The San Francisco call., 1910-05-15
Flanders GOES
TO THE SUMMIT
Makes a Great Showing in
Bucking the Snow on Sierra
Nevada Mountains

a trip which demonstrated without
doubt the power, endurance and capa-
buities OF the little Flanders Twenty"
tine most recent creation of the EMF
company Of the Studebaker organiza-
ton. was made the first part Of this
week by Halsey w. Smith of Sacra-
mento. Smith, with two assistants.
reached a point within $50 yards of the
summit on the Lake Tahoe automobile
road. Here the effort to reach the top
had TO be abandoned on account of
rain. which so churned the snow as to
make it periIous to proceed further on
the road.
Although not gaining the goal for
which he set out. Smith has the salts
faction Of knowing that he drove his
+ tile Flanders fully one and a half
miles farther than had been reached
by three other machines. all of higher
power, and one big seven passenger.
40 horsepower touring car.
In order to ascend as far as they
did, It was necessary for the occu-
pants of the little car to place pine
boughs over the snow in the road to
give traction to the wheels, and keep
The car from sinking into the two feet
Of snow and slush under it. Sections
Of canvas were covered over the
branches. This method of road building z
was slow. but brought victory. More
than four hours were consumed in trav-
cling a distance of one and half
miles.
Another difficulty was encountered
when the canvas became water soaked.
as this lessened the traction, and it
became necessary to place pine boughs
on top of the canvas as well as under
it, The drive from Sacramento to Lake
Tahoe was made by way of Folsom
and Placerville, thence over the state
road. Smith reports that although this
is one of the most difficult courses, it
is almost unsurpassed for beauty.
smith and his party left Sacramento
about o'clock in the morning. SO OBJ
tained a splendid view of Halley's
comet until dawn, when Placerville was
reached.
At this point the first heavy grades
OF the run were encountered. IN spea k
ing Of the behavior of the little
Flanders, Smith said:
Before leaving Sacramento I was q
little dubious as TO the way the car
would handle the grades. but as ! knew
the trip would show what the car had
ia ii. I prepared for the test and left
the city quietly. but after we hit the
grades I was perfectly satisfied. The
iEbest individual pun Of the trip was
encountered after leaving strawberry.
u is a three mile stretch of almost
continuous j. per cent to i per cent
erade, part Of which is sandy and with
srarp turns. But the machine always
-eemed 10 have power to spare.
The first snow banks were en-
countered about two miles below the
summit. the altitude of which is 1894
feet Coming down we had a splendid
chance 10 test the brakes of the car,
and 7 must say they are most admira BILE.
Every piece of mechanism was called
into play strenuously hundreds of times.
The machine never missed shot and
Il was not even necessary to adjust
the carburetor in the 1000 foot rise
not a mechanical adjustment Of any
kind was made-not even a bolt
tightened.
The car proved that ii can go where
cars Of much higher power can not. I
truly believe there isn't a car on the
market today that can duplicate the
performance Of this little Flanders, re-
Eardless Of its weight price and power