The Washington herald., 1922-08-20

and the mechanic on "Old Steady"
hailed from Lansing; factory forces
at both cities bet their money free
ly onsthe result and so did the spec
tators along the way. The win
ming car was in doubt most of the
time.
Two Days Delay.
Two weeks out, the cars reached
Omaha. From this city, Huss
wired: Both cars arrived Omaha
this evening, two days repairing
necessary" The repairs were duly
made-rather leisurely repairs, ac-
cording to present day standards
and the cars resumed their break
neck pace westward. 1t was no
picnic to drive a car across the
continent seventeen years age.
There S!ere perils of all kinds to
beset the travellers. Megargel tele-
graphed from Grand Island. Neb..
that "Old Steady" had gone through
the bridge, bent both axles and
broken the springs. but added that
he could repair the damage by
morning. He did, too, and kept on
Ike Columbus. From Lodge Pole,
| Nebr.. twenty-three days out. he
| wired: Here tonight Cheyenne to-
morrow II no rain two rattlesnakes
today" Sport was pretty good in
| the rattlesnake line. most of the
way. Cheyenne was reached with
the axles bent and the driver and
the mechanic BROKE" for Megargel
sent the Macedonian message: 'Old
Steady repairing here today wire
money for Stanchf1eld and self need
Immediately"
| About this time, Megargel was
several days behind his luckier
rival. who covered the entire dis
tance in forty-four days. of which
only forty days were actually con-
sumed in running. Huss won the
$1,000 and high reputation. with
abundant fame for the little seven
horse power Oldsmobile that had
covered the long route SO gamely
and with SO little apparent bad
effect. His arrival at Portland
could scarcely have been better
timed. from the standpoint of
dramatic effect He reached the city
just one hour and two minutes be-
fore the opening of the good roads
convention. to which he had been
named a delegate by Governor
Warner OF Michigan. Two days out
of Oregon. desce ending the Cascades
down Seven-Mile Mountain, Huss
set his brakes. but the rear wheels
dragged and Wigle. who Gas acting
as living brake, was drawn along,
over the seven-mile stretch. This
| was the most exciting experience
that the winner of the race reported
Megargel came into Portland a
l'ttle over a week behind the win
1er. but he finished the route. and
Nrought his car In good shape.
The continent has been crossed
many times since the memorable
.'a"c Of 1905 between the two sturdy
iTittle Oldsmobiles. They carried no
.nud-guards and no top: theih- pas
sengers were exposed to the ele-
nents in their vilest moods: they
carried no luxuries with them-not
much more than a toothbrush for
baggage. But they got through.
They blazed the way for others and
they convinced the skeptics that the
automobile was something besides
a toy and an experiment. The
achievement spoke for itself and for
| the CATS Inc cry lot SoOu Todus
that has been so widely heard and
so abundantly answered in this
country arose from every part oi
the land when the story Of the
epoch making race was told.
with equipment that was woe
fully primitive when judged by 1872:
standards. but which represented
the best obtainable in 1905, the Olds
Motor Works won the distinction ol
having every entry in the hrs'
trapscontinental road automobile
race. Since that time, the company
has won other honors. at home ano
abroad; but the glamor Of the 1906
race has never entirely faded. 1t was
an American enterprise. carried oui
with the American spirit from thu
start; and 1t will always remain one
of the outstanding achievements oi
American motor cars and American
drivers.