Arizona republican., 1908-11-26
STREWN WITH
 WRECKAGE Storyof Some People, an Auto
 mobile and a Mule AND HER NAME WAS MAUD How B. A. Fowler and Party Lost the Slow Record on the Roosevelt Road but Made Some Other New Ones.
AND HER NAME WAS MAUD

MT and Mrs. B A. Fowler, Mrs. Littlepage of Washington, D. C. Mrs. l.. c. Hill and daughter Margaret, ar rived here at a late hour Tuesday night from Roosevelt having spent good part of the autumn in travel be- tween Phoenix and that historic point. Mrs. Littlepage who came here at the request of C. J. Blanchard of the re- clamation service, after visiting alf the other projects. and spending sometime in the Yosemite valley. said the Salt River project is the gem of them all and she is glad she visited 1t last. Of the scenery between Mesa City and Roosevelt Mrs. Littlepage spoke en- Enthusiastically and said she saw nOth- ing in the Yosemite that surpassed it. Concerning the incidents of the trip she hopes never to see anything that will surpass them.
 Mir Fowler stated in a brief inter- view last evening that though he had been gone sometime he could note but few changes in the appearance of the country but all that he could see seem ed to be in the line Of improvements. He regretted that he had been absent so long but he felt that the slow rec ord for automobiles between Phoenix and Roosevelt should not be held by Howard Reed. or any other govern ment official as against the president of the Water Users association. the more as the peoples money must pay ~for the building of the road. He ad- mitted that in elapsed time MT. Reed still had rather the advantage of him but in slow running time MT Fowler will not take his hat off to anybody.
 The party left here Saturday at 9:25 am. being signed out from the Hotel Adams. Mesa was reached in fine shape but at the corporation line the chauffeur remembered the expe- rience of Judge Ainsworth and slowed down to eight miles an hour. A side trip was taken to Granite Reef where the dam was inspected and a luncheon enjoyed and at 12:30 the tour was resumed. The party arrived in safety at Desert Wells about ] o'clock, thirty eight miles by the rodometer.
 Then the machine began to buck. It was cOaXed along into the foothills near Government Wells but beyond that point it became really obstrep- erous. The "shOver" spent a large part of his time out on the running board and cowcatcher, tinkering with the commentator" the "carbutter," the spark plug and various other de- vices invented chiefly to interfere with the popularity of automobiles in gen eraL The regulations of oil flow which had been something appalling was also quite necessary. They finally crossed Mormon Flat and coasted down to Le- Barge Creek at twenty miles an hour. Before they reached the bottom of the grade however. the machine shied at something and turning sQuarely on its left heel, shot over the embankment and down a steep incline for some dis tance, where it encountered a boulder, turned squarely to the right again, parallel with the road, proceeded some yards. hit another rock and turned its' nose up the hillside. One of the front tires was ripped off, the water tank sprung a leak and the passengers sat right in their seats, their hearts in their mouths and their hopes in heaven.
 As soon as MT. Fowler recovered his speech he helped the ladies out and spent the next hour helping the shower get the machine back up the hillside and on the right of way. As a wreck ing crew the two men were getting valuable experience for what was to follow. A new tire was put on. an inner tube placed in commission. some little repairs were made on the vitals of the machine and travel was resum- ed. Everything went smoothly for a mile or two along Tortilla Hill until within three miles of Tortilla Flat where the auto died entirely for lack of nOurishment The thirteen gallons of gasoline on hand at the start was gone and nobody seemed to know what had become of it.
 The party ambled along to Tortilla Flat on foot, hoping to find entert2in- ment there until some relief expedition came along. But on arriving MT Fow- Ter learned of Jim Minter. whose fam fly comprises the whole town, except strangers within the gate, that he had only one bed and that he had given that mp to party from Roosevelt.
 While the conference proceeded Chas. T. Martin of Globe, who had been vis- iting in Phoenix, came along with an automobile and Mir Fowler held him up about as earnestly as he ever did anything in his life He related the facts here recited and Mir. Martin told him he had five gallons of gasoline he was willing to donate in any good cause. such as the saving of life, etc, and 1t was accepted without any un- seemly hesitation, for at that moment it had been settled that there was no hope of ultimate salvation west of Fish Creek, whether it was reached that night or a week later.
 The machine was stimulated with the limited draught of gasoline and new start made but by this time even the shower had lost confidence in it and did not oppose MT. Fow- ler's employment of MT. Minter and