The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-06-01
Route Just Difficult Enough
TO Prove Cars Real
Worth.
WINCHESTER is OUT;
DISTANCE 164 MILES
Only About Thirty Miles of Really
Bad Going in Amended Route.
Mountain Roads Fair.
By THOMAS S. RICE.

Entries close June g. Send 'em in.
Just 90 be sociable. twenty-five miles
will be cut on the great Times endur-
anoe automobile run Of June g.
This twenty-five miles Is the eleven
miles from BerryviIle. Va, 20 Winches-
ter, Va. and by the same token. the
same eleven miles from Winchester
back 70 BerryvIle.
The total amended distance is now 1854
niles instead of the original lS6 miles
Ths rules Of the American Automobile
Association require that an endurance
run be al least $50 miles long In Sc
lecting its route The Times mapped out
ono which It thought would be a fair
and honest test OF an autos staying
qualities without subjeoting 1t to unfair
perils. tt would would have been pos
sible 10 select a course that would have
been practically 80 miles OF all more
or less good roads. but any machine is
expected 10 run well on a pike OF we'll
kept highway. and. barring accidents in
the way Of collisions. might continue
for It's natural life TO speed up and
down on such without demonstrating
its comparative durability.
Affords Severe Test.
The route secuted out b. the writer
and Rudolph Jose IN a four-cyIinder
Cadillac has the distinctive merit Of
giving both car and driver all the Cd
portunities in the world to prove what
they can do when confronted by such
obstacles as would meet a man max
ing an ordinary tour IN this section OF
the country, and who has not care
fully favored himself b. taking his
course over the very few good roads
leading from Washington.
From Washington TO Olney is an ex-
cellent road over the Seventh street pike.
From Omey 10 LaytonsviIle the Rad is
rough. and scanned with ruts. which
necessitates careful driving. but would
not injure machine except in case Of
great recklessness. Olney to Laytons-
vile IS seven miles Of tolersbly unde-
sirable driving. From L.aytonsviIle to
Frederick IS tweuty-seven and one-haIf
miles all excellent. From Frederick to
Berryville Is forty miles OF some of the
best road and prettiest scenery that ever
made man cheer up and forget he was
q gold Democrat. There are sharp hills
approaching the Maryland side OF Har-
pers Ferry and there is A steep hill In
Harpers Ferry itself but these are
minor Incidents. and on the whole the
route is one which once Travelled in
good car would make an auto enthusiast
out Of wooden Indian.
From Berryville TO Iseesburg is TWEEN
ty-four miles, OF which eighteen Is over
mountain roads which. while not first
class pike, are not nearly as bad as
might be expected. and should be nego-
Uated without undue eXerti0n bv any
driver who keeps his eve on his number
and does not try any Barney O!ddeId
tricks In the way of speed. There are
some steep climbs. but none of a quail
lty TO feaze the average touring auto.
and we expect no entry 20 be stumped
by this stretch
Stretch of Good Road.
The road out of Leesbure from where
YOU turn 10 the left in the town at the
Loudon National Bank 10 a point about
six miles away where the Whites ferry
dirt road turns off abruptly. is good.
This road arrives tn view of the river
In about 2 mile and turns to the left
with great suddenness. Here is q real
l. dangerous place. and the only actual
menace In the ia miles. Any man who
swings around that corner and off the
plain dirt track onto the grass is goifl9
10 crop sheer forty feet, although a
casual inspection CT the turn would not
reveal the trap because of the manner
in which the weeds have grown I'D the
sides Of the deep cut into the bank and
oYerlapped, presenting an appearance
OF the usual grass roadside or ditch.
Whites ferry IS given In the guide
books as 80 miles from Washington.
Subtractlng the 1917 miles from Wash
iugton 10 Rockville we have 23i2 miles
which IS nearly all bad going. There
are few stretches on which a chauffeur