The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-07-29
Senator Brandegee,s Automobile Was
 Stuck In Stream
President Taft and Party, Whom He Passed, Then Gave Him the Laugh.

l Washington, July 29-Senator Bran 1 degee and what President Taft dub bed the Connecticut senators Wood- l en nutmeg car'' have become the butt of many jokes since the strenuous l trip of the chief executive to Manas- sas last week. It was a day of more adventures and accidents than Pres 1dent Taft has seen since his advent at the White House and Senator Bran- degee played prominent, if not heroic role.
 The Senator invited Senators Over man, Nelson, Bacon and Solicitor Gen.
 eral Lehmann, of the department of
 Justice to accompany him to Manas-
 sas in his automobile last Friday,
 when the President was due to ad-
 dress the confederate and union veter-
 ans gathered there for reunion on
 the fftieth anniversary of the battle
 of Bull Run. The Senator was parti-
 cularly pleased at the company of
 Senators Bacon, of Georgia and Nell
 son of Minnesota, as each, fifty years
 previous, had spent the night on the
 famous battlefield, though on opposite
 sides.
 At Fairfax courthouse, eighteen
 miles from Washington, the Presi- 1
 dential party caught up with Sena- 1
 tor Brandegee's party. The latter then
 swung in after the Presidents car.
 After ten miles, they came to Rocky 1
 Run Ford, which from little stream,
 had been swollen by showers into a | roaring torrent. The Presidents par ty hesitated and looked at the muddy stream rushing by Not so the senior chauffeur to go ahead at full speed, Senator Brandegee found himself in moment stalled in the middle of the creek. The magneto was flooded and the car hopelessly out of commission.
 Meanwhile, President Taft's car wasI 1 Ix1I 1,s1 r7 again with rush, whirled through thel stream and sent water splashing on the members of the Senator Brande- gees party.
 AS the President was whirled past, he gravely raised his hat and cried, Good afternoon, Senatorsr'
 As he reached dry land, safely, how ever, and his car stopped on the other side of the ford, he turned to Sena- tor Brandegee and shouted: That's what you get. for driving a wooden nutmeg car" &t
 Senator Brandegee and his party of Senators were speechless with cha grin in the face of the Presidents ,haffing. Senator Nelson found in his pocket a Minnesota paper and taking ( , fresh chew from his pocket, slouch- 2 sd down in his seat and settled him self, as if prepared to remain there s 'or the afternoon. Il
 |. about for ways and means of escape. il passing buggy solved the problem Il While President Taft and his party a waited, the Senators were taken, one t a time from the car to the shore. s There they were put in another car F which also succeeded in crossing the D tream, belonging to the Presidents n arty. b
 Senator Brandegee's trouble had only u lst begun, however. A mile beyond fe yas a second ford. worse than the '' rst. Major Butt, the Presidents n ide, waded in to try the. depth. The et ,ater reached his shoulders so the
 resident decided to, turn back and a, O around Not so the other, contain R lg the secret service men. They |, lunged in and got as far as the mid C. le of the stream. There the engine C. jed. P This forced them to join Senator R randegee and party in the remaining SC ar. beside that of the President There
 ere eleven persons in the automobile cc hen they started on the long detour. A,
 mile from Manassas the strain ta roved too much, the car rebelled and =, ,fused to go. further. Efforts to re- G, , i've the engine proved futile. Mean z hile, President Taft-h had arrived in o ao anassas, and, to the cheers of the u1 ue owd. was making his arbitration an- ra se. ie At the conclusion of his speech a ' IT used by five newspaper men, which ch Id successfully reached Manassas, stl Id been started back with one pas- wi nger. The others had decided to .ol Ike a train. The auto met the Sem ke ors and secret service men, strand mt
 in the road. A quick change was SCI ade and the party landed at Manas- WIG s station just in time to join the Ga resident on the train. Da Senator ,Brandegee said he didn't SCI low whether he had been On an ev, tomobile ride or Ia cruise and de- len ared that he was going to get a r with pontoon attachment before T.. pfTrfuc into Vircinio ooaiu