Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-12-24
STATISTICS COMPILED
ON WESTGARD'S TRIP
TransrOntincnial Puthtindin@ Party
Demonstrates Feasibility of Cross
Country Touring.


San Francisco, Dec. 2l.--Most inter-
esting statistics as TO the feasibility Of
automobile touring from the Atlantic
to the Pacific coasts have resulted from
the trip just completed in this city by
a. l.. Westgard OF the TOURING club
of America in his car. In the Interest
of motorists in general and of the
United States government the path
tihdinS party kept an accurate record
of experiences en- route, attitudes, tenn
psraturcs, mileage, cost and accommO-
datiuns.
In n table just issued, new epoch
IN automobile pleasure touring is pre-
dicted because OF the interest which
mas arisen towards the construction of
= national highway from New York TO
san Francisco. founded upon the
movements started by Mr.. Nestgard
while crossing the continent. II Is
evident that every conceivable form Of
road ana climatic conditions were en-
countered ana carefully tabulatcd in
the minute record AS Il representa-
tive OF the bureau of public roads in
tne FEDERAL department OF agriculture,
The official scout has made IL note of
r
nent with permission TO make II pub
Tic IN order to stimulate interest and
10 further the efforts of authorities
ana motorists on the way.
The extremes of altitude were en-
countcred in the l0,400 feet above sea
level nj Mogollon Pass in New Mexico,
and the 1874 feet below sea level ut the
Salton sea in California; the highest
temperature was l0G degrees on Nov
Is, in the desert at Mecca. California,
aud the lowest was 81 degrees on Nov
Is in the mountains near Fort Apache,
AllH. The total mileage was l.7O35
ana the elapsed time was exactly eight
weeks. The average mileage for 10
running days was 1914; the highest
price OF gasoline was SOC per gallon at
The Colorado river on the desert, and
the lowest was 10 cents per gallon. The
longest days run, 1927 miles. was
made on Oct 90 from Columbus, o..
to indianapolis. and the shortest was
on Nov. ., ~ miles, approaching |
Ration, \. NJ. Seven nights were spent
in camping with the equipment which |
was carried upon the Premier car. On |
one stretch of 100 miles, the car |
travelled only eight on its high gear. |
owing to the severe conditions of tho
roads, but no repairs of any nature
were made upon the car and only two |
tires We're changed before approaching
Los Angeles both lasting until the
deserts Of Arizona were reached.
From every view point. the journey
is one TO attract the pleasure seek
ing motorist, for good roads are az
forded nearly all the way, splendid
hotel accommodations are experienced
along nearly the entire length. while
the variety and grandeur of the seem
cry lining the course is such rs can
be secured only by a trip across the
American continent. 1t is probable
that a trunk highway from coast to
coast will be II reality in the near
future because Of the run OF the ear
with It's party OF officials driven by
Ray Mcnamara
Most OF the eastern highways tray
crsed are of hard construction and
little could be urged In the way OF
Improvement between New York and
Chicago aside from some few short
stretches. From Chicago across Il
linois, the roads are not systcmatical-
~ maintained: from Davenport to
Omaha. is the 350-mle river to river
highway: from Omaha to Kansas City
IS similar to the Illinois trip. but Gov
elect Dahlman, of Nebraska, has prom
sed Improvements. From Kansas City 4
TO Santa Fe Is the famous new Santa
Fc Trail and the entire distance will
soon be splendid route. Over the
]
'ict road which is almost boulevard:
rom Ration to Las Vegas is bad: but 5
rom Las Vegas TO Santa F'e Is a scenic !
highway which is superb. TO Al
)iquer1uc is good government road, s
md on La BaiaGa mountain Is q strip
where the road winds and turns COM ,
1lctely around 20 times or more in
making the steep descent. /,
From Albuquerque TO the coast
practically all of the hardshipS were
especially in crossing the
White mountains and upon the lava .
NJ the Mogollon plateau. The road
through the desert to the west nf :
Phoenix to San Francisco was found :
ess appalling than Is usually nctur-
ID, as Is true also of the route from J.
phoenix to San Francisco Tho roads :,
long the coast are splendid and while
much beauty was found IN the long | +,
rip even in the desert. the run
through the beautiful palm laden and v
,almy orange land Of the California :,
icld was 4 fitting climax to the wild y
rAndcur Of the mountains,