Evening Star Newspaper, October 9, 1921, Page 56

TOURISTS OFTEN START COSTLY - FOREST FIRES BY CA'REI?ESSNSES Huge Lumber Losses Due to Motorists| Mean Loss of Countless Homes Still Unbuilt. the call claimed, has dealt with this matter as it dealt with rivers and harbors. Views of Dr. Johnson. “It would seem,” said Dr. Johnson yesterday, in discussing the proposed bill, “that the time has come for the enactment of legislation in keeping with the budget plan, and with mod- ern business methods. With a defi- nite undertaking in view, with a clear-cut system laid out, with esti- mates made of cost, both of construc- tion and maintenance, based upon surveys, Congress will be in a pos tion to go forward with the construc- tion and with the financing of same, and will be in a position to make the necessary financial arrangements for the completion of this system as rapidly as the funds can be provided and economically expended. “I do not think the plan will memorial to Congress requesting an adequate highway pfogram, unani- mously adopted by the Southern Commercial Congress at its twelfth annual convention held in this city, in which it was resolved that “in view of the deplorable condition of the highways of the United States, as compared with the highways of the allied nations, constituting a con- dition of national insecurity and handicap in competing for the mar- kets of the world, due to excessive cost of transportation, Congress be asked to set aside the whole of the war loans to the allies as a national nighway fund, to b used as follows: “(a) For the construction and main- - transcontinental thorouzhfare tenance entirely at federal expense | tARtcORlECRINl (Y of a system of national highways to ticipated. perform a service for the natiom security, unity, development and wel- fare similar to that of the national routes overseas. “(b) For assisting the several states .o hasten the completion of state highway systems of proper mile- age; and favoring ion by n- Bress transferring to the states, with- out charge, all remaining surplus war property which may be useful in any way to the state and county high- way departments in the construction and maintenance of highw 2 Dr. Johnson, who is in the direction of the Lee highway, ther stated that work on BECKLESS DRVERS |°Ix seNoR TowNSEND's HaNDS BI-AME[] IN REPURT Measure Submitted for Early Introduction by Lee Highway Association Is Urged Upon Congress. Study of Maryland Crashes Reveals Responsibility ; for Auto Disasters. three-month wax had been an A rough draft of a bill proposing by and with the approval of the Sen- a comprehensive program of highway ".On the third day of last August ate, the selection to be solely upon man set fire to more than a score thirty-on “twenty-six A From his aerial perch the flying pa- study of motor in the bagjs of fitne: = tion has been submitted to 88 for the task and vith -of trol could discern automobiles on|accidents on Maryland roads has |construct the es&nllnl irem any way interfere with the present of homes. Every home was entirely many roads. hurrying to the fire.| brought to light the interesting dis- |Senator Charles E. Townsend, chair-|record snowxn?":;,';ed,,']"':m‘,‘fy‘"’fmg constructive plan. It would not be consumed and there was no insurance. The man went on- his way, if not Tejoleing, at least without visible evi- dence of regret. He had no fear of punishment because the homes he had degtroyed were not yet built; they were still in the tree trunks await- * fnglthe magic wand of industry to ve them habitable form. But eco- nomically these homes were destroyed as surely’ as though the trees had been .made into lumber and the lum- ails crews of men on closure that a vast majority of the Aléng many trails crews of mer o8| dicasters that overtake motoists are slow progress in -the same direction. brought upon themselves by thelr In the meantime the smoke grew into | Wn recklessness, and that 90 per I e reaous . yellowish white fog|CeDt Of them are due to speeding, that screened the surrounding forests, | S4Y8 & writer In the September issue and In the aerial patrol's ears came | 2f bublic Roads, published by the bu- the roar .of conflagration punctuated | [5% OF PUbLE roads, United States by_the booming of falling trees. Where ¢ griculture. *hé wind blew smoke away the patrol Careful at Danger Spots. could see the flames leaping from tree-| “One of the interesting develop- top to treetop. ments (of the investigation),” the Herole Efforts Fail. journal goes on to say, “is that the designed to take its place, but it should be a supplemental activity of the federal government. “Unless something of a construc- tive nature is done soon,” said Dr. Johnson in conclusion, “looking to a business and scientific program, en- abling us to secure a higher degree | of efficiency in the utilization of the greatest invention of the age, the good roads leaders of our country will not feel that the proper degree of progress is being made.” Dr. Johnson Is the father man of the Senate committee on post offices and post roads, by the Lee Highway Association, with a request that it be introduced in Congress early in its December session, ac- cording to Dr. 8. M. Johnson, general director of the organization. ‘The assoclation advocates the crea- tion of a federal highway board of seven, three of .them. ex-officio and four chosep with reference to geo- graphical “representation, .and- on & salary, the three ex-officio members thought upon the matter o transport, freedom from hi"u:‘gx:l:atx private interests or political obliga- tions, and breadth of view derivea rom a wide range of experience and observation, leading to a knowledge of the United States as a whole. It ls- further pointed out by the Lee Highway Association that up to this .time there has not been any adequate highway program looking to the utilization of motor vehicles on an efficiency basis. Congress, it is of a ber into structures. And this is the ‘way It happened: It ‘was the vacation season and an automiobile carrying a party of tourists stopped on a road that wound through a magnificent stand of Douglas fir in' eastern Washington Btate. The travelers sat in rapturous admiration of the quiet forest scene and. rhapsodized over the great trees thaf columned their majestic beauty . as far as the eye could sge. One of theimen of the party lit a contem- plative cigarette and tossed the match to the side of the road. { Atr Patrol Locates Fires. Half an hour later- an aeroplane patrol flying high above the mountain range saw yellowish smoke ballooning over the tree tops. He moved his gongro) and turned in that direction. Upda the chart in.the machine before - hinx he located the fire approximately, then. returned quickly to a mountain fire station ten miles away. “By wire- less. telephone he called to the man in the: station: “Pire, twenty-six thirty-one, south- west.” _“Twenty-six thirty-one. Sdon “a dozen telephones over a hundred-mile area were buzzing with LITTLE VIBRATION 1§ FEATURE OF BUS 2 Engineers Travel in Auto - Which They Think Coming " * " Mode of Travel. THursday - of last week occurred ‘what may prove to be an epoch-mak- ing event. Twenty-five engineers, members of the Society of Automotive Engineers, left the society’s build- ing, 29 West 39th street, New York, After what seemed an interminable ‘wait, the patrol noted various gangs of-men at work. They were combat- ing. that most terrfying, most un- governable and dangerous of all re- bellious elements—the fofest fire. For a day and night and another day the battle waged. Grimy men. black as the charred trunks about them, worn to the last stages of exhaustion, fought on—cutting away underbrush, dynamiting logs and trees, beating out the slinking fringes of advancing ground fire, shouting ope to another above the crackling erno of heat and smoke, panting like hunted ani- mals around thd water barrels where they slacked their thirst with the luke-warm liquid, but gaining, al- most imperceptibly at first, yet grad- ually with greater certainty as the weary Hours dragged on. And amid the confusion and crash of falling timber the ranger and his foremen generaled the battle. Only Barren Sear Left. Several days later a wide, barren scar lay. upon the mountainside, still smoldering in places where the black splinters of the charred stumps pointed like accusing fingers, and still belching out masses of vellowish white smoke. The scar covered hundreds of acres, and it would continue to smolder and smoke for weeks, while all about in the ad- Jacent woods were fire guards constan! ly vigilant to see that the enemy did not creep out and strike agai And far away the automobile tourists journeyed carefree and utterly uncon- Ccerned. At a sawmill they stopped for a few minutes to watch the logs in slow procession_from the D to the band ws. “What a shame,” exclaimed the man with the cigarette, in a burst of sentimental revolt, “what a shame to cut down these beautiful trees. largest number of accldents 'have occurred at the places that have al- ways been considered safe, while the sections which have been commonly regarded as being extremely danger- Qus are proving to be relatively free from accidents.” Where a#he state highway crosses the Blué Ridge mountains, in the western part of the state, and grades are steep and curves sharp, there were but eight accidents during three months. _On the National pike, be- tween Baltimore and _Frederick, where there are forty-eight miles of the straightest road in the state, the record for the same time showed Six- teen accidents, three of which were fatal. . “And yet,” says the publication, “few stretches of highway in the whole road system are so free of any features which might be con- sidered as dangerous.” On the Baltimore-Washington road, with all apparent danger spots re- moved, the record shows that during the same period there was one acci- dent for every four miles of road. Only One Answer. “There seems to be only one answer to account for these hitherto unsus- pected conditions,” the article says. That answer is: “Even the less careful motorists drive cautiously in the presence of recognized dangers, . such as steep grades, sharp curves, grade cross- ings, ets, while the absence of such dangerous features gives the driver a_sense of security which prompts him to take a chance and yield to the wellnight universal passion for speed.” Few it was found, to the condition of the roads themselves; and most of those were due to slippery surfaces caused by rains. accidents were due, at ‘10 am. for Aberdeen proving ground, Md., there to witness what is probably one of the most extensive demonstrations of ordnance rhaterial evet given. The tests were made Friday, October 7. 5 The remarkable part of the trip 3 “these twenty-five men trav- eled by specially built bus, which 18 so . constructed as to almost en- tirely eliminate vibration. ‘Their purpose in using this mode of trans- port instead of the railroads was to satisty themselves and demonstrate to the country that passenger trans- portation over relatively long dis- tances may be accomplished by auto bus at a fraction of the cost of rail- road travel, and with equal comfort and much greater appreciation of scenic features. The demonstrations at the proving und were given before members of the society from all parts of the country who went to Aberdeen at the invitation of Gen. C. C. Williams, chief of ordnance, U. S. A. Tests ~=-were made of guns varying from 2 new design of macaine gun to the big 16-1n. .50-caliber gun, which will out- range any naval gun in the world. Bombs weighing two tons were dropped from airplanes. These bombs are of double the size of those re- cently used in bombing the surren- dered German ships. Armor-piercing projectiles and armor plate, through which these projectiles have been shot, were examined. The most important part of the day’s program, from the ftandpoint of the visitors, was the demonstration of various types of automotive equip- ment, such as mobile gun mounts, tractors, caterpillar tractors, etc. Members of the Society of Auto- motive Engineers were largely re- sponsible for designing most of the the United States in the world war and-it is in recognition of_ this serv- jce and with a desire for present and future co-operaiion of these men that the ordnance department, through Qen. Willjams -and Col. J. ‘W. Joyes, chief of the technical staff, arranged the elaborate program., AUTOMOBILE BRIEFS. 3 tion picture film_showing from -t:r:n :o flanh the manufacture. of an automobile will be shown in the Ma- sonic Temple. at 8 p.m., October 11, according to an announcement made By Joe McReynolds, local distributer for the Studebaker car. It shows the making .of a car from raw material to a finished article. Color eftects will be one of the unusual features. Ad- mission will be free.to the public. . McNelly has joined the sales 1orccn Vot the District Oakland Com- pany. / 'r'he mew model 61 type Cadillac. is now on show at the local showrooms of the Washington Cadillac Company. line-driven equipment used by | POTOMAC SALES CO.uc 1111 14THIST. N.W. PhoneM3668 SPECIAL SALE OF USED CARS THIS WEEK 25% Reduction.on All Cars 1920 Dixie Flyer Touring—guaranteed. 1919 Dixie Touring—new tires all around-—new paint—guaranteed. 1920 Dixie Special, with California Top—fine : looking—a great all-year car—guaranteed. 1919 Dixie Roadster —overhauled — attractive color—unusually low price. 1920 Dodge Touring—A1l condition—two cords —newly painted. 1920 Elgin — good paint job — new engine —a dandy car in performance and looks. 1919 Briscoe—overhauled and painted—special. 1918 Chandler—the price will astonish you. 1918 Ford Truck — 1 Ton — completely over- hauled. Terms to responsible parties. to be the United States director of public roads, the United States chief engineer and the assistant secretary of the Department of Commerce. Duty of the Board. The duty of the board will be to select, arrange and designate a sys- tem of national highways not to ex- ceed 30,000 miles, until such mileage {s completed and adequate main- tenance established thereon, after which the system may be expanded. These highways are to be chosen in co-operation with the state highway departments and are to include those whose function, when constructed, will be predominantly a federal func- tion. The responsibility, therefore, for the construction and maintenance will rest entirely with the federal gov- ernment. The board will be charged with the duty of preparing a map of the sys- tem, and utllizing surveys already made, or securing necessary surveys! and submitting the .map with esti- mates of cost of construction, and aiso cost of adequate maintenance, to Con- gress for further action, after which the board will pass out of existence unless further action is taken by Congress. Connect Population Centers. The governing principle in the se- lection of the highways will be that they connect centers of population, and afford economical motor trans-! port, from state to state and :ectlonl | to section throughout the natlonal domain. Their distribution will be such that they will serve as the main trunk lines of a scientifically ar- ranged system, the intervening spaces of which would be served by the state highways and the county sub- divisions. The four members of the commis- sion be appointed by the President your service. Tractor;s. 7 , Strobel " 1425 Irving Street 1425 Irving St. NW. - Jorc nnouncement of Opening Our place of business, located in the heart of Mount ‘Pleasant, with a full line of modern equipment, genuine: “Ford” parts, and a force of trained mechanics, is at : " We have a sales department‘ at your command cov- ering Ford cars, Ton Trucks, Chassis and Fordson Motor Company, Inc. - Authorized Ford Dealers Phone Columbia 4206 N.W. Over Dobpse 600,000 awners ® SEMMES MOTOR COMPANY Bromiers MOTOR CARS 1132-34 Connecticut Avenue Telepho Famous ne Main 6660 For Its Marwvelous i ES, SIR; only $23.50 for a i brand-new, first-quality | Prest-O-Lite Battery, full of zip and zing, and born to live long. Prest- O-Lite’s second reduc- tion in less than a year! And the battery is better, too. | 2= / TRADEIN PRICE on this | 2 genuine Prest-O-Lite Battery | 23 ¥, for Yours! Here’s a dandy bat tery for Fords, certain models Chevrolet, Over- land, Buick and twenty- seven other cars and trucks. Come get yours. It means $12.40 saving over Prest-O-Lite’s 1920 price! Drive around. POTOMAC BATTERY CO. ThestOfite BATTERY SERVICE Pull up where ] you see this sign. Other Prest-O- Lites in correct size for every e of car. Enjoy Fall Motoring In A Fine ‘New Chandler GETyour new Chandler now and have the advantage of its efficiency exactly when it counts for most—through the coming fall and winter months. Chandler has a world-wide reputation as a wonderful cold weather car. The marvelous motor starts easily, warms up quickly and is working the time you shift into first. The positive magneto ignition delivers a big hot spark for easy starting and is a real factor in eliminating winter battery trouble. At its new and stabilized lower price, Chandler affords the highest quality at the lowest cost. You cannot duplicate Chandler service and economy, Chandler size and dignity, or Chandler quality and beauty, in any other car at anywhere near its price. " Any one of the seven Chandler models, mounted upon the one standard chassis, is a car that is a delight to drive—and a credit to own. ‘We are showing a few special standard models. : : Chandler body designs are beautiful, stylish and refined. This season’s closed Chandlers—the big, beautiful seven-passenger sedan and the charming four-passen- ger coupe—are luxurious and stylish cars, perfectly appointed in every detail. > (Prices f.o0.b. 1800 14th Street Four-Passenger Dispatch Four-Passenger Coupe, $2788 Limousine, $3388 Cleveland, Ohio) Cord Tires Standard Equipment models in distinctive, alturing colors, with nickeled These snappy, individual cars are priced the same as Choose From Seven Beautiful Body Types Seven-Passenger Touring Car, $1785 Four-Passenger Roadster, $1788 Seven-Passenger Sedan, $2885 Tewo-Passenger Roadster, $1788 Car, $1865 WMGTON MOTOR CAR COMPANY Telephone North 9860 Member Washington Automotive Trade Association THE-CHANDLER MOTOR CAR COMPANY, CLEVELAND, OHIO Fred B. Pelham 1733 7th St. N.W. Prost-0-Battery Co. Brookl 656 Pa. Ave. S.E. 93¢ pion Motor mechanical perfectly by Now in New Quarters 1236 12th St. N.W, Formerly 1720 14th St. N.W. Annociate Stations Western Auto Supply Co., Inc., 3279 M St N.W. Brookland Auto House Ave. N.E. All-Car Battery Service Station, 12 0 §t. N.W. Prest-O:-fite BATTERY START Right with Pneat-O:fite! i) AT