The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1922-09-07
BIOGRAPHY OF
AN OLD FORD CAR
Man Tells How He
Learned to Take
His Time

Week before last we carried an ad-
vertisement for the w. e. Bills COM
pany, dealers in Ford cars, regard
ing the life Of Ford car purchased
seven years ago by j. R. Pendry,
who lives on lots adjoining The Re-
publican office, and on interviewing
Mr.. Pendry, he said the statements
in the advertisement were correct. A
review of the matter as told by Mr..
Pendry, makes the following
article:
| j. r. Pendry of Blackfoot bought
a Ford car in 1915 and says that In
the first six years he drove 1t 1907
900 miles. 1t seems to be good for
another hundred thousand, and
when somebody offered him $3.50
for the speedometer he took 1t on
and received the money. Since that
he drives it everywhere he wants
to and considers that he has got his
moneys worth several times. for 1t
cost him only $425 in the beginning
and up to date he thinks the repairs
have not cost him more than $40,
excepting for tires and tubes and
| things that he. broke in wrecks. He
gives it a going over himself once
| in a while, but he has never had 1t
in a garage to be worked on. When
people ask him how he makes his
car last so long he always says he
does it by keeping it out of the
garages and shops. That is pretty
hard on the garage men, but we are
only giving it to you as Mr.. Pendry
gives it, and we'll not be responsible
! il he is a better mechanic and more
conscientious than others.
In talking with Mr.. Pendry, the
writer remarked, "Well, I suppose
you are a careful driver" And
then he told an interesting bit of
personal experience that ran like
this:
"Well sir, the first four years we
had the car it never went quite fast
enough to suit me nor my wife. We
were always willing to go little
faster if we could. We passed cars
all day and always had desire to
overtake and pass the next one.
When we had a long stretch Of
smooth road slanting down hill 1t
never occurred to us that a tire
might blow up or anything happen
i to throw us in the ditch. I just
stepped on 'er and went. We took
delight in passing people just to
show them we could do it. We even
gave them the high sign as we went
by and shouted, 'Goog-by,' or Well
see you later or some such remark
as that.
"But one day we went into the
ditch and came out alive and en-
joyed the adventure. We set 'er up
and went again and thought we
could always come out all right. One
day we were passing thru the Soda
| Springs country and on a long
smooth stretch of road we saw a car
ahead of us, and, in keeping with
our custom, put Lizzie down to her
best ticks. Then came down grade
for about half a mile, and by the
time we got to the bottom l suppose
we were making about fifty miles an
hour. Unknown to us there was a
soft strip across the road, and when
we hit that the car wanted to turn
turtle, but it was going to fast to
do it, 1t took queer spin and rolled
twice over like fash and l saw my
wife sweep ahead taking the top OF
the car along. I was aware of slap
ping the ground awfully hard and
something heavy rested on me and
then life seemed to go out. When |
revived heard my engine racing,
and l tried to look around, but my
sight seemed gone. l felt around
and my hand rested on the throttle
and | turned it and the engine
stopped. All this time my wife was
lying about thirty feet farther on
and was looking back at me, but
could not get up for her collar blade
was broken. l heaved hard and got
out from under the wreck and after
I had Mrs. Pendry safe in the hospi-
tai I engaged truck to go out and
bring in the wreck. The truck man
was going to use block and tackle
to set the car upright, but I pro-
posed setting it up by hand, which
we did. Then I cranked it once and
the engine responded as II it was
all right, so I got in and started 1t
for town. The top and windshield
had been swept away, but otherwise
it seemed all right and beat the
truck to town. / got new materials
and replaced all that was swept of,
and ever since that I have been say
ing to myself, 'Pendry, old boy, you
have plenty of time to make this
trip. You have all the time there
is to get there. When you are going
north there will always be another
car somewhere ahead or north of
you, and 1t is no use trying to pass
them all-there is always another
one. If you are going south there
will always be another one south of
you, SO don't worry about passing |
them all-you can't do it,
"And now for three years have
been arriving at destination soon
enough. Last week we went thru
the Yellowstone park, and we went
wherever any other cars did, and
we went right up the mountain
roads and came down as steady as
the other