Cavalier County farmers press. (Langdon, N.D.) 1920-1921, 1921-08-04

Aaelh 49,
railroad boys We're laying down on
their high-wage Jobs? Do you remeln-
Der how many Of those cars We're
smashed up, burned up, or were shook
half to pieces? 1t was done by speed
ing over strange roads.
New Driver Apt to Be Careful.
1T isn't the new driver who is
trapped by different roads ; it is just
as apt to be the old-timer. New driv-
ers are careful; they learn around
home, hit the same roads every day
and learn EN-. When they get good
on the home roads they start off, hit
another kind of good road, and bling!
Smash up!
tits just that way all over. Idon't
begin to claim I'm an expert in all
kinds of roads; I'm not. All Pm an
expert in is keeping out of trouble.
I've been through Berthoud pass, IL
600 feet above the sea, and more than
140 feet below the ocean down in Sal
ton sink. I know enough to go slow.
That's what / know.
"It's the good road that; kills. Men
don't break their necks speeding on
bad roads. They're. caught on good
roads, the way I said. Some pave
ment is deadly dangerous when it's
dry, and some is deadly dangerous
when it is wet. Take concrete, for
example. There's no cleaner driving
in the world than on concrete. This
side of Buffalo, and here and there
in New York and California, you have.
concrete roads. Now, when they are
hauling hay for a bottom, or oranges
out of an irrigation project, therell
be about three rods Of dirt on the con-
crete. It's apt to be clay. It's just
like daubs of axle grease On a rail-
| road track. You hit that stuff going
right along, feel it culver, and try to
| straighten up. Your steering wheels
| slick around the easiest they eve did.
You forget where your straightforward
is, and with the req end of the car
| swinging ahead you hit hard pan
again, and shoot off into the chaparral.
Or you climb the fence of the Buffalo
county club, depending where you're
at. !,
Dry or Wet, Both Treacherous.
DRY roads are treacherous and wet
roads are ~treacherous. There are
more accidents in western New York
from people coming off poor roads on
to good ones than there are on rough
country roads.
Where you know q road is danger
Gus you go slow and careful. Where
you think the road is not dangerous,
but it is a death trap, you are in peril
Of your life. I'm thinking that when
| they have paved roads owe the Rocky
mountains there'M be a lot of acct
dents because ii seems so easy.
1--WE seen more than 200 wrecked
cars beside the road. I've seen the
ruins of ten times as many at garages
the country over. Not one but what
came to an untimely end because of
carelessness Of some kind. And nine
times out of ten the care1essness was
because the driver was going too fast
on a road he didn't know. You'll find
at the bottoms Of slopes in9gthe
Rockies big, beautiful cars, all ruined
-skidded on dust, on clay that looked
solid, on sand that vas roller bear
ings, or on a long peeled log gutter
cross.
mo, sir! My boy, when you get
your car, don't you drive over any
strange road at more than 20 miles
an hour, no matter how good it is, and
you'll find lots of roads where i'f
better to go under ten miles an hour
than to go faster than that. From the
Rockies to the Sierras 1 averaged sew.
en- miles an hour-6O miles at three
miles an hour one day. And I passed
two cars before dark that left me be
hind in the morning. They'd busted
themselves getting there, Eli.
go slow. Let the other fellow &c
by; you'll get there first, anyhow
TAKES A $4,000 MILE WALK