The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-08-29
PLEASURE OF AUTO TOURING INCREASED
 BY PARK OPENING
Colonel Brett Gives Some Information to Prospective Tourists in Yellowstone
 National Park

Washington, August 2S.-tSpecial.. Under the administration of Secretar, Lane the department of the interiol has increased the pleasure of autorho. pile touring in this country by open ing the Yellowstone National park tc motor cars and by rebuilding the Tiogs road which gives direct entrance tc Yosemite park from the east.
 Col. Lloyd M Brett, in charge of the military post and superintendent of the Yellowstone National park. has sup piled Chairman David G. Joyce of the touring bureau of the American Au- tomobile association, the following in- formation regarding the opening of Yellowstone park:
 Heavy rains throughout the west made the roads approaching and in the park heavy and difficult, yet 50 automobiles with Ill tourists entered the park when 1t was opened to them on August l.
 "The first 10 days travel by en- frances Is as follows:
 Cars-W est, 151; north, S6; east, S3; south, 1 total, 321.
 "Persons-West 597: north, BIO, east, 280; south, 3; total, 1190.
 This shows the western entrance to be the favorite, as 1t has been for the horse drawn tourist travel.
 "No accident has marred this rad ical departure in touring the park, and the schedules work perfectly, although travel is the heaviest in the history Of the park. It has been found pos sible to permit few additional trips and a certain amount of night travel to those whose time is so limited that. without this liberty, they would have 70 give up the park tour.
 "I desire to emphatically state that this important change in the method of seeing the wonders and magnificent scenery of the park has been made comparatively easy for us by the cheer full and ready compliance with the reg ulations and schedules on the part of tine automobile tourists. They have not only met us half way. but have been most careful of freight and other teams which cannot travel on a schedule that will avoid the automobiles.
 "In my opinion automobiles have come to stay and the succeeding years will find the horses and pack animals transporting sightseers on trails to places just as interesting as those now known and to the mountain homes or the thousands of wild animals which follow the snow line in the summer"
 The Yosemite National park, west of San Francisco and near the Nevada state line has been open to automo- bile tourists for sometime, but motor cars from the east have, heretofore, oeen obliged to make wide detour we'll into California and then double back to the park.
 Appreciating the needs of an en- trance route direct from the east, Stephen T. Mather, assistant to the Secretary of the Interior, early this year commenced work that has brought the old Tioga road. a mining road of the sos. into use thus giving direct entrance from the east that saves a long, roundabout trip.
 Assistant Secretary Mather has tel ographed the following information to the touring bureau of the American Automobile association:
 "Tioga road through Yosemite park was formally opened by me few days ago I passed over 1t from one end to the other In an automobile and found it in very good condition.
 Also passed over part of El Ca mino Sierra, on eastern side of the Sierras, which connects with Midland trail, and found this road in excellent condition.
 Gan therefore advise eastern tour ists to go to exposition via Midland trail and Tioga road near Tioga Pass in upper part of Yosemite park.
 sierra club maintains supply station where all visiting automobilists can be satisfactorily supplied with tents and subsistence. Fishing good and scenery wonderful all along the route.
 However, please caution those using Tioga road to take ample supply oi gasoline before making trip from eli ther side of the Sierras. At present tune gasoline cannot be supplied along the road"