Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-05-24
MAKES THRILLING
JOURNEY IN AUTO
NORTHERN CAR is DRIVEN TO
FOLLOWS CAMP
DEEP POOLS FoRDED BY DARING
MOTORISTS
Trip Fifteen Miles Up San Gabriel
Canyon Is Made In Face Of OBJ
stacIes That Seem Un-
surmountabIe

"A Fifteen miles up the San Gabriel can
ID Won Is a most delightful place called
4 Follows camp, which was the op-
jective point of three motorists VINO
~ went in a Northern tWo-cyllnder 10
f7that point last Sunday.
~ Only twice before has the trip been
|Esuccessfully made and both times pre-
viously IL was later In the summer,
3 when the water was low.
& The start for the trip was made from
S Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon
4 and the run to Azusa made without
Incident. From that point the road
4 Heading directly north through the
fown wa staken and followed, with two
short turns. to the mouth of the San
Cabriel canyon.
M very short distance from the mouth
IA the canyon the first ford was en-
Volunteered and 1t was learned then that
he trip was going to be strenuous. as
here was more water in the river than
had been anticipated.
W The plunge into the water was made
Ind the car steadily pulled across and
was soon on dry ground again.
'#f Back and forth across the stream
The road was followed, almost lost
Eight of at times as it ran beside the
Z bed of the stream for 200 or 300 yards.
# Much of the road was good, especially
as 1t lead the car at times above the
Il ders and rocks were not so plentiful.
"a Nearly everyone whom the party
passed as they sent the car along the
road stopped and looked In amazement
4 at the machine.
They set the party down as crazy.
foolhardy and reckless, but none of the
discouraging remarks that they made
interfered in the least with the deter
mination of William C. Vaughan, who
was driving. to successfully overcome
the difficulties and hardships of the
trip and take the car to the end of the
road without resorting to horses.
Deep Pool Encountered
After the car had been sent through
n seemingly interminable number of
fords a deep pool was reached, with
steep banks on either side. Rocks
thrown in went down with dull chug,
and 1t seemed almost hopeless to try
and send the car through.
The pond is called the swimming hole
and as the party reached it they met
several persons coming down the cam
yon in a wagon. With them waving a
sorrowful farewell to the driver, who
had been warned that he would send
the car to a watery grave, the car
rlunged in. Down 1t went until the
wheels were out of sight and the water
began to run across the bed OF the car
and into the tonneau.
without the least hesitation the
motor chugged on as though 1t was
mere child's play to wade through deep
water.
On the farther bank, however, the
pitch was too steep for the car to get
up, as the mud and rocks could not
give traction.
The wheels spun around until they
smoked, SO that 1t was necessary to
put shoulders to the back of the car
and help 1t up.
Judge Frederickson and Herald rep
resentative were along and 1t finally
! became a habit when the canyon mar
rowed and the stream ran between
sleeper banks to get out and shove the
car up the farther side.
Fighting for a foot at time, the
steep banks were finally surmounted
and a quick run made to the next ford,
where the same program was repeated.
few of the fords are broad and
shallow, while others are wide and
deep as well, and to add to the terrors
of the fords huge boulders lay in the
pathway.
Frequently two of the party would
get out and roll huge rocks aside SO
the car would have room to get over
with the back axle.
After one hard ford was passed big
rock too large to move with anything
road around 1t necessary.
Less than car length ahead of 1t
on the steep pitch in which 1t was i'm
bedded was a stump. While two built
the road, the judge swung the axe and
reduced the height of the stump so the
car could clear 1t.
Then 1t was a case of everybody help
while the wheels spun and threw rocks
and gravel into the stream behind
Choice of Two Fords
Nearly half way up to Follows camp
the car met It's Waterloo, or nearly So
There was choice of two fords, one
had a very steep bank, while the other
appeared to have nice smooth bottom
that appeared to be no deeper than the
others the car had successfully crossed
The depth was deceptive and as the
engine could not work by mixing gas
oline and water that began to go
through the carburetter from the air
intake pipe 1t stopped. And it stayed
stopped. The water was so high all of
the baggage had to be removed from
the floor in the rear of the car and
placed on the back seat.
A block and tackle had been taken
along and resort was had to 1T, but by
the time 1t could be arranged the car
had settled in the sand at the bottom
of the stream and 1t was long, hard
pull to get the car on high enough
ground to start. Finally the carbu-
retter was raised above the water and
the motor started again.
All was going splendidly when big
boulder hidden by the water sent
front wheel hard against huge rock
as big as the car.
1t would neither back nor go for
ward, ard there it stayed wedged be-
tween the huge rocks.
Pulling on the tackle would not
bulge it, SO finally Vaughan placed a
Jack under the rear axle and raised
1t enough to get it on top of the rock
1t had run against.
Two hours were passed in struggling
with the deep stream, and for a while
it looked dark for the prospect of leav-
Ing horses out Of the program, but by
persistent cfforts. which took skin off