Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-08-19
: HOME AGAIN.
Ex-Governor Hill and PARTY
Arrive Safely
From Sk-weeks Trip Through
England and France.
Auto Trip Through Byways Of Eng
land Feature Of Journey.

d SiN-NttkS TRIP through England and
a portion of France. He was accom-
panied ty Mrs. Hill and son, John Lig-
| sett, who took the entire trip with him.
| The party were in excellent health and
| spirits and reported that the entire
! journey, which included as a novel fea-
turc, Il tWo-wceks automobile trip
through portions OF England, not fire.
| luentiy visited by tourists, passed
without accident or inishap.
| The party sailed from New York
July Is, on the steamer Princess Ce-
| lille of the North German Lloyd Line,
landing first at Plymouth and arriving
at London, July 20.
| The sole purpose of my journey
abroad" said Ex-Governor Hill in
| discussing the trip with q Journal re-
porter" was the making of an auto
| mobile trip through England. We ira
Feled about 120n miles in byways and
| cut -of-tlle-way places, which are not
| frequented by tourists, automobiling
| al through the south and west of
| England and Wales and back to Lon
don through the midland district. We
remained in London four or five days
| and then crossed the channel to France,
a week. We tried little automobiling
| in France, but after the cool drives
| through England, the dusty French
highways proved too much for us and
| we decided to reserve our automobile
| trip through France for another jour-
| ney. We sailed from Cherbourg, Aug
| II on the steamer Kaiser Wilhelm Der
| Crosse, arriving in New York Tuesday
after a very fine passage. Although
we enjoyed the trip very much we were
| glad to get back thinking four or five
weeks quite long enough to be away
from Maine"
The automobile used by the party on
| this trip was an English Daimler of a
model quite different from any in use
in this country. The English machines
are much heavier build than most OF
| the American makes. The machine in
| question was a 40-horsepower car
which is Of considerably more power
| than the same class American machine.
| The party found the roads excellent
| and a surprising feature to them at
first was the rapidity with which ma
| chimes are driven about the thickly
| settled portions of London. They pass
| along the main thorOughfares at a
| speed that in this country would be
deemed excessive. Il was somewhat
disturbed at first SAID Governor Hill,
when l found that our chauffeur was
1owling along the Thames embankment
at the rate of 80 miles an hour, but l
soon observed that other machines We're
passing us at the same rate of speed
and my fears were lessened. He sta
| OIL hat ha Fri pti MI
IN machines hy the traffic officers was
| hat they must keep upon the side of
the road on which they belonged The
traffic officer when he held up his hand
and gave a word of command to any
of the chauffeurs was quickly obeyed.
Governor Hill was very enthusiastic
in praise of his chauffeur, who he said
| knew his trade thoroughly and took
the party the entire trip without sim
gle mshap. Among the places not
| easily accessible by rail visited by the
party were Cornwall. Devonshire, the
| Lorna Doone county and the seashOre
resorts on the west coast of Wales.
The roads through the country in
which they travelled came in for a
| 'arge share of praise from the ex-Gov-
,rnor and his party. These roads are
| If macadam construction and are kept
in fine repair. Many who discuss the
problem of road building in this coun-
try and wonder why we do not have
as good roads as in parts of England
10 not understand the situation re-
marked Governor Hill after he had
commented upon the excellent cOndi-
ton of the roads.
THE roads in the country through
which we travelled are highways
| through a succession of villages. Pri-
vate roads are maintained between
| scattered residences, but the public
>; highways continue from village to viii
| lage. The amount Of roads IN 'H"N~'0-
ton to the population Is very much
/ less than in this Coun..y. i.
reason for the better condition of the
roads is that while the fall of rain may
often be continuous for several days it
is not excessive. The only rain with
which we met was a Scotch mist" Or
drizzle, which hardly necessitated the
putting up of the top Of the machine.
The roads are not ditched to any ex>
tent as they have to be in this country,
for they do not have a rainfall of sew
eral inches in a single storm to con-
tend with as we do now"
Another reason for the permanency
Of the roads, he continued, lis that
England gets but very little frost.
Cornwall, Devonshire. Surrey and Dor
set hardly get any frost and in colder
portions a foot of frost would be con-
sidered very unusual. SO, you see,
there are three reasons why English
| roads are bound to be better than
ours. First, they do not have the mile
age; second, there is practically no
frost to contend with. and third there
are no long continued down pouring
| rains to wash them out. I might add
there is also a fourth reason and that
is the long existence of the roads. A
great many of them have been in ex-
| istence since the Roman occupation
Of Great Britain and the first con-
| struction was made when the cost ri
labor was practically nothing"
THE land through Devonshire, Corn
wall and Wales is very fertile" he said
in speaking of the territory through
which the tourists passed. THE per-
centage of waste land is very small