The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-08-03
BY JOSEPH c. GILLIAN

A I1p III 8 lSlI MOOc1 l. ' oa0, from Texas to Nova Scotia, planned during four years in Jap prison camps was more than half com pleted today as Alvin Blahuta and Hoot Hutyra, both of West. Texas, stopped of in Waterbury Friday to see automotive dealer Billie" Fitz- patrick from whom the archaic ve- hicle was purchased eight years ago.
 Fifteen states, including the home state of Texas, have been traversed to date, and there are four more states to go and another country. But the two Texans aren't worried about thing. AS Alvin said, T know every whisper in the old car" Of course, he said the words in Texas drawl, and added in the same humorous drawl that the only trouble they've had so far was blowout somewhere back along the way because of rough roads.
 In fact Al, as he'd rather be called, revealed the information that optimism runs very high in the setup He said that they are so sure they'll have no trouble that they don't even carry any spare parts. However, he added with a smile, that even if he wanted the spare parts the job of finding them would prove rather difficult.
 The story of how the whole thing a6 ,$ ie jv,fn the trip itself. Al, who did all the talk ing because his companion sat in the car on Grand Street to keep an eye on the camping equipment, said that eight years ago after be- ing discharged from a hitch in the Army, he and another companion set out from Texas in 8 Model T Ford of 1915 vintage.
 Destination that time was Maine, but, due to the cold weather that they never have in Texas, they were forced to turn back after hitting Connecticut. It was on that first trip eight years ago that Al dis covered Billie" Fitzpatrick's estab- lishment, traded in the 1915 Model and s20 to boot and picked up the 1912 car he's driving today.
 Back in Texas, Al worked on his fathers farm for several years then decided he'd like a hitch in the Marine Corps. He joined the corps in 1889, was stationed in Peking China, when the Japs let go al Pearl Harbor. and he was taken prisoner. From that day on unti Sept. IT, 1945, Al spent his time in two Jap prison camps, one ir Shanghai and the other on the Jar mainland in the northern province of Hokkaido.
 In this latter camp, Al said, the time was spent in mining soft coal Tt was a pretty rugged deal" ht declared, "and cave-ins because 0. rotten timbers injured a lot of thu prisoners. After while we learned to be careful, and though som, were injured, no one was killed. It was here, and in the Shangha prison that plans for the trip t< Nova Scotia came into being.
 Asked why the trip to Novs Scotia, Al replied that he just want. ed to go. He said there was nt particular significance in the des
 tination. After Nova Scotia th
 two will travel the northern rout, back to Texas, stopping of at Henry Ford's plant in Detroit ito see if can get a trade-in on this buggy. Then down the line to their hom, state where Al will take up som, kind of an independent job and hi , companion will enter Texas A.S1M l Al had several interesting storie , to tell about how things had bee, since they started; most of then
 though, he said, wouldn't stan
 print in a newspaper. He did tell
 however. Of how a Ford dealer il , New York State, ran from his es
 taollshment as the car passed.
 The guy was really excited" A said. He had a 1908 Ford in hi
 show window and he wanted t
 buy mine. I offered him a trade -ir
 but he refused. We were stoppe for trafac light at the time an
 we were in a hurry so there wa no time to stop and make a deal"
 But this New York offer wasn . the only one the duo had. No, in
 deed! All along the route, in al
 most all the towns and hamlet
 through which they passed, some
 one wanted to buy the car. Offer . ranged from low of $50 to a hig
 of $000. Al couldn't remember jus
 where it was that the $500 offs was made, but he recalled that |