The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-03-18
THE FARMER: MARCH IS, 1915

&d. heart. an adventurous spirit and much self-reliance to attempt the trip.
 But ali that is ancient history now; it is all so different and utterly. changed that one Of the old sfpion- credit his. senses when he notes the AIaddin-rub- -the- lamp change should he retrace his old strai1 today.
 The organized; main traveled anscontinenta1 routes are today in such good shape and every day get men t is not only not of such very great imp ortance,s but even depends to a great extent on personal taste. There remain, however, on each of the routes some rough spots which may call for a limited precauI onaTys eduipment and, of course, there are the climatic changes also to be com sidered. Everyone of the routes must traverse the arid inter-rnoun- tain section and naturally settle ments are frequently far apart and precaution must be taken to provide against breakdowns or serious storms in this region. :.
 While nearly. all rivers, wet or dry. have been bridged, and most rayines and arroyos provided with cu1verts. about sixty feet of 5-S inch manila rope. This might also come in ham, dy If stalled in mud hole or where an irrigation ditch has overdoWed the road, which occasionally hap pens I consider that carrying block the rope and fasten it by straps through '.footman loops on top of the Ieft-hand front fender.
 Carry a pointed shovel. a small axe with the blade sheathed in a leather case and fasten these in an upright frsN shcrF%f h IA af Just in front of the front door Tn q small wooden block cut a gash for the point of the spade to keep it steady and to keep it from marring the paint Of the car Screw this block. to the running board and strap spade handle to the frame Of the wind shield. Tie the axe to the spade handle and hook the handle of a camp lantern to- the. handle of the spade, strapping the oiI-ho1der of the 1 lantern to the axe.
 I Carry a fire extinguisher, as there is small consolation in the fact that your car is insured if it should catch fire from some cause fifty miles from anywhere. Fasten this at some con- verdent sspot inside of the front pas senger compartment of the car.
 And, most important of all your Isequlpment, carry two three-gallon desert canvas water bags; i'll these each morning with water without fail and in the far west fill them whenever you have a chance during the day. EDon't forget col1apsible canvas fbl1cket with spout
 l Besides Che usual tool equipment of the car, carry two jacks and two pair iof chains to provide against the pos- isible necessity of putting on chains on all four wheels on a crowned, wet road or against the possible loss of a chain in a deep mud hole A coil I r.F l wire and a few extra spark plugs shol1ld be added to the tool kit.
 While the modern Tendency is to, keep the running board clean and to l hide the tool kit under the front seat, nevertheless recommend that a steel board in order to make your tools I more easy to reach.as A pint bottle Of I distilled water should be carried to replenish your batteries as eyapora- ton takes place very fast in desert regions.
 West of the Rocky mountains I l would recommend the carrying of two three4foot hardwood blanks, strapped by "footman 1oops'' to the running boards: they are very use l fuI ein mud holes or sand.
 I should not attempt to carry any l special gears or parts for the motor, l as the motor car of today is SO de- 1 pendable as to make any use of such extra parts very doubtful But four extra spring clips. threadedsway down land provided with the proper nuts, in Icon Junction with four pieces of spring steel twelve or fourteen inches long 1 and four cross pieces with holes to fit fthe spring clips, come In mighty han I dys in case of an ordinary spring l breakage. These will provide against two broken springs.
 As the nights are cold even in the I i7nf
 mountain ranges, carry some extra iheavy wraps. Also invest in d tar pauIin for ground cloth and cover, I should you be compelled to spend some nights out Of doors, Remem- i Der to scoop a small depression in the I ground for your hip and you will sleep comfortably and awake without stiff ness.
 Start out with new tires all around and carry two extra castings and four I inner tubes. Choose a brand of tires which you know. OF your friends tell 1 you, have an extra tough fabric, and you will save money and be spared much annoyance.
 Use a good quality oil for 1ubrica- l ton always Gasolene and oil may 1 be had along the line on all the trans continental routes at intervals never to exceed one hundred and sixty miles l but the oil carried IS not always of the best and west of the Mississippi river I would recommend carrying l two one-gaIlon tins strapped to the running boards
 The car should have a careful in- spection each day, all nuts and bolts looked after. as we'll as grease cups and oil cups.
 Ship, your trunk with your glad rags and carry only a minimum of baggage, say suit case to each pas senger and take care to distribute the weight of your equipment over the car so as to equalize the weight on the springs Put the extra. wraps and other personal odds and ends in a wa ter and dust proof duffle-bag and