Evening Star Newspaper, July 14, 1929, Page 53

ORVERDLAN TOCOVERN TRFFC Gold Chariots Ran Through Streets in 45 B.C. Under Strict Regulations. The ancient Romans had traffic laws. The gold chariots that rumbled over the Roman pavements back in 45 B.C. had all the modern regulations except the stop-and-go lights, according to the National Association of Real Estate Boards. 5 Moreover, then as now, some people t a break under these laws that pro- bited “driving” during the first 10 hours of the day. This did not apply to the Vestal Virgins and priests when they had to journey to public Teligious ceremonies. The association quotes in this con- nection Dr. John Henry Wigmore, pre fessor of law at Northwestern Unive sity, Chicago, who in his recently pub- lished three-volume book “A Panorama of the World’s Legal Systems” inciudes a gunslauon of a Roman city code dated .C. 45. Quotation From Code. Here are the traffic rules that are part of this code: “In the roads which are or shall be within the city of Rome, or within the limits of continuous habitation, no per- son, after the first day of January next following, shall be allowed in the day- time, after sunrise or before the tenth hour of the day, to lead or drive any heavy wagon; except where it shall be requisite for the purpose of building the sacred temples of the immortal gods or executing some public work, to draw or convey material into the city, or where, in pursuance of a contract for the demolition of buildings from such places and in cases and for objects for which it shall be lawful for specified persons and for specified causes to lead or drive such wagons. Some Were Exempt. “On all days when the Vestal Vir- gins, the directcr of religious cere- monies, and the priests shall be re- quired to ride in wagons in the city by Teason of the public religious cere- monies of the Roman people, or wham ‘wagons shall be required for a tri- umphal procession on the day fixed for such triumph, or for games, which shall be publicly celebrated within the city of me, or within one mile of the city, or for the procession at the circus sports, for all such causes and on all such days it shall be lawful for ‘wagons to be led or driven in the city in the daytime, anything to thig law to the contrary notwithstanding. “It shall be lawful for wagons brought into the city by night, drawn by oxen or horses, if returning empty | or conveying away refuse, to be in the city of Rome or within one mile of the city after sunrise in the first 10 hours of the day, anything in this law to the contrary notwithstanding.” This same city code also provided for | the assessment of property owners for the building and maintenance of roads on which their property abutted. The assessments were Iixed “according to the length and breadth of the road in front cof their property.” The code further provided that “if any person so assessed shall, within the nexu 30 days after he or his agent is notified of the assessment, fail to pay the money ¢ ¢ * then such person shall be bound to pay in addition half the sum to the party (the contractor) to whom | he shall be liable.” { Maintaining the Footpaths. ‘The code also provides for the pav- ing of footpaths by property owners and says: “Any person, belore whose tene- | ment a footpath shall be situate, shall be required 1o keep such footpath fitly paved along its whole length where it abuts on the said tenement, with stones whole and closely compacted, to the satisfaction of the aedile (public offi- cial) to whom by this law the charge of the roads in that part shall ap- pertain. The early Romans were real estate men. The earliest recorded civil Jjudgment now extant dates from B.C. 117. It is on a bronze tablet found near Genoa and represents a formal judgment of - arbitration between two “local tribes contending over the boun- daries of their lands. The record de- scribes the boundaries in language quite comparable with the best technical style of New England conveyancers in our own day. Law Dated B.C. 105. And there exists a Roman ordinance dated B.C. 105, giving specifications for a contract to build a gateway in a wall abutting on a highway in the town of Puteolis, and in this contract are re- vealed all the expedients of long ex- perience and careful draftmanship which we moderns are accustomed to expect in such transactions. The speci: fications are so complete that arche ologists have been able to restore the entire structure in detailed design. .CONGESTION FACES RHODE ISLANDERS glow-Moving Traffic May Be Put Off of Main Truck Highways. PROVIDENCE, R. I, July I Trunk roads in Rhode Island are b: coming so congested that it is a matter of time before the State will have to detour to second or third grade roads the driver who insists on operating his car slowly, Harold R. Shippee, chief in- spector of the State board of public , forecasts. Motoring problems that are not yet acute elsewhere have reached a serious point in this most thickly settled State ‘with its average of more than 544 ns to the square mile. Comparing the slow driver to the accommodation train, which always has had to take a siding for express trains, Mr. Shippee says the situation here is developing rapidly to the point where there will have to be a right of way for express auto transportation. This will necessarily mean a re-routing of slow-driven machines, he says. Using one highway as an example, Mr. Shlpge points out that 55.miles an hour aeriect.ly satisfactory speed if the way is clear, whereas at other times five miles an hour might be reck- less. A safe speed, he says, is one at which the driver is able to stop “within the known clear space ahead.” The official asserts that it is the in- attentive fast driver operating across intersections who causes more than 70 per cent of Rhode Island’s automobile accidents. — TREES TO LINE ROAD. Old Spanish Trail Will Be Boule- vard Across Texas. American Autos Replace Camels For Desert Travel By the Associated Press. American automobiles are taking over the work of the camel in Syria. Desert traffic is increasing year by year, George L. Brandt, American consul at Beirut, reports to the De- partment of Commerce, and is es- pecially heavy during the pilgrim season. ‘The radiators of most of the cars are decorated with blue beads “to ward off the ‘influence of the evil eye.” . When the Ruwallah Tribe of Bedouins break camp the camel of their chief, Nurt Shalaan, is prepared with the usual pomp and ceremony and leads the procession, but Nurl Shalaan steps into an American automobile and is driven across the desert by a member of his tribe, WESTWARD DRIVING UNIKE 0LD DAY Oregon Trail-Scenes Recalled in Season of Sight- seeing Trips. Motorists along the Eastern sea- | beard nowadays, having in past sea- sons taken trips throughout their own country, who have a good two months to spare for wandering, find the ideal way to spend this vacation period is to point the nose of their car westward into the setting sun. While it is pos- sible, says the Automobile Club of rica, to make the journey .from coast to coast and back again in less than two months, this amount of time allows for a leisurely trip with plenty of opportunities for sightseeing along the way. One of the most interesting ways to reach the Pacific Coast is via the Old Oregon Trall, called by the Indians “The Big Medicine Road.” This trail follows the same route that was used by the first pioneer wagon train that came out to the West Coast in 1843. ‘To do honor to these first pioneers and the others that came after in the years 1852 and 1853 an association was formed in 1922 in Baker, Oreg., called the Old Oregon Trail Association. The furpous of the assoclation are as fol- lows: To perpetuate the name of the Old Oregon Trail by having that name | o ry designated by the States through which it passes and also designated by the Congress of the United States as a national highway, and by so doing .do honor to the memory of the brave pioneer men and women who faced the perils of a savage land to carve out new homes for themselves in the “Ore- gon Country” and to make of it Amer- can territory; to permanently mark the road with the design of the Ox Team and Covered Wagon so that its history may be preserved and be a constant reminder to the younger gen- eration of the hardships endured by those who blazed the way and laid the lm;‘ndnuan of our present-day civili- zation. Traverses Old Trail. No mention of the Old Oregon Trail is complete without some word about Ezara Meeker, who at the age of 74, in the year 1906, outfitted himself with an ox team and a prairie schooner and left his home in Puyallup, Wash., to retrace the trail he had traversed as a boy in 1852. As he went he marked the trail with substantial stone monu- mentsg clear through to the Missouri River. He kept on and drove his oxen down Fifth avenue in New York City and on to Washington, where he was met by Theodore Roosevelt, then Presi- dent of the United States. From Washington, D. C., to Washing- ton, Pa., the route runs via Rockville, Frederick, Hagerstown, Cumberland and Uniontown. ~ From Was| to ‘Wheeling, W. Va., and then over the Ohio River into the State of Ohio and through Zanesville to Columbus. Here the route turns northward, but, of course, still westward, and runs through Marysville, Kenton, Lima to Forl Wayne and across this State via Warsaw, Val- paraiso and Hammond to Chicago. From Chicago to the Mississippl River the route runs across Illinois via Joliet, Dayton, La Salle, Atkinson, Moline, Rock Island, then across the river to Davenport. From here to Council Bluffs | posed to we pass through Iowa City, Grinnell, Des Moines, Stuart, Lewis and Oakland. Council Bluffs was one of the two principal outfitting points in the early days for the settlers leaving for Oregon. The former name of the town was Kanesville. From Council Bluffs the route follows the north bank of the Platte River through Omaha, Nebr.; Lincoln, Fair- mont, Oxford, Lamar to Sterling. amie, Medicine Bow, sutter to Granger. From here up into Pocatello the route runs via Oakley, Sng‘ Montpelier and Georgetown. 'om Poeatello the route follows the south bank of the Snake River through American Falls, Twin Falls to Buhl Between here and the town of man we cross over the Snake River and run on the north bank to Boise, Nampa and Parma, where the Snake is again crossed, and thence through Vale, Baker, up to Pendleton and Umatilla on the south bank of the' Columbia River, thence through The Dalles to Portland; the terminus of our route. Trail as Crude Route. ‘This Old Oregon Trail as traversed by the settlers was not laid out by engi- neers, no grades were established, no streams were bridged, but it wound its way as best it could across the hills and through the gullies and across the streams. In the Springtime, when the hills were green, when the streams were full and fresh, the game plentiful, the Old Trall was one of adventure, ro- mance and hope, but when the torrid sun of Summer beat down, the grass all withered, the game d the streams dry and alkaline, the Old Trail lost its glamour and became a way of hardship, suffering and death. How different this same route is to- day traversed by tourists in their high- powered cars! Roads will be found good—hard-surfaced in the East. mac- adam, gravel and dirt in the middle section, and paved again in the West. Suitable accommodations for all classes will be found along the way. And some of the finest scenery in this country wi be found en route. The Columbia River Highway, the western terminus of the Old Oregon Trall, is one of the world's greatest highways. Stops should be made at Dalles, Hood River, Cas- nomah Falls, the Coast, is noted for its beautiful residences in nin ' few mirtes, or, st Wi o few uf 0 within & few hours, it is_possible. THE SUNDAY 'STAR, ¢ 4 i ASHING TON, D. C., JULY 14, o> 1929—PART 4. COMPILED BY THE AUTOMOBILE CLUS OF ANERICA 12 E53nd.St at the beach, in the mountains, among the forests, or in valleys, at lakes, waterfalls or in the snowflelds. Many Routes Back. For the return trip East there are, of course, innumerable routes that the motorist may follow. A great deal de- pends upon one's own inclinations as to what one would like to see, and the season of the year that the return trip is made. If the start eastward is made at the end of August or early in September the A. Y. P. Highway (the Atlantic Yellowstone Pacific Highway) would be an excellent route to take, offering much of interest. The route goes right through Yellowstone Park. Other points to be seen are Hells Half Acre, one of nature’s showy freaks; Casper, where the Teapot Dome fields are; the Black Hills of South Dakota, in the southwestern part of the State, which stretch for about 100 miles north and south and about 50 miles from west to east—here are numerous can- yons, gorges, waterfalls and Govern- ment-stocked trout streams, all framed by the spruce-clad mountains, the high- est ones east of the Rockies; Wind Cave, beautiful and largest of all nat- ural caverns; national park and game preserve; Custer, where there is a mu- seum marking the first discovery of gold in the Black Hills; South Dakota State Lodge, where former President Coolidge spent the Summer in 1927; Custer State Park, largest State pas in the United States: the Bad Lan most unique formation of the eart surface; Manchester, Iowa, Devil's Backbone State Park: Dubuque, Iowa, key city on the Mississippi River, where States meet. From the Missis- sippi to Freeport 1L, is the Ridge road, with & cross-country view as far as the eve can reach. To the north is Apple River Canyon. This is the Blackhawk tory. From Chicago east the motorist will find that the route running through South Bend and Toledo to Cleveland and thence over the lakes to Sea High- way through Franklin, Du Bois, Hunt- ingdon, Lewistown, Liverpool, ferry across the Susquehanna to Millersburg, then Lykens, Pottsville, Tamaqua, Mauch Chunk, and Stroudsburg to_the Water Gap, and across Jersey to New York will offer an excellent way home. GAS TAX RATE BOOST IS URGED IN GEORGIA Florida Legislature Adjourns After Enacting 6-Cent Levy, Like + South Carolina’s. Georgia, the last of the 43 State Legislatures meeting in regular session this year, convened June 26. This leaves only 5 State Legjslatures in ses- sion, Wisconsin and rgia meeting in regular session and Oklahoma, Mis- sissippi and Texas in special session. Already bills have been introduced in Georgia proposing an increase in the present gas tax rate, and there is agi- tation for a sales tax on automobile manufacturers and dealers. The special session of the Florida Legislature adjourned June 20. At this session a 6-cent gas tax was enacted. with of the proceeds to be used for school purposes. Florida is thus the second State which has passed a 6-cent gas tax, South Carolina having passed one earlier in the year. It has long been the stand of the automobile industry that it is not op- a gas tax if the registration fees are moderate, if the total of regis- tration fees and gas taxes does not unduly burden the individual motorist and if the moneys obtained from regis- tration fees and gas taxes are all spent for highway purposes, ‘but there is strong opposition to the. tendency to keep increasing gas taxes, especially where the money goes for other than road purposes. EIGHT-CYLINDER CARS ARE FAVORED IN TEST Demand for Sixes Costing Over $1,000 Is Falling, Accord- ing to Survey. Taking 18 representative cities as a basis of calculation it was found that during the first four months of 1929, a decline of 8 per cent was noted of six- cylinder cars selling for over $1,000 registered, as compared with 1928, W] an_increase in eight-cylinder cars of the better class amounted to 82 per cent. At the same time 10 counties con- taining no large cities were selected as e we for he four.month petiods Te, ons for our- of 1928 and 1929. The six-cylinder cars showed a gain of 13 cent, whereas the eln:t-cyunfler jofit increased 315 per cent. MOTOR INDUSTRY FIRST. U. 8. Produced 4,600,000 Automo- biles Last Year. During the t year 4,600,000 pas- senger cars ‘l'fil trucks, valued with parts af approximately $5,000,000,000, were produced American manufa turers. Of this number 242,000 units were assembled in Canada. the first half of the present Al yoar almost 3,400,000 units were pro- duced, assuring a year’s production in excess of 5,000,000 Today motor car production ranks t among the manufacturing indus- States. tely 4,000,000 persons directly employed in the distribution, branches and service ter | cellaneous activities, while another 385, the manufacture mmmflled of commodities going into the vehicles. ‘Seat Covers Tailored to 5-Pass. Cars’ $18.00. Closed Car Tops $8.00 to $18.00 N. F. Turner Rear 1417-19'P St. RECOVERY METHOD | ADDS ‘PEP’ TO GAS| Bureau of Standards’ Discovery Is Expected to Help Con- serve Fuel. By the Associated Press. More “pep” for the motorist's tank will be provided by a new method of ex- tracting gasoline from natural gas. ‘The Bureau of Standards devised the method. The discovery is expected to prove of far reaching importance to the refining industry and the motorist through con- servation of much of the “natural” gas- oline lost in the process of recovery, now estimated to amount to_from 25 to 50 per cent. Refining engineers have attempted to solve the problem of “natural” gasoline losses, but have been without accurate information as to the amount of gaso- line in the untreated gas and the amount remaining after treatment. Through use of the new method possible for engineers to determine what process of extraction is the most effi- clent and to bring about a higher per- centage of recovery. The process of the Bureau of Stand- ards, known as an isothermal distilla- tion of natural gas mixture, employs methods just the reverse of or distillation. Nearly one-tenth of the gasoline pro- duced yearly in the country is “natural” gasoline. This is not sold as a sepa- rate product, but tl;eblfindpg with gasoline to give motorists. ployment of the new method, the bureau believes, will re- sult in a greater amount of “natural” gasoline being fiflxmre of the product with other gaso- nes. e g ¥ A. A. A Race Board Busy. ‘The contest board of the American Automobile Association, which governs racing in America, is a busy body. ‘There are 38 tracks in 18 States to be supervised. This year's schedule calls for 177 races. There are 37 drivers of national repute who take part in cham- plonship events and 346 other drivers other | Passed desired by wi produced and greater ILL. LEGISLATHRE PASSES PNEUMATIC TIRE LAW | All Busses @perating in State Must Be Equipped Before July 1, 1930. The Illinois” Legislature recently The truck owners of Chicago are vol- untarily substituting pneumatic tires for the solid ones. The present pneu- matic truck tire is capable of standing twice the straln at which they are rated and permits of greater speed with less damage to the truck as well as the road surface. Greater revenue is produced by a truck on pneumatic tires, | as they are capable of running 300 miles per day, as against the solid-tire truck | with a maximum travel of 125 miles per day. ‘The advent of the higher speed tru‘f: will probably result in the discard of | solid tires in the near future. Cowpuncher Seeks To Make Old Trail Federal Highway ELK CITY, Okla. (#).—A veteran Oklahoma cowpuncher seeks to make a Federal highway of the old Chisholm trail, scene of countless cattle treks half a century ago. P. P. Ashley of Elk City would have the historic trail marked from its southern limit at Brownsville, Tex., northward through San An- tonio, Austin, Fort Worth, into Okla- homa, Nebras-» and on to the Da- kotas and the Canadian border. He is supported by the Old Trail Drivers' Association of Texas and a number of Representatives and Sen- ators. He intends to place the mat- ter before highway commissions in States through which the trail passes. 'BALTIMORE TRAFFIC DEATH TOLL GROWS' | | Police Accident Bureau Reports 78 Killed in First Half of 1929, Compared to 69 in 1928. | Special Dispatch to The Bt BALTIMORE, July 13.—With 78 traf- | Ac deaths in the first six months of 1929, | | Baltimore's current toll of fatal adci- | dents is more than 10 per cent higher than last year, according to figures com- | piled by ‘the Police Accident Bureau. | The total for the first six months of | | 1928 was 69. | Those killed include 58 men and 20 | women. Between January end July | | last year, there were 46 men and 23 | | women killed. i The total of injured for the six- | month period this year is announced | as 2,426, against 2,229 last year. Among the fatalities this year, autos | | were responsible for the death of 61, | | 2s against 53 last year, this classification | alone being responsible for all but one of the nine additional deaths this year. | Deaths from motor cycles, trolleys, | railroads and bicycles were virtually the EARLY PLAN SEEN - AS STREET SAVING Akron, Ohio, Demonstrates Profit of Foresight on Wider Thoroughfares. Millions of dollars will be saved Amer- ican cities through the expedient cf planning city improvements early. This is evidenced by the experience of Ak- ron, Ohio, which through carefully con- templated and progressive street widen- ing has already saved nearly $2,000,000. Ten years ago Akron adopted a street widening plan calling for the eventual widening of nearly 20 miles of streets To have widened these thoroughfares outright would have been impossible, for the total cost would have been some $20,000,000. The plan was adopted of establishing new set-back building lines so that as buildings became obsolete and were replaced, the new structures were erected 10 feet or more back from the former building line. The $2,000,000 saving made by Akron includes money saved tarough the avoidance of condemnation charges. Having saved this amount in 10 years, the city now is going to spend roughly that amount in widening 4!2 miles of an important artery. E. A. Kemmler, chief engineer, Bu- reau of hways, of Akron, points out that the 50-year plan will be com- pleted at a total ccst less than half of the original estimate. If motoring comfort is ever to be at- tained, planning must be done early. Motor car needs will certainly be no less 10 years fr8m now. The saturation point of automobile ownership is not yet in sight—and if jt were there is not a single town or city ‘in the country that has anything like adequate facilities for the cars now within its gates. As is shown in the case of Akron, the creation of automobile facilities can be made without straining the commu- nity's resources. same this year as last. worked out by the bureau it will be |in other contests dver the country. licensed by the A. A. A. who participate | taxes 24 times as much per unit as the | | private automobile. ‘The death list included 19 persons | Charges on general property and rural under 21 years, 25 between 21 and 49 |highway building decreased from 4413 years and 34 over the latter age. ! per cent ih 1921 to 41 per cent in 1927. \ THE CHOICE OF 00000 MOTORISTS During the past Twelve Months Oldsmobile is on the rising tide of public favor. During the past twelve months alone, more than one hundred thousand motorists have demonstrated their approval by buying Oldsmobiles. And this tremendous public acceptance continues to grow. Month after month, new records of success are being reported from every section of the country. Official figures so far available for 1929 show an increase of 55 per cent over the corresponding period in 1928. These buyers selected Oldsmobile from the entire field after driving it, giving it their own exacting tests, and making critical comparisons—because their own good judgment told them that no other car at Oldsmobile’s price combines such performance, beauty, and luxury. And they have found, in actual ownership, all the en- joyment and satisfaction they anticipated. Thousands have written in to express their enthusiasm for the Oldsmobiles they purchased. Northeast Oldsmobile Sales & Service 64 H Street N.E. Telephone National 2335 Murphy Motor 266 Carroll St, Takoma Co. Pask, D. C. Telephone Georgia 3782 reliability, comfort, Oldsmobile provides the brilliant performance of a big, 62-horsepower high- compression engine . .. the beauty and luxury that are identified the world over with Body by Fisher .« . and the restful riding qualities that result from smooth, quiet operation; roomy interiors, with \ Pohanka Service 1126 20th Street N.W. Telephone Decatur 0206 Mt. Pleasant Motor Co. 2424 18th Street N.W. Telephone Columbia 3633 deep-cushioned, form-fitting seats;a low center of grav- ity;and four Lovejoy hydraulic shock absorbers. Come and see for yourself. Examine this fine Oldsmobile Six—drive it—compare its specifications with those of other cars. Then you will know why thousands upon thousands are turning to Oldsmobile. Then you will understand why Oldsmobile owners everywhere are so ‘-eady to praise their cars. Study These Fine Car Features High-compression 62-h. p. engine . . . double-ribbed crankcase . . . balanced crankshaft . .\. rubber engine mountings . . . full-pressure lubrication, including piston pins . . . crankcase ventilation . . . oil filter air cleaner . . . controlled cooling . . . full-length vertical radiator shutters . . . motor-driven fuel pump . . . silenced chassis lenced interior . . . double-cushioned universal joint system pring-cushioned clutch core . . . self-adjusting spring shackles extra-heavy ‘low-dropped’ tapered frame . . . positive, quick- acting four-wheel brakes . . . high-pressure chassis lubricating sys- tem . . . four Lovejoy hydraulic shock absorbers . . . Fisher Bodies ..+ “VV” windshield . . . gasoline gauge and temperature gauge on dash . ..and many others. TWO DOOR SEDAN 875 i . 0. b, factory, Lansing, Michigan Lot B2 Buipers Exira Consider the Delivered Price Consider the delivered price as well as the list price when comparing automo- bile values. Oldsmobile delivered prices include only reasonable charges for delivery and financing. LDSMORBILE PROODUVET or e BENER AL MovToOoRSs " Wisconsin Motor Co. 726 17th Street N.W. Telephone Franklin 1695 Oldsmobile-Washington Co. 1515 14th Street N.W. Telephone Decatur 5516 Chevy Chase Motors 6701 Wis. Ave, Chevy Chase, Md. Telephone Wisconsin 2607 Olds Motor Works Factory. Wholesale Branch, 1515 14th St. N.W.