New-York tribune., 1915-03-14
Good Stretches of Road
We're Few and Guide
Books Lacking.
MJN TO PITTSBURGH
A MEMORABLE TRIP
RI. Johnston, the Original
Pathfinder, Tells of Work in
Gathering Data.

This Is the fourth of a series of
rtcles by local veterans in the auto
mobile trade. II. II. Johnston, who is
u,nager in this city for the White
Company, was the original pathfinder
a the East, taking up this work sys-
i,nstically about 1904 and continuing
4 for several wears. The era of
lOOd roads building undoubtedly was
,istened BY Mr.. Johnston's activities.
NO.i. By r. II. JOHNSTON.
The man who tours to-day selects
his destination. picks up his guide
book 70 locate the best route and finds
/ laid out for him in minute detail
Tty perplexing angle simphted, every
un described and the nature of the
road surfaces specified. To make II
more difficult for him to go wrong he
finds, as he spins along, that there are
gsdeposts at nearly every turn. And.
best Of all he finds first class roads in
al directions
Unless the present day tourist was a
noiOrst al least ten or twelve years
lgO he can hardly imagine the diff
mites that then confronted the man
mo wanted 20 get of the beaten path.
here were some good roads, but much
-ore poor going; some good hotels.
ild many that were mere apologies, and
.sw natives Of any town who could
iltct the stranger with any accuracy
!oI distance Of more than few
niles.
Ny first experience in long distance
vols were the Pittsburgh run in 1903
iae the first annual tour OF the Amerl-
an Automobile Association to ~.
Louis in 1904. Both journeys served TO
iiov ne, as lt did others, that our
Ia5s were wofully lacking in quality,
t@ihat for the average mOtOrlst tour
rl With any degree OF comfort and
lHsure would be impossible until
'srs reliable road information could
as made available.
II all my experience the run 10
Fii;burgh was probably the hardest,
iit that admission will probably be
-its BY all the others who took part.
he participants found themselves IA
n'1s as "mudlarks,' but there were
.Ttrsl on that trip who have gained
lne otherwise. Among them were
Nildsor White, who was the pilot; K.
I Olds, who drove an Oldsmobile; A.
f. Rker, with a Locomobile; Frank
@Nesrns, with a Stearns, and Elwood
aiynes, who handled Haynes-Apper-
NJ
10 that run we encountered four days
. steady rain. and II II had not been
'N most elastic schedule hardly any
Ns could have reached the Smoky City
time. A it was, the entrants had
.alll midnight each night to reach the
aeesing points. and many of them
lseded all the time they could get, al
sSugh We had counted on having hours
v idleness Two Whites, two Pierce
Ms'oTs, a Packard, a Columbia. a
Nearns and a Pope-Toledo managed 10
W through and win medals.
,GGoing from Chicago 10 81. Louis the
"Ao~ine year the conditions were
s9eh better, although | have a vivid
recollection Of the crude roads that we
in over. Most of the road building
.aa been on section lines, and the sur
.yers had difficulty in bringing their
''uons together. As q result we we're
9waNnually running into abrupt iogs
~st required careful driving.
vVne OF the notable early tours by
y" iork motorists was a hunting trip
prade with Augustus Post and Ezra
ueh INTO the Quebec woods in 1905.