The Marietta journal and courier. (Marietta, Ga.) 1909-1918, 1909-11-12
From New York to Atlanta
With the Great Auto Run
Messrs. ]. g. Roberts and E. L. Stringer Write of
the Trp.IWith Messrs. DuPre and McNeel
in Their Maxwell Car.

Had drive of about one hundred and
thirty miles, some OF which was very
rough, as we crossed the mountains. It
was on this day that our car made the
best running time Of any in the race by
sixteen minutes. We were not aware
of the fact that we had made the best
time until we saw the morning papers.
We spent something like thirty minutes
in filling the car with gasoline, oil, etc.,
after reaching Charlotte before check
ing in, which really makes our time
better than was recorded.
We spent Sunday in Charlotte, and
on Monday came to Greenville, S. C.
On Tuesday we came to Commerce,
Ca, where we we're welcomed into
Georgia by Hon. John Holder, speaker
of the house. A number OF addresses
we're delivered by prominent people,
among whom were the Mayor of Com
merce, Hon. Hamp McWhorter and
Judge W. 7. Newman, the latter two
gentlemen having come from Athens to
welcome the crowd.
On Wednesday we came on to At
lanta, and were there accorded one of
the most cordial receptions in the his
tory of that city.
Messrs. McNeel and DuPre would al
ternate in driving, one usually driving
in the forenoon and the other in the
afternoon.
The majority of the cars in this race
were either owned or driven by South
ern people. The crowd was one of the
most congenial we have ever had the
pleasure OF associating with. In some
of the smaller towns in which we had
to stop at night, the accommod ations
we're necessarily rather bad, but every
body accepted them in the best of spir-
its, and very little discomfort was evi.
dent.
Our running time during the entire
trip averaged % miles an hour. This
required some pretty fast driving, as
the roads in some quarters we're Yery
rough.
Out OF the twenty-eight contestinp
cars that finished with perfect score.
our car made second best time, not.
withstanding the fact some eight or
ten cars were in Glass /, and being
cars costing from four to six thousand
dollars, and our car was in Glass 4.
We never, on any occasion, failed to
come In on Class rs time, though we
had from 80 minutes to an hour on each
run allowed, but never needed. We
had absolutely no trouble with our car
from the time we checked out in New
York until we checked in at Decatur.
with the exception Of little tire trou-
ole. We attribute some of this to the
skill and ability OF our drivers, but the
most of it to the MAXWELL" which. in
our opinion, compared most favorablv
with any other car in our class, or in
fact in the race, at any price, for a trip
OF this kind.
We we're accorded cordial reception
throughout the entire trip, but we no.
tlced that the further South we came.
the more cordial became the reception
In many instances people came quite
distance to see the race, and eerlv in
the mornings we noticed a number of
places where fires had been built bv the
side OF the road, which indicated that
they had been there for some time in
order not to miss any of the sight.
The weather was ideal, Had no rain
at all, and the roads were in their best
condition, In many sections of the
country great deal of work had been
done on the roads, and IN several coun
ties we found the c0nvicts at work
This was especially true in the States
of North Carolina and South Carolina
1t is with regret that we say so, vet we
found the worst road in Georgia of any
State through which we passed.
We could write pages and still only
begin to tell of the wonders of the
scenery, the manner in which we were
welcomed in the different cities, etc
but we fear that we have already writ
ten too much. We can say in cunclu-
! sion that this was the greatest trip of
our iyes--a trip which we would re.
commend ~ all our friends, whether in
3 race or not
Respectfully,
j. G ROBERTS,
e l. STpTNcvu