much new pavement laid that it
may remain open and in fair condi
tion even through the winter.
Kvery motorist who has traveled
the Pacific highway in Oregon, or in
tends to travel it, wants . to know
iirwt or au anout conditions on cer
tain stretches of which he has hoard
much most of it detrimental.
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All Abont These Places.
These stretches include. In order
from . Portland, Pass Creek canyon,
llice ' hill, Roberts mountain. Cow
freek canyon, Glendale hili. Wolf
Creek hill. Smith hill or Sexton moun
tain, and the Siskiyous.
A detailed log of the highway ap
pears in another column. Here fol
lows a summary of road conditions
at these places as the Oregon-Overland
sedan scout car found them last
week:
I'asa Creek canyon this Is no
longer the terror of former days, but
neither is it a boulevard. It has
eonie first-class . road, on the new
KTade completed last year north of
Drain, and some bad road that hasn't
srvt been replaced with . new grade.
Ttta good new road Isn't as good as
: it was last year, when it had just
. Veen graveled and rolled and was
- perfect. It has been somewhat cut
by travel and has "pot-holes tn
it, nevertheless is good.
There is rough road at Divide. Just
t the north entrance to the canyon
for a mile.. Then good road to Corn
stock and leona Mills, a'bout nine
rulkes. Then three miles of decidedly
roush road, with new construction, to
Drain, and south of there Tough to
fair into loncalla. Anyone who re
members the old road through the
canyon will consider conditions
through it mighty good as a whole,
- Rice Hill la Paved.
Rice hill this is part of the so
called ''Goodrich route" between
Voncalla and Oakland. The whole
Goodrich route, but especially the
Kioe hill part of it, used to be very
bad. In wet weather, and dusty
.Mirnmer because of its sticky red clay
bottom. It was a long, hard pull" up
the hill and there were bad curves,
The Goodrich route is still rather bad
and rough for 4.2 miles, but here the
motorist gets a genuine surprise, ln-
. f lead of going up the twisting curves
of the old Rice hill grade, he finds
himself on a fine paved highway. This
pavement continues for 2.9 miles, and
eliminates all the old hill.
But from the end of the pavement
Into Oakland, 7.1 miles, comes one of
the roughest parts of the highway.
Most of it is along the new highway
crade which was left to "set" last
-n inter, preliminary to navioff this
year. It is very rough, an,d, bears evi
dence of having been a-quagmire for
cars In the winter. Along here many
an automobile waa stuck in the wet
months. - Making conditions more dis
agreeable at present is the fact that
along one stretch of a mile or so very
large loose rocks strew the grade.
However, by no stretch of imagina
tion could this section be considered
impassable or even hard to travel.
Incidentally, the 4.2 miles of dirt
part of the Goodrich route north of
the new pavement will not be nearly
o rough this week and thereafter as
was the case last week When the
Overland . sedan ran over it, for" it
was being scraped at that time by a
county road crew and should now be
in really prime condition. Later, of
course, it will become quite dusty. -
. Caref al en Roberts Monatain.
Hoberts mountain This bad hill,
long an obstacle to touring the high
way, is not as yet eliminated by the
new highway grade on the other
side of the Umpqua river, but will be
within a month or so. when paving, of
the new grade is completed. How
ever, the road over Roberts moun
tain is in excellent condition,
No good driver need fear" Robert
mountain if his car is right. Every ac
cident that ever happened onit-'has
beer due to inexperienced driving.
defective- brakes, or over-conf kience
in taking the descent on the deceptive
down grade too fast. Driven carefully,
it 1s not a whit worse, nur as bad.
as many a mountain road in the Pa
cific northwest of which little is
thought. It is a low gear climb on
the ascent and cars should go into
intermediate or low on the descent.
Cow Creek canyon The motorist
will find almost every kind of road
in the 12 miles of the main canyon
south of Canyonville. There is good
road, the new grade built last year
being in prime condition. There is
new grade not yet surfaced and rough,
but eminently passable. There are
bouncy stretches of corduroy put in
as "safety station" for travelers in
the wet weather. And there is still in
use much of the old road, not yet
replaced by new grade, mostly in the
southern end of the canyon. The
Overland - sedan made fast time
through Cow Creek canyon, under the
skilled piloting of Harry Hays. No
one need fear it. .
' No . More Wolf Creek TI111. :
From the end of the main canyon
into Glendale the road is mostly of
dirt, but very fair. though inter
spersed frequently by new construc
tion. Glendale hill This hill, south of
Glendale, which goes over the steep
hill there .nd. drops down into Wolf
Creek station on the other side, from
which the ascent then begins, over
Wolf Creek hill, is often confounded
with Wolf Creek hill of bitter mem
ory. In its palmy days it was about
as bad as Wolf Creek hill, there be
ing a very steep, dangerous climb
almost straight up the mountain to
an apex and an immediate descent
down another very steep hill. Even
last summer, the steep descent on the
Wolf creek side remained.
, But Glendale hill cow is no longer
even a problem to the motorist. The
red clay - road up the hill out of
Glendale is not one for reckless driv
ing, to be sure, but it is wide enough
for two cars anywhere, and while
full of curves, they are fairly wide
and the grade not dangerously steep.
It has been dragged and is in good
condition.
The sharp, ragged descent down the
Wolf creek side has been entirely
eliminated by opening of the new
main highway grade, which swings
on a long, easy slope, with wide
curves down the hill. It is graveled
and in prime -shape.
Wolf Creek hill The real Wolf
Creek hill of Pacific highway tradi
tion, with its dangerous, slippery 24
per cent grade, is no more. In its
place, from Wolf Creek station south
over the hill to tho other side, there
s now a fine, broad, curving highway
or not morn than b per cent grade.
and every foot of it paved. The new
pavement was opened about six weeks
ago and is a credit to the contractor
and the state highway department.
Vale, Wolf Creek hill, and no re
grets.
Smith Hill a Bonlewa.
Smith hill No place along the en
tire highway route received more un
favorable mention last winter and
early spring than Smith hill, which
extends south from Grave creek
bridge for five miles, to within 10
miles of Grants Pass. Many persons
who had traveled the highway be
fore were somewhat puzzled to lo
cate Smith hill from the dispatches.
This because it is frequently calleu
The top -view shows the smooth grade np Smith's hill at present from the
north the lower photograph depicts the srrade Just over the summit en
the descent on the south. This was body deep in mud a month affe but
is in good condition now.
Smith's hill, Sexton mountain, or -Graves creek Hill, as It is variously
called, between Wolf creek hill and Grants Pass, on the-Pacific highway in
southern Oregon, gained an awful nam from tourists up to a month ago
from the fact that cars at the summit had to be towed in both directions
by horses. Enterprising farmers coined money at the summit towing ears
both up and down hill through the mud. But The Oregonian-Overland scout
car that went over the highway last week found Smith's hill in excellent
condition. It's a long, hard pull tn either direction, but of mud there isn't
a drop or a sign. The highway on both sides of the hill has been dragged
and smoothed off so thoroughly that, aside from the skill needed to make
the climb and pilot a car around its sharp, swinging curves, even an ama
teur driver should have no trouble with it.
Sexton mountain and sometimes
Orates creek hill.
But by any name. Smith hill or Sex
ton mountain is no longer cause for
any anxiety whatsoever by the tour
ist. A month ago it was so muaay
at the summit that cars had to be
dragged by team, even down grade.
and TimKlmiftr a nrAnictri flint It
wouldu't be open before July. Last
week there wasn't a drop of mud on
it,- nor a sign of mud, except for
about: 100" feet at the summit where
there was" a little dried mud. AH of
Smith hill has been' dragged and
scraped and there is no easier travel
anywhere along the highway, so far
hills are concerned. . Just forget
Smith's hill in your catalogue of pos
sible highway worries.
This Smith's hill is a long grade in
both directions and swings up the
hillside around sharp curves. It re
quires intermediate gear in places and
the driver is likely to wonder wny,
for the extent of the grade is hardly
perceptible when ascending it. But no
where does this hill present any
real obstacle' to toljrjng.
Siskiyou mountains Many Orego
ans have the idea that the Oregon-
California boundary line Is exactly at
the summit of the Siskiyous. This is
incorrect. The state line is well down
the south slope, most of the moun.
tain range at this particular point
being within Oregon.
Siskiyou Grade Rough.
The climb up the Siskiyous is, taken
all in all, as rougn as any part oi me
whole Pacific highway in Oregon.
This is due mainly to paving opera
tions, the big motor trucks laden with
crushed rock having rutted and torn
up the grade badly. There is an im
nression that the paving of the Slski
vou grade was completed last winter.
but this is not correct. Only part of
it is paved and considerably more than
half remains to be done. But good
progress has been and is now being
made.
This climb up the Siskiyons is and
always has been a hard one. Nothing
spectacular, but a long, hard grind of
seven miles to the summit. The road
winds and curves, revealing many
fine spreads of scenery as it climbs
up the mountains.
From the start up the Oregon slope
of the Siskiyous to the summit, -7.1
miles, and down the south slope to the
California side is 13 miles. Of this 13
miles exactly five miles is paved and
2.2 of this five miles is the old one
way concrete laid several years ago.
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Virtually all the remaining eight
miles of the road is rough, and there
is more than a mile of crushed rock
But aside from its roughness and
the crushed rock .and new construc
tion the Siskiyou -grade Is, relatively
speamng, in good snape so far ae
passamiity is concerned. i ou can
get over it, not in comfort, but you
can get over It. -
Gootd Front Grants Pass.
So much for the notorious places
Qn the highway. When their condi
tion is told, Jhere is really little left
to tell, for there' are no other points
not in comparatively- good shape.
There is much construction at many
points, hut as vet- remarkablv few
detours. And one long detour of last
year, that from Grants Pass south to
Rogue river station, has been elim
inated by the opening of 6.8 miles df
new paved highway. At the end of it
is three miles of crushed rock, still
to be paved, but not bad going.
Generally the highway Is In fins
condition between Portland and Cot
tage Grove, with the exception of
roughness over the Ankeny hill road
between Salem and Albany, and In
fine condition from Smith hill south
to Medford, Aehland and the Siski
you grade.
From Portland to the California
line, 347 miles, is actually five miles
shorter than at about this time last
year. The writer on that occasion
made .a run over the highway with
H. H. Eling, who is a great worker
for good roads -and who supplied the
Overland sedan for this run. The run
a year ago, made in a Willys-Knight
car, found the total mileage to be
352 miles. - -
The shortening of the route by five
miles is due to elimination of sev
eral detours over which cars were
then routed.
'Triplex Springs Get There.
The performance of the' Overland
sedan 'in which last week's scouting'1
trip was made, in reaching Medford, j
313 miles from Portland, In 15 "i hours
actual elapsed time, was really remarkable-.
It was due to the wonder-
ful readability of the car, in turn due i
to its Triplex spring suspension. Mr.
Kllng f op some time has wanted to i
try out one of the new Ovprland 4
cars on the Pacific highway and this i
was his opportunity.
The car made such good time be
cause its easy riding springs made
it possible for Harry Hays at the (
wheel to drive it almost as fast over j
the rough roads as over pavements.
Mile after mile the little car hummed
smoothly over roads that at 30-mile 1
speed would have been exceeaingly
rough with most cars, but were hard
ly felt in this one.
Portland was left at 4:25 A. M. and
the car was in Albany at 7:10. where
we stopped 40 minutes for breakfast,
in Junction City at 9, and Eugene at
9:45. The car reached Eugene with a
tire almost flat from picking up a
nail, put the puncture was repaired
and the sedan on its way at 10:15.
Roseburg at 1:0S P. M only 8 hours
43 minutes total time elapsed, in
cluding all stops from Portland.
Harry Hays, sales manager for the
Willys-Overland Pacific branch, who
as road man has driven thousands
of miles over Oregon roads, piloted
the car for the entire 313 miles to
Medford in 15H hours, and the next
day over the California line.
rtt the 37 Ttills from Portland to
the California line there are now ap
proximately 113 miles of pavement.
There will undoutil etly be 2O0 miles
of pavement or more on ths highway
by the time construction work stops
next winter.
NOT ALL BAD ROAD IX COW CREEK CANTON.
I . W-- -
O
'6
The Ad club caravan will f tad all fclvcUi of road tn Cow crlt canyon -good,
bad aad one. However. It naed to be all bad, and even tbe worat of It
.at nreneat la comparatively aood. Here la one of the really good
atretchea. where the new arrade befcun laat year aaa been ajraveled aad
rolled. The p let are waa taken laat week, on The Oregon tan-Overland
-routing rwn to report exct road conditions along; fj&e Pacific highway
In Oregon for the Ad club tourUtn. . v
a " .
Me C
VS.
. C. L,
G. M.'C. trucks are toiling faithfully and honestly
day and night on these inter-city routes radiating
from Portland to bring producer and consumer
closer together for the mutual benefit of both.
- -
. ' Paul Meinig, Sandy.
Albert Webb, Silverton.
Willamette Valley. Transfer, Aurora, Hubbard,
Oregon City. " v-
WiHamette Valley Transfer Co., Salem, Wood burn.
FranzelStafford. .
W. D. Bowman, Newberg.'
Arnold Trucking Co., Forest Grote. ,
Rogers. Auto Trucks, Hills bo ro.
Wm. Jassey, Battleground.
C. W. Smith, Camas, WashougaL
A. W. Metzger, Gresham,
WENTWORTH & IRWIN, Inc.
200 Second St., Cor. Taylor
r or
6
SURE Delivery
BnanananannsnnnnnnnnnaanBnnnnnnnnsI
DON'T Say
' Ship by Truck"
BE EXPLICIT
SAY.
Ship by JUMBO Truck
This is also a tip to those having transportation problems of
their own.
1V2 2V2 and 3V2-Ton Sizes
We Will Be in the
"SHIP -BY -TRUCK CARAVAN"
Look Us Over
99
NOW AT EAST FIRST AND MORRISON
JSoon in Our New Four-Story Building at Broadway and Everett