The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-03-18
N')lV|N OvERc()|NfS
T|E-UP N freight
Nebraska Auto Dealer and
Mother Go to Factory
After Cars and Drive Them
Home, Over 1000 Miles.
DODGE STANDS ! TRIP

II there is any phase Of Goth cen
fury business in which man exce,s
woman, Mrs. IONA Berg, Superior
Neb., wholesale and retail dealer In
! motor cars. would like to know about
1t. Mrs. Berg has just completed a
little business drive, literally and fig
uratively. which establishes record.
She demonstrated her contempt for
such business barriers as freight car
shortage by establishing an "Inde-
pendent" transportation route from
Dodge Brothers works in Detroit to her
saiesroom out in Superior, 1900 miles
away on the Kansas border.
The route was the drive away"
Mrs. Berg led a fleet Of four cars over
land, on their own power, through
snow, frozen ruts and temperature
that wavered between Is below and Is
above from start to finish. She drove
one OF the cars. Her 12-year-old son.
Jack, drove another. Two of her les
mechanics had charge of the third and
fourth cars. However. the mere fac.
that the mechanics were in the party
does not warrant the conclusion that
they did all the driving. For let 1t
be known. Mrs. Berg's mother was also
In the party. and never yet has she
gone on motor-car tour of any length
without taking the wheel for goodly
share Of the route herself Likewise
in the tour Just completed. The lady
Is Mrs. J. H. Kesterson. She is two
years less than so. The fact that Mrs.
kesterson was the first woman who
ever drove motor car in Kansas may
account to some extent for her con-
tinued enthusiasm over this form of
travel. At any rate, she does continue
enthusiastic.
The party proceeded by the way of
Elkhart. South Bend and Chicago and
from there followed the Lincoln high
way. 1t is one of the few trips of this
nature ever made by woman dealer
and probably the longest of any of the
many "driveaways" that have been
made necessary this winter by the fact
that there have been no freight cars
for shipments. An idea of the difficult
ties encountered on the long journey
may be cleaned from the following
characteristic telegram from Mrs.
Berg, sent to Dodge Brothers on her
arrival home:
Arrived home yesterday, finest kind
of shape Positively no car trouble and
very little tire trouble Jacks car came
through without puncture We
proved the Dodge Brothers car can
pillow, skate, wade and swim. high
wind drifted snow over the roads in
Michigan and, as ! led the party. |
broke the roads, occasionally being
shoveled out. To our party, however,
that was good sport.
I'VE stopped in Chicago a day and |
received numerous courtesies from your |
dealer these. From Clinton, Iowa, to
Marshalltown we travelled over ice and
Charlotte famous fancy skater does
not have anything on a Dodge Broth
ers car when it comes to skating
Western Iowa was sea of water
were held up at West Side until the
flood receded. Mighty proud to say
We found our best roads in Nebraska
Pleasantly greeted in Omaha by the
Dodge Brothers dealer. Spent Sunday
In Lincoln. We all want to make the
drive over many times. I drove my
car the entire way without a particle
of fatigue. Mother enjoyed roughing
1t as much as the rest of our party
Inquiries are coming in from Ne
braska and Kansas dealers as to the
success of our trip. 1t costs little if
any more than actual freight and. as
I see it, one cannot afford to close up
shop on account of freight-car Short
age
Mrs. Berg's territory comprises four
counties, two in Kansas and two in
Nebraska. When her supply Of cars
dwindled and the outlook for freight
shipments became less hopeful every
day. she wired the factory. asking if
she could have the cars il she came
after them. The result is the remark
able mid winter journey of a woman
merchant, her 5S-year- old mother and
12-year-old son under conditions that
would discourage the most energetic of
business men.