Los Angeles herald., 1910-06-19
ST. LOUIS MAN HAS
FAITH IN THOMAS
Makes Long Trip, and Accidents
but Serve to Make Him
Confirmed Booster
CHAUFFEUR NEARLY KILLED
Bio Car 0verturnS, Burying Man
Underneath, but No Ca
Iamity Occurs

With the coming of spring the limou-
sine body is retired to cold storage
and the touring car makes Its ap-
pearance ready for the battle with the
unspeakable American roads, whlch
test the sturdiness and ability of an
automobile to an extent that would
cause the foreign manufacturer halr
to turn gray in a night.
The fortunate possessor of a reliable
touring car, who has any sporting
blood In his veins, likes to feel that he
has a car that will "get there and
back" When he talks about what 1t
has done in the way of speed, climbing
stiff grades on high gear, reliability
and hexibillty, he wants to have q
cause for feeling enthusiastic.
In these days of the swift automo-
bile and the flying machine distance
Is a negligible quantity and is dis
posed of with a shrug and a smile.
A trip to Frisco from New York city,
poofl TITS done and almost without
comment. The once great achieVe-
ment is commonplace.
Impossible roads, sandy wastes and
grades that ten years ago looked like
the perpendicular side Of a house to
the motorists, are as the level road to
the modern car Of today
Among the high grade makes of cars
which stand out prominently is the
ruggedness combined with beauty or
design.
G. Parson, multimillionaire, railroad
magnate and dilettante of st. Louis,
Bonne Terre and various other places,
indorses and swears by his Thomas
cars and is the fortunate possessor OF
four.
Recently he decided to travel from
st. Louis, Mo-, to Fairhaven, VT,
where he has a summer home. The
cars chosen for the purpose were his
big "I<" Six-Seventy and the little IN"
Six-Forty Thomas Flyers.
The big SKIS tonneau was filled with
all the baggage. John Ellis driving,
with Jack Cruxton in the mechanics
seat.
e. P. Grasser (Shorty) drove the
little six, with G.. Parsons in the me-
chanics seat. the tonneau being oc-
cupied by Jack Bowman and Jake
Bean Uima). employees of Mr.. Parsons
The trip through Illinois was any
thing but a picnic, the roads being
so deep with mud as to be almost i'm
passable, the soft yellow mud and clay
clinging to the wheels like molasses.
The trip straight across Illinois and
direct to Terre Haute, Ind, eliminated
almost all the good roads and was
made over highways that were never
intended for an automobile.
In Indiana the party struck the ma
tionaI turnpike and the trip across
the state was almost sleigh ride,
but few sections of bad road being en-
countered.
It was decided that the first stop
should be at indianapolis, Ind, so that
the party could see the auto races at
the big speedway Leaving Indianap-
oils the intention was to drive to
Cleveland for a stopover. Ten miles
west of Republic their troubles be-
gan. Here it was necessary to rebuild
a bridge which had been carried away
by the floods
This was successfully accomplished,
and the trip was continued to within
about two miles Of Republic. Here the
road of yellow clay peaked in the
middle and sloping sharply to the deep
bitches on either side, makes a sharp
S turn, which is very dangerous on
rainy day.
The model IN" 6-4O which was lead
ing safely negotiated the turn, but the
big "K' $40. heavily loaded with lug
gage, in trying to pass by farmers
wagon on the turn, skidded and turned
turtle, burying Ellis, who was driving,
und -rneath, Cruxton escaping death
by jumping as the car started to turn
over. Ellis crawled unuhurt from be-
meath the overturned car the steering
post having protected him from GER
tain death.
It was a fortunate thing that luggage