Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-09-29
HIGHWAY PALACE CAR PASSES
THRU IOWA ON ILLINOIS
CENTRAL RAILROAD.
WESTERN MUD ROADS
TOO MUCH FOR MACHINE
Millionaire Owner and Family Adam
dons Overland Trip at Chicago and
Take Train-Auto Equipped With
Sleeping Berths, Dining Room and
Other Comforts.

Webster City. Sept. 29.-An automo-
like modern Pullman and owned by
Rowland r. Conklin, a Wall street
magnate, passed thru Webster City
; over the Illinois Control on a boxcar
the family having abandoned it at Chi
cago on account of the muddy roads
and taken the train for San Francisco,
their destination.
In the party are ten people-Mr.
Conkiln and his family, two nephews
of the millionaire. Harry and Frank
| r. Conklin, and two chauffeurs. Ar
irving Al San Francisco the party will
again take up their residence in the
car.
The car is named Gypsy Van" and
, is probably the most luxurious motor
In the world veritable palace on
wheels. 1t is twenty-five feet long,
/ seven and half feet wide, and six
and half feet high, inside. There is a
top deck, covered with an awning,
where d graphophone plays for even
ing parties. The first floor" is d.
vded into three compartments, the
forward one belonging to the chauf
this compartment is easily converted
into a sleeping chamber with two
| berths.
Pullman Car Compartment.
The second and main compartment
is small Pullman car of the latest
type. The sides are practically all
glass so that there is an abudancc Of
light. The wood work is of oak. fin
ished in silver white plain, but beau
tiful. Hhere there are eight berths,
six of them folding up out of the way
in the day time and the other two,
which can be folded back if necessary,
are converted into two lounges on
either side OF the car. A table, seating
ten, is placed between them for meals.
The steps leading to the upper deck
fold back, making a handy desk Each
member of the party has his private
locker and when the berths are down,
space large enough for hanging many
coats and suits reveals itself in the
walls.
The third and last compartment
would delight any woman. complete
electric kitchen is here, with hot and
cold water always running. There is
large ice hex. model of sanitation
and cleanliness. Drawers and COM
partments for everything are handy.
Here, also separated by a canvas wall
when in use is a shower bath, where
the dust and CRIME of the road can be
removed From this compartment
second flighs of stairs leads to the deck
above This is covered with -canvas.
There are seats along the siccs. under
which are compartments where rations
for two weeks and extra clothing are
kept. In the rear end Their is 2 sort OF
cyclone cellar, lower than the rest
of the deck. into which the travellers
can step when the van is passing I'M
der low wires or bridges. At such time,
the collapsiblc canvas top is also rolled
down On the roof over the chauf-
feur's compartment a motorcycle is
carried for emergencies.
Nine Speeds Forward.
The big truck, without passengers
or their baggage. weighs in the neigh
borhood of nine tons, so that ar entire
ly different type of transmission is
used to get the most work out of the
sixty horse power motor in the hood.
BY n original scheme, the drivers are
able to use nine speeds forward and
three reverse, giving the range OF gears
from seven 10 one to sixty-siX to one
Nothing save roads in which the ma
chine will sink can stop the truck,
while on good roads it can maintain
an average speed of twenty miles an
hour. The number of levers necessary
to. control these gears makes the two
drivers necessary, for no one man can
handle tie me- chine alone. Apart from
the six eyliader engine, every part was
Built toSorGer.