New-York tribune., 1911-04-23
WILL BLAZE AUTO PATH
Party Will Start at Once to Mark
CIidden Tour Route.
ON THE ROAD TWO WEEKS
Annual Contest Will Cover the
Territory Between Washing
ton and Ottawa.

That time honored preliminary institu-
ton Of the annual Glidden tour--the path.
finding trip-wii start tomorrow from
Washington. Following out the extern
sve plans OF President Robert r. Hoop
or for increased country wide activity on
the part ~ the American Automobile A.
sociation touring information board. Chair
man Howard Longstreth ard his crew will
leave the capital early tomorrow mornins,
bound for ottawa. Canada. the destination
- the contest. thousand miles distant.
This route will be followed precisely by
tho contestants in the association eighth
national reiis sbity tour. from June 10 10 ~.
which this year win be known ~ the
"GlIdden reciprocity tour" While the pos
session of the famous Cilidden trophy will
10 sought. there will Re trophies dedicated
TO President Taft and Governor General
Grey.
After Chairman Longstretn has completed
the tour itinerary he will return 10 New
York By q scenic route, and thus an inter-
national tour will he made available -
members IN such compact form as to in
sure much popularity. Motorists demand
definite tours. conveniently arranged and
this work In prospect and will gradually
work out systematic pau to cover all the
most visited sections Of tho country Com
prehensive maps will supplement- this
scheme. and, of course. the accurate local
books OF the many American Automobile
Association clubs viii III into the general
plan most efficiently. for these clubs ar.
in position 10 know thcir own sections
better than motorists from a distance.
Chairman s. NJ. Butler Of the contest
board will accompany the party. which
viii include T.. l.. Ferguson. who has COM
piled the details ~ many inIies Of Ameri-
can roads. including a coast-to-cosst cxpe-
dition
The pathfnding Of the Glidden route will
cover period OF about two weeks-a
trfic more if bad weather is encountered
AS some Of the roads to he traversed will
be more fit for motor boating than auto
mobile touring at this time of the year. q
soodly supply OF tire chains and mud con-
quering apparatus will be carried How
ever. in June. when the spring freshets
have long since passed. those roads will
be in much better condition and not at all
impa assable.
Interest manifested by manufacturers In
dicates that the entries this year will far
outnumber those of any previous season.
The route of tho tour is as yet tentative
and subject 10 change, according TO condi-
tions disclosed by the pathhnding trip. II
may be discovered that certain detours
can be made to better advantage, that some
Of the jumps are too long, or too short.
or that in some place planned for an over
night stop the Accommodations are insuf-
fcient. Not until after Chairman Long
streth has completed his survey will the
route he finally determined. Entries are
already coming in and requests for blanks
In almost every mail.
In the past few seasons the annual tours
have been either in the Middle West, South
or Southwest. and no particular effort has
been made 10 include many large cities
en- route. This season, however, numerous
big cities will be visited. Starting at Wash
ington, the caravan will move through
Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York Boston
and several large Canadian cities. Owing
TO this contestants will not be obliged TO
undergo such hardships as In former years,
when II was difficult to secure hotel ac-
commOdations, which made sleeping IN
barns and camping out in tents necessary
In short, the contest this year is expected to
be Glidden tour dc luxe.