The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-07-25

~ AWAKEN nVely interest In the
bettered highway. The tourists yes
terday maintained a speed of about
twenty miles an hour. With a
smooth, graveled road the run from
Mankato to Minneapolis can easily
be made a little over three hours.
An autoist can leave here at "A
p. m. arrive in Minneapolis in plenty
OF time to attend theatre and re.
turn home the same night.
The following story is from last
evenings Minneapolis Journal: His
tires bitten and punctured nine tim IS
by a ferocious pickerel, John II.
Holman OF Mankato, who planned
the Mankato sociability automobile
run from Blue Earth county's metro
polls to the Automobile club, twelve
miles south of Minneapolis on the
Minnesota river, spent most of to-
day midway between st. James and
LeSueur, vainly trying to make his
tires hold wind enough to get his
machine northward. Past him with
heartless side glances went not only
most of the thirty-night cars that
had started in the run at $50 a. m.
from Mankato, but the miscellane-
Gus drag, like that which attaches
itself to circus procession, which
accumulated as the run came up
through fair southern Minnesota,
until, by the addition of accompany
ing farmers automobiles sixty ma
chimes instead of thirty-eight drew
up at the club shortly before noon
R. E. Brown, president of the
Mankato club, with Mrs. Brown and
their niece, Miss Minnie, and Robert
Brown, were in the first car, and
Mr.. Hohman's car came next. Be-
tween st. James and lie Sueur, after
taking water for the automobile, Mr.
Holman started to drive across a
shallow portion of lake, to save
time. Right there, he said when he
got Shakopee later by telephone, the
fierce pickerel bit his tires, for there
'were nine punctures in all. The
first, second and third relief cars
assisted him, but every tire was
punctured, and as late as l p. M,
when the tourists were eating a
chicken that Charles Taylor, Man
kato's former mayor, who weighs
800 pounds, ran over, Mr.. Holman
was still having trouble.
Many Join Party.
No auto tour in history ever had
a fairer day or fairer country to
run over, and the long line of ma
chimes wound out of Mankato every
car loaded to capacity. ]. W. An
drews was pacemaker, c.. H. Saul
paugh, Allen Jackson, j. E. Rey-
nolds and other prominent Manka-
toans were in the leading cars. At
.Kasota, st. Peter, lie Sueur, Belle
PLANE, Jordan and Shakopee, other
machines Joined, and over the beau
tiful country farmers who owned
cars of any description, from run
abouts to tractors, rushed out and
cranked them up when they saw the
line coming, and Joined in at the
tail end, wonderful aggregation of
cars of every description pulling
up at the club when Mayor w. G.
Nye and Chief of Police Oscar Mar
tinson arrived from Minneapolis to
welcome the tourists With the city
officials were G. Roy Hill, G. A.
Will and J. H. T'''"r. glad hand COM
mittee of the Automobile club of
Minneapolis.
Look out for that pickerel COM
ing back" was the friendly warning
sent over the wire by Mr. Holman,
who was still at Shakopee when
Mr. Brown called him just before
lunch.
Farmers in Own Cars.
Reno Rist, farmer near Man
kato, and his sons, Ray A.. and w.
D. Rist, also farmers, drove up in
their own cars.
I'VE farm part of the time and
automobile the rest of the time and
1t doesn't hurt the farming any,"
said the senior Mr.. Rist. E. E.
Burnett, another farmer, in a 9-year-
old runabout that ratified somewhat,
was along. 1T was fine run north
ward" he said.
The 800 visitors scattered about
the clubhouse grounds, some lunch
ing in the building but most of them
going to the glen, where they cook
ed their own meals, or at least heat.
ed the coffee for the picnic lunches
they had brought along.
Calls Brown mayor"
st. Paul Dispatch: Headed by
Mayor Brown, 165 good roads en-
thusiasts from Mankato arrived in
the Twin Cities Friday noon in
thirty-five automobiles on the first
sociability run of the Mankato Au-
tomobile club over the route of the
proposed scenic highway between
the twin cities and Mankato.
The Minneapolis Automobile club
was host to the visitors at luncheon
at noon at the Bloomington Country
club.
If you can stir the same interest
as we have in linking the twin ci.
ties with Mankato by a good broad
highway Well have the best road
in the country" Mayor Brown said
I'VE want to spin up to see you
every little while. Help us get this
highway and we'll be sure enough
neighbors."
Not an accident marred the trip
from Mankato. The return trip was
made late Friday
| Friday was hoodoo day for John
| ~ Hohnoann The fSxbar ~ &b.