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Show Painted Markers Now in Place Over Desert; Auto Trail Marked Across State of Utah Tribune-Velie Pathfinder Begins Be-gins Campaign With Sign-Posting Sign-Posting to Ely. By W. D. RISHEL. SEOULD yon desire to make the trip across the desert from Salt Lake to Ely, New, in an automobile, auto-mobile, you will now find even' fork on this route protected with the official marker of the Midland trail. It is a small band of orange, black and orange painted on telephone poles, fence posts, barns, gates and where none of these can be found a small round stake is driven in the ground. Such a thing as being lost, on the desert des-ert in an automobile is now a thing of tho past unless one refuses lo follow tho painted route. Tins work was accomplished during the past week by George Colt of the Bertram Motor Supply company and tho writer. Jt was the first official trip of The Tribune-Velio, pathfinder fitted with Michclin tires and was done in conjunction with tho Automobile Club of Utah in its effort to improve road conditions in Utah. Tho route selected se-lected is part of the main- transcontinental transconti-nental highway across the country and is a continuation west of the Overland JVTztjd JToiL2 CUszui J3y Ozczjrz ottuyG jjrjsigl txcdt Ditcil and Midland trails from Salt Lake. A I total of over -100 miles ol' roads was covered, fifty posts driven in tho ground and about forty signs nailed in I place. The transcontinental tourist "w-ill now find a painted trail across t Ii r slate of Utah from ensl to west. Trip of Experiences. Any trip of this kind is full of experiences. ex-periences. Those engaged in the work encountered jrrief in bunches as well as bouquets of .io'- Speeding over the J desert on a perfect boulevard at fii'ty 1 miles an hour and the nearest arresting a officer 100 miles away is what one might term tho height of Hpeed-bug jj Sleasnre. Four hours in an irrigation I itch because some farmer let the wa- ter get away is tho grief end of eucIi a trip. The Tribune-Velie pathfinder didn't overlook anything and had both. Then a Email thing like a cloudburst followed fol-lowed by a heavy rain lasting four hours, ((uring which time the rain turned into snow, furnished a side issue is-sue to bo remembered by those who made tho trip. In brief that was what The Tribune-Velie pathfinder and its Michelin tires were up against on its U trip across the desert and back homo again. 9 Mr. Gustaveson's Ditch. About seven miles beyond the Ka- naka ranch there is a ranch owned by jj the Neff brothers and managed by one Mr. Gustaveson. Tho .latter gentleman 8 does not like automobiles, but the writ- B er believes he now respects at least one, The Tribune-Velie pathfinder. Per- I haps this is not true of the machine R driven by Collins Holcomb that spent p about six hours in the same mud hole V which embraced the Pathfinder for four M hours. But perhaps Mr. Holcomb has B a sweeter disposition than tho driver of tho Pathfinder. Anj'way, tho ai'ore- mentioned Mr. Gustaveson allowed his B ditch to overrun a public highway and has caused a menace to ovory car which jj has traveled this route this year. The, Tribune-Velie hit this mud hole full of I confidence and at tho end of an hour B succeeded in backing out again. The ' ditch was charged full steam ahead at ' another point and af the end of an- - other hour a block and tackle combined h with the pulling power of Mr. Colt and j, the engine, got the car clear again. The I ditch was tried a third time at another point and this time tho car dropped in bevond the power of a gasoline motor r, and of human endeavor. j Met the Farmer. Jt. was then Mr. Colt and the writer I became intimately acquainted with Mr. Gustavoson. The latter gentleman was n busily engaged watching us working to 1 got out of the hole from tho safe ref- a ugo of Ii is ranch house a half mile M away. But when the car dropped into ft tho ditch for the third time we stormed the sacred premises of his homo and in I a few short, well chosen word3, told lii in whero to "head in at." At the 1 first, outbreak Mr. Gustaveson said he jf would not hitch his team of horses to I any automobilo on earth. He was in- formed that he would quickly alter his M decision or a certain individual not E over three feet away would make a 8 record run to the nearest court and swear out a warrant for liis arrest for B violating the stato law by allowing his S irrigation ditch to flood the road, and 1 that arrest would carry a bill of dam- ages which would take several tons of I alfalfa to settle. Mr. Gustaveson saw I tho light immediately and performed a I record stunt in securing his shovol, rub- R bor boots and a team and in a few 1 minutes tho Pathfindor was on its way. Horses Mire in Mud. But in the meantime Mr. Orr of tho Orr brothers came along with a team of horses which promptly mired in the same hole. It was necessary to cut tho harness, attach a rope to the horsos and pull them out. Tfc was then learned that a dozen or moro cars, as well as g soveral teams, had been stuck in this same hole during the past spring. Of I this number Mr Holcomb of this city spent six hours in the mud before six horses pulled him out. This happened about two weeks ago. Mr. Gustaveson promised to have the ditch repaired and the automobilo club has threatened to prosecute the first case against him that appears in the future. Plenty of Accommodations. This was the one and only bad spot found on tho trip. The so-called mud flats at Fish Springs and Kearney's were negotiated on high gear without chains. The desort itself was a perfect speedway and at times tho speedometer registered fifty miles an hour. At Kearney's ranch it was learned that thirty-six cars had registered there this season. At Fish Springs, J. T. Thomas is building an. addition to his house to take caro of tourists and when completed com-pleted will be able to accommodate at least twenty persons nt a time. Kearney's Kear-ney's ranches at Gallao and Deep Creek have also made preparations to handle the tourist trade during the summer time. A supply of gasoline can now be had at Grantsville, Kanaka ranch, Ftsh Springs, Kearney's ranch and Deep |
