Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-06
ON SECOND STAGE
0FFOUR-DAY RUN
Harrisburg, Pa, the Night
Stop in the Motor Truck Re-
liability Contest.
MIDDLEBROOK HILL is
FIRST ENDURANCE TEST
Vulcan Machine Features Yester-
days Climbing Exploits-Occu-
pants Of Car Scalded.
Special From star Correspondent.

Special From a STAFF Correspondent
HAGERSTOWN, Md. May 6-Bright
and early this morning the motor
trucks competing in the Washington
Post motor truck reliability run started
out on the second stage of the four
day tour. with Harrisburg, Pa, as the
night stop. The noon control was
Shippensburg. Pa. The total mileage
for the days run is 70.7 miles, over
mountainous roads in the keystone
state.
The itinerary includes Hagerstown
the starting point; Middleburg, Green
castle Marion, Chambersburg, Green
Village, Shippensburg, Carlisle. Trindle
Springs. arriving at Harrisburg at sun
down this evening.
The weather was perfect at the start
and continued throughout the day All
Of the officials We're on hand early and
have been taking an active interest in
the run, which is the first Of its kind
attempted in Washington.
Yesterdays run proved severe test
for the contestants and much credit is
due the drivers, especially those who pi-
loted the big trucks. under very trying
conditions. Everything went along smooth
ly until MiddlebrOOk hill was reached,
about twentyfour miles out from Wash
ington and then came the first real test
of what motor truck can accomplish
This hill is rough and very steep; in fact,
more difficult than the usual observer
can imagine No touring car or. roadster
has ever been known to pull the hill on
high gear, and naturally when it came to
motor trucks. heavily laden, ascending
this stiff grade everybody wanted to be
on hand and witness the performance of
| the cars.
Several of the trucks managed to ne
gotiate the grade, but when the first
truck did balk. it meant blockade of
the rest of the line. as the road is almost
| too narrow for more than one vehicle to
pass at a time. And that is just what
happened.
Fence Rails Handy.
| Everybody in the outfit then pitched
! in. and, with the aid of stones and rails
| taken off nearby farmyard fences, pro-
| ceeded to assist one car at time over
| the brow of the hill. Pushing was also
| in order, and much good work was done
along this line.
| The weather was quite hot and in ad-
| dition to the vast amount Of low-speed
work which was necessary frequently
during the days run, resulted In the
motors becoming Overheated and spouting
| steam in large quantities.
One Of the most difficult feats of the
day, however, was accomplished by the
Vulcan truck. This truck is the heaviest
| on the tour, having an overload capacity
of 5000 pounds. The ponderous truck.
heavily laden to the capacity of several
thousand pounds, arrived at Middebrook
hill. where ii remained blocked for sew
eral hours. Being at the end of the line.
the other trucks ahead. after negotiating
the stiff grade. speeded up to make up
for lost time caused by the blockade
After striving nobly to make the hill
unassisted, Driver III. r. Marshall and
his assistants decided the only thing to
do was to remove half of the load, which
was permissible under the rules, and
proceed to the top of the hill and remove
this half and place it along the road
side This being done the truck was
backed down the hill and the other half
brought up to the top. where the load
at the roadside was again placed on
the truck and the journey resumed.
The journey had hardly been resumed
when a rope hanging over the side
aught in the drive chain, pulling along
with it a couple of the stakes in the
body and the heavy skid chains, break
ing the chain. After another brief de-
at 2:41 o'clock the truck pulled into Fred
erck. After a stop for dinner the big
machine plugged over the mountains
without any further delay, arriving at
Hagerstown at 6:15 o'clock.
Ambulance Cars Record Time.
The first car sent out yesterday morn
ing at the start Of the run was a White
ambulance, with James B. Judge at the
wheel This is one of the machines be-
longing to the Walter Reed Army Gen
eral Hospital, near Takoma Park With
practically a new driver at the wheel, the
trip was made in record time, arriving at
Frederick after a run of two hours and
fifty-fve minutes without incident The
machine was entered by the government
to give it practical test and is compel
ing as a non-contestant. Several passen-
gers and considerable baggage were car
ried on the trip.
The Witt-Will truck. product of the
National Capital, was delayed just after
the start by dirt in the carburetor, but
after this was blown out no other trouble
occurred and the trip was completed in
good shape. The truck is being driven
by w. D. Griffith son of w. W. Griffith,
the entrant.
The only accident which marred the
plea sure of the day occurred to the oc-
cupants of the autOcar truck. driven by
Norman c. Althouse. with III. c. Mcintyre
as observer and n. s. Pringle as pas
senger, in Middletown valley between
Midtown and Boonsboro The cap of
the radiator had been removed to relieve
the heated condition of the motor, when
suddenly the boiling water spouted up
like a geyser. scalding all of the occu-
pants OF the car. Messrs. Pringle and Nc
Intyre had their hands painfully injured