Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-08-26
PEERLESS MAKES
REMARKABLE RUN
Trip in Yosemite Valley
in Half the Time Usually
Required


any motor car. c. L. Butler. of Ber-
kelley. California, in Peerless Eight,
manufactured by the Peerless Motor
Car Company, of Cleveland, Ohio,
has made a record run in Yosemite
Valley, which is the envy of all au-
tomobile men. In spite of dangerous
turns, tricky roads and rigid driving
laws, Butler with a companion mace
the round trip from Oakland, Cal, to
Yosemite Valley and return, trip
which ordinarily takes two days eacn
way, in 10 hours and minutes.
Buffers record was the result OF
efforts on the part of the Oakland
Chamber of Commerce to convince
the Oakland citizens that the trip
to Yosemite Valley could be made in
two days, one day for going and one
dence in the Peerless Eight, Butler
announced that he was going to go
both ways the same day. Several
newspapermen and others who had
been over the route advised him not
to attempt the making of record
on his first trip. They said it would be
| impossible for him to accomplish any
thing extraordinary because he was
not acquainted with the roads, the
crooked turns and dangerous hills.
Anxious to make a real record,
however, Butler decided to make the
attempt. Leaving Oakland at mid
night, he had 154 miles of State high
way before him which he made, IN
cluding two stops totalling 10 min
I'utes and two misjudged roads which
cost him about five minutes more, in
the elapsed time OF three hours and
| so minutes. The car ran consistently
and comfortably at 81 miles an hour
except over rough roads. grades and
culverts. The end of this stretch
1. III tan n
! MADEIRA at which point they lett the
highway for the rough country.
The grades become steep and rough
and the turns were sharp, but Butler
| sent the sturdy car through as rapid
| ly as possible, saving the machine
from the wicked and perilous chuck
holes wherever possible.
Even with his careful driving, he
said the Peerless Eight seemed to
be on the aXles much of the time.
| Between MADEIRA and Raymond, he
ran out of gasoline. but luckily he had
can OF the fluid with him which
kept him going until Raymond was
reached. At that point, ten minutes
were lost while Butler and his COM
garage proprietor. Water, oil and
gasoline were taken on and the car
sped away toward Wawona. a resort
| just outside Yosemite National Park.
They reached Wawona about s
o'clock. Ten minutes were spent in
registering and getting their record
signed and they were on their way
again with the first government
checking station as their objective
point. Another five minutes were lost
there.
At this point the trip became most
exciting because they had to base
their driving schedule on the rules
of the government checking stations,
which permit cars to move in only
one direction at a time on the roads
to and from the floor Of the valley.
They had to reach the second check
! ing station between 9:20 and 9:25. II
| they arrived before 9:20 they would
have violated the speed regulations Of
the park; If they did not reach there
until after 9:25 they would have to
wait until the next checking in at II
a. m,
Not knowing definitely where the
next station was, they had consider
able difficulty in arriving on sched-
ule. To overcome this disadvantage,
however, they drove the car up to
within a short distance of the check
ing station where one Of them went
ahead as scout and, waiting behind a
| bend in the road from $40 to $3.50
! Butler drove the car up to the line
exactly on time, Five minutes more
were used up here while they had
| the ranger sign their record books.
! From Wawona to the floor Of the
| Valley each car must take 80 min
utes, although the distance is but
three miles. Much to their own dis
| pleasure they had to follow the ruling.
| At the foot of the grade, they check
ed out again and ran, under regula-
ton. at the rate of Is miles an hour
to Yosemite Village, arriving there at
approximately ten o'clock. There they
were checked by W. B. Lewis.
Crane Flats, the boundary of Yose-
mite park on the Big Oak Flat road,
was reached in good time and after
checking for the last time, they
headed into the worst roads OF their
entire trip. From Crane Flats to
Chinese Camp. about so miles, the
grades and turns are bad and the
roadbed is even worse. Dust, ruts and
chuck holes prohibit even moderate
speed and approaching mule freight
teams, heavily laden. made fast time
an impossibility. In the neighbor-
tween these points. When they reach
ed their destination. however, they
| had made the trip into the Valley
without mishap, without even using
tho low gear except for starting and
without boiling the water in spite Of
the fact that the grades. footing and
turns placed an enormous strain on
the car itself.
They checked out Of the Valley at
1889 on the Big Oak Flat road, which,
by the way. was the only concession
given them by the Park Rangers. On
the way up. the last car should have
left at 1925. In order to help mat
ters they crowded the car up this,
their steepest grade. so that they
might catch up with the IA minutes
the Rangers had given them and not
impede incoming travel at the top.
Soon. after leaving the Chinese
Camp, they struck graded. although
unpaved. highway. This road was
| good for more than 30 miles. From
Oakdale into Oakland most Of the
roads were paved and they made Just
as fast time as they dared, in the face
of the police. Except for a 15-min-
ute stop at Chinese Camp, they came
through from Crane Flats to Oakland
without delay arriving at the Oak
land hotel at 7:14 p. m. In spite OF the
fact that Butler had made a most
admirable record, the whole trip cost
him nothing except tire wear, gaso-
line. oil and the regular toll in the
Valley. No repairs had been made on
the car; no requirements were nee.
essary and, as Butler said. at was
more of wearing test than the aver