The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-10-18
HUDSON SUPER SIX
TO BRATTLEBORO
AND RETURN
With Lever Chained and Locked
Into High Gear
WAS REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENT
Over Green Mountain Range and Hog
back Twice Without Shift of
Gears.

! A Hudson Super-SiX driven by Earl
| W Williams, owner of the Bennington
garage arrived from Brattleboro early
! Tuesday evening after making the trip
from Bennington to Brattleboro and
return with the shift lever chained
into high gear.
Just before the start a paddock was
bought at the Adams Hardware store
and a short steel chain was passed
around the lever and socket frame and
publicly locked so that it could not be
moved. The keys were then left with
w c. Firth at his shop and Mr.. Will
liams started for Brattleboro ac-
companied by F. T. Howe OF the Ban
nef.
They left at u O'Clock Monday and
reached Wilmington in SO minutes
without stopping the car though Mr..
Williams was forced into the ditch by
big limousine On the steepest part
of the road above the Dunyille forks.
A stop of an hour was made at VIII
mington for dinner.
Beyond Wilmington there are ex-
tensive road repairs in progress. Two
temporary bridges have to be crossed
and in one place Tilford foundation
is being built of field stone right
across the fun width OF the road.
This new work added TO the stiff
grade of Hogback made the trip to
Brattleboro from Wilmington difficult
but Mr. Williams made the distance
4in As minutes with one stop on the
down slope OF Hogback 10 wait for a
dumpcart 20 get out of the road.
With the machine chained and
locked into high gear it was of course
impossible to reverse or turn around
as under ordinary circumstances and
if the car stopped on hill it would be
necessary TO back down by gravity un
til a grade was reached where the car
could be started again on high gear.
The Super-S Six reached Brattleboro
in one hour and AZ minutes actual run
ming time While in Brattleboro Mr..
Williams with John Manley and w. L.
Haskell. two Brattleboro passengers
drove the car up Union hill which is
considered the worst climb in Brat
tleboro. He also drove the car at the
rate OF 65 miles per hour on the Put
ney road and at less than two miles
per hour on the streets of Brattle
bore
MIR. Williams and Mr. Howe re-
manned in Brattleboro over night and
started for Bennington Tuesday morn
ing. The Hudson worked perfectly
and with one pause they reached VIII
mington in so minutes.
During the morning there had beeA
a hard shower and on reaching Sears
burg mountain they found the surface
of the road very slippery and partly
covered with wet leaves At the same |
time there was 70-mile gale sweep
ing down into their faces and retard |
ing the car With these drawbacks |
they did not reach the top of |
the mountain but failed by less
than 100 yards. After three trials |
they returned to Wilmington and |
waited for wind to slow down and the |
mud to dry up.
At 4.45 they made another start and |
Mr. Williams succeeded with com
paratiye ease in driving the Super-SiX |
over the mountain and they reached !
Bennington at Clio On the success
full attempt Mr. WE Jams had a speed |
of better than Is miles per hour reach !
ing the top of the grade.
1t was undoubtedly the most re- |
markable automobile exploit ever ac- |
complished in New England and one
of the most unusual in the history OF |
automobiling. An the auto owners of |
this section know the double noun
tain pass over the Green mountains |
and the Hogback between Bennington |
and Brattleboro. The elevation of the |
high points OF the roadway in Wood |
ford and Searsburg is about 1850 feet |
while Hogback is nearly 2200. The |
road is largely narrow and winding |
md rough in many places.
With the car locked into high gear |
it was necessary to keep going or back
out and only a perfect car with al |
most unlimited power would stand a |
show of making the trip under the
conditions imposed.
The mountains and the road are
still there and there is an opportunity |
for other ambitious car owners to |
test out their favortes if they have
the courage to make the trial
The Hudson Super-SiX can run from
Bennington to BrattlebOro and return
on high gear-locked there and the
keys left in Bennington. It is the on
ly car that has ever done this or the
equal Of this in this part of the coun
try.