The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-05-23

by lar the most important step ever
taken to ascertain whether the automo-
bile has been uniustly maiigned or rot
as an annihi!ator of good roads was taken
Yesterday at the executive committee
meeting of the American Automobile as
sociaton, held at national headquarters.
AZ Fifth avenue. Cooperating with the
United States office of public roads aid
all Of the automobile trade and manu-
fsctIrIng bodies the American Automo-
Bile association has decided to hold early
This season. probably In June, series OF
severe tests to determine, first: just
what damage the automobile does to the
road surface and, second; what will be
the best measures In road building TO
adopt so as to prevent the breaking up
of the road surface from constant auto
mobile traffic.
So much has been said in the past re
rarding the destructive effects of motor
cars upon the highway and so diverse are
the efforts that have been taken not only
to prevent the damage, but through vari-
Gus legislative acts TO impose unnecessary
hardships upon the owners of motor We
hiCles in taxing or otherwise requiring
them 70 pay for highway maintenance,
that many Of the leading automobilists
Of the country have been considering for
some time the ACCESSIBILITY of conducting
some authoritative tests:
X X
Among the merits Of the new rules for
the 1893 Glidden tour contest none is be-
ing more appreciated by those who com
pete, and the public that watches. than
the one that so divides the cars into
classes that each will get a proper value
for its performance. It will not be pos
sible. as in other years, for a car of ten
horse power to get credit for performing
as well over mountains as one OF sixty
horse power. This is something no one
expects and il has been confusing in a
harmful way to have all cars running on
the same schedule. Another great virtue
or the tour this year is that Of having
course that will afford both the heavy
af.g
ess. The poor roads viii be no worse
than in former years, but there viii be
greater variety in the road surface and
many long grades, both up and down, go
ing to Denver and back:
When the automobiles which are to
make this years ocean o-ocean run from
New York to Seattle in connection with
exposition cross the continent they Will
not have as one of their number the
Franklin, which is the holder of the trans
continental record. There will be no en-
try OF the motor car which three years
ago made the run from San Francisco to
New York in fifteen days, two hours and
twelve minutes, a time which has not
been approached by any other car.
X x
feature of the Franklin automobile is
its equipment with full elliptic springs
instead of the more commonly used half
elliptic and three-quarcer elliptic. The
village of BaldwinsVille a few miles from
that city a considerable industry is the
making of springs. In the past year the
BaldWinsville spring makers have re-
paired or replaced springs on seventy-five
Syracuse motor cars having half elliptic
OF three quarter elliptic springs. Tho
spring trouble thus handled at the Bald
Winsville shops Us greater than the spring
trouble encountered with the entire
Franklin 1903 output with its full elliptic
spring construction.
= Z
Entrance blanks and fees were regu-
larry mailed on May S to cover the entries
of two model T Ford cars in the ocean
to ocean contest, thereby proving Mr.
Ford's intention to stick TO his original
declaration and his BELIEF that the low
priced and light weight car is capable OF
making a good showing in this difficult
task.
The cars selected are standard in every
respect, the only change being IN the
bodies which are altered so as to conform
TO the requirements of this long ride. NOi
will there be carried any great load OF
pected TO make the entire trip without
tire.
The cars have been assigned by the
committee Nos. ] and ,, so that they viii
be the first 70 leave New York and il
the drivers word can he accepted. first
the rest OF the way Anyway their in
tentions are good and they are driving
cars that have secured reputation fol
Each car will have two drivers, who
must 50 the full route as no extras car
be picked up. or changes made aftel
leaving New York. These drivers are: n
car No. I Frank Kulick and II. B. Har-
per: in car No. ?, Bert Scott and James
Smith.
Great preparations are under way for 4
reception in Kansas City which shall
accorded the II u NJ nafn.
finders in Denver. When she arrives he-t
the car will have covered over 800 miles
and Will have laid out the longest Gid
den tour 20 date. Not only this. but tbs
route Is the longest ever laid out for
reliability tour CT other sanctioned con
test
Herds Of elk have been sighted at sew
eraI places during the last few days anC
coyotes. bear ana other wild animals have
become q common sight. But for tn,
temptation TO stop and pick off few
from the flOelSs of prairie chickens tina
are so plentiful in this little traverseC
section-even greater mileage would have
been made since leaving Denver. Tn
lakes and ponds swarm with Wild fowl
ducks. geese and even swan-so il is az
exceptional evening when the pathfiudinl
party fail TO have for supper some kline
of game they have shot themselves.
That the automobile succeeds when tn,
railway train fails is lesson learned bl
the Collins Realty company Of Helena
Mont With delay az the start, due u
the refusal Of a time lock to work ahead
Of time and with a train schedule tina
made certain business plans impossible:
OF execution within the necessary tinl'
Z the railway were depended upon, Mr.
Deerirg. a representative OF the company
was sent out in a motor car % cover u
muddy miles in a bowling sn0wstorm
And he did it at q speed equal TO that o.