SECTION SIX
Pages 1 to 10
minim
"Automobiles, Road Trips and
Northwest Highway News
VOL. xxxix.
PORTLAND, OREGON, SUNDAY MORNING, 3IAY 23, 1920
NO. 21
LE WISTON HILL HIGHWAY ONE OF WONDER ROADS OF THE WEST
Tourists Come From Afar to See the View and Drive Over 10-Mile Road Which Climbs in Great Loops and Curves to Crest of Bluffs Across Clearwater From Lewiston.
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BY It. E. FOWLER. . "
LEWISTON, Idaho, May 22. (Spe
cial.) The Lewiston hill high
way, which winds snake-like "for
ten miles up the bluffs across the
Clearwater river from Lewiston, is
one of the masterpieces of scenic road
construction in the Pacific, north
west. This beautiful macadam road be
gins at the Clearwater bridge just
north of the city ami starts at once
on Us ascent of the irregular bluffs
nhich rise 2000 feet above the river.
After innumerable curves and turns
back and forth, but ever up and up,
it reaches the crest ten miles from
Lewiston. The view from this point
is one of grandeur.
In the valley just below is Lewiston,
united by a steel span with her small
er sister city, Clarkston, on the
Washington side of the Snake river.
Just below this bridge the Clearwater
unites with the turbulent Snake, and
together they flow to join the Colum
bia at Pasco. On the bench to the
south of Lewiston, Lewiston Orchards
spreads over the S000 acres between
the town and the rich grain. fields of
the Tammany region.
Forested Hills In View.
Just beyond are the thickly forested
Craig mountains, which are snow
capped until late in the spring. To
the southwest the onlooker may fol
low the curving Snake river past
Swallow's nest, shaped like the rock
of Gibraltar, and past the town of
Asotin. Wash., until the river is lost
in the rolling hills where the three
states. Idaho, W ashing'ton and Ore
gon come together.
The Lewiston hill highway was
projected in 1916. By that time It had
become apparent that the barrier that
hut off the Lewiston-Clarkston val
ley from the rich Palouse wheat coun
try must be overcome if this section
of Idaho and Washington were to
attain development.
The only way to surmount the nat
ural barrier of bluffs was obviously
to build a wide, safe road with an
easy grade from Lewiston to the tip
of the hill. The question was put up
to the citizens and by overwhelming
vote they passed a bond issue for
1 150.000. the estimated cost of the ten
imles of road, including engineering.'
right-of-way and surfacing, with the
slate providing one-third of the con
struction cost outside the city limits.
Maximum Grade 3 Per Cent.
Such was the economy maintained
In building the road that the $150,000
from the bond issue and the small
additional state appropriation paid
not only for the originally planned
ten miles, but for an additional nine
and a half miles as well, five miles
of which were an extension of the
North and South highway toward
Spalding, and four and a half miles
toward Genesee and Moscow.
The maximum grade on the Lewis
ton hill highway is 5 per cent and
several miles of sturdy fence on the
curves provide perfect safety for mo
torists.
Tourists from Spokane and points
to the north are coming this way
In increasing numbers. They connect
here with the Evergreen highway
through Clarkston, Pomeroy, Walla
Walla and on to Portland and the
Pacific coast.
Lewiston is also the focal point of
the Lewis and Clark highway, now
building from this city to the Mon
tana state line; of the North and
South highway leading to Boise and
southern Idaho points, the larger part
of which will be completed this sum
mer; and of the Clearwater highway,
extending into the great national for
ests in east-central Idaho.
Flauni To Work Well.
The original commissioners who
erred during the construction period
f the Lewiston hill highway were
jr. K. Finch, now assistant general
manager of the O.-W, R. N. lines, !
with offices in Portland; Porter Sha- I
fer, now sheriff of ez Perce county,
and E. A. White of the fruit shipping
form of White Bros. & Cmm. The
genius of C C Van Arsdol as engi
neer of the highway was responsible
for the remarkable engineering work
which made it possible. By . general
consent Mr. Finch gets a. lion's share
of the credit for the success .of the
project, since in the capacity of secretary-treasurer
of the commission-
he had most of the responsibility for
planning the project and expending
the funds. The present commission
ers are Frank Thompson of the Lew
iston Mercantile company; E. A.
White and F. B. Bartlett, former head
of the Bartlett Lumber company.
They are following the pace set by
the original commissioners in keeping
the road in fine condition, and in
making improvements.
To bring the- Lewiston hill highway
to the attention of the motorists who
may contemplate a trip through the
Inland empire, the commissioners
have co-operated with the commercial
club in the preparation of a set of
ten postcard views of the highway,
which are being mailed one each wees
to 2000 prominent automobile owners
in the northwest. Two hundred thou
sand of these cards will be distributed
in one way or another this year, and
30.000 of them will be sent out by
the local commercial club.
Fine Hotel Comes Next.
In keeping with the growth of the
Lewiston-Clargston country, and in
view of the great- increase in tourist
travel through this section, a new
$500,000 hotel will be -' started
in the next few months. Stock sub
scriptions totaling $260,000 have al
ready been pledged; a bond issue of
$la0,000 will be sold and the expense
of equipping the building will be
borne by the lessee.
With erection of what will be the
finest hotel between Spokane to the
north, Boise to the south and Port
land to the west, and with the most
beautiful scenic highway in all this
interior country, the Lewiston-Clarkston
valley will soon become a mecca
for tourists.
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FARMERS
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TRCCKS
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ECONOMY RUN IS LIKED
rOSEJOTE TESTS CARRIED
OCT EARIiT THIS TEAR.
Tourist Travel Avoided and A u to-
lsts Find Complete Facil
ities Available.
Bureau of Crop Estimates Com
piles Data Showing Trend.
Reserve forces that can be concen
trated when 'the time is "Just right
have always been a necessity on the
farm, but the farmer's difficulties in
this connection are augmented today
by high labor costs, and this fact Is
proving a powerful argument for the
motor truck on the farm, according
to advocates of motor transport.
They point to a preliminary sur
vey of the ownership and use of mo
tor trucks Dy iarmers. unaenaKen Dy
the office of farm management and
the bureau of crop estimates, depart
ment of agriculture, which shows that
at least 50,000 farmers in the United
States own motor trucks which they
use on their farms.
The ,figures on which the totals for
the entire country as well as for the
several states are based were secured
through the co-operation of approxi
mately 35.000 selected crop reporters,
who were asked to report the names
and addresses of farmers owning mo
tor trucks for farm use. Passeager
cars and trailers for use with passen
ger cars were excluded. Trucks used
primarily for general custom hauling
or on regularly established routes
were not included.
While this survey can not be con
sidered complete, it is reasonable to
believe that in no state were less
than 75 per cent of the trucks on
farms reported, so that the figures
show relative distribution satisfactorily.
At top, large picture View along; Cottonwood arnlcn seetlon of the Lewiston kill alsjliwayV snowing; two' separate parts of the highway, one above
the other. At right, above Snmm It of the hill. At rla-ht, below Another view of Cottonwood umleh, sbowlnar how the highway swings around Cot
tonwood carve. The bottom picture Is n view of one ot the loops on the ten-mile climb up the bluffs beyond Lewiston.
RAINIER ROADS FIXED
STRETCH ABOVE LA G RAXDE
COSTS $200,000.
15,000 Cubic Yards or Rock Are
Blasted From Hill to Make
Passage 'Way.
TACOMA, Wash., May 22. Pilgrims
who annually drive by motor car to
the slopes of Mount Rainier will learn
with interest that widening and grad
ing the road through the 1 miles
of Nlsqually canyon, above La Grande,
will be completed In time for the
opening of the touring season June 1.
Everything will be in readiness when
the park opens. More than 15,000 cubic
yards of rock were blasted out of the
hill to make this road, two carloads
of powder being used for the purpose.
The 1-mile stretch cost approxi
mately $200,000.
This gigantio task, undertaken to
make the road through the canyon
safer and easier of grade, has re
quired three eight-hour shifts daily
and Sunday, and this pace -will be
maintained until it is done, accord
ing to Superintendent McDowell, who
is personally supervising the work
and directing the ' operation of the
battery of huge steam shovels follow
ing in the wake of the blasting crewa
A total of more than 125.000 cubic
yards of solid rock, slightly mixed
with dirt and gravel, will have been
cut out of the side of the hill and
from the old roadbed level by June 1,
and in the operation will be consumed
two carloads of high explosives.
In 1919 there were 55.232 visitors at
Mount Rainier national park, an in
crease of 2S per cent over the pre
vious yar. Many travelers who visit
Yellowstone or Glacier parks, or both,
pass through Spokane to visit the
king of mountains and enjoy moun
tain climbing, coasting and skating
in June.
Extension Jack for Ford.
It is somewhat of a difficult matter
to Jack up the front - of the Ford
chassis, because of the single point
suspension. As a general thing two
blocks and two" jacks must be used.
By making an extension of stout wood
simply a crosspiece and two ends
to fit under the frame one jack placed
in the center suffices for the Job of
lilting.
ONION DEPOT FOR TRUCKS
THAT'S THE PROPOSAL SHADE
BY CAPTAIN FORRESTER.
Truck Operator Suggests That All
Lines Get Together for a
Common Terminal.
A proposal that operators of motor
truck freight and express lines out of
Portland, for their own good and that
of the public combine to use one
common terminal in Portland, is made
by Captain A. C. Forrester, who oper
ates the Intervalley Motor transport,
with two trucks making daily trips
between Portland, New berg. Dayton
and McMinnville.
Captain Forrester recently obtained
on lease ythe old gas house at Front
and Flanders streets. This he de
clares would make an ideal centrally
located terminal station for truck
lines, and he says he will share it
with, operators of any and all such
lines for terminal purposes.
"At present, there are 25 to 20
motor truck lines operating out of
Portland," said Captain Forrester,
"and every last one of them leaves
from a different terminal. What we
need is a common terminal or union
depot for trucks.
"It would be convenient for ship
pers, as well as for truck operators.
The general public would soon learn
the location of the truck union de$ot.
By sharing expenses of a terminal, the
cost to any one operator would be
very slight. '
Poor Lubrication.
Motorists who do not think they
are getting sufficient mileage from
a gallon of gasoline should take care
to lubricate their cars properly. Fric
tion is the greatest friend of the gas
bill and the best decelerator in the
world. One of the points forgotte
by many motorists is the careful oil
ing of the valve-stems. On a long
drive or -where the car is being used
with regularity, the oiling ot these
stems with a good grade of oil your
garage man will advise you as to the
best Ar your own particular make
of car will make an appreciable ad
dition to the miles per gallon and will
greatly increase the efficiency and
pulling power of your motor.
CAMP CURRY, Cal., May 22. ThiB
year's Los Angeles to Camp Curry
economy run demonstrated many
things, one of the most important be
ing the feasibility of holding the
annual event early In May. Prior to
this year, the economy ran had al
ways been held at the very end of
May, and, as a result, the ears had to
make the trip with . congested road
conditions. Accommodations were
also scarcer, owing to the large num
ber ot people in the valley by that
time.
By staging the run in the first half
of May, the entire facilities of Camp
Curry are available for the handling
of the big delegations of motorists
and road conditions are almost ideal.
The run demonstrated the excellent
condition of the Wawona route to the
Yosemite. Although there Is con
siderable snow on both sides of the
road for quite a distance there is none
on the road itself, and none of the
fords are dangerous to cross. It was
quite significant that all the cars
that reached the grade went over
without serious trouble of any kind.
Foster Curry put on- the biggest
entertainment of the year in honor
of the automobile men the night the
economy run and ' sociability run
from the bay cities got in to camp.
After the usual campfire programme.
a firefall, perhaps more magnificent
than any ever before put over from
Glacier point, climaxed the evening's
entertainment, followed by a ball in
the Cams Curry awditorlum.
Sunday night. Bob Martiand, secre
tary of the California Automobile
Trades association, put on a little
nroarramme of his own which made a
btg hit with the audience. The crowd
eot to singing the grand old song o
the motorist: "Won't you come with
me. Lucille, in my merry Oldsmobile,
and ended ud en masse. Bob Mart'
land leading, with a whirling dervish
which has always been a dangeronJ
spot in the highway,' was blown ofi
by a gigantic blast of TNT Monday
It will take several weeks to deal
away the loose rock and to put thi
highway in shape at this point fol
traffic This is five miles west
McKensie bridge.
Another big improvement is th
filling of the low place a short dlsl
tance west of Crib point, where ill
high water the Mc&enzle river over!
flows the road and it is necessary tq
pull the automobile stages through
the water by teams. The grade wi!
be placed several feet higher than thi
highest known level ever reached bi
the river at that place.
CHEHALI S STREETS PAVE11
Concrete Roadbeds to Be Laid
Along City Electric Line.
CHEHALIS, Wash., May 22. (SpeJ
clal.) Manager Schoel of the Nortll
Coast Power company has arranged
for the tearing up of the broke
foundation under the tracks of th
electric line on lower Pacific avenuJ
and Market street and along Division
street, and a concrete roadbed will
be put in this summer. The con I
stant travel of years and the fact
that the track was laid on too lighl
a foundation have bad a most daral
aging effect, the pavement in place J
having become dangerous for thq
public.
A new traffic ordinance has be
passed by the city commission alona
the lines of similar conditions in tbi
larger cities. , A time limit for parki
ing cars, prohibition of parking car-1
for sales display purposes, and othei
provisions of a regulatory - natarJ
have become necessary, owing to thJ
great increase inathe use of autos izj
Chehalis.
SPECIAL TRAIN IS CAN'CELI
Tacoraa Excursion - to Auto Rape!
at Indianapolis All Off
TACOMA. May 22. It has been del
cided to postpone the excursion frora
Tacoma and Seattle to the Indiana
polis races until next year since i
has been found impossible to ge
enough motor car dealers and bus
ness men in general able to make th
round trip at this time. The speoia
could have been filled over the Ml!
act to the tune of "I'm a Wild Prairie, waukee for the trip to Indianapol
Flower." Another firefall, almost
equal in magnificence to the one of
the preceding nlgnt, ended tnings.
Sunday was devoted to sightseeing
and reading up for the return trip.
Following aro the results of the
economy run, as announced at Camp
Curry:
Overland touring car won sweep
stakes and Class No. 1, scoring 60.74
per cent: Henry Amon, pilot.
Overland sedan won Class No. 2.
scoring 51.42 per cent; Fred Costa,
pilot.-
Templar won Class No. S. scoring
49.20 per cent; Victor Isaac pilot.
Dorris won Class No. 4. scoring
7.84 per cent; L. M. Folk, pilot.
ROCK POINTS BLASTED OFF
TXT Used in Construction Work
" on McKenzie Highway.
EUGENE, Or., May 22. (Special.)
The different rocky points on the
McKenzie river highway between
Blue River and McKenzie bridge are
being blasted off and the roadway
made twice or three times s wide
as formerly.
The whole bluff at -Crib, point.
but so many desired to remain ove
for the republican convention at Ch
cago that it was decided to cance
the whole affair.
Scouts in Motorcade.
About 80 Akron boy scouts who wii
travel via motrtcade to Roosevelt'
home at Oyster Bky in July, will carr
their own band of 40 pieces. They ar
routed over the Lincoln highway I
pneumatic-tired trucks and afte
three days camp at Bear mountain i
New York, the national boy scon
camp, they will return through Cen
tral New York stopping at Niagar
Falls. The commissary truck will b
equipped with six wheels, the unusua
design being developed by engineer
of the Goodyear Tire and Rubbe
company.
Tighten Engine Bolts.
- In some cars looseness of the en
cine bolts which hold the water i
place may cause misalignment ot th'
engine, with serious consequences. I
there is even slight looseness of th.
bolts it may permit the engine sup
port to hammer and pound and irl
time supporting arm may actuall;
break off.
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