The San Francisco call., 1909-09-19
By R. R. L'HoMMED1EU


After covering nearly $500 miles in
the first transcontinental motor trip
ever essayed in this country for mill
tary purposes the Mitchell Ranger. car
rying dispatches from Major General
Leonard A Wood. L. s A. command
Ing the department of the east, TO
Major John + Weston, L. s A.. San
Francisco. commanding the department
Of California. arrived at Stockton late
ast night and viii proceed TO the city
early todaySso TO be able 70 go 10
Tanforan in time for the races. The
EAR was expected TO arrive yesterday,
but after leaving Carson City and COM
ing down from the summit, il was lost
In the mountains and did not get into
Placerville until u hours after IL was
expected. After stopping to tighten
I'D a bearing. the car proceeded on 10
Stockton where a stop was made last
night II was somewhat OF disap-
pofntment for many Of the Mitchell
owners had proceeded over to Hayward
10 give the car regular Calitornia
welcome. When il was found that
he car would not come through, Lieu
tenant u. H Homer is command of the
detachment Of men OF the national
ard Of California. ordered the cars
fs-rying his men 10 proceed 10 Stock
ton
At PIaceryiIle The men in the cars
stopped long enough TO tell or their
trip across the continent.
Al the wheel Of the mud bespattered
car which has passed through eleven
states since leaving Governors Island
August Ie. was Private NJ E Parrott,
\ G. : " Y who was entrusted with
the message by Major General WOOD,
and who has alternated as pilot
10 "a
driver who has attracted national at
reution as a successful contestant In
- hour races. Accompanying them and
in charge OF the party is Lieutenant
B. B Rosenthal. whose service in the
signal corps during the SpaRish-Am
can war thoroughly equipped him 10
overcome the wretched road conditions
witch were encountered during the
strenuous Atlantic TO Pacific trip,
during which bridges which had
been swept away by washouts. had 10
berebuiit on several occasions
Because Of Major General Woods de-
sire 10 have an automobile serN-
ice inaugurated in connection with
regular and volunteer service. the trip
was undertaken by Private Parrott In
the Mitchell Ranger, and, after re-
viewing conditions, encountered by the
khaki clad trio and sturdy little ma
chine in which they rode, IL wih pc
seen that the automobile has SHOWN
ospability TO rush dispatches across
prairie, desert and mountain unoeI any
and all conditions.
Driver Zirbies. who piioted the car
most of the way. says at times Cook
and Peary had nothing on the party IN
the way OF hardships-
The run from New York TO Chicago
was q 10Y ride" said Zirbies, and IL
wasn't until we hit the Iowa gumpo
~I--%
Of rs in the way of execrable road con-
dsttons. The Mitchell ranger, whicn
wss the first of the 1910 four cylinder
models turned out&by Designer Bate
~ the Racine factory, had no special
mechanical equipment. and weighed
exacflv 2 300 pounds However, with
our military raphernalia. axes, ropes,
planks luggage. and ourselves II
weighed when en- route, z-eSe pounos'
and that was some tonnage 10 pun.
rarficularly when we were al times
over 1000 feet above sea level Of
course. the various attitudes made US
sdft,st our carburetor often. but out
side of that we did not have 10 ootner
very much with the machine ana got
through in fine shape. notWitnstahdine
the execrable conditions of the roads
or whatever you prefer 10 cali tne"-
only for Lieutenant Rosenthals re-
,sourcefulness in building his temporary
BRIDGES and overcoming unlocked Tor
road obstacles we might have diner
ent. tale 10 tell"
private PARROT confirmed Driver
Zfrbies' story. bat was. If anything.
more emphatic in deploring the road
conditions
When asked for a description OF the
trim. he referred 10 Lieutenant Rosen-
thai. who had charge of the party
We left New York with General
Woods message August 49,. said Lieu
tenant Rosenthal -and, although we
made no attempt az record breaking
doing all our driving in the daylight
We reached Chicago abort ~ hours
ahead OF the time we figured. We were
escorted out of Chicago by defach-
rnent OF mounted police. and we breezeo
along rnerrfly until we reached Dixon,
Ts where we hit a rainstorm that ac-
COMMANDED US all through Iowa, and
want to say that liquid glue has moth
me on Iowa gumbo. After being
soaked fstmospherically. Of course) in
Toua we were literally fried to a
frazzle going over the Nebraska
nrasrfes. We reached Julesburg, coio-r
August 81. and from there on words
- snadeouate 10 describe the condi-
y ions we encountered
After entering Colorado We made a
defour 40 miles because of washouts.
during which we visited the scene OF
the attack on. Julesburg by the Sioux
and Cheyennes some years ago When
we reached sidney, which, IN 1855, was
a military post OF Importance. we