Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-06-18
CONV|CTS IN AUTOS
OPEN UP THE WAY
Men in Stripes Sent Out from
Greenwood, s. O., in Motor Cars
To Repair Bad Spots In Road
Ahead of the Scouts.

NEWBERRY, S. c., June 16.-After
run of one hundred and fifteen and three
tenths miles the companion scout cars
Of the Eew York Herald and The At
lanta Journal arrived in Newberry at fif-
teen minutes past eight o'clock last night
after a days running which was made
notable by the extensive escorts attend
ing the scouts, from town to town: by
the proffered hospitality so generous as
almost TO impede progress, and by one
o. two peculiar obstacles of a different
character.
The big White steamer with the New
York men and the huge Oldsmobile with
her locomotive like" wheels carrying the
Atlanta men, had brought their passen-
gers to within five miles of Newberry,
which had been decided upon as the stop
ping place for the night. The menace of
flashing lightning was threatening
through the dark lowering clouds that
made a premature twilight and the great
automobiles were bowling along at good
clip with half a dozen cars their es-
cort in the hope of reaching shelter before
the storm broke. AS they swung around a
curve toward a little wooden bridge
spanning one of the many streams which
cobweb this section of South Carolina, a
warning arm was raised in the first car
and emergency brakes were applied.
A FORMIDABLE OBSTRUCTION.
Directly ahead doomed the outline of a
gigantic thrashing machine. 1t had
reached g point midway the bridge and
had there broken down hopelessly block
ing the bridge and the roadway into New
berry.
A party of men were busy with levers
and great timbers trying to Jack" the
great machine and move it out of the
way. Out of their cars the scouts tum-
bled offering the aid of their own tiny
Jacks" and broad shoulders but some of
the county experts allowed that the Job
might take all night or II might take an
hour. After a glance at the situation the
scouts concluded that the all night n.y.
pothesis would be the more plausible
There survey was made of the adjoining
field in the hope that a detour might be
made and the stream be forded below
the blockaded bridge. But the fields were
planted with cotton and the soil softened
by recent heavy rains could not sustain
the weight of the 5000 pound machines
The only practical solution, in order that
the scouts might enjoy the banquet await
ing them as the guests of the Newberry
board of trade, was to retrace several
miles Of the journey just made and thus
connect with different road leading into
the city.
A FIVE-MILE DETOUR.
So the entire line Of automobiles had to
back up the narrow road until a place
was found wide enough in which to turn
them. After a detour which added five
miles to the days record on the odonaeter
the sNaut cars and their escorts with
their shriil horns footing and the people
cheering pulled up in front of tEa Nav--
berry hotel. Indeed, the demonstrations
OF enthusiasm in all towns reached
through which the scouts passed was one
the striking 80 ~.
Upon leaving Elberton, Ca, at Gas.
haf the population Of the town swarmed
about the cars, shaking hands with the
scouts, and just before they took the road
again two large American flags were
brought out and presented one to each
car. On the White Steamer the flag was
effectively adjusted over the great hood of
the radiator while the boys from Atlanta
rugged their flag Jauntily above the ton
neau of Mr.. Lamar's big Oldsmobile. so
that it fiuttered and whipped out saucily
in the breeze as the cars. amid a parting
cheer, dashed away for the Savannah
river and the South Carolina line.
ELBERTS THOUGHTFUL WORK.
No sooner were the tourists out Of town
than they realized that the good folk of
Ebert county, instead of strewing their
path with flowers, had done what was
far better in the interest of good roads.
county to patch with fresh earth all the
treacherous holes and washed out hol-
lows which beset the scouts on the path
they had selected. This did much to
smooth the roads, otherwise rough and
difficult down to fuckers ferry, where
the Savannah river is crossed on a prim-
tive float, operated by a trolley slung
from a cable spanning the stream, while
the swift flowing current of the Savannah
az a
natural motive power. The ferry was
reached at ten minutes before II o'clock.
The approaches, though recently over
flowed and badly washed out, had been
admirably repaired by a large force of
men especially for the scouts.
AN OLD TIME FERRY.
The Oldsmobile moved quietly down the
slope to the river brink and safely onto
the float, not without misgivings, as the
fragile craft had never before carried SO
heavy a car. AS the Atlanta boys moved
out into the muddy current with their
machine, their New York comrades on
the Georgia bank Joined them in a cheer
and for the last time on Georgia soil
raised their voices in their favorite song
"In Dear Old Georgia" 1t required fif-
teen minutes for the ferry to make one
round trip.
The Herald's White Steamer promptly
followed the "Olds" without mishap, and
on the South Carolina shore again, piloted
by a numerous escort, they climbed the
steep bank at ten minutes before noon
and started for Lowndesville, S. c., over
roads that were drying up from the recent
rains, but were rough and lumpy in many
places.
LUNCH AT ABBEvILLE.
Abbeville, S. c., was reached at hall
past / O'Clock. There the cars ran into
the public square, amid the cheers OF
hundreds of the townsfolk, men and wo-
men. who overwhelmed them with cour-
tesies and hospitality. In the town hall a
generous buffet luncheon was served. and
during the hour which was as much time
as the good roads champions could spare
in Abbeville, the deep interest Of its peo-
pie in the subject of good roads and the
! irrespective national highway from New
| York to Atlanta was evidenced by the
! hundreds of questions which they asked
/ and which the scouts tried to answer.
I AS the party entered Abbeville members
/ of the escorting delegation pointed out
with pride the fine old colonial mansion
! known as the Burt house. 1t was In one
of its spacious rooms that Jefferson Da'
Wis and his associates held the last meet
| ing of the cabinet. Of the Confederate
States government Mr. Davis had beer
| forced to leave Richmond, and was In
flight southwark attempting to reach
| Georgia. His capture by a detail of Fed
eral cavalry occurred only few day:
| kLho,.;1,o ot+Izaps oslo showed espe