Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1910-03-04
The Car and What it will! do.

WITH the crack of pistol at nine o'clock of a
bright calm, crisp Autumn morning on Oc-
tober 25, 1909, forty-seven automobiles left Her
aid SOU re with Atlant, the center of the awak-
ening South for their goal. Of these cars thir-
ty-eight were contestants and nine non-contes-
ants or officials
Among the contestants were nine cars in the
$1,000 class; four in the 81, 600 class seven in
the $3 900; thirteen in the 80, 900 class and five
in the 81 ,25O class. Each passenger was well
prepared, for he knew that it meant ten-days'
struggle with late fall weather and battle with
roads of the best and worst, and all the inter
mediate varieties.
PIONEERS OF PROSPERITY.
Unusual in touring contest of this sort, and
indicative of the interest and enthusiasm with
which the South has taken up the good roads
movement were the many entries by the cities
along the route and by their boards of trade.
Atlanta, Lynchburg, Va, Charlotte, N. c., Roa-
noke, Va, Moultrie. Ca, Anderson, Ca. Spar
merce, Ca, all were represented in the chug
ging caravan. All became forerunners of an
era of prosperity and activity, and of free inte;
course with the neighbOring states.
The route covered LOO miles through New
York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland,
West Virginia. Virginia, North Carolina South
Carolina and Georgia The remotest sleeps and
wilds of the Blue Riege Mountains were scaled
by the good roads tourists to the end that the
supremacy of the American built cars on rough
and rugged American roads might be main
tanned, And, might be expected from brave.
hardy and big-hearted people, the worse the
roads and the severer the trials the more vocf-
erous were the cheers of the inhabitants of sun
ny Dixie.
A word about the motor reliabity side, and in
the final analysis, this. after ALL is whatthe 1910
buyer of motor cars is essentially Interested in.
Under the rigid rules of the contest. and owing
to the severe tests made of all competing cars,
only twenty-six of the thirty-eight starters fin
ished with perfect road score, twelve contes-
fon hou off n foo ofocf
or having been heavily penalized. This is nearly
at a ratio Of one car failing to every two cars
which finished with clean road score.
Among the cars in the $4,000 class that with
big s. due to broken steering gear and other
mechanical troubles. An o. was heavily pen
allied for miscellaneous road troubles:
In the $4,000 class t withdrew because of
broken steering gear and other mechanical
troubles. A p withdrew early from the con-
test on account of mechanical troubles.
A big K In the $4,000 class withdrew be-
cause of broken throttle rod and miscellaneous
road troubles, and big o. in the same class
withdrew early in the contest because of various
complications.
Other cars in the $1,000 class either with.
drew or were heavily penalized for broken axleS,
broken transmission gears, wheels and springs
including other serious defects, thus proving the
car-wrecking test to which every car was lut
in the ten-days' grind of l. 100 miles.
THE CLEAN SCORE CARS.
A word about the rs clean-score cars Many
of these cars limped into Atlanta with broken OF
injured springs. Others had either strained ak
les, wobbly wheels, dilapidated bearings and
gears and various other mechanical blemishes
The new model $1,25O fOw-cylinder REQ was
awarded perfect ut the finish, but more
than that it was In perfect mechanical condition.
Ii made the entire rum Of 100 miles, through nine
W W. SHAN