Los Angeles herald., 1910-01-16
BUICK BRAVES
MUD AND SNOW
"White Streak" After Many Unusual
Experiences, Overcomes
Bad Stretches of
Roads

The following is an account of a
trip to Elizabeth lake taken by J. w.
Gilbreath and party in a Buick White
Streak:
1--WE left Los Angeles at 1 o'clock
Monday, following the big storm. There
were myself, a Mr.. Wride and Mr..
Parker. We were loaded with 500
shells, gums and other necessities for
a hunting trip. The roads were very
heavy, and when we got to Tejunga
we found that there was only one ma
chine that had been able to make the
road before us. Quicksand was al
most hubdeep, and one portion was SO
bad that when | crossed it the water
splashed over into the bed of the ma
chine. After that there was compara-
lively no trouble until we struck
Newhall grade, which we found was
about eight inches deep with mud and
sand After some trouble we got over
the grade to find that the north side
was covered will snow and ice, and
it took chains on all wheels to keep
from sliding off the road.
1--WE arrived at Saugus at 3 o'clock.
After taking lunch we proceeded up
the Solidad canyon, where we again
encountered very heavy roads, frozen
and slippery with ice and snow. Just
at the mouth of Mint canyon we met
d
which had started on a northern trip,
but was forced to return. The owner
of the car assured me in most en-
phatic terms that it was entirely use
less for me to attempt to go up the
canyon in the W &c Streak, as he said
he had failed.
Proceeds to Akton
81 went on, and after bridging i'll
several Washouts, running through
mud hubdeep, arrived at Akton at s
o'clock. There we stayed all night and
having supposed that l had drained all
the water out of the engine I was sur
prised to find next morning that the
pumps were frozen up, and in trying
to loosen it I put both the oil and
water pumps entirely out of commits
Palmdate without water or oil circula-
tion. Arrived there at o'clock, being
the first and only machine that had
been able to get over the road.
81 left Palmdate for Elizabeth lake
at 2 o'clock, and soon ran into ten
inches of snow, which entirely hid the
road, and l had to feel my way
through, getting into washouts, using
railroad ties, etc.
LAS l progressed toward Elizabeth
lake | found the snow increased until
deep. The road was pretty we'll washed
out, and 1 drove through mud almost
hubdeep all the way, arriving at Eliza
beth lake at o'clock. The mud had
frozen on the wheels, aXles, ETC., until
you could not see a spoke in any
wheel, and had frozen the tenders
until the chains were cutting circle
Just large enough to let them pass
Il had to stay at Elizabeth lake for
a week, waiting for the snow and ice
to melt, so that it was safe to start
over the grade.
"On Tuesday, January IL, we con-
sidered the grade was safe enough to
get over, but it was harder work than
WE expected on account of much mud
on the road up to the summit.
1--WE came back by way OF San
Francisauito canyon. 1 found that the
old road had been washed out in places
for 100 yards at stretch. We had to
plow down the stream, picking our
way among boulders, driftwood, etc.
II was told at Saugus that no other
machine had been able to make the
canyon before. one other seven-pasp-
senger machine had tried it, but had
broken an axle in the attempt. and was
compelled to return"