The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1917-03-01
NOVEL MOTOR
TRIP ENJOYED
NEW RAIL AUTO MAKES TRIAL TRIP
From Snug Interior Of Unique Vehicle
Men See Hood River Valley In
vested in Snow Garments

Railroad Co., out on its trial trip over
the valley line. party of local men
Tuesday of last week were privileged
to participate in one of the most unique
JOY rides any of them had ever expert
enced.
With summer sun shining, a motor
car trip over the highways of the val
ley is always pleasant diversion, but
the usual journey over valley roads if
not entirely out of the question, would
have been at least chacterized by dis
comforts for passengers and driver last
week. For two days, much of the
snow melting as it fell, sugar snow
had been prevailing over the mid-Co-
lumbia district, and while this precipi-
tation rendered overland roads ex-
tremely difficult of negotiation the
changes it had wrought in the land
scape of the scenic Apple Valley pre-
sented scenes that members of the rail
auto party will not soon forget.
The sugar snow, big faxed and
clinging like fioury paste to everything
it touched, covered the entire earth's
surface and every bit of investing veg
citation and foliage. Telephone and
telegraph wires had become suspended
cables of whiteness. While the under
branches of frs and pines, in contrast
with the blanket of white, seemed a
darker green than usual, every bough
was bent with its burden of adhesive
snowflakes. The hut of the laborer
and the grander residence of the orch
ardist, all were covered with the
beautiful.
Although most of the occupants of
the comfortable, coachlike automobile
were familiar with the Hood River
valley from hundreds of trips over the
rail line as well as overland journeys,
none of them knew that landscape of
last week. The journey from here to
Parkdale, beginning at an elevation of
l01 feet and ending at an altitude of
1,700 feet, was like trip of explora-
tion through an unknown land. One
of the members of the party compared
the snow covered valley to a fairyland,
and, indeed, the white robed clumps Of
Oregon grape and scrub pines had the
appearance of elfins on parade. For
a rare 10 minutes, when the big rail
motor car was stopped at the Parkdale
station, the sun dispersed the snow
clouds and the earth's surface and
scintillating branches of trees took on
an incompatible brilliancy.
But the day, ,excpet at rare intervals,
was one of steady snowfall. AS the
big vehicle, its 45 horsepower engine
chugging along with merry song,
hastened over the line of steel rails
the huge fakes of sugar snow piled
up on every hand. To a pedestrian
the velocity of prevailing southwest
wind was scarcely pereeptible, but
the breeze became hurricane in the
face of the car, and the wet snowflakes
piled up to half inch depth on the
feur, Albert Shere, found it necessary
frequently to wipe away the deposit,
in order that he might see the track
ahead.
The snow flurries, however, in no
way effected the comfort of the cars
passengers. The chassis and machinery
of the powerful machine, which will
carry in comfort 26 passengers, are
from a White truck. A four wheeled
pony truck has been placed under the
front of the car, while large fianged
drive wheels conduct the car swiftly
over the rails. The body, with its
seats and central aisle in every way
like comfortable railway coach, was
constructed in Seattle. The car was
assembled in Portland by the White
company and with members of the
State Railway Commission and prom
inent O.-W. r. & N. officials aboard,
was brought here by its own power
over the O.-W. line. 1t is stated that
the new method of transportation has
suggested itself favorably to O.-W.
officials, and it is predicted that SINH
lar cars will be in service on that line
in the near future, offering tourists a
convenient and comfortable method of
seeing the sights of the Columbia river
gorge.
The Mount Hood company purchased
its first rail auto last spring. 1t was
then planned to operate the vehicle only
for the summer tourist traffic to Upper
Valley resorts. But so successful was
the passenger business that the ma
chine has been making a regular sched-
ule between here and Parkdale all VIM
ter. In fact the old car could not ac-
eommodate all passengers, and both
machines will, it is thought, handle
capacity loads the coming usmmer.
Mount Hood Lodge and other Upper
Valley points, too, are becoming al
most as popular in the winter months,
because of the excellent sports, skiing
and snowshoeing, offered, as during the
summertime.
It had been planned on the trip to
have moving pictures made of the Hood
river gorge, which for a great distance
the valley line parallels, and of Mount
Hood. The weather, however, pre-
vented, and w. A. Van Scoy, a Port
land movy photographer, who was
member of the party, was unable to
take any pictures.
The guests of the railroad company
aboard the car on its trial trip were
escorted at Dee through the big mill
of the Oregon Lumber Co. The ma
chimes of the big plant, which has
daily capacity of 175,000 feet, are
driven by individual electric motors,
generated both by water turbine and
steam turbine, the latter having been
recently installed. Both the water
power turbine, turned by the stream of
tne dOo0 river, ana tne SUedm turbine
have an $50 horsepower capacity.
Either of them is capable of driving
the mills machinery. The latter was
installed recently in order that the big
mill might be driven at full capacity in
seasons of low water.
The Mount Hood Railroad Co., for
merly carrying its passengers from
Parkdale and way stations on its steam
train, operated on single round trip
daily between here and the Upper Val
ley terminus, has stimulated friendli-
ness among its patronage by the new
rail auto service. At all points Tues
day the new car was greeted by crowds
of enthusiastic citizens.
The personnel of the party carried on
L fCnn kinnnd m Enrrr PanaA