Evening Star Newspaper, April 10, 1921, Page 54

20000 ‘TIN CAN TOURISTS™ IN AN ORGANIZED FRATERNITY Elect Officers, Adopt Membership Butt Winters 1 T BY J. W. BRASHEARS, JR. According to conservative estimates, Wbout 20,000 people from north apent the winter—1920-21—in Florida the cooking their own food and using their own outfits as sleeping quarters. The outfits included everything from & Ford runabout without so much as “High- Sign" on and. Spend the and n Flonda. Me moros, : from there to north- from there to Florida 1eky and Tennessea, and < in Washingzton. headed north. bully good fellow. Many oth- er tin canners do similar trips. Read your map and marvel® There Iso the man without legs who hds driven his Ford to and from A 1 consecuti sons. any other sort of itiner- a fiy-tent addition to living wasons able to think of. costing thousands of dollars. By far| Many From Middle North. the greater number of these PEOPIe.[ nrpc ot the tin canners come from however, lived in 1t midd th, which makes their Sitomohiles Biigse tonts ""”l 4 ”""" d trip to Florida total about R e miles. and a lot of them con- it disgraceful to spend money Known ax “Tin Can Tourists." An > under the but strict- ists form with offi- ) but- of these folks con “ein-can tourists.” ity nher gn. a ton, an organization song. an official publication. a creed and a radiator embiem. The highest office iz that of roval| tin can opener, and there a officials at h camp. The member- ship button the letters “T. C. T." on a white ground. The radiator sm- gilded or oth- psed eith . T on n song blem is a small t erwise farnc with or withou the radiator can s sung to the tune 11 "Round the Flag” The ¢ “Hurrah for the tin « with “Shouting autoc: The official publication is the Tin Can Tourist. published in Indiana. with contributions from everywhere The creed in general is informality and strict observance of the rights of othems and “help everybody if it costs 3 inz. and leave your camp- ground clean.” Slogan Last November. lot of the mps 1 the man tin eanners live but work at their trades winter. Others pick or \ges and grapefruit, or work i €. or run businesses of their jown | They are a resourceful bunch and hard to worry. At Gainesville they t in one day a clubhouse, with dern plumbing, including shower baths, and an assembly room about forty fifty, with a stage in one end and benches to 'sit on. The car- pentry, masonry. plumbing and paint- ing of this building are all first class. And they did it all in one day. When the camp master calls for carpenters, or magneto experts. or musicians for tonight's dance they forthcoming—and they aren’t either. If a tine canner has ne trouble he can get as good istance in his own camp as he could buy elsewhere. They help each other when it costs them nothing. Probably the mest expert horscshoe pitchers in the world are to be found in the camps. They vractice con- stantly for the championship tourna- ment.” They also have biz times at the annual convention, when old ac- « renewed wholesale. livest topics of debate public and private, is whether the men or the women do the most work in camp. My own observation is that the men do a lot of horseshoe pitch- ing. fishing, Swapping varns, inspect- ing and comparing outfits, giving and getting dope on the roads all the way quaintances One of the THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. O, APRIL 10, 1921—PART WITH A “TIN CAN" CAMPER IN PICTURESQUE SECTIONS OF THE SOUTH The slogan last November was: lfrom southern California to northern *Six sand members before Christ- | Maine, eating and just resting. How- mas.” and'the organization must have | ©Ver. the women are not so far be- = hind the men in these matters, at gone away above number, be- |00 cause it has been s ing in recruits by the cluster all winter. ening Entertainment Features. Not all campers in Florida by far| At night they have shows, lectures. Join the “Tin Canners.” so that the|gebates, dances, etc. according to the estimate of 20000 is probably under £ time and place, but the campfire is the rather than over the actual number of | campers. {real thing. In a circle around it they At Tampa the camp is in De Soto!sing. tell storie: t, SWear in new Park. set aside by the city for the |members and have a good time gener- purpose during the winter months. In the center of this camp is a large pavilion used for everything from dancing to preaching. Shower baths and toilets are housed in a brick builing. There are electric lights, and city water is to be had from fau- cets located about the park. Many fine trees, including tall palmettos, furnish shade. and a small building ally. The Tin Can Tourists are a coming bunch. They have made auto camp- grounds necessary in the south, and they perfect their - organization are forcing the cities along the to and from routes to set aside camping places. Further than that they talk of buying their own camp- grounds and letting the cities bid for their conventions. Those tin canners houses the register, camp master, post office. etc. This park ix about 400 feet square and there are no charges for camping space nor restrictions other than those mnecessary to keep the place clean afd safe. We stepped off the size of this park. and a carefully made eetimate placed the number of outfits at nearly 400 at a time when it was only normally _ooqupied. This means about 1.200 people, and there was an annex camp adjacent that seemed to have about 300 more people. We photographed sections of other large camps at Clearwater. Orlando, B8t. Augustine, Daytona, Palm Beach and Gainesville. There are other or- xanized camps at towns not visited by us and scattered campers on the roadw in all parts of the state. All things considered the astimate of 20,000 looks rather too low. When an outfit enters a camp some ene in authority takes it in charge and locates it according to its size. the length of its probable stay, and other circumstances. The members of the party sign the register, make themselves known to their neighbors and are then entitled to all the con- veniences of the camp. 1 have seen a party busily enzaged in laundry work within a half hour after coming into a camp. Reminiscent of Army Life. The life is strongly reminiscent of e in the Army.’ There is little pri- vacy and less formality. There is, of course, no discipline, and the popu- lation of a camp is continually changing. Always parties are leav- ing and others arriving. When a party wishes to go elsewhere it sim- ply “upstakes and goes'—to return later if desired. The tin canners meem to be Iarge- 1y midde-aged folks who have ac- quired a competency by hard work, although all sorts of people are to “ be found among them. A large pro- portion of them are cxceedingly skill- ful mechanics and thefr ranks include have ability, all right, and there is no telling where their activities will stop—especially when the annual ac- cretions to the ranks of the auto campers are considered. The tin canners may ook rough on the road. but this country has no need to be ashamed of them as a body. While they have their percentage of undesirables, they are mostly good citizens, who have adopted tin can touring as a means of enjoving the fruits of their labors that have helped make the U. S. A. the grand old coun- try she is. HOW TO FIX SPARK PLUGS. (This In From One Whe Knows) Take out the missing plug and, if fouled with a carbon, clean it very thoroughly with gasoline and polish all metal parts with silver polish. Set the firing points to proper spac- ing with a thin dime. When you ha the plug ready to put back in the e gine throw it in the ash can and put in a new plux. If_the motor still misses, the trou- ble is probably with some other part of the car __Triangie Gas-ette automotive experts of the highest ability. They are mostly family par- ties, but groups from various locali- ties frequently are met. Distance means almost nothing to the true tin- canner- ‘he eats it up. For axample, Mr. and Mrs. Authier: They have an aifalfa ranch in South Dakota, brought to rent-producing perfection by hard work With only ome arm, he has driven a moderately heavy outfit from the ranch to Mata- By o o e e o ey Authorized illaTe Service Stations L. A. O'Neill, Inc. 1 H st nw. Bradburn BII & EL Service Pa. Ave. Western Am SIpply Co Modern A-» Scwl Ca. st. mE. rrnylw-linln‘?i!; ms:n;ew The-Jeba A. Wi Inc. 3700 Ga. Ave. MW S By e Wflfiz‘&fl&flh i The fresh, new beauty of the Dort body design has made the Dort the chief center of inter- est a automo- biles the country over. With soch added to its well- known qualities of low operative cost and consistently fine performance the Dortisanu motor ear value. I | Dort Distributing Company 1017 14th St. N.\W. Phoae Main 2153 Dort VIEW ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF “T CENTRALIZED ROAD WORK ADVOCATED Truck Maker Would Place! All Construction Under U. S. Government. “The building of main highways throughout the country is an under- taking which very properly comes under the entire jurisdiction of the| federal government,” says W. G Thompson, president of the Thomart Motor Track Company. If for no other reason than a mfli- tary one, it Is a function which shouid belong to the government almost ex- clusively, instead of having different constant saving. I Touring Car -~ $995 Roadster 995 | pose, Low-cost service is carefully built into-the good Maxwell Sedan. Its solid worth as ameansof getting the everyday affairs done more easily and quickly is emphasized by its E. O. B:Factory, swar taw so-b-added states work on certain sections of the country. vital connecting links are left neglected. We are lia- ble to have the history of the war repeated, when munition-laden trucks were obliged to be placed aboard freight cars for parts of their seaboard journeys, because only impassable roads exinted. while France as an Example. “The wonderful roads of France, with their ubiquitous horde of road- menders, were originally and are now a military project. The military all unwittingly paved the way for a tre- mendous development, and greatly in- creased the value of all land. ide from their commercial pur- though, these fine roads lived up to the great expectations hoped of them during the war. It was a network of good roads winding into Verdun from every angle that kept that fortress supplied with munitions and food at a time when all the rail road lines but one were under an in- tensive boche bombardment. These good roads made possible the use of trucks, a steady stream of which kept the un- ylelding defenders supplied with every- ng they required. 'We should have road standardiza- tion in our country and wider, better t is welcomed to a very practical and distinct place in American business and family life. Coupe - - $1595 Sedan - - 1698 OF FLORIDA. PLANS UNDER WAY FORBIGAUTO RACE Entry Blanks Out for 225- Mile Trophy Contest at Uniontown, Pa. Iv $10.000.0 »in Highway, the T what UNIONTOWN, Pa. April 9 five from 4 strest and B blanks for the 225-mile Universal adway New York. to the Golden |sefex fa ge trophy race at the Uniontown speed- | Gate, overlooking the Pacific, via the Wway on June 15, next. have been put | Lincoln highway. Over great nt into the mails. The drivers are now | road. which cuts through scattered all over the continent and | the Union, are to be found the va it probably will be several weeks be ations of road ty sand fore the entry blanks are being re-| construction most familiar to 1 turned in such numbers as to indicate | American public 0by people are em . Brits in growin regone Negoti jine foward foreign here in number £ s, since the w That the Lincoln Highway Associa- is over, are eager to try out th on is doing wonde: new racing creations on the Ameri ,,n . loing: wonders:in the way of can tracks. For many years it was|bring improve- almost an impossibility for an ment_of al route is can-made car to compete 1 ind pilation of im- change ha the complete list of drivers who will be here for this seasons at the Uniontow tions the s for the o June of fore here for the 1921 usual international racing c assured for the Uniontown meet. foreign manufacture these foreign speed creations. c been wrought, is the foreign ears which are . the first question of the ir mak inquiry tion of the s “What is the ans curtain raiser | giy alth that me will ter's flag falls th concerning oval Special | TIRES 30x3'2 made are n bri There ign o season drive Formeris Miller Be- nd an un rd Improvementx Made. Rut a and now it ovems Clansi struction tion of types of road con- forced on_ the ' transcontinental | and selling mustard $9.80 Snap them up! *|CHAS. E. MILLER, Inc. N CANNERS’” CAMP AT DAYTONA, FLA. alwavs prevented him from winning iiton's success of the past ye: would justify the predic that he will find the going harder this year than has been the case for the last two years. Improvements at the big oval are well underway, due to the early spring weather, and _many improve- ments will be completed In ample time for 'hr‘ opening on June 18, built roads, and both these purposes ANTED can be accomplished by concentrating all road-building activities in the hands of the federal government. We would then have a wonderful mili- tary defense and the country as a whole would benefit because of the consequent land development, while the transportation of freight by fast truck, as seen in the use of the new light, ‘speedy trucks, such as the Akron multi-truck, would be greatly increased, while all would benefit because of the general speeding up of transportation.’ RUBBER COATS FOR LAMPS. In the cities one frequently sees lit- tle rubber bags or covers on the head- lamps on rainy days. This is particu- larly true where the vehicle is chauf- feur-driven, for that gentleman knows the value of keeping the water off these lamps, if they are to look their best in sunny weather. ‘Why not take a hint from the chauf- feur and make or have made for vou a couple of waterproof bags to pro- tect the lamps? You will find that they “stay young” much longer if so treated.—Motor Life. Have Your Car Washed While You Day or Night Dupont Garage Co. 2020-2026 M St. N.W. Phone Franklin 4200-01-02 Wait. Address Box 161-P, Star office. Analyze Peerless Value: — compare Peerless with all other comparable eights— for pickup, power, size, weight, comfort and appearance. Then compare prices. Peerless prices are lowest. And the contract is emphasized by the exceptional character of Peerless performance. Peerless prices are based upon former low costs of plant and equipment, and present costs of labor and materials—not upon new the recent period of abnormal expansion and excessive costs. Touring Car $2,990 Roadster $2990 Coupé 70 Sedan $3,950 SedandLimousine $4,210 F.O.B. CLEVELAND THE PEERLESS MOTOR CAR COMPANY CLEVELAND, OHIO e 8 ) @ THE TREW MOTOR CO. Telephone Main 4173 \ A PURCHASER For established automobile business han- dling high-grade car. Opportunity for in- terested party to buy a going business. LINCOLN HIGHWAY PROGRESS GIVING FINE NATIONAL ROUTE Various Classifications of Road Types and Construction to Be Found as Millions Are Spent on “701'](. thousand three hun lrrJ‘rn ning year at a cost of approx the oris of the project set out to obtain rctly and indirectly, about 13¢ ployed in Gre manufactur Auto Soopls House 812 14th St.. 4 Doors North of H St | Ask Your Garage:Man Ebonite 1f you want to know the real joy of driv to the utmost to compete with the|route, New York to an Francisco e Yankee drivers and cars. The result|Jan 1931, Showa b il | ing & car. gt Yo e BONTE P of recent inventions on foreign 4; brick, 219.68; | Transmiesion case {will be watched with extreme in $01.81; ‘macadam o EBONITE. stands up better’than any by the racing fans this senson a creosote block | Lubricant you ever saw. Smfillm(dfll' With the close of the Pacific coast block, 7.10: graded gravel | transmission keepe the gears in mesl, ;avr‘ur = n‘ on .’\lnnl I;_A there “”i ural gravel, 62.10. grade easily and noiselessly—all friction eliminated I be general exodus o ecars and 7: natural 36; sand i oring scason. drivers east. A number of them wil e e i s ship their mounts direct to Indian- en yvears' time a tot $31.- | apolis to prepare them for the Dec- has been spent epideile EB‘ )Nl IE oration day event, from which point|provement of the Lincoln Hizhway. they will be shipped to Unlontown. In 1920 alone, new construction ac- 'For Transmissions and M De Palma Likely to Race. complished on the hichway ran as Tt is rumored that De Palma will [follows: Concrete, 7.5 miles: brick. | s"“""’""""g,,":,‘;:-“""‘"'u nd captain the ballot team of four cars|7-1i _ bituminous macadam, 122:| e Just say "EEO. w fer— i 5 lute camurance of ‘v-ulu and campaign them in this country macadam, 0.5; gravel. 157.5; permanent thal's your abaol this geason. De Palma has always|earth grad 9: total, 5 BAYERSON mxs been unforfunate on the Uniontown Plans for This Year. OIL W oval and has vet failed to win first| According to present plans, the| Manufacturers ERIE, PA moneyiBere HOR m'ilmuy'u“:r:;n:nwf Lincoln Hizhway Association anticr. | PENNSYLVAMA PETROLEUM PRODUCTS leaders. but some minor accident hae|PAteS further Improvements in the' * G R ) - M= () W —r- ) w——e We— () -