The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-11-08
'HELOMIDO" BACK
FROM GREAT TRIP
TO PACIFIC COAST

TO PACIFIC COAST
Can you imagine a motor tour Of this
continent where the worries Of hotels
and dining rooms are absent and where
IL don't much matter whether you are
here or 30 miles away from water, sup
plies and city comforts when night
Charles q. barley, president of the
Indiana Truck corporation, located
at Marion, Ind, former Ice baron,
lumber magnate, now motor truck
manufacturer and tourist extraor-
binary. with his wife recently com-
pleted a trip, driving overland across
the continent from Indiana 70 Califor-
mia In his special built car, the Hello
mido," a hotel on wheels. This is a
distinctly new motoring idea, practical
for people fond Of outdoor life.
Made 3,279 Miles.
The 'iHelomido,' In which Mr.. and
Mrs. Barley, Mr.. and Mrs. Goldthaite
and the driver. Al spangler, made the
trip OF S,279 miles from Indiana to Los
Angeles. Cal. via San Francisco, Is a
two-ton Indiana truck chassis mounted
on giant pneumatic tires, shock absorb
OILS Aiih hlubbGAHs flhuAdth NhNNl bA2N
for the car vas heightened to 1855 inches
to provide for the special equipped BODY,
making the length complete 80 feet,
6k feet wide and 9h feet high, weigh
ing slightly over 1900 pounds, with
passengers, baggage, water, gasoline.
etc. b car y fitted with special BODY
complete to the last detail. This car,
known as the "Helomldo." is unique
and worthy OF a detail description. II
has a sleeping compartment for fAir
people. with windows that can be raised
and lowered. Beneath each sleeping
compartment Is a commodious chest for
clothing and baggage. 1t carries a built
foods, a complete camping outfit, In
GLIDING stove, aluminium utensils and
a D by u foot balloon silk fly that q
be attached to the side OF the car to
form a tent in bad weather and a fly
u nice weather, and the cooking Is
on a special devised seat which can
be turned Into a bunk. A complete
Delco lighting system Of 81 electric
lights Is used with battery, generator
and 1t also has n powerful searchlight.
The trip of S,279 miles from Indiana
70 Los Angeles. CAL, via San Fran
cisco, was made In the total running
time OF 235 hours, giving the machine
an average Of over IA miles per hour.
Pleasure camping along the way con-
sumed about 10 days. I'VE estimated
the roads on this trip as follows" says
Mr.. Barley. 80 per cent good, rs per
cent fair. and % per cent rotten.
Remarkable Trip.
THE remarkable thing about this
whole trip we made from Marion, Ind,
to Los Angeles, Cal, via San Francisco
was the performance of the car, We
had two flat tires and a broken fan
HnIN 4 x.,kIal 4. SkA. awNaWN ~ nsVR
trouble. This truck made the trip
alone, and we believe that we are the
only people that ever made this trip
IN a big truck without q convoy, the
truck making the entire distance wholly
on it's own power, For hours and hours
on the trip the truck plowed through
sand on the desert, using every ounce
with a 100 per cent record, says Mr..
Barley.
Plenty Of Thrills.
Some rare and remarkable experiences
befell the party during the tour. which
was replete with thrills and excite
ment. Hundreds OF splendid Graflex
pictures were taken at the most inter-
esting places,
One night the party found themselves
on the great American desert at sun
set and realized they were off the main
road. Equipped IS they were, 1t made
little difference to them whether they
stayed there or somewhere else, as their
refrigerator held plenty OF fresh ments
and vegetables, and no hotel afforded
greater comfort or more positive assuf-
anees 81 sleep than thAirs. Camp was
made and the stove placed In opera
VEN AN ma ~ dark |, Ne Psrty retired W. q ,
creaking noise outside, and on i~nvestir
CATION found 4 dilapidated blackboard
hitohed behind n mule and a horse, and
a half drunken bootlegger seated there.
Could he tell how to get to Fish
Springer He could, Would her He
wouid-h the party In the coach could
and would give him o snack. The ex-
change was made, sandwiches for IN
formation, and tho bootiegger, running
whisky III defiance Of the state and
national laws. bunked down for. the
remainder OF the night beside the In
diana. IN the. morning no gave a won
derful exhibition o. mule breaking. as
had harness OF but three times before.
After q fight lasting is minutes or more,
the mule skinner" succeeded In truss
lng one OF the mules feet and thus.
placed II hors do combat and went
calmly about the task Of mtchlng his
team,
In one place in Illinois. shortly after
the start, they ran into a stretch OF
gunlho mud which put the tires ana
motor Is one Of tho most severe tests
" the entire trip. For S. miles they
travelled with the tires covered with
chains, front and rear. Some Of the
! pictures taken during the trip easily
account for the loss Of poundage by
tho male members OF the party, In
tho Utah salt marshes In some places
the reads were 30 bad that hours OF
toll with ohovei and pick in a broiline
sun were necessary before suitable
traction could be found for the wheels.
Ii Wyoming Is a red rock peak stand
ing A short distance off the main high
way, Around a short turn the party
came across what they declare will al
ways ba 10 them the most welcome
sight Of them lives, E~verywhere about
them for mica and miles behind had
been nothing but dead brown sand and
veritabIe garden Of Eden, transformed
by the government experimental farms
Had made TO yield generously OF green
rragaes and grain,
Drew Crowds.
Everywhere they went they were the
center OF attention and Il was impos.
stbls 70 step into a corner drug store
for a glass Of soda and return without
finding h crowd OF natives around the
truck, sdlmiring its appointments and
a~peoulatins as 70 the amount Of fun
they could have with It, AZ Salt Lake
city, whore they appeared on Labor
llay, they were crowded by the traffic
INTO the big labor parade and forced
20 keep IN line until the end ana for the
"nties distance they were the center Of
all eyes,
IN checking UP the records OF the
Journey Il was found that the most
mileage was made In a day In South.
tsat Colorado, whore they made lI6.
| The least WAS Is miles. In Utah ealt
marshes. Eight mountain passes AZ
| 1900 feet or more were negotiated with.
cut trouble aud at every stage Of the
trip the Indiana proved that Il Is a
real truck nna worthy Of the nine
yeare' record which its maker fought