The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1917-07-19
TOURISTS HAVE ENJOY
ABLE TIME
Visited Nearly All Large Cities of the
West-RepOrted Road Conditions
Excellent

was planning to take trip to that
distant city to look after his interests.
1t dawned upon friends of Mr. Briggs.
as well as that gentlman himself, that
1t would be an excellent idea to get
up a party and make the trip by auto
mobile
Accordingly on the morning of
June Is. 1917, DR. f. o. Sawyer, DR..
c. r. Viles, e. E. McNeelie and Mr..
Briggs, with Sandy Goodwin as chauf-
feur, left Skowhegan in Mr. Briggs
Packard car for the far West On the
first afternoon the party drove to
Boston where they spent the night
and left the following morning, going
up thru the Berkshires where they
dined at the Lenox House and then to
Albany, y. Y, after dinner, arriving
in that city in the evening. The fol-
lowing Sunday morning, with an early
start they went thru Auburn, \. Y,
Schenectady, Syracuse, Utica and Buff
falo, a distance of 314 miles, reaching
Buffalo in season to catch the ferry
boat across Lake Erie to Cleveland.
The party left Cleveland Monday af-
ternoon and for the first $50 miles
found the roads made of concrete and
wound in and about the best winter
wheat section in Ohio. In this
stretch of road there was not a hill
to be found and the party were treat
ed to a real motor ride. Dayton,
Ohio, was the next stop and here they
remained during the night. The fol-
lowing days run was from Dayton,
thru indianapolis to Terre Haute, In
diana. Two days later the party ar
rived in Kansas City visiting St
Louis en- route. In Kansas city they
prominent business man of Trenton
Missouri, who remained as a member
of the excursion until the arrival in
Skowhegan, 1t was a days run
from Independence, Kansas, to Okla
homa City and the party reached their
destination Sunday afternoon after
covering 2300 miles The most val
liable oil fields in the United States
were visited at Tulsa. 1t was in this
city that gasoline reached its highest
price in the United States, altho great
quantities are found here. A stop of
two days was made in and about Pur
cell, the home of Mr.. and Mrs r. f
Leavitt. former Skowhegan people.
Wednesday morning saw the party
again on the road, not headed toward
home but ready for more lengthy
trip to Wichita, Kansas. The next
day Dodge City was reached and from
there the great prairie lands of the
West were crossed, going by way Of
La Juanta to Pueblo where the party
spent the night The next day
visit was made to the royal gorge,
Canyon City, Colorado and Manitou
Springs, the Garden of the Gods and
thence on to Denver Sunday morn
ing sightseeing about this city was
enjoyed followed by a run of 10
miles to Sterling in the same State.
Tarrying in Grand Island. Nebraska.
mid way across the State for that
night they spent the next day in trav
cling thru Omaha as far as Des
Moines, Iowa, and from that city to
Clinton, Iowa; on to Chicago. reaching
Toledo the next forenoon and Cleve-
land the following night where they
again boarded the ferry for the trip
across Lake Erie to Buffalo. Sunday
found the party en- route to Scranton.
Penn, and from there to Delaware
Water Gap to Jersey City and across
the 42nd street ferry to New York
City; up Seventh Avenue to Central
Park at send street to Harlem Bridge
On Tuesday a visit was made to
Narragansett Pier with two ferries
across to Newport, r. l., and on to
Plymouth Mass. for the night. The
party arrived in Boston Wednesday
noon and came to Skowhegan Thurs
day night. after being on the road IS
days and covering a distance of 6300
miles. 1t will be noted that the trip
took in nearly all of the large cities
of the West and the party was told
that the route took them thru the
best wheat, corn, cotton, alfalfa and
sugar beet country in the United
States Notwithstanding the disa-
greeable weather experienced in New
England during the past few weeks
the tourist said that during the sos
hours which they were on the road.
only two hours of that time was rainy
or bit unpleasant The roads were
far above the average as is evidenced
by the fact that so great mileage
was made in so short a time All in
all the trip was success and men,
bers of the party expressed great
pleasure in their experience. The
machine in which they went gave no
trouble under the careful hand of
Sandy Goodwin who proved a big fac
tor in the success of the venture