Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-18
WOMAN MAKING
A RECORD RUN
MRS. RAMSEY AND HER PARTY
REACH NEBRASKA
PASS OVER HORRIBLE ROADS ON
DRIVE ACROSS COUNTRY
Distance Covered Exceeds That Ever
Attained by Any Other Woman in
Any Road Run m This
Continent

All records for transeontinental tour
ing in automobiles by women were
broken early last week by Mrs John r.
Ramsey of Hackensack, n. j., when she
drove her model ID Maxwell touring car
into Columbus, Neb. Never has any
woman driven a car across the con-
tinent from New York as far as she
had when she reached that city and it'll
is doubtful if anyone has ever driven a
car over such terrible roads as far onl
the American continent as has Mrs. |
Ramsey, who by the way is accom-
panied by three other women, Mrs. n.
r. Powell, Mrs. NJ. Atwood and Miss
II. Jahns, on the first transcontinenlall
tour of the kind ever attempted.
Under ordinary conditions the tour
would not be difficult. but the terrific
rains and cloudbursts through the west
this summer have put the roads in a
condition the like of which is not re-
membered by even the oldest inhabt-
tant and the wonder of it all is that
any car could stand the strain that
Mrs. Ramsey's heavily laden Maxwell
has without giving way somewhere;
but stand 1t II did, to the amazement
of vast crowds of natives who gathered
along the roads at the deep mud holes
and cheered as the fair driver pushed
her Maxwell through holes and
stretches that had stopped other tour
lists while the natives applauded the
plucky quartet and the powerful car
Left In Rainstorm
When the four women left New York
! ii was raining, hard for the east, but
what would have been considered only
a shower in the west. TO Chicago, and
in fact into Clinton. Iowa, the roads
were good, and trihe more than 1000
miles were made in the first seven days
out. After leaving Clinton, however
Is, q whole weeks
rains in that section Of the country
meaning terrific storms in the east.
The result of these rains and cloud
bursts was washed-away bridges, rivers
| and streams over their banks and on
| the narrow roads and mud and gumpol
over the aXles of the car almost con-
tinually until Columbus, Neb., was
reached With the bridges washed away
long detours were necessary, but the
greatest difficulty encountered was
from the mud and streams on the roads
Mrs. Ramsey drove her car through the
water all right, and at times the
treacherous bottom gave way, causing
the car to sink so that the water
rushed in over the foothoards of the
ear. AS long as she was able to secure
traction the engine pulled the car
along, but on several occasions no bot
tom could be found. and the use of
horses became necessary.
informed Mrs. Ramsey that her Max |
well was the only car that had gone
through the town under its own power
i'm three days. several having been
towed for more than "A mile, While the
occupants of two cars after having |
been stuck in the sand had abandoned
their autos to await the drying up of
the roads.
Yet through all this the Maxwell
pulled beautifully and without skip
of the engine. SO deep was the mud
through which the car passed that sew
eral nights it was driven into towns
with the wheels packed solid with
gumbo and the car weighing 300 pounds
more AS result of the accumulation
than it did when the days run was
begun Only those who have driven
over gumbo roads in wet weather can
realize the truth of the statement.
After getting to Columbus the Union
Pacific trail across country was fol-
lowed and while this is narrow. grass
grown and rough in part it was like rid
ing over macadam roads after what
had been Travelled, and the big Maxwell
fairly flew along in spite of the terrible
strain it had been through, and after
having covered. too, about 5000 miles, |
The run of almost 500 miles from Co
lumbus to Cheyenne was made in fine
time. in spite of the steady climb toI
almost one mile above the sea, the alti-
tude of that city.
At Cheyenne a brief rest was taken,
after which the Maxwell was again
headed due west for the run and steady
climb through Laramie and RaWlins
to Granger, Wyo. From here the trip
this week will he through Salt Lake
city, Reno, Sacramento to San Fran
cisco, across the high ranges OF the
Rocky Mountains, up and down steep
grades. which, by the way. have no ter
rors for Mrs Ramsey or any of her
party, for the car has already been
through work that would pull II tol
pieces if hard work could possibly do II.
She has had not bit of engine or
mechanical trouble of any kind and
surprisingly few tire troubles. In fact,
the car seems to have suffered not inl
the least and the engine is working
i'm fact better today than when the
party left New York. For these rea
sons Mrs. Ramsey in confident that the
bold grades of the rough Rockies will
be easily negotiated and that in short
while she will have reached San Fran
cisco. claiming the honor of being the
first woman to drive car from New
York to San Francisco, or Hell Gate tol
tho Golden Gate, for herself, and for herl
car the glory that goes with having
crossed the American continent underl
conditions more trying than any ever