The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1913-11-22
NORTHERN ROUTE
MOST ECONOMICAL

ttn ~ - ~ ~ - ~ !.
During the months of August and
September, 1913, | travelled $500
miles in Nevada by automobile. The
road from Elko to Reno along the
Humboldt river and via Wadsworth
was travelled twice. An accurate ac-
count of all expenses was kept for
business information and not with
any thought of writing this article,
which is written at the instance of
some of Nevada IS good men.
Figures on the basis of this ex-
pense account develop interesting
conclusions which it is believed will
interest all in Nevada, and especially
those of that region along the line
of the road from Montello to Reno
/ With that end in view and with the
desire to lend any of my aid to Ne
vada s progress / am glad to pre-
sent the following facts which should
be a potent cause for action on the
part of those concerned, toward the
Good Roads movement.
The automobile used by me was a
five passenger thirty horse power
Chalmers machine, weighing thirty.
three hundred pounds, and had been
in service two and one-half years
This represents about the average
type of machine in overland travel
The costs of travel per mile for the
Nevada service stated were as fol
lows
Gasoline =. !. 3.710 cents
Grease and oil -. -. 0.090 cents
Garage service, tires, tubes,
repairs, etc. ..6.151 cents
Presto-lite ..... :. .0.020 cents
Hotel expenses, etc. :. 1896 cents
Total cost per mile 13.737 cents
The above hotel expense is for
one person only. The average over
land machine carries about an aver
age of three persons; hence the hotel
expense must be multiplied by three
to get the average amount spent per
machine, and this added to the above
stated cost per mile gives 2127O
cents per mile.
The distance from Montello to
Reno through Wells, Deeth, Elko.
Beowawe, Battle Mountain, Golcon,
da, Winnemucca, Inlay, Oreana.
Lovelock and Wadsworth is about
400 miles -Four hundred and sixty
miles times 21270 cents per mile is
S9f,s4 for the estimated average
spent per machine in crossing Neva-
da from Montello to Reno via the
towns named above.
I The season for overland travel ex-
tends from about June 1st Novem-
ber lst, or say $50 days, being linn
tied only by the heavy snowfall on
the Sierra Nevada mountains. Garage
owners along the 1oute stated told
me that the overland travel for the
season 1913 would easily average
one machine per day. Then multiply
s97.s4 by $50 days and you have
sl4,676 expended along the "Hum-
boldt Route for 1913, by overland
autoists. Ultra conservatives NAV
cut this amount in two and still he
shown result worth while to Ne.
vada.
The overland travel via the "Hum
boldt Route'' for 1914 should he
double that of 1913, which would
mean $29,353 new money along the
line for 1914. The exposition wear
travel in 1915 should, by proper road
Improvement and advertisement. be
increased to n times the estimate
for 1913 which would result in the
distribution of $146,760 of new
money in Nevada.
This is not the only result of such
travel along the route through Neva
da that can be obtained. Manv Of
the autoists will be those who are
Z I0nEIDr for al
Some of those with whom | talked
along the. road were farmers from
Illinois, Iowa and the Dakotas. The
excellent development of farms along
the Humboldt river appeals to these
men and they see the opportunity ia
make like developments on some par
eel or the thousands of un-reelaimed
acres to be seen along the road. A
distribution of Iact-laden- literature
10 the autoists by the different Cham.
oers OF Commerce along the route
would be proper, acceptable and pro
ductive of good. If only five per cent
OF the. autoists considered the good
conditions offered by the region be.
tween Wells and Lovelock, and be.
TWEEN Argo and Reno, it win mean
strength for Nevada IL will he
found that most of the travellers are
glad to get information of the re.
gions through which they pass. and
VIII in many cases pass the informa-
tion along to their friends.
! The Humboldt Routev passes
through Elko, Eureka, Lander, Hum.
boldt, Churchill, Lyon and Washoe
counties, following closely the line of
the Southern Pacific railway. There
are practically no sign boards giving
road directions along the wav. Some
of the garage owners are starting to
remedy this, but the different coun-
ties could handle the question to bet
ter advantage, ana official county
sign boards create better impression
on the traveller
/ If the counties named would employ