Jasper County Democrat, Volume 18, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 April 1915 — OCEAN TO OCEAN PARTY [ARTICLE]

OCEAN TO OCEAN PARTY

Reached Rensselaer Saturday Only a Trifle Late. HAD COVERED 1,346 MILES Of 3,000 Mile Trip on Reaching Here —Former Rensselaer Boy Is City Cditor of One of the Papers Represented in Party. The ocean to ocean auto party reached Rensselaer Saturday afternoon at 3:20 and stopped here for about fifteen minutes, during which Chief Manitou, a real American Indian, perhaps 65 or 70 years of age, who accompanies the party as their guest, gave an Indian dance to an admiring crowd in front of the court house. T. C. Kirkwood, president of the Chamber of Commerce of Colorado Springs, Colo., made a brief talk, explaining the object of the trip, etc.

This tour has for its object the promotion of closer acquaintance and more friendly relations between the people of Colorado and those of the central states. It seeks to encourage the good roads improvement and promote development of great transcontinental highways. It desires to make known to the eastern motorist the fact that there is this year available for his cross-country tour a well-developed and thoroughly practicable highway through the scenic mountains of Colorado. It is, in fact, a “Seeing America’’ expedition in which the west is paying a social visit to the east. The automobile sociability tour is under the auspices of the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce, the Manitou Springs Commercial Club and the Pikes Peak Ocean-to-Ocean Highway Association. Following are the names of the members who composed the party: C. B. Adams, Marksheffel Auto Company. J. W. Atkinson, managing director, Acacia hotel. W. W. Babcock, Colorado Springs. Dr. Isaac Burton, dentist. W. F. Conway. The Antlers hotel. W. S. Crosby, Manitou Springs Commercial Club. C. W. Dolph, attorney. W. C. Dotterer, president Crystal Park Auto Road Co. F. H. Fnus, commercial agent Rock Island lines. Dr. O. R. Gillett, city health officer. Ray Haigler, Acacia hotel. A. E. Hayes, Colorado Springs Evening Telegraph. A. W. Henderson, secretary Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce and Pikes Peak Ocean-to-Ocean Highway Association. Eugene De Jernett, Colorado Springs Auto Equipment Co. L. W. King, King Motor v>o., Colorado Springs Garage Men’s Ass’n. Geo. W. Martin, general agent Rock Island lines. Chief Manitou. Frank Robbins. E. H. Smith, secretary Monroe Drug Co. O. P. Snider, manager Cave of the Winds, Manitou. Bert Snider, Cave of the Winds, Manitou.

A. J. Lawton, city commissioner of public works and property. J. K. Rouge of Burlington, Colo., president Colorado division Pikes Peak Ocean-to-Ocean Highway Ass’n. T. C. Kirkwood, President of Chamber of Commerce. This tour will cover 3,000 miles, and will visit more than 250 towns and cities. It is desired" to spend as much time as possible within the towns. To this end, the plan has been adopted of having local pildt and escort cars accompany the party from their home town to the next or further, rather than to meet the visitors on the road between towns. „ The editor of The Democrat talked with Mr. Hayes of the Colorado Springs Evening Telegram, who said that Ernest Nowels, son of Ezra Nowels, deceased, w*ho was a former county auditor of Jasper county and was well known to many of the-older residents, is the city editor of The Telegram, and therefore Rensselaer, where Ernest and his father were both born, had additional interest to

the party. Mr. Hayes said that they had found good roads most of the way, and especially from Lafayette to Rensselaer, where they had been “hitting it up” at 45 miles an hour since leaving Lafayette. There were five cars in the party, and they were less than an hour behind schedule time in reaching Rensselaer. From here the party went to Crown Point, thence to Hammond and thence to Chicago, where they spent Sunday. From Chicago they go to Davenport, la.; thence to Quincy, Ill.; thence to St. Louis, Mo.; thence to Columbia; thence to Kansas City, at which place they spend next Sunday; thence to Emporia, Kan.;' thence to Hutchinson; thence to Garden City; thence to La Junta, Colo., and thence to Colorado Springs, which they are supposed to reach at 12:30 p. m., Friday, May 7. They cover from 150 to 200 miles per day, and from Wakarusa, Kan., follow the Santa Fe Trail to Pueblo. Their Saturday’s schedule was 205.8 miles, from Indianapolis to Chicago. The party started out from Colorado Springs and Manitou, Colorado, at 8:30 a. m., on Wednesday, April 14, and had covered 1,346.1 miles on reaching Rensselaer. Indianapolis was as far easrt as they went. They spent Friday night in Indianapolis, and their route from there to Rens-. selaer was through Lebanon, Frankfort, Lafayette and Remington to Rensselaer. The party were all feeling fine and had enjoyed their trip immensely. They complimented Rensselaer on being one of the prettiest little toV-ns they had passed through, and gave three cheers for our city and its people as they pulled out.