The Washington herald., 1911-04-04
THE RUN TO YORK
IN A SNOWSTORM
Pathfinders Encounter Win
TRY Weather Ell Route.
PLANNING MAY TOUR
Clarence Barnard NeEotiates the
Trip with Little Difficulty, Despite
Be in Excellent Condition Next
May-Notes of the Trip.

The route to York, Pa. via Brook
vile, Cooksville, Westminster. and Han
over. returning over the York pike to
Baltimore, and thence to the starting
point. was mapped out yesterday by the
pathfinders for the Four Leaf Clover run
to be given by the Automobile Club of
Washington. May 1918. The distance for
the round trip is 10 miles, eighty-three
miles to the noon control, the Colonial
Hotel, York. Pa. and eighty-seven miles
on the return trip via the Oriole City.
Clarence Barnard's Stoddard-Dayton.
which was used to lay out this route, as
well as the one Of a week ago to Gettys-
burg, has been christened the Snow
Bird" for from shortly after the star
in front of the Grafton Hotel. until Az
botstown, Pa, was reached, the trip was
made in a. snowstorm.
1t seemed that the farther north the
pathfinders Travelled. the heavier the fall
of snow became Between Westminster
and the Pennsylvania line il was at times
impossible TO see the road for more than
a hundred yards ahead. However, Bar
nard and his machine kept up a twenty
mile-an-hour schedule for the entire dis
lance, and pulled up in front of the Co.
lonial Hotel at York three and one-half
Party Met at York.
Here the pathfinding party was met by
Herbert A. Averill, sales manager of the
Pullman Motor Car Company. and w. II.
Fink, advertising manager of the same
concern. They offered to provide a bas-
ket luncheon for those of the contestants
who wished il on the day of the run.
In making this offer they said that owing
to the fact that York was TO be the
noon control and as every one was
anxious TO take on a supply Of oil and
gasoline. some. perhaps. would not have
time after arranging for their oil and
gas to partake of lunch and check out on
time. so that il might he well TO provide
them with something that they could eat
while en- route.
This is the first time in the history of
pathfinding trips out OF Washington that
a snowstorm has been experienced.
However, old Snow Bird" as the Stod-
dard-Dayton pathfinder will be known
hereafter. had little trouble in negotiating
the roads. 1t was not until the soft,
slippery hill at Hoods Mill was reached
that chains had TO be used. and then only
for a few miles. The roads were in much
better shape than week ago, and but
few bad places were encountered. After
several days of dry weather these should
be IN nrSt-ClaSS COnOlllOn
Worst Piece Of Road.
Tho worst piece Of road on the entire
route lies between Laurel and Contee.
There has been considerable agitation
of late over this particular piece of road
and many urgent requests that some
thing be done TO improve II. II seems
that while the State of Maryland is ex-
pending vast sums each year in good
roads work it might at least lay aside a
few dollars to improve this piece. which
is a disgrace to the State and puts
il in bad repute with tourists, for nearly
all of those who come South travel from
Baltimore To Washington over the pike
that lies On each side OF this miserable
stretch of highway.
The remainder of the route is in good
condition and should be made easily
on a twenty milean-hOur schedule. Per-
haps the toughest piece lies between
Westminster and Littlestown, where
they charge cents a mile for the privi-
lege of taking thank you mans" about
every hundred feet. Perhaps they are
OF some use in draining the water from
the road. but at the rate of toll paid
they prove rather a waste of money to
the motorist who expects a good piece
of highway.
Next Trip to Leesburg.
The York Baltimore pike is not nearly
so rough as has been pictured by many.
There are few rough spots on 1t, but.
taken as a whole, ii is good piece of
road. The route from the Monumental
City to Washington is too we'll known
to all to need any comment.
Tomorrow morning the pathfinders will
map out the route to Hagerstown, Md,
which is to be the noon control on the
third day. The route will be via Lees
burg and Point of Rocks, Va, thence
over to Hagerstown. Clarence Barnard
and his STANDARDIZATION will be the Of
fetal pathfinders on this trip, as they
have been on the past two.
Game Cancelled.