Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-05-17
FROM EDGEMoNT TO LINVILLE.
Story Of Delightful Automobile Trip In
North Carolina Mountains.

large company Of guests of Col. L. T.
Nichols, general manager Of the Car
olina and North Western railroad, on
an automobile excursion to begin on
May r. at Edgemont, n. c., the north
ern terminus of the road, over the
Edgemont and Linville turnpike road.
just completed between those points
and opened up for travel, the proposed
trip to be in the nature of its christen-
ing. Although the formal invitation
was not unexpected for various rea-
sons, the principal ones being because
of our misgivings as to the feasibility
of using automobiles, and especially Of
the touring car type, over sixty miles
Of mountain roads where they would
necessarily climb from two to three
thousand feet in travelling distance OF
eighteen miles, and our fear that owing
to the earliness Of the season the tenn
perature would be so low as to be ex-
ceedingly uncomfortable to one not ac-
customed to ii, but finally the deci-
sion was in favor Of accepting the in
vitation, and Mr.. Howard A. Banks,
editor OF the Hickory Democrat, chair
man Of the committee on arrangements,
was advised that II there were no un-
foreseen developments to prevent that
we would be on hand. The invitation
stated that the special train to be pro-
vided for carrying the guests to Edge
mont would leave Chester on the
morning Of May II, at 7.35, and York
vile at $40, so at the appointed time
we were the lone passengers, Of the
several at Yorkville, who had accepted
the invitation, to board the train. The
train continued to pick up passengers
at various stations along the line un-
til 1t reached Lenoir, where the last
were taken on. 1t arrived at Edge
mont, twenty-five miles above Lenoir
at about 1.20 p. m, only ten min
utes late The party disembarked
without ceremony and was soon gath
cred at the hotel and on the surround
ing grounds, discussing that part Of the
trip already made and that anticipated,
the relative merits and characteristics
Of the various types Of automobiles that
had been brought up the day before en-
special freight train in charge of
Mr. j. W. Fletcher, roadmaster, and
had been assembled under his direction
on the grounds in front Of the hotel.
There were nineteen of them, owned
as follows: Four E. M. F.-30, NJ. A.
Carpenter, Chester; ]. Meek Smith,
Glover; j. w. Zimmerman, Charlotte,
n. c.; ]. Leon Adams, Gastonia, n.
C. One Ford, John K. Cline, Lincoln
ton, N. c.. Two Metz Runabouts, d. P.
Crosby, Chester; ]. A. Jenkins, Ches-
ter. One Hupmobile, r. M. Odell, Con-
cord, N. c. Two Reos, Robert Gage
and ]. w. Moffatt, Chester. Two
ton, Hickory, N. C. One Gilmore, ]. II.
Carr Gaffney. Two White Steamers,
w. E. Hughes, Charleston; Paul Har-
din, Chester. Two l. N. H., l.. B. Mich
OILS, Chester; Dr. o. ]. CorpeninS,
Granite Falls, n. c. One Maxwell-30
Model E, James Harper, Patterson,
N. C.
After the party had dined at the no.
tel, Mr.. Banks notified the various
guests as to what cars they were as
signed to make the trip to Linville,
and at about 3.15 the first, an Inter-
national Harvester high wheel car.
driven by Mr.. L. B. Nichols, who had
been over the road a number Of times
and was, therefore, familiar with it,
pulled out with four passengers and
soon the whole eighteen were headed
for Linville, seven miles away on an
air line and eighteen by the road, and
carrying the following passengers: d.
p. crosby, c. D. Crosby, w. F. Cald-
Nichols, Judge and Mrs. G. W. Gage,
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Gage, Paul Har-
din, ]. w. Moffatt, o. S. Fudge, NJ. A.
Carpenter, ]. A. Jenkins, l.. B. Nichols,
Chester; c.. ]. Shannon, Jr, l.. S. Da-
wilson, Camden; w. E. Hughes, Arthur
A. Lynah, Charleston; Miss Clara B.
Estes, Columbia; Sam M. Grist, York
ville j. Meek Smith, S. R. Clinton,
Glover; L. c. Pegram, ]. L. Adams, Ru-
fus NJ. Johnson, c. E. Hill, Gastonia,
N. c.: John NJ. Scott, Mr.. and Mrs. j.
w. Zimmerman, Mrs. Bessie Patterson,
Wade Fl. Harris, R. P. Harris, w. X.
Clark, DR.. J. P. Matheson, o. L. Bar
ringer, Mrs. Osmcnd Barrinser, w. d.
Adams, Geo. B. Hiss, Charlotte, n. c.;
Donald MacRae, Wilmington, N. c.:
Milton Tiddy, John K. Cline, G. E.
Cline, c. E. Childs, w. w. MotZ, Lin
colnton, N. c.; Howard A. Banks, G. n.
Hutton, H. C. MenZies, ]. T. Miller,
Hickory, N. c.; W. N. HUT, Miss Juliana
Royster, Franklin Sherman, Jr, Raleigh,
n. c.; ]. H. Carr, Gaffney; Mrs. James
p. Moore, Salisbury, n. c.; r. S. Alfred,
DR.. o. ]. Corpening, Granite Falls, n.
c.; Mr.. and Mrs. E. F. Reid, r. H.
Harper, Geo. F. Harper, Mr.. and Mrs.
R. L. Gwyn, H. c. Martin, w. M.
Moore, ]. R. Erwin, Lenoir, n. c.;
James Harper Patterson, n. c.; R. NJ.
ODell, Herbert Honeycutt, Concord,
N. c.: Pegram S. Bryant, Statesville,
N. C.,-siXty- in ALL
After starting up the mountain, al
though the average grade Is reported
by Mr.. ]. R. Erwin the engineer, who
laid out the road and under whose su-
pervision it was constructed, to be
about 81 per cent the drivers OF the
various machines soon discovered
that in order to confine themselves
within the speed limit and also to make
the climb satisfactorily, 1t was neces-
sary to make II on low gear After
travelling about three or four miles a
belt on the leading car broke and 1t
stopped and in view of the fact that
two automobiles can no more pass on
the same track than can two locomo-
tives, and there being no convenient
siding, all the remaining cars were
halted, and as far back as one could
see, and that, by reason Of the hair
pin" and reverse curves peculiar TO all
mountain roads, was only about 2oO
feet at this point, were sending up
clouds of white smoke, the said smoke
or steam. indicating that the engines
on every car, by reason OF the long
continued operation on low gear
were almost red hot, and while few If
any of the drivers proclaimed the fact
OIL the SpOl, SllIl IL was SN'NShN e'es
they were not especially annoyed at
the stop, which occupied sufficient
time to allow the engines to cool
down. After this experience the l. n.
s., the pilot car, and which is not in
tended as a racer, was allowed to get
good lead, and after that the other
drivers were able to use low, interme-
diate and high gear, as judgment
might dictate or the grades permit,
and from there on to Linville, with the
exec ption of few minor troubles
that at times befall automobilists, and
for which the road being travelled is
in no way responsible, the cars with
one or two exceptions of the kind, be-
haved admirably, and made as good
time as the most sanguine had calcu-
lated upon.
Carys fiat is a noted spot on the
road between Edgemont and Linville,
| being about 10 miles from the former.
1t derives its name from the fact that
there are possibly two or three acres
of ground there that are not so precip>
| tous as the surrounding mountains,
and once belonged to one Cary. The
Edgemont and Linville Turnpike
masses through CaryS Flat. There Is