Arizona republican., 1911-10-24
LOGGING THE
HIGHWAYS.
Visit Of Government Good
Roads Expert
WORKING HIc NAV lhcTI
WORKING HIS way EAST
7 omas w. Wildly and
Party Arrived Here Yes
terday Over the Los An
geles- Phoenix Road Race
Course.

latter a special agent from the Of
flee of the Good Roads association in
Washington, D. C, and representing
the Touring Club of America with
headquarters in New York CITY. ar
rived in the city last night in the
Ohio car, the Mud Hen" driven by
Fred ID. Clark, who drove the same
car last year from Atlanta to Los
Angeles on which trip it went through
Phoenix.
The object of these noted visitors is
to lay out and log a transcontinental
highway from New York to San Fran
cisco. \ similar highway is to be
mapped out from Los Angeles TO
New York City The party started
from New York August 81 and after
arriving in the Empire state will have
completed a ten thousand mile trip of
the United States.
This is the first round-trip on
record where no inch of the ground is
retraced and is the first time that a
complete log has been made of the
middle west routes.
The trip to Phoenix from the coast
H-DlCn
the cars in the big Phoenix-Los
Angeles race will cover early in
November. Mr.. Wildly is a strong
booster for good roads and regrets
that it will be impossible to remain
in the city for the good roads meet
ing here during the fair. They will
be here until tomorrow night when
the trip will be continued with a
stop in FL Paso.
When interviewed at the Ford hotel
last night Mr.. Wildly said:
Il am endeavoring to find the best
transcontinental highway from Los
Angeles to New York City, and log
ging il.
Our road from Los Angeles fol-
lowed the course of the Los Angeles
Phoenix road race. Automobiles
were never put to such a test as they
will be on that course. and if half the
number of cars entered reach Phoe-
nix / shall be very much surprised.
We could afford to nurse our car be-
cause OF the tremendous distance
we have to cover; but we had many a
bad quarter of an hour. The coast
trip is bad enough owing to the thou
sand and one looping the loops"
and the sandy stretches: but the
Devils Canyon is the spot which is
going to weed out the weaklings
There for miles one climbs up and
down 20 to 35 per cent grades on a
road which in stretches is like moth
ing else than going down a ladder
The road is narrow and winding and
the scenery of the widest description;
for all the stones and granite boulders
on the earth's surface be here in
prodigal confusion. Then one strikes
the floor of the barren desert almost
into Ell Centre. Then there are so
miles of exceedingly rough going ov-
er sand through Mexico, from Next
cali into Los Algodones, on the Amer
lean frontier. with miles of real path
finding through dense high brush and
a continuous battle with thorny mes
quite, palo verde and ironwood Here
we had twice the distinction of pulling
out one of the racing cars-a circum-
stance which we felt was quite a
feather in our cap.
The sign posting is not well done
west of Yuma place, by the way.
which badly wants a wagon bridge
We arrived there in the dark and
thanks to the courtesy of the gov
eminent officials we were able to
garage our car in the government
yard while we walked to our hotel
across the bridge.
''Dr. Kitcherside. a local automo-
CT
good care of us in the ri.er town. |
and we learned from BIN that there |
is strong feeling for putting in !
shape the old wagon road between |
Yuma and FL CentrO, so as to avoid |
the ''unpatriot:c" detour through /
Mexico. where we had to pay $500 as
bond guarantee on our car, although |
we were provided with the same |
passport as the drivers of the racing
,ars.
1T does seem a pity that this link
n the transcontinental highway
should be broken. and if l could have
'ound anyone at FL Centre who could
nave guided me over the road. GER
ainly would have avoided Mexico.
For the rest the ella river is the
worst river crossing we have yet en-
and as there is not enough
water in the river to float the ferry
BOAT l strongly advise automobilists to
AXE no chances but to hire a team
md be pulled across.
1.-The country between there and
Buckeye is either washed out or runs
through extensive lava beds of the
oughest description. The good broad I
roads into Phoenix with their
shade trees and the pleasant sound of {
he irrigating bitches in our ears were ;
delight after the bumps and wild
which we endured since
eaving Los Angeles, including din
Ter off the contents of the general
tore at Aqua Caliente due to a be-
ated arrival in the dark.
Il am here for the purpose Of meet