The Washington herald., 1917-12-02

other large item OF expense and rail-
ROAD oncfals were unable to guarantee
definite date when fiat cars would
be furnished for carrying the ma
chinery.
The Bent motor truck railroad moved
all the machinery and other furnish
ings Of the plant in a single, day and
IL all arrived at the Frankfort factory
IN perfect condition, despite the fact
that 1t was covered only win sheets of
heavy canvas. Officials of the COM
pauy declared that this speed in ,rnoy-
ing saved 1t thousands of. dollars
Another striking example Of how the
railroad blockade was broken with
motor trucks is the transportation of
a STOCK OF $4,000 worth Of imported
turkish rIfgs'from Philadelphia to New
york Mr.. Bent asserts that the rugs
were loaded into an open machine and
taken to a broadway shop, a distance
or ntnety-six miles, IN less than ten
hours. The charge for this service is
% cents per 100 pounds. ssgz.s
The rugs. which were owned. by the
hrm of Davis a. ,Nahikian. prominent
rug importers had been ta1CesIsto RhiI=
adelphia for. exhibition purposes When
the exhibition closed the mercha nts
desired to send them back to New
York as soon as possible. The motor
truck route was decided upon after
the railroad officials had declared
themselves unable to accept the rugs
for shipment. The importers said
that every day the rugs were in the
warehouse meant hundreds OF dollars
to them in lost sales.
The speed and dependability with
Which the valuable rugs were hauled
from Philadelphia to New York at
tracted widespread attention among
the business men in both cities. and a
tew days later a representative of a
foreign government offered Mr.. Bent
contract to haul fifteen tons of
stockings from a PHILADELPHIA stock
ing factory to the ocean piers in Nam
haitian. The steamer was scheduled
10 sail the next day at noon. The
stockings were loaded on three motor
trucks at O'Clock in the evening and
unloaded on the dock in New York
early the following morning,
The war abroad and the prepared-
ness plans of the United States gov
ernment brought large contracts for
munitions to the Du Pont Powder Conn
pany and caused the town of Penn's
Grove, Pa. where the plant is located
TO triple its population almost over
night. The newcomers arrived so fast
that the town butcher was unable to
keep them supplied with meat Final
y committee was appointed to search
Tor new butcher and to induce him
10 move to Penn's Grove. Such a man
was found In South Philadelphia, for
ly-nVe miles from the mills, but then
came the problem of moving his large
'tock Of meats. chopping blocks, saws,
resrlgerator bins, chopping machines,
oInee equipment and other furnish
Ings. Shipments by freight were all
most at a standstill. A conferences
Win Mr.. Bent ended the trouble. The
Loilowing evening a fleet of his motor
Fueks moved the butcher and all his
oeIonsings. He was open for business
ng. inorn-
Mr.. Bent's machines have performed
many other novel hauling duties, in |
;luding the hauling of 500 tons of coal
a single night for the Snellenberg
department store, of PhiIadelphia:
'uilng aerial cable and setting poles
or the new aerial cable line between
hiiadelphia and Atlantic City: haul
ng Deer for the interned German sail
rs at tne League Island navy yard:
ransporting huge trees a distance or
Itty miles,. plowing snow; haul,ng
shes' and many others.