Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-12-17
MOTORISTS WENT
OVER COUNTRY
VERY ROUGH
Automobiles Who Left AIbu-
querQue Several Weeks Ago
Had a Strenuous Trip Through
New Mexico and Arizona.

Bronzed and burned from the wind
and sun and feeling like a baseball
player at the end of a six weeks train
ing trip, the result of sleeping In the
open air and eating all that the law
permitted, II. c. Drumm, motor edi-
tor of the Chicago Record-Herald,
who passed through Albuquerque on
a coast to coast automobile trip some
weeks ago, returned to Albuquerque
Thursday and will be here until sun
day. The transcontinental trip was
made for the purpose of establishing
a transcontinental highway across the
country for the Touring Club Of Am
erica and in the interest of promot-
ing good roads in behalf of the United
states government. Mr.. and Mrs. a..
l.. Westgard, in the charge of the ex-
petition, are speeding back to New
York, where Mr.. Westgard will pre-
pare his data for the Touring clup
n the government. Mr.. Mcnamara,
who was the driver on the trip, Is now
on his way to Los Angeles. where he
is taking the big Premier, which
made the journey, to be exhibited in
the automobile show there.
Members of the local automobile
club and the Commercial club We're
much Interested in the expedition
through various parts of New Mexico
and Arizona. Mr., Westgard made q
tentative report of the trip from AL
buquerque TO Phoenix. upon his ar
rival in hat town, to the Albuquer-
que Commercial club. |
After leaving Albuquerque and
striking across the country from Mc-
Carty's, the coast to coast travellers
traversed q wilderness route never pc
fore attempted in a machine ana
thereby encountered the almost insur-
%ountab road conditions which fac
ed them with death time and again.
For nearly q hundred miles their
course lay over a roadbed of Juttins
lava rock and for long distances
makeshift %roadbeds had to be built.
Climbing 10000 feet up the White
mountains in snow and melting mad
the big car ploughed into sixteen
inches of snow ON the Mojollon pat
eau. drifted so deeply in the cuts and
draws that frequently the machine
had to be shovelled out.
1t took the tourists from early IN
the morning until nearly
to batter through the short strip ana
when they reached the ranch mousse
of c. e. Cooley, an old Apache N
dian scout on the other side OF the
mountains, they were so nearly Noz-
or they had to be lifted from the car.
In irving TO pick a ford over the
swollen Black river, Mcnamara was
washed for nearly a half mile OWN
stream and only saved himself by
catching a root projecting from the
rocks and holding there until q rope
could be lowered him from the dlfls
above.
This and other dangers beset tiem'
~ ttatH -
but for all this MIR. Westgard, a pur-
list of worldwide experience, Derives
that in this little strip OF some %
miles lies one of the greatest ulde-
veloped possibilities the southwest
now possesses. Rare scenes of teau-
tv We're encountered from the start
into the romansis, where toWerlhs
precipices rise for hundreds oil leet
abruptly from the earth, alive with
unusual formations and all but net az
the base by a great flow OF law over
ten miles wide n q huhdree nitoo
long, the wild, untamed beauty Oh rne
White mountains. The Alps are Lar
o-vershadowed by the magnlflehce %
some of these panoramas alu wy
Garden of the Gods a pale mpdI
son beside grandeur of the lomaisls'
Historical lore abounds afd a sur
felt Of wild game affords Z Neli.autV
paradise for the hunter. Vis III tinle,
as soon as the roads are lmproNeu
and routed. is bound to ~feconle tne
mecca of all the eastern purIsls NV
spending their millions mEurope' ~
scenery in America can alotu les va
rietv or magnificence am neither can
no yievvs of Europe upass the rich
beauty of its craigs ma canyons
once IL becomes KNOW TO automo.
bilists il bids air to iecome one u
1ha most sought spos in the coun-
try and this vicinity : bound TO reap
n material benefit though the money
which will be circuated by passihs
tourists. as well, 3 the amount on
immigration which ne HioFeHie"' WIN
draw.
All that is needd is TO improve a
feur etrins Of the aorst roads n tins
is not likely TO beso expensive or I'M
alta nable as il gems at first glance
as a solid roadBd way has already
become esta blised by freishters and
the Automobileclub of Phoenix are
lust as ENTHUSIASTICALLY endeavorlng
TO omen up thB way 10 the east 40
are the Albuquerque enthusiasts anu
they have ~ support OF the .eInl.
that he wiiIestablish this route as
a etata hipbAy. Nearly two hundr
miles or th.best government road IN
the countrvwill form a basis OF op-
erations Ak then 2 thorough sign
board systn would be all that was
needed 10 omplete one of the great
est highwts in the United States,
This laclsof s~ign-boards was found
To be tn greatest bugbear of the
tourists Turing their entire trip
through ne southwest and frequent
IL led am I'D difficult trails from
which tey could hardly extricate
themseps-
4 teible run in the heat and sands
Of theAesert was struck from Phoe-
nix adoss the Nojsve to Los Ange-
les All At times the machine was so
deep ! sand it was necessary TO knot
canvfs around the wheels to secure
tracen. Despite all the terrible
grin however. the big Premier estao.
hsht a new transcontinental record
81 tcourage travellers. in that II
wel from coast TO coast without a
serplance of engine trouble on the
roo. without a mechanical adjust
NIT and pulling out Of every situa-