Los Angeles herald., 1909-03-21
FINISH DETAILS
SEATTLE RACE
ALL PARTS OF CHASSIS AND
ENGINE STAMPED
TOUGH CONDITIONS WEST OF
GRANGER, WYo.
Purpose of Great Race Is to Prove
That the Auto Can Start from
to Anywhere and
Finish

NEW YORK, March 20.-The Thomas
Flyer, which will act as pathfinder
for the International Transcontinental
Automobile contest for the M. Robert
Guggenheim trophy, from this city to
the Alaska Yukon-Pacific exposition
on June 10, started for Seattle from
the city hall this noon.
The pathfinder is the car which won
the New York to Paris race last year,
and George Miller, who acted as
mechanician in that event. will drive
the car to Seattle. The crew took with
them a letter of felicitation from
Mayor Mcclellan to the mayor of
Seattle.
Besides Miller the crew consists of
L. w. Reddington. c. w. Eaton and
j. S. NJ. Eley. 1t is expected the trip
will take about forty days.
NEW YORK, March 2o.-Inquiries
are being received daily from al parts
of the country requesting further in
formation concerning the ocean-to-
ocean contest for the NJ Robert Gug-
genheim trophy.
l.. F. Moore, who will be in charge
of the contest, has just returned from
Seattle, where he completed very sat
isfactory arrangements with the au-
of the route but for the erection of a
building in the Alaska Yukon Pacific
exposition grounds in which the cars
that complete the contest will be ex-
nibited in the order of finishing.
A study of previous trips across the
continent show that there Will be lit
tie difficulty encountered by the trans
continentalists until they reach
Granger. Wyo 1t is not meant by this
that the roads are smooth asphalt or
hard macadam for this distance, but
that the motorist will at all times rec
ognize that what is in front of him is
a road and cannot be mistaken for a
lake, sand pit, granite quarry or re-
plowed cornfield. But from Granger
west conditions change. The Rockies
and Cascade ranges must be crossed.
and the available routes are at best
bad.
Twenty-Five Per Cent Grade
The route takenI by Mr.. Hover last
summer necessitates a climb of 300U
feet in three miles. This is bad enough
coming down, and practically impossi-
BILE to climb, the average grade pelGg
25 per cent.
Another possible route is that which
leads through Snoqualmic pass. This
pass is within 200 miles of Seattle and
yet the snow, even in June, is over
thirty feet deep. With these difficult
ties in view, the pathfnding car will
be instructed to take more southerly
route through the state of Oregon.
The greatest hardship on this por-
ton of the run will be after leaving
Prinevile. From this point to Salem
and Portland the tourist is under the
influence of Mount Washington, with
it's continually falling boulders and up
rooted trees
The Seattle Automobile club, how
ever, will station men at the worst
points and will endeavor to clear the
road as much as possible. while the
highway authorities will make repairs
to the roads lying within the state of
Washington.
In order to lessen the expense to
contestants the railroads will file a
rate with the interstate commerce
commission cutting eastern freight
rates in half on competing cars. They
also will guarantee to deliver cars back
to Chicago in ten days.
This is a consideration for the over
worked traffic managers of the fac
tories, who know from bitter expert
ence the length of time 1t takes under