The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-10-05
GOLD MEDAL FOR
PACKARD CREW
First To Cross Rockies
On All Canadian
Route

DETROIT, Oct. 4. - Carefully
guarded, a large solid gold medal is
being brought from the Pacific coast
to the factory of the Packard Motor
Car Company here. 1t is in the Gus
tody of A. f. Bement, vice president
Of the Lincoln Highway association
and z. s. Evans, one of the founders
of the association. They will present
1t to Alyan Macauley, president OF the
Packard upon their arrival in Detroit.
The medal was awarded by the Can
adam Highway association as recogni-
ton of the fact that a Packard SIX
sport model car, driven By Bement and
Evans was the first automobile to
cross CANADIAN from Winnipeg to Victo-
ria on an all Canadian route. For IL
years the medal had been held up as
prize for the daring motorists. Many
attempts had been made to win 1t but
each previous effort had met with fail
ure.. 1t had come to be regarded as
certain that no automobile could pc
forced through the roadless mountain
fastness.
Death stalked beside the, two meteor
lists for many days as they. fought their
way westward through the Canadian
Rockies. While traversing many parts
Of the route a single break down OF the
car or q blow out of tire could have
caused disaster and either could have
been expected because the going was
harder than any automobile was eFer
designed to stand.
For SO miles down the Fraser river
canyon between Lyttonf and Hope,
% Al. =. 1rsu ny
ties of the Canadian National railway
through a box canyon 900 feet above
the river, a raging torrent. 1t is this
natural cut through the mountains
made by the Fraser river which is fol-
lowed by both, the Canadian National
and Canadian Pacific main lines. Here
too, will have to go the through coast
to-coast Canadian national highway
for which Bement and Evans and the
associations official Packard were the
path finders.
For the whole 60 miles the speed
never exceeded four miles an hour
while frequently it took a half hour
to go 1000 feet. Seyelteen tunnels
and $50 trestles had to be negotiated.
Each individual tie of the railroad
track had to be climbed as a separate
obstacle. On some of the trestles
every other tie had been removed dur
ing some construction work, making
the going more difficult. With four
passengers, two railroad men having
been picked up as aids, and 900
pounds of baggage the ear carried
more than normal good roads load
during two days of the most severe
treatment to which an automobile
could be subjected.
Heavy freight trains cannot be con-
trolIed as well ON mountain .ailroads
as they can on the flat racks of east
ern lines and the results are easily to
be pictured had the breaking OF a
spring, blowing out of rtire or any
other. accident halted the car In a
tunnel or on a trestle for an apprecia-
BILE time. Several times safety points
where the car could be run off the
tracks were reached onlysa short dis
lance ahead of trains.
When they arrived at Vancouver the
two intrepid motorists were feted for
two days. The car was given minute
inspection and 1t was found cessary
to make no repairs other than tighten
ing the body bolts and spring clips.
The tires were cut and worn almost
down to the last layer of cord but they
still held air. The car was shipped to
San Francisco by boat and Bement
and Evans are now returning east over
the Lincoln Highway.