Omaha daily bee., 1922-03-12
First Motor TO
, Cross Continent
Was a Packard
Historic Trip Took 50 Days
and Attracted the Alten.
lion Of the Entire
Nation.

Not long ago, IN tie course % a
discussion, there came 10 my mind
an Interesting event associated with
The early days OF the automobile
industry" said 4, Il, Roberts. vice
president. Packard Motor company,
III dates hack 20 1905 when the
Packard factory was located IN War
ten. O.. and deals with the adyen-
lures oi Old Pacific a oHc.eylinder,
nine horsepower Packard that had
been commissioned 20 make a trans
continental run, from San Francisco
10 New York,
Tho start was made from san
Francisco. June IL, with L, I. Fetch
n charge aud the finish took place
N front OF the Aslor hotel, New
York, 81 days later. Trausconti,
(rtatal trips were lust coming into
gsue aud road maps were as un-
Known as self.stariers. | recall that
the only map available Tor a great
part OF the western half OF the jour.
ney was a Union Pacific railroad
map. ,..
"tOld Pacific was the first gaso.
line.propclled vehicle 10 cross the
Nevada sands. Seven days were re-
ouifed 10 do the job. and 10 secure
AIaetion, everything that human in
Fseuuity could suggest from long
strip OF canvas. 10 the floor boards
a. the car itselO was called into
play. II was here that a supposedly
experienced guide. taken on in San
Francisco, admitted that the eoun-
try was all new TO him. Despite
the handicap, however. old Pacific
won out ultimately.
Even murders in those DAYS were
of secondary interest to the appear
anec OF an automobile. This was
proved in Carson City where muir
der had occurred an hour or so be-
fore old Pacific made its entrance
TO the town. The crowd. on seeing
the tirst motor car of their lives,
promptly left the scene OF the muir
der 10 witness sight less common.
"1f there are anything more dii-
ficult than the desert country OF
Nevada, II was the mud of Iowa. On
one particular stretch OF road, it re-
quired from in the morning until g
at night 10 travel 20 miles. Today,
with the help OF the Lincoln high
Gay, twin-six successor of Old Pa |
Eihc' can make the 20 miles in about
IL minutes.
"Thc crew of the old pioneer had
much to contend with. So much in
fact that in a fit of weakness they
descended to mutiny and announced
that from certain point forward |
they intended to choose their own
route. When this ultimatum reached |
Warren, O.. and was delivered to
S. d. Waldon, then Packard sales
manager and personally responsible
Tor the supervision OF the transcon-
tincntal run, il was met with a smile
and a plan. Thenceforward. until
Old Pacific had emerged from the
territory in question, the route was
dictated very effectively by wiring
expense money only to those towns
through which the run was too pass.
Once into the central west, the
going became easier and it was only
a matter of time until Old Pacific
pulled into New York with an es-
corn of some 200 motorists, on their
While steamers. Ramblers. Stearns
steamers, Pope-Tolcdos, etc.
so far as the mechanical features
u Old Pacific were concerned, they
were primitive. Yet they were ad-
vanced in those days, and formed the
basis of Packard quality and depend
ability Of today. old Pacific had
nine horsepower concentrated in one
cylinder. and weighed. ready for the
road. 5000 pounds. The brakes were
adjusted automatically when the rear
wheel assembly was moved back to
take the slack out of the chain drive.
The clutch consisted of cast iron
plate that revolved between two steel
ones. The wheelbase measured 90
inches, and a governor limited the
speed to 20 miles an hour.