Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1945-01-11
Sets Pace
OF Convey
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and nearly lost one of our trucks,
Leonard Bernstein, driving
ahead of me, suddenly began spin
ming like a top on the glare ice.
After about six revolutions, he slid
sideways into six feet of snow in
the ditch. He had picked up a
piece of steel in his right rear
tire and it threw him,
That laid us up at New Castle,
Pa. just short OF our days desti-
nation.
These convoy drivers have a
great time on the road. All the
regulars are expert with a PIN
ball machine and they warm up
at every stop by feeding nickels
10 the slots.
These little Dodge trucks may
be cold, but they're just about UNI
stoppable. They pull themselves out
of spots no passenger car could
move IN.
Convoy drivers are "A pretty
tight little fraternity and on your
first trip. il you're driving army
equipment. you're accepted as
full Pledged member. All along the
route are special stopping places
with hunks and showers and some
have small cottages, tourist cabin
style.
AT New Castle. Regent Bailey
has a big place with a dorm and
"a double-deck hunks plus seven
cottages for the girl drivers At
all of these places there is good
food, hot drinks, gasoline and oil
service and-ot courSe--pinball
machines.
All the drivers in our particular
convoy are extremely friendly and
the horseplay at check stops is
spanked by wise cracking Sally,
who can do with a truck anything
man can do. She sets a steady
pace and when we have clear
roads, which isn't often. we eat up
the miles, even though only at 30
ipCT hour.
TWO DAYS LATE
Al our present rate, we should
be at our destination 10y Thursday
might've days late No one
could do it any faster, though, and
these drivers would II they could,
because they're getting paid by
the mile and not by the hour They
don't get reckless, because they
know from experience that 1t docs
not pay.
The frequent stops for hot cof-
fec and food while we make out
our reports and check the trucks
are a blessing We never appreci-
atcd hot drinks so much before,
for the wind whips through the
makeShift curtains on the trucks
and chillS your blood.
It's impossible to keep on nor
NAL schedule in this weather I'm
official reports along the way
have the temperature close to zero
and the wind in these mountains
feathers the snow under the top
and into our laps. We have to dust
IT off every time we stop.
This Is the trip for any one who
can find time. It's not only a top
priority Job, but any one who has
not seen the mountains in Penn
Sylvania IN winter has missed
some of natures finest work.
VISIT TO FARMLAND
The valleys all are smooth and
white and the trees look like some
thing from fairyland. Farms are
laid out precisely and seem
asleep Snow in the fdrmyardS IS
broken only by paths from the
houses TO the barn and other out
buildings.
There's nothing on the roads eX-
cept trucks OF all sizes and the
rural mallmen All along the route
are huge transports loaded with
war freight and every few miles
we see one IN "A SnOwbank or q
ditch. waiting for a wreCkcr
Every one IN our convoy except
photographer Phil Dion has done
a ground loop on the treacheTouS
ice. Sally Pearce. the convoy cap
tain. spun into a ditch once. and
was forced off the road another.
limo by q bugp trapSpc1f