The Coconino sun., 1925-02-27

/ 1CdC 14ACCA COO W IllC SCO1 y.
start, with AL Doyle on the Fl
J. The Sun is pleased to give here
with part of Mr.. Birdseye's story:
4 Late in December, 1901, an automo-
bile was shipped by rail from Toledo,
Ohio, to Flagstaff, Ariz., for the ex-
press purpose of attempting the run
to the Canyon. The experiment was
given wide publicity in the press. It
/ was proposed, if successful, to order
"three big steam coaches capable of
making the round trip of 130 miles
once each day" for an automobile
stage line between Flagstaff and
Grand Canyon. 1t was believed that
these machines might cost as much as
$2500 or $4,000 each. The machine be-
ing groomed for the great test was
] a Stanley Steamer. Needless to saw,
it represented "the very latest type
of automobile construction" Doubling
/ Thomases were informed that "from
bell to whistle" it is perfect loco
motive. It's engines are 1O-horse-
! power marine engines, copied after
the United States torpedo boat type,
fitted with water coil and flash boil
ers that develop steam quickly.
Back of the dashboard is the air
/ gauge and marine cock. On the right
driving wheel is cyclometer record
ing distance travelled, so arranged by
an electrical contrivance as to regis
ter each mile and the time in which
/ it is made. 1t also registers time of
all stops made for renewing fuel or
water"
Other up-to-date features of this
extraordinary vehicle included storage
capacity for thirty gallons Of gasoline
and sixty-five gallons of water! The
water reservoir was filled by a patent
siphon operated by the engines own
\ steam. The machine was said to be
capable of annihilating distance at
the rate of forty-two miles an hour
under mere It's pounds of steam
pressurei
! The weight of the Juggernaut, ready
to go, was about 2200 pounds. Three
4 persons could ride on the front seat
while the trailer, "a part of the ma
chine ITSELF" would accommodate
three more. Night had no terrors for
the driver. He sat behind head
light IL inches in diameter, of 200
4 candle-power and lighted by acety-
lene gas. Moreover, this powerful eye
was supported by the latest thing in
coach lamps, burning kerosene. Tires
were of solid rubber, four inches wide
and an inch and half thick. There
is no mention of springs and mayhap
in that sturdy age they were consid-
cred unnecessary.
i One wonders wherein lies all our
boasted automotive progress Of the
past two decades when we read that
the chauffeur Of this mechanical an
cient managed all forward and back
ward movements and entire action of
the machine with single lever at the
side of the seat; that the engine could
be reversed with absolute safety at
high speed and that double fric-
ton bearing brake would bring the
vehicle to a stop at once And, we
comrades of the Canyon roads,
neither mud, snow, nor ice could SER
iously impede it's progress!"
i Small wonder that before the start
Mr.. Oliver Lippincott, chosen as
i chauffeur by the manufacturers "on
account of his long experience" felt
prompted to tell a waiting world that
he expected to make the 65 miles ito
the point on Grand Canyon known as
Hance's," in considerably less than
the prescribed four hours. Stout chap,
that, with the dauntless enthusiasm
Of the true pioneer.
With him in the swift rush were to
be T. NJ Chapman, a representative
of the Los Angeles Herald, Winfield
Hogaboom and AL Doyle, the latter
the same fine old pioneer guide, to
whom Zane Grey is indebted for so
much of the material in his western
! novels. Let US leave them grooming
their perfect locomotive" for the
start while we take glance backward
that cannot but increase our respect
for their hardihood.
Today Grand Canyon motor tour
lists leave the National Old Trails
highway at one of three points. The
majority turn off at Maine, others at
Williams, few miles west, and still
others few miles east of Flagstaff.
Twenty-three years ago none of
these roads existed as we know them
now Northern Arizona was still very
much a part of the old west. There
was no Maine. Williams and Flag
staff were little frontier towns of a
few hundred inhabitants. The railroad
from Williams to Grand Canyon had
just been completed. Tourists still
patronized the four and six-horse
coaches that made the round trip fol-
SIS. The main stage line ran from
Flagstaff up Fort Valley, over the
western shoulder of the San francisco
mountains, past Cedar ranch and sc
on to the Grand View hotel. Today
this route is almost forgotten and the
Grand View, now the property of Will
liam r. Hearst, has long been closed.
1 At Grand Canyon there was little
we can recognize today except the
Bright Angel hotel and trail Time
and weather had their way with the
then popular Grand View and Hance
trails. There was no Ell Tovar with
its wide-flung comfort, no plan of the
national park service
There are few enough people today
in the country between the main line
of the Santa Fe and the rim of the
Canyon. In 1902 our argonauts and
thair 1,aonhop;oo1 foo~J =