Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-05-10
SPLENDID MOTOR
ROAD IS OPENED
VAUGHAN OF DIAMOND CAR
TAKES INITIATIVE
PROMINENT ANeELENos IN THE
PARTY
Beautiful Canyons, Forests and Trout
Streams Made Accessible by
Action Of Daring Auto
mobilists

One of the most delightful sections of
the mountain country of Southern Cali
fornia has been opened to motorists
through the efforts and initiative of
William c. Vaughan of the Diamond
Motor Car company.
Many have been the pathfinding
trips that Vaughan has made around
Southern California in his Northern
touring car, but none of them have
approached in point of beauty or i'm
portance the last one that he made
during last week. In company with
Judge Frederickson and wife and Miss
Kerr in his machine and Allen Craig
and wife i'm their Northern roadster,
Vaughan piloted the party past San
Bernardino up the Arrowhead grade to
Squirrel Inn at the top of the range
OF the San Demanding mountains
1t has been supposed for some time
in fact, since the Arrowhead toll road
was opened for free use by the county
supervisors. that the use of automo-
bles was prohibited on the grade, but
armed with permit to use in case of
necessity the party started up the
grade Thursday evening and was at
the top in less than two hours with
no trouble at all in making the ascent.
When they reached the top Road
Overseer Worthington was waiting for
them with an order from the district
attorney of San Bernardina to take up |
the permit and learn the names and
addresses of the entire party.
The first order that Worthington re- |
ceived from the district attorney was
to arrest the party but later the order
was changed when after investigation |
the attorney learned that there was
no law that prohibited the use of the |
grcde by automobiles, but that the |
10 <,fl
any county from closing any county |
road.
Worthington expressed considerable |
pleasure over the successful climbing |
of the grade by the machines and gave
the party all of the information at his
command that would be of any use
TO them.
Lumber leaning
The main traffic on the grade is made |
up of lumber teams that have all the |
way from six to ten mules in a. team. |
AS they leave San Bernardino at 4
in the morning and reach the top at a
in the afternoon almost invariably on
schedule time, it is possible for cars
to make the trip without meeting any
of the big teams if the start Is made
after o'clock in the afternoon.
Ordinary teams can be passed at
many places or almost any place on the
grade as it is wide enough except in a
few short cuts.
The grade Is easy so that any me-
dunn powered car or even a low pow
cred one in good condition can make
the climb
The two cars made almost the en-
tire climb on intermediate though many
places will permit the use of the high
gear. After the top was reached the
trip was continued to Camp Comfort,
xtrha nan |
Early Friday morning, the first day
of May fishing tackle was gotten out
and a start made for the stream, where
a good catch was made in a short
time. On Saturday. however. such
good luck was not encountered for
about II o'clock a rain storm came up
and before camp was reached the whole
party was drenched and the rain
turned to sleet and then to snow. and
the temperature was SO low that the
women in the party suffered consid-
erably.
Sheltered in Cabin
When they reached camp the tents
were found to be uninhabtable, but
there were some good Samaritans near
and soon the women had been made
comfortable with dry clothing and a
warm room in the cabin of Mr.. and
MS j. Hayden.
in the person of r. Farmer. who helped
them out with dry clothing from his
wardrobe, even insisting on sleeping
on the floor that two of the men could
have warm bed.
It was stormy on Sunday, too, but
with a close roof over their heads and
a long cook house at their disposal with
two big stoves to keep them warm, the
party played cards and cared not
whether 1t rained.
Sunday morning there were three
inches of snow on the ground, and
every one got out into it for a SNOWFALL
fight.
A snowfall of the depth on the first
day of May was quite novelty to the Il
party, especially to two of the women,
who had never been in snow before.
Several of the people who live on the
mountain were delighted to think that .
the place was accessible to motor cars,
and foreSee a great future for the par =
ticular spot, which is one of the most
delightful camping places in Southern
California. The trip by wagon has al
ways been an arduous one and con- .
sumed so much time that 1t would not
pay to make the trip except for a stay
of considerable time. r
Six Hours to Mount =
vaughan's initiative has now made 1t /
possible for motorists to take advantage {
of the beautiful mountains above San I
Bernardino for short trips of two or {
three days. Six hours from Los An &
geles will take the motorist with a 6
medium powered car into the heart of 6
the pine forests and beside the trout
streams. while the return trip can be !
made in quite little less time on ac- G
count of the long down grade. {
line only opposition to motor cars on 9
the grade Is from the drivers of the I
Dig teams, and they fear that the ma d
cnines will replace the horse-drawn I
vehicles and they will be out of their t
Jobs eventually. t
supervisor West of San Bernardino t
county Is quoted as saying that there isl
no legal reason why cars cannot be e
run up the grade, and that he hopes
tney VIII take advantage Of their OPP
shown them the way. !
Besides giving the motorist access 10 J