The Washington herald., 1910-07-03


Island. last Saturday. He made de-
Hghtfully sensational ascent in the free
for-all. which caused swell Belle Terre
society and Long Island farmers from
miles around to hold their breath, when
he set the record for the 2,000-feet y Per
cent grade at 20 4S-1O0 seconds-the fast
est time OF the day. While less tortur-
ing. it was no less sensational than his
record-breaking Wilkesbarre performance.
De Palma hitting the turns in the Port
jefferson course with hts 2Q0-horsepower
Mephistopheles AT terrific speed, which
caused women spectators 10 scream Tor
fear be would ups>s as he skidded.
His start in the high-powered racer was
most remarkable. The right wheels Of
his car were on the oiled portion Of the
road and the left side on dry dirt As
d result, when the car started II gave
spectacular skid, which would have been
the finish OF many less skillful drivers.
De Palma. however. righted his car, and
shot up the incline Ike a sizteen-inch
shell. 1t is known that this car is
terror 10 handle on turns, and when
Ralph. laundering along. struck the last
one and threw up a few acres OF dirt IN
his terrific skid, for an instant a catas-
trophe seemed inevitable, but within the
next second he was across the wire,
cheered to the echo.
Daniel Levy. o. C. Brown, and Louis
Kann are among the recent purchases OF
Washington touring cars Mr.. Kann's
machine is finished In red leather. Will
iam Kennedy and Ben Schwartz also
have new Washington cars, finished in
Portland amber.
George w Wells. local agent for the
Warren-Detroit. left Washington last
Sunday at 10 o'clock and entertained as
his guests on trip 10 Frederick Mr.. and
Mrs. Tribby and daughter, Of this city
The roads, which were in very fair con-
dltion added 10 the pleasure of the trip,
The party arrived in Frederick about 1890,
making the run in about two and one
half hours After taking dinner at Fred
eTick the return trip was made leisurely,
Washington being reached at o'clock.
The summer meeting Of the Society II
Automobile Engineers viii be held in De-
troit July ., 2, and &C.
For about a week the Flanders "2o'
Under Three Flags automobile has been
engaged in testing the merits of two
famous national highways. built in the
days when the country was new and
transportation Of families and household
effects by wagon was the standard meth
Cd Away back in Canada the crew be-
gan hearing abort the great national
road built by the government OF the
United States from Pittsburg 10 St
Louis. II was said TO be simply a
dream. The tourists began TO look for
ward TO il as a sort OF aviation arena
More was heard about the road in De-
trolt and Toledo But as the car ap-
preached it at the rate Of 100 miles q
day over the excellent gravel Of Ohio
and Indiana the enthusiasm OF the road
: experts seemed 10 wane. When the road
was actually encountered on the run be-
tween indianapolis and ST Louis il was
found TO be only a very poorly kept up
highway, spots OF gravel alternating
with sand and clay. Nearing St Louis.
it was in such shape that had the
weather been wet il would have been
Well-nighg impossible
But once into St Louis there stretched
toric highway over which passed hun
dreds OF thousands EN- grants. who. nifty
years ago. began streaming toward the
setting sun. 20 people the great domain
beyond. Tie old Wire road" they
I called il in St. Louis. because the gov
/ eminent had followed its establishment
/ by making il the route of the first tele-
graph line which penetrated the South
/ west Just where it began and how i
could be reached was something regard
/ ing which ST Louis was a bit vague.
/ IN fact nobody could be found who had
: ever Travelled il in an automobile OF
otherwise No road map was available,
/ either.
/ The tourists left ST Louis one after
! noon about . O'Clock by the best street
available, and Bruske showed deinzlnger
4 the setting sun.
There she is, George; chase it." was
/ the only road direction at hand. Some
where out there is the old Springfield
/ road; We want 10 find ii"
/ The car made sixty miles To Union that
night. and there was found a lvervman
who had been over the road as far as
Arlington several years before. on his
1 information the tourists entered the
/ OzaTks. At Sullivan the road began 10
/ grow very rough. At Rona the steer
+ hills began 10 appear At Arlington and
4 Jerome motor car had never been seen,
/ and cliffs, ruts stumps, and washouts
/ formed incessant road perils while the
1 climbing in some places would have puz-
| zled anything less active than a squirrel
| AT Dixon II was farewell TO bridges ~
! Lebanon nobody could be found who
/ knew a practicable route to Sleeper, the
| next town And always the creeks grew
| deeper, the hills sleeper, and the rocks
! bigger. Mountain families heard OF the
! approach of the car and herded indoors
| teTroT-stTicl1en Road directions were
| limited to the old government telegraph
| line, which still remains. the monument
of the once famous highway. These con
! ditons prevailed TO within a dozen miles
/ OF Springfield.
/ The old wire road" is a thing Of the
! past Where it has NOT been fenced in
| as a part Of a neighboring farm-its a
! great country for semi-wild hogs and
| steers-it has been SO washed out by the
rains Of the years that there no longer
remains any cushion whatever for the
bed rock tnat forms the basic materia
for the whole country Often it is GROVE
1 up 10 brush, and wide detouTs are neces-
| sary before the inevitable two-aTmeC
poles that mark the general course again
appear
The car has now reached Texas on its
way to Mexico City.
Mr. John Tonner, of the State Depart
| ment, left yesterday on an automobil,
tour to Gettysburg by way of Frederick
| and Braddocks Heights. He was accom-
| panied by MIR. j. A. Boteler the treasurer
of the Capffal Rfcyclo CIuh Mr. y Mac