Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 12, 1920)
THE SUNDAY OREGONIAX, PORTLAND, SEPTEMBER 12, 1920 Mi S ARTERY T IS SOURCE DF GRIEF Mid-Summer Mud Boon for Farmers at $25 Per. MOTOR ROAD' DEPLORABLE NEW COMPANY FORMED HERE TO HANDLE LEXINGTON MINUTE MAN SIX. Same Old Tale Recounted as Far Back as Memory Extends of Wretched Conditions. Think of a main trunk highway be tween the two larsetit cities of the Pacific northwest in such bad con dition that right in mid-summer, when a road should be passable if ever it is going to be passable, tars gel stuck in the mud and have to stay there until some farmer pulls them out at $10 toa$25 per pull. This is happening on the Pacific highway, between Port land and Seattle, the only road for motor travel from Portland to Che halis, Centralia. Grays Harbor points. Camp Lewis. Tacoma. Seattle and British Columbia, every time a hard hower comes along. On and off for the past four years, five years, six years and as far back as the memory of man runneth, there has beeh the same old story of Pacific highway conditions in southwestern "Washington. Usually in summer the highway is tolerably passable, oc casionally good, though the first con tinued rain quickly puts it haywire at some point. But this year cars coming to the Shrine convention in June were stuck in the mud and in mid-August many cars were stuck again. Much Work tiet Nowhere. This year, as in past years, a lot ef construction work is in progress along the highway. The different jiiuntj vii u, iui nils i;uiiaii ucuvii work, so far as that part of the high way south of Toledo is concerned, seems never to get anywhere. Year in and year out it continues and never ends. At the present dribbling rate of "pay-as-you-go" construction and paving, it would be at least five years, perhaps ten, before there is an all-paved highway between Portland and Seattle. Small wonder that every Oregonian who drives a car, tourists and the people of southwestern Washington generally, are intensely interested in the passage of the Carlyon road bond ing masure, which goes before the voters of Washington at th coming election. This measures, which is largely modeled after the two recent bond measures adopted by voters of Oregon, provides a bond issue of $30. 000.000, this entire sum to be used in hardsurfacing 1500 miles , of Wash ington road, including the Pacific highway. Principal and interest of the entire $30,000,000 bond issue are to be retired, as under the Oregon ystem, from automobile license re ceipts without ad-ding a cent to gen raJ taxation.' Carlyon Bill to Remedy It. Just as the Oregon bonding meas ures, making available large funds for immediate use, to be repaid auto matically by automobile licenses, are pulling Oregon out of the mud. so the Carlyon measure is designed to pull such important Washington roads as the Pacific highway and many others, out of the mud. The Pacific highway in Oregon is at pres ent almost as much torn up as the Pacific highway, in Washington, but with the difference, that the Oregon construction work is getting some where all but 80 miles of the high way will be paved by the end of next year while the "pay-as-you-go" sys tem on the Pacific highway in south western Washington is getting vir tually nowhere. One of the recent victims of Pa cific highway mud in Washington is George W. Dean. Portland manager for the Howard Automobile company. Mr. Dean had so trying an experi ence on the detour around the Kelso Castle Rock-Toledo section of high way a couple of weeks ago that he swears he will not travel the high way again until it is paved, or send his friends over it. And Mr. Dean is no novice in driving, either. The Highway rn Mnd-Snmmrr. He was returning with his wife and eon and Mr. and Mrs. G. R. Williams of Dunsmuir. Cal., from a vacation trip over the Georgian circuit, in- eluding the Olympic Reninsula in northwestern Washington and Van couver island' in British Columbia. It had been raining for a couple of days when he swung onto the detour route down the west bank of the Cowlitz river, the main highway being closed between these points for construction work. He found this detour road in fright ful condition, as it always is after even a day's rain. His heavily-loaded Bufck skidded and floundered along, despite chains, so that at times it Mas all he could do even to stay on this slippery road. It was bad enough in the front seat, but the women, rid ing in the back seat, imagined every time the car took a lurch in the dark on the slippery road that it was go ing off the edge. He managed to move slowly to within three or four miles of Kef so, where the detour road is built upbn a. new cut around a point where it mrncUnA nt,( loot T I .1 1 1 was so slick that the women implored him to hug the inner edge. Over the Edge Goes the Baick. First thing Mr. Dean knew the car hugged it a little too close, the nigh rear -wheel slipped into the ditch and there the Buick was stuck, resting . in mud up to the differential in the ' rear and tilted sidewise until the top and side were leaning against the muddy bank. It was impossible to budge the car. Mr. Dean had unfortunately essayed to go over the road by night and it was now about midnight, with a pour ing rai-n falling. Everybody was cold, shivering, drenched and coated with xsud. A man in a roadster ahead who had managed to stick on the road took Mr. Dean to -Kelso where he tried to get assistance. But it was Saturday night and all automobile mechanics in town had gone to a dance. No help could he obtained there. So he came back to the wreck to make the best of the situation by himself. In the meantime some good Sa maritan took Mrs. Dean. Mrs. Mc Bride "and the boy to his house some distance down the road where they sat around a hot stove and warmed up. Mr. Dean ecouted around and at length persuaded an obliging farmer to bring his team out and drag the car out of the ditch. Once the horses leaned their weight against the traces, this was accomplished in short order ana- ine car was once more on its feet in the center of the wet, slip pery road. Mr. Dean thankfully paid the'llO fee. Then' he discovered that one of his front tires was almost flat. It was equipped with some kind of a patent valve that had a slow leak. He GA-afo two re MEJIfiERS OK OREGON LEXIXGTOJI COMPAXY AND OXE OK THE LATEST LEXINGTONS. With Charles S. Evans as president and L. v. Rawlings as manager, the Oregon Lexington company has been formed to handle the distribution of the Lexington car in Oregon. The organization of the company was com pleted during a visit here a week ago of C. P. Henderson of San Francisco, western sales manager for the Lex ington company. The new organization has obtained salesrooms at 430 Burnslde, near Tenth. In the picture, left to right, are L. V. Rawlings, Charles S. Evans, C. P. Henderson and P. McCay. local sales manager. fumbled around in the cold and wet for his motor tire pimp, attached it got it pumping, brought the tire up to pressure and then in some way or another, fumbling with the valve in the dark, twisted offa hunk of it and swish, the tire went flat that quick. Somewhere under the seat Mr. Dean had a spare tube. There was an old puncture in it that he hadn't re paired. It was still raining, still cold, still dark as pitch there on the road, but the indefatigable Dean got out his email portable vulcanizer and. Bitting in the back seat to keep as dry as possible, he vulcanized on a patch as well as he could. Then he and Mr. McBridge who, of course, had stayed with the ship to help, put the tube in the casing, laboriously and groaningly worked the casing onto the rim, fastened the rim to the wheel, attached the tire pump, and then Applied in such uncertain fashion it was small . wonder that the inner tube had become pinched.. It blew out and the tire went flat again. Typical Pacific Highway Scene. This time Mr. Dean didn't even swear. He just stood there, rubbing his benumbed fingerf, Mr. McBridge doing likewise, and thought.' But their thoughts lit up the landscape for some distance round about. There was obviously nothing more to be done tnat night, so leaving the car in the rain and praying that it wouldn't roll down a bank. Mr. Dean and Mr. McBride repaired to the same farmhouse where their wives were and joined the gfoomy circle around the stove. It was now 3:50 o'clock A. M. There weren't any- spare beds in the farmhouse, but all hands draped themselves somewhere and somehow, Mr. Dean taking his rest on a couple of kitchen chairs and dozed until day light. Then Mr. Dean nd Mr. Mc Bridge went out and vulcanized a patch on the tube by daylight, got it in the case, pumped it up and this time it didn't pinch. -They drove into Kelso, had breakfast, then came home as fast as they could. Mr. Dean didn't get back to "work the day after his return home, as is his usual' custom when he returns from vacation tours. It took him three days at home to rest up from the vacation. TRAFFIC COP MM OFFICER XOT AT ALU LIRE OTHER HUMAN' BEIXGS. FRENCH USE DODGE DESIGN" Car of That Type in France Sells at Retail for $5000. A striking instance of the wide difference in American and European production methods was contained in a brief item in the curent Issue of Motor World. The item was contained In a cabled dispatch from Paris, giv ing the news of the various French automotive factories, and dealt with the plans of the Berlit factory for the production of a new model. "Thic car. which was designed to sell at $5000, normal exchange. Is a close copy of the American " Dodge asd it is reported that Dodge Bros. of Detroit have been awarded heavy damages against Berlit for infringe ment upon their design," the French dispatch ran. "Berlit, according to the dispatch has just built a big new plant near Lyons," said Fred S. Albertson last week in discussing the foreign item. "The European manufacturers were taught many lessons concerning quan tity production by the terrific neces sities of the war. Nevertheless, to produce a car which is a close copy or the Dodge car they are forced to retail it at a price around $5000, nor mal exchange. "Unless one has been through Dodge Bros, factory and watched the va rious production processes it is hard to realize what tremendous efficiency has been achieved in their production methods and how far machinery has replaced human effort at every possi ble stage." EASTERN" OREGON" PROSPERS Wheat Crop Huge, Says Standard Eight Distributor. Lewis E. Obye of the Lewis E. Obye Motors company returned Wednesday from an extended trip through eastern Oregon. He reports business condi tions in that section quite prosperous. The farmers are enthusiastic, due to splendid crops. They have had the best yield of" grain for several years. Mr. Obye also reported the auto mobile business quite active, there being a good demand for automobiles of the better grade. The Standard Eight, of which he is the distributor for Oregon, established a reputation on this trip of being almost a one gear car, so seldom was it necessary to change gears. Feet Never Get Tired of Standing and Dust in Eyes Only Im proves Disposition. The traffic cop isn't like other hu man beings. He doesn't mind stand ing for hours in the broiling sun. Rain trickling down the back of his neck never disturbs him. - His feet never get tired from standing up. and dust in his eyes only improves his disposition. He is, therefore, al ways calm, polite and good-natured. He hasn't any right to be anything else. If he forgets himself, be sure to bawl him out about it. Never hold out your hand when you intend to turn at his crossing. It is- just a foolish custom, intended to demonstrate that you have nothing up your sleeve. Probably he doesn't understand its significance and will think you want to shake hands with him. Then he'll be disappointed when he discovers you are a stranger. If he doesn't open the way to you the minute you drive up, but stands talking to somebody, maintain a steady pressure on the horn button until he notices you. This makes him respect you as a person of. im portance, not to be cheaply over looked. Never take a crossing at moderate speed. Step on the throttle and go by him in a cloud of smoke. He will appreciate this, since his business is to keep traffic moving. If you can t do that, .go . as slowly.- as possible, managing to kill your engine in front of a moving van or a street car. This gives him a longed-for opportunity for conversation. He gets lonesome all by himself in the middle of the street. . Never. admit you were wrong. .Ar gue with him. If he says you didn't put out your hand, call him a liar. If you didn't sound your horn, tell him you did. If his sign said "stop" tell him it said "go." In this way you soon pick up an acquaintance with him, and he learns to look for you with eagerness. Nothing hurts a cop quite as much as being ignpred. chased for a nominal sum, and if the operator has decided to make the change the "cost of the new wheels will be almost absorbed' by the saving on loss occasioned through delay in building up or cutting down old wheels, which under the most favor able circumstances takes two or three days and in outlying districts eight or ten days. Through the pur chase of new wheels the change-over can be made without an Interruption of service except for two or three hours. The matter of gear ratio requires serious consideration. One important fact to remember is that a pneumatic truck tire has a larger actual than nominal diameter. In some cases it is necessary to provide for body clearances, and there are some cases where the larger diameter of pneu matic tires will affect the steering clearance. This ha especially true when a truck is operating in narrow streets and alleys. These subjects should be considered carefully by the operator in consultation with a truck expert. . ADVICE FOR TRUCK OWNER PNEUMATICS XOT ALWAYS BET TER THAN SOLIDS. Before Making Change In Tires, the Owiter Should Ob'laiu Expert Advice on the Subject. There ate some important questions to be considered by a truck owner who contemplates, a change over from solid tires to pneumatics. Whether such a change should be made should be decided by the (owner 'in confer ence with the truck repre-sentative and a truck tire expert. These men- should not recommend a substitution of pneumatics for solids unless they are confident the pneumatics will prove more, satisfactory and more economical than the solids. The truck representative can ad vise the owner if the steering -and body clearances are right and if the gear ratio will work satisfactorily. If these' conditions are such that a change-over can be made, it is a sim ple matter to make the change. The first step is to take the total weight of the truck, the body and the load, determine the weight distribu tion on the front and rear wheels and apply pneumatic truck tireB whose carrying capacities are sufficient to take care of those weights. Next comes the question of making the necessary changes in the wheels. A change-over of any nature always necessitates more or less loss of time and money if wheels are built up or cut down, as the case may be. This loss of time, says the United States Tire company, can be cut to practi cally nothing through the purchase of new wheela either of wood or steel construction equipped with rims and ready for application. There are any number of reputable wheel manufac turers in position to furnish such wheels. It may be argued that the purchase of new wheels adds to the cost of pneumatic truck tire equipment. This is true, hut these wheels can he pur- LOCKS FOIL MOST THIEVES One or Them Tells Why the Locked Car Is Passed By. Any man who owns a motor car can make it practically thief-proof by the use of a really efficient lock. You hear great tales of automobile thieves who can pick any lock that ever was made, and probably a lot of them can, but none of them in his senses is going to bother with a car that is locked when right around the corner he can find one without the sign of a lock on it. Thieves aren't looking for extra work any more than honest men are. Hut a good lock on your car and the chances-are 99 out of 'a.lOO that it will never be tampered with, unless you insist on giving the thieves such an opening that their self-respect won't allow them to neglect it. Thus spake a man less than a month out of one of our most inclu sive state prisons, where he served a term of three years for appro priating to his own uses a motor ctfr belonging to another member of the community. x His interesting story is related by Alexander Johnston in Motor, where the ingenious methods used by a skilled gang of car thieves are bared to the advantage of every car owner. MANY AUTOS IX XEW YORK 201,000 Passenger Car Licenses Are Issued to Date. More automobile licenses were is sued in the iiew Tork City district between February 1 and August 1 than during all 12 months of 1919. according to F. P. Redmond, chief of the state department automobile bureau. There were 201,000 pae- senger car licenses obtained in 1920 65.000 commercial car licenses, and 1100 licenses for trailers. In 1919 181,227 passenger car licenses were secured. 52,821 for commercial cars and 992 for trailers. Because the total number of license plates given out by the state department auto mobile bureau is now in the hundred thusand. a letter with number system has had to be adopted for car tag Sing. - Fender Xoise. when vibration has caused a. more or less extensive crack in a fender there results a sharp cracking noise that is very annoying and often is difficult to locate. Tlie 1921 Haynes Touring Car at $2935 actually impresses people as a $5000 car TWENTY -NINE hun dred and thirty-five dollars never before bought such a beautiful car, such a remarkably p e rf e c t me chanical system as the new 1921 Haynes Seven-Passenger Touring Car. It is really $1000 underpriced com pared with other cars of the same value. Owners of these cars re port to us that hardly a day - passes without someone ex pressing surprise when told the actual cost of the car. The average person thinks it must be at least $5000. This is natural, for the 1921 Haynes Touring Car is one of the finest . automobiles ever made, through and through. Its high hood, superb lines, splendid finish, deep uphol stery, refined fittings and general air of luxury leave nothing to be desired. And it is more than 90 per cent Haynes-made the fa mous' Haynes engine is especially built by our own experts, and every essential feature of the car, from its first design to its final ap proval is under the eyes and in the hands of the men who have made the reputation of the Haynes through all the years since Elwood Haynes created and built America's first car. The four factors of car char acter Beauty, Strength, Power and Comfort are scientifically combined in the Haynes. Our policy is to give our patrons the benefit of our own economies, and in this instance the difference be tween what you think the car can be bought for and its actual price is a genuine surprise, which you will appreciate all the more when you look at the car. Come and see the new 1921 Haynes or telephone Broadway 1614 for a demonstration Price quoted f. o. b. factory, Kokomo x A. C. STEVENS, Distributor , - 529-531 Washington St CH A R. A GT E R CARS LAHER OPENS NEW BRANCH SPRING CONCERN' NOW ONE OF WEST'S LARGEST. Three Eactories and Number of Agencies Serve N'eeds of New Industry. With the opening of a new sales and maufacturing branch at Spokane, the Laher Auto Spring company, with head offices in Seattle, becomes the largest spring manufacturing concern in the west and takes its place as one of the exceptional motorcar acces sory manufacturing concerns in this part of the country. The Laher Auto Spring company now maintains its own factories at Seattle, Spokane and Portland and has established a long chain of sell ing agencies - throughout the west. The demand for Laher springs ex tends from the Pacific ocoan to the Mississippi river. F. J. Laher, president of the com pany, is one of the youngest motor accessory manuf actureing heads in the country. Scarcely more than 30 years old. Laher has built up a business cf great proportions. From early boy hood he has been associated in the springs manufacturing industry. Laher first established a spring works in Tacoma, later moving to Se attle and expanding to Portland and Spokane. The Portland plant is the largest of the three, covering 100 by 200 feet. It, too, contains all the latest machinery for manufacturing springs. The Port land plant takes care of most of the southern business with the Seattle plant supplying the northwest and ex port business. The Spokane plant was openei this month. It is 60 by 142 feet and con tains the characteristic giant spring over a special drive-in at one side of the plant. FISK HAS A GOOD SYSTEM Distribution Arranged to Cover En tire Country Scientifically. One ft the most efficient distrib uting systems operated by a manu facturing concern in the United States is that of the Fisk Rubber company of Chicopee Falls. Mass. This system, which, by the way, is the most extensive employed by any tire manufacturing company, includes more than 130 seperate branches in as many of the large cities of the coun try. These stations are maintained entirely for the purpose of keeping tire ' dealers supplied with fresh stock and to furnish every one of those dealers with a 24-hour-or-less delivery. Branches are so situated that nearly every spot in the United States may be reached by one of them inside the one-day limit. In order to keep such an extensive system well stocked with fresh goods, a number of large warehouses have been established at advantageous points. These warehouses are supplied in carload lots direct from the -hico- i pee Falls plant, and they, in turn, I control the stocks of the branches in their territory. Warehouses are locate-d at Oakland, Cal., Kansas City. Mo., Chicago, St. Paul, Atlanta and Toledo and a new one is under construction at Richmond. Chicopee Falls factory supplies all eastern i branches. PISTOL IN AUTO ILLEGAL Missouri Court Holds It's Carrying Concealed Weapon. The Missouri supreme court has held that It is a violation of the law against carrying concealed weapons to carry a revolver in the side pock ets, under the seats or in other places of concealment in automobiles or other vehicles. The decision was handed down In the case of the State vs. Conley, on appeal from Adair county. N. J. Conley, the defendant, was arrested for carrying a revolver concealed on the seat of his wagon and fined $100. The supreme court held, among other things: ""Under the statutes de fining this offense, the concealment, although not actually on the person, may be in such close proximity to the accused as to be within his reach and convenient control; and upon proof of this fact the offense is made out." Heretofore it has been impossible to obtain convictions of persons found with weapons in automobiles. As a result of the increase in rail road rates between Pottsville and Philadelphia, Pa., automobile passen ger routes, which will run regularly, are being established. STUTZ 1920 Stutz Bear Cat, a -wonderful car, wire wheels, cord tires one extra, two bumpers, spotlight, tire cover, shock absorbers, etc. This is practically a new car, but can be bought for $3000 on terms. COVEY MOTOR CAR COMPANY r ' A Tires Sacrificed For limited time we are offer ing Tires in certain sizes at re duced prices. We Sell JOHN WALTER Evergreen Tubes The Best to Be Had. John A. Walter Tire Co. 391 Stark SU Near Tenth KEEP THE "PORT" IN PORTLAND The Emblem of Sales Finance THE Service Efficiency SCRIPPS-BOOTH LIGHT SIX Represents the product of one of the largest Automobile Manufacturers in America. Built under a plan of ability and straightforward methods of merchandising. Using all of its resources in its effort to prevent inflated values. Insuring you 100 on the dollar; sharing with you all the saving due to its command of the sources of best material with the ability to manufacture and sell in great numbers with only a conservative profit. THE SCRIPPS-BOOTH CO. 522 .Alder Street of California Broadway 3169 zzzzzz AUTO ACCESSORIES AND PARTS SPEEDOMETERS ajid "BIG TEN NECESSITIES" They're More Than Accessories Official Servicei Genuine Parts Product Service Station, Broadway at Flanders David Hodes Co. Ill N. Broadway AUTOMOBILE EQUIPMENT PARTS. GEARS, AXLES AND SPRINGS HER AUTO SPRSSa CO. JLA 10,000 Springs Carried in Stock. Let Us Repair Your Springs Where You Get Service. 15TH AND COUCH STREETS 3 lf.?4- 1 ,TWi rt fcaiUisa oTORAGE nATTEKT cAn v ?3wvServic:e Station m SrIl makes of 63J 1 . batteries charged v PnPkf or reDairecT I -Wv f I l between Cow&lDauis Phone Broadway 546 6l?'?T !. H.M.NISBET.Mn A XT T T T TO S Shack Absorber Recommended by'a Million -Ford Owners West Coast Distributors Corp. 435 Stark St. Phone Broadway 4564 AUTO DIRECTORY New Light Six, Mitchell, Seven-Passenger Jordan MITCHELL, LEWIS & STAYER CO. Broadway at Everett ry O bayers-Faciric payers oix Motor car Co. Twenty -first and SAYERS Auto Funeral Equipment Washington State Distributors JACKSON SrSS six TOURING FOUR WHEEL DRIVE TRUCK Twenty-first and Washington State Distributors Franklin offers more of "what you actually seed and want in an automobile. BRALY AUTO CO. Main 4S80, A 388L 19th and Washington Sts.