Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1914-05-06
SURVEYING PARTY TO
USE AUTOMOBILE TRUCK
Coast aud G-o,leiic surveyors fin'i
The, Can save Half Ut Expense
liz Work

WASHINGTON. d. C.. May 80
G. V. liodgson, oi the Coast and
Geodetlc Survey. Department OF
Commerce. has recently left Wash
inuion for the southwestern part OF
the United states. whcr" he VII nave
charg, OF u party Tor the determine
Ion Ot the aBtronOnic latitude OF
tfinaKulation stations established oy
The Coast and GeOdetlc Survey and
the United states Geological Survey
be-, ween Barstow. Tex, and the Pact
flc Ocean Many of these stations
are on mountains a. much ns lO,uOO
fee, in height The result OF this
work will be- used principally for
g.odetlc purposes. that IN the deter
mluation OF the figures Of the earth
and the distribution Of material IN
the carth's crust
The means Of transportation Tor
this party will be l-2-tnn auto
mobile truck which was used success
fully on similar work between Den
yer. Colo. and tho Canadian border
I'm the season OF 1919. \ similar
truck had been employed also IN
1912 on the ~ N parallel boundary
survey between the United states
and Canada. The cost OF the work
during the season OF 1913 Is esti-
mated as only one-half what II would
haye been II horses aud wagons had
been used for transportation The
saving in the coming season Is en-
psc,ed TO be even greater, as the
country TO be- trayersed is arid OF
semlarld and the transportation OF
water aud forage for stock would
have been a difficult problem II Is
expected that the work viii continue
until late In the autumn.
The conditions In which the truck
was used we're such as 20 require
very frequent transportation OF men
and material between widely separa
ted points. and In region remote
from the ordinary means communi
cation.
I'm tho experience with the trucl
in 1912 Il was found that Held
PARTY and lbs equipment could COY
~ easily from a. To 100 miles ~
"A dav. ever indifferent roads, in
Guiding stops FOR Gasoline. supplies
etc. en- route The machine vii
haul this load anywhere that foul
horses can. and IN one-fourth th'
time. u &. equipped with solid rub
her tires dual behind. and with eN
ira tanks for Gasoline aud water. The
weight OF The truck Is about 3, 90
pounds and me weight OF the equip
ment of an kinds carried. hut "N
GLIDING tho weight OF the three pas
senrers. o. about 1000 pounds, thus
hrlngiug thr weight OF the entire
OUTFIT o. more than tour tons. Ot
the average. one gallon OF gasoline
was used tor every o.. miles. an'
one gallon ot oil FOR every 81 miles
The chioi Imitation IN the as
0f the truck Tor surveying work arts
e. from TO- weight. but a hghte
truck would answer IN some clas-e
oi work Green poles were carried
20 place 10 front OF the dual-tire,
rear wheels IN passing through deel
sand and mud and heavy plauks wer
carried tor reinforcing the floorin'
81 weak bridges. For use IN mud 81
sand the dual tire possesses grea
advantage over the single tire, bu
on the deeply rutied prairie road
the dual- acre found 20 wedgr ant
bad tn the ruts. co that Il VAS nee
cssary 20 take 20 the prairie along
tide 'hc road. For skid cball
a heavy close-linked rather fla
chain about II fee, long was used
fids was wound about siN timei
around the rim an diircs o. eacl
wheel and the ends fastened by h.sy,
hacklcd straps by which the slsci
could be- taken up.