Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-12
ROUND TRIP IN AUTO
MR.. WHITMAN osGooD's VISIT TO
EXPOSITION CITY.
Conveys Family to and From st. Louis
in Twenty-Four Days,
Running Time.

To st. Louis and return In an automobile,
with excellent weather all the way and no
accidents, Is the record just completed by
Mr.. Whitman Osgood of this city. The trip
occupied only twenty-four running days,
which Is another record to which Mr.. Os-
good Is pointing with pride, while Incl
dentally he enumerates several hairbreadth
escapes from death and disaster, all of
which added the required zest to the jour-
ney.
Mr.. Osgood, with his wife, two children
and chauffeur. left Washington July l,
In a ten-horse-power machine, with single
cylinder and carrying extra equipment in
the shape of tires gasoline tank and other
accessories.
The party went by way of the national or
old military road, which was reached at
Frederick. The travellers passed through
Hagerstown and Cumberland to Bedford,
Pa Another road was followed to Pitts
burg, and the pike was reached again at
Washington, Pa. From there Mr.. Os-
good went through Wheeling, GAINESVILLE,
Columbus, indianapolis, Terre Haute and
st. Louis. The trip going occupied twenty
days, eight of which were spent in sight
seeing and twelve in actual travel Re-
turning, the trip was made in twelve days,
running time, and three days sightseeing,
or a total of fifteen days.
A week was spent at the fair, where, Mr..
Osgood says, he saw very few Washington
people, he describes the as DelnS
novel in the extreme, and in many respects
venturesome, particularly in the mountains
at night when he often had to grope his
way along the narrow roads or mountain
shelves, making abrupt turns which over
looked steep and rugged declines.
The greatest trouble he encountered how
ever, was, he terms it, the inevita bic
white horse" He says this particular col
ored animal is by far the most fractions
and unreasonable, and in many cases
caused accidents, only one of which re-
suited seriously.
Good and Bad Roads.
THE roads in Maryland were very good.
said Mr. Osgood today, ''even in the noun
tans. In Pennsylvania they were bad and
in West Virginia they were bad. In Ohio
the roads got better, especially around
Columbus, where for seventy miles they
are as level and smooth as floor. In In
diana they were fair, but in Illinois and
Missouri-well, the next time | go over
those roads it VIII be with flying ma
chine. They are simply fearful. We had
no bad weather, and at no time was the
temperature oppressively warm. In the
mountains we had to wear our heavy WIN
ter clothing and slept under blankets al
ways.
Il never knew before what an excellent
index to the character of the people are
the roads which cut through the country.
Where there were good roads there were
good farms; where the roads were poor
the farms were poor. and the farmers
looked shiftless and devoid both of energy
and ambition. We found 1t difficult to get
proper food in the country districts, the
farmers sending all their products imme-
diately to the markets. There were very
few motor cars on the road. We passed
none going our way, and none going our
way passed US. In the middle west were
encountered few parties going in the
opposite direction, but they were all from
points local within the particular states
in which we met them.
AS far as 1 know our party is the only
one which has made the trip to st. Louis
and return by auto. The journey was ex-
hilarating and instructive, and l have no
complaints whatever to make"