series 19 -- model 2

1923 model WC 4-ton Pierce-Arrow Truck #4211084

orNAmeNTiNG THe VisAGeWhen you own a mid-20’s sedan like Peter Williams’ series 80 (see pg. 14-19) it is useful to have a variety of decorations to top the radiator with style. one obvious choice is the mo-tormeter (bottom) that lets you keep track of motor temperature since no dashbord instrument is avalable.Perhaps you prefer the running Archer (left) to add a bit of class to the front perspective of the car, or, supposing you posess a moulded glass emblem (right) that exudes an artistic tone to the car’s effect, that, too, is an option.The choice epends on your mood.

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THE ARROWseries 19 -- model 2

PierCe-ArroW soCieTYBernard J. Weis, Editor Emeritus

roger J. sherman, editor3314 so. Forest street

denver, Colorado 80222-7566

© The Pierce-Arrow society 2019www.pierce-arrow.org

Pierce-Arrow Trucks of the 1920’s

This second issue of The Arrow will look back at Pierce-Arrow in its role as a major early truck manufacturer. its truck business was investigated as early as 1905, and a 5-ton model (the model r) went into production in 1911. The company led the pack away from the chain-driven early trucks to geared rear axles. in Pierce-Arrow’s case the axles were worm drive.The First World War brought great success to Pierce-Arrow from the sale of trucks all over the world. so much so that the company planned wide postwar expansion of the truck business. much money and effort went into improving the Pierce-Arrow truck at that time. many well-considerd advances were incorporated into these new trucks. Another story rounds out the issue in the form of an “auto” biography. it concerns a Pierce-Arrow car both with a long family history and an interesting twist.

1923 stock truck advertisement for dealers to use

CorreCTioNBill morris notes that the 1931 model 42 has the same 385 cu. in. engine as the model 41 (p. 10 Arrow19-1). sincere regrets. ed.

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At the start of 1918 the Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Com-pany faced an almost insurmountable wartime demand for the two models of its heavy-duty trucks, the 2-ton X

model and the 5-ton R. They were used in Great Britain, France, Belgium and in the then-disintegrating Russian Empire, as well as the United States. What had begun as a side-line for the firm was fast becoming its primary profit center. The run of 200 R-4 trucks begun in April 1913 had ended the following March. Pierce took from September 1913 to November 1914 com-pleting 500 of its lighter X-2 truck. The Pierce-Arrow car was produced at about ten times those rates. The Great War began in August 1914, and at the end of 1917 something over 5,000 trucks had been assembled in that year alone, about twice the production of Pierce-Arrow cars. Through the war years the engineers in the Truck Depart-ment were aware of the continuing mechanical improvements that could be adopted for the truck line, such as full-pressure engine lubrication in place of the time-honored Pierce “flooded” lubrication from a copper tank above the engine. But from 1914 a prime Pierce-Arrow truck customer was the French army. Ted Selman, supervisor of the program, estimated France bought some 9,000 Pierce-Arrow trucks dur-ing the war and an added 20% in service stock (see Arrow 08-

THe PosTWAr PierCe-ArroW

TrUCKby

roger sherman

ca. 1923

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2). These were largely used to supply the front lines with troops and materiel. French authorities strongly opposed any changes in the truck line from considerations of parts supply. Nonetheless, by early 1918 records in Chief Engi-neer David Fergusson’s files reveal that the department was giving truck improvement serious consideration. A paper dated April 26 of that year concerned “Gear Ratios for the New Five-Ton Truck.” This was a key step in the process once the dimensions of the powerplant and carrying capacity were decided. At this point Fergusson was determining the proper ratios for the worm-drive rear axle and the first speed gear of the transmission. By now, the staff were working to develop a large increase in engine power because of difficulties moving war materiel over the war-ravaged roads behind the Western Front in France, and also the poor intercity roads here in the U.S. The staff had already laid out a design for a four-valve

shown above at the factory is a 5-ton (r-5 or r-6) truck as supplied to the French Army. To the lower right is the intake side of the engine.

A 2-ton (X-2) truck sold for military use to several Allied armies. (Three photos courtesy University of michigan libraries)

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per cylinder 4 ½” X 6 ¾” motor with four cylinders, mod-eled on the about-to-be-introduced Dual Valve Six 48HP Pierce-Arrow automobiles (the Series 5). This engine would replace the current four-cylinder of 4 7/8” X 6” in the 5-ton trucks. It was calculated that this motor, assuming an output per unit volume the same as in the Dual Valve passenger car, would develop 55 HP at 1000 RPM, as compared with 48 HP for the current engine, even though the older engine was 19 cu. in. larger. The engine would need to move about 20,000 lbs. of truck and cargo. This was heavier than the current 5-ton, which weighed just under that figure. (The first 1911 5-ton

and cargo weighed 18,700 lbs.) Fergusson had calculated that the new truck would need a rear axle ratio of 9.75 with a 4.44 first gear. Driving force at the rear wheel would then be .0715 lbs. per pound of truck and cargo, an increase of 10.15% over the original. Discussions continued, as did production of the cur-rent line, and the war went on. By November 8 the war was nearly over (to every-one’s surprise), and the staff had more ideas under consid-eration. A paper of that date to Mr. Fergusson from Otto Burkhardt, Mathematical Research Engineer, compared the proposed engine with an overhead-valve engine proposal laid out by Francis Davis, a company engineer who had worked with Pierce-Arrow trucks in England and France, including the war zone. This motor had the same cylinder dimensions. To provide sufficient cooling, reduce localized engine stresses and “subsequent leakage through valves and other seals,” Burkhardt suggested the (dual) valve size be reduced to 1 7/8 in. from 2 in. The war ended in three days, and postwar challenges became decisive. A lot of thought seems to have been exerted in the next several weeks, because by January of 1919 a complete postwar program for new Pierce-Arrow truck lines was un-der consideration by the Engineering Department. Notes from meetings that month stress the need “to have ready for 1920 production three models of trucks – two – three and a half and five ton. Those to be along the lines of the present five-ton which will have the rear axle strengthened to make it safe for a very much lower first speed.” Rear axle bearings would be revised to take stresses of a four-speed transmis-sion with a 6 to 1 first speed, and the drive train dimensions changed to make “as long a distance between engine and transmission as possible.” At this point the proposed overhead valve engine was

1917 r-8 French Army truck with brush guard in place in front of the radiator. (Courtesy University of Michigan Libraries)

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seen as “too far off to think of producing in 1920.” Adoption of the T-head “sixteen valve engine” was carefully evalu-ated. The conclusion was that there was “very little [left] to be done to adopt the 38 HP cylinders [from the soon-to-be introduced Series 31] for the two-ton engine, and the 48 HP cylinders [as for the Series 51] for the three and a half ton engine, and it will not take long to redesign the 4 7/8 x 6 cylinders for the five-ton truck along the same line as the 48 HP.” By this time, Pierce-Arrow was well on its way to having sold 24,000 trucks in ten years, and demand remained

high. The truck line was now volume leader of the company’s offerings. Regular dividends were being paid on both its preferred and common stock. Pierce-Arrow was a going concern, with the prospect opening up of a world-wide market for trucks as the expected postwar expansion proceeded. On January 9, 1919 Chief Engineer David Fergusson wrote a memorandum to truck engineer F.W. Davis covering plans for the new post war Pierce-Arrow trucks. It began with these significant words: “Mr. May wishes us to change our two and five-ton truck engines as quickly as possible, to the double valve engine.” Henry May was vice-president of the company and gener-al manager of the factory. This was no wish. It was an order. The post-war trucks and cars would all carry

dual-valve T-head engines. The new models would have heated intake mani-folds to help ignite the less volatile postwar gasoline. There would be dual ignition and a thermostat controlling the cool-ant temperature. Wrist pins would be pressure lubricated. A three-point engine mount would be designed in order to protect the crankcase from damage by the natural twisting of the truck frame seen in four-point designs. The third (center front) mounting would have a flexible member to eliminate unpleasant vibrations from the engine. Mr. May was planning around an estimate that mate-

The dual-Valve 4-cylinder motor for the postwar X-5 2-ton truck. Note enclosed valves. The engines for the larger trucks were quite similar.

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rials for the new truck models would need to be ordered by April. The program was, therefore, to be carried out prompt-ly. By January 28 the design seemed pretty much agreed upon. * * * The next recorded engineering conference for trucks seems to have taken place on October 15, 1919. Mr. May had by then departed, having resigned in the face of a re-organization of the whole company and its operations led by the George W. Goethals Co. and the new president, Mr. John C. Jay, Jr. Pierce-Arrow company earnings for the first two quarters of 1919 had been disappointing. Dividends on the common stock were suspended in June. By October the chief truck engineer, now Stanley W. Mills, could send a memorandum of the latest plans to Charles M. Tichenor, the new Assistant General Manager and Consulting Engineer, Charles Sheppy and Mr. Fergusson. It listed the “Schedule for new trucks X5, W2, R10,” which would be put through production “in the following order:” First the 3 ½ -ton, sec-ond the 2-ton, and the 5-ton at the end. This was suddenly urgent. “It will of course be possible,” Mills remarked, “in view of the fact that the 3 ½ and 5 ton models are so nearly alike, to complete the majority of details for 5 ton simultane-ously with those for the 3 ½ ton and every effort should be made to accomplish this…It was decided that in order to ex-pedite work, tooling must be started not later than November 10th on all important pieces, which means, of course, that drawings must be released on or before that date.” Pierce-Arrow aimed to have these three new truck lines ready to introduce at its customary time for new model introductions in mid-summer 1920. The improvements were understandably seen as vital to the forward movement of the

company in the postwar market. The most unexpected change was the unprecedented decision to use the dual-valve 4-cyl. engine developed for the 3 ½ ton W-2 in the 5-ton model R-10. This would elimi-nate a whole engine from the production program. In the past, Pierce-Arrow had always tailored the components to the size of the model, eg.: 38 HP or 66 HP or X-2, etc. For the first time two models would now share the same power-plant, transmission and rear axle designs. The idea of shar-ing components to reduce cost of manufacture had at last reached Pierce-Arrow. Not only that, the new management were determined to bring more efficient manufacturing and assembly to Pierce-Arrow as well. The assembly would now take place on a newly-devised assembly line on the ground floor of the South Body Buildings. Components would reach the assem-bly line in a sequential arrangement to reduce handling. This made better use of the flexibility built into the factory. A good deal of thought had been given to sharing parts among all three truck models, again to reduce costs. At some point it was decided to cast cylinders en bloc as well. In addition, serious investigation was being made to see if some major components like transmissions, clutches and drive shafts could be obtained at a savings from such suppliers a s Brown-Lipe, Warner Gear and Covert Gear. As hoped, the new truck lines were introduced to deal-ers at the usual time, July 19, 1920, during a three-day sales convention. Production began shortly after that. The engines of each model were more powerful than their predecessors. The small engine developed 35 HP as compared to 28; the bigger motor developed 55 HP at 1000 rpm compared to 48 HP for the R-9 motor, just as anticipated. There was also a noticeable improvement in gasoline mileage for both new engines. The new, stronger rear axles provided much greater

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starting power. Wood parts were reduced to a minimum; wheels were now steel as were cab bodies. Optional pneumatic tires (on the smaller models) improved ride and increased speeds. Over time these became an option on even the largest Pierce-Arrow trucks. The new truck models met just about every objective the designers had for them. Unfortunately, the sharp economic depression beginning that year hit truck sales particularly hard. While Pierce had made 2,070 trucks in 1920, the total fell to but 719 in 1921. Slowly, sales improved as the “Roaring 20’s” got rolling, aided by a worm-drive bus chassis, introduced in late 1923 with the Dual Valve Six car engine for a powerplant. The truck line was successively enlarged with models ranging from 2 ½ to 7 ½ tons (see adver-tiseemnt page 2). Truck/bus production did rise to 1,868 in 1925, then fell steadily through 1929. Despite the company’s earnest efforts, the Pierce-Arrow truck never again reached the huge success it had known during the war years. More and more the firm needed the passenger car line to sustain what success emerged as the decade continued.

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TWosUrViVorson the following pages are photographs of two surviving Pierce-Arrow trucks. Both are among the heavier trucks made by Pierce-Arrow during the 1920’s. Beginning in 1923, the types were given slightly different nomenclature. These are listed in the advertisement reprinted on page 2. Both of the trucks shown have the larger of the two available engines. The white truck’s brass data plate gives its serial number as 4211084, making it the 84th model Wd chassis assembed for 1923. it was photographed in 1965 when it was still reportedly owned by its orignal purchaser. The yellow truck is a model rG, one of the largest trucks made bv Pierce-Arrow, and was originally purchsed by the city of New York in 1928 for road maintanence service. it was on display at the the Golden Age of Trucking museum in middlebury, Con-necticut, where it was photographed by steve rossi in 2009.

A 1923 model WC 4-ton truck for heavy hauling, equipped with the optional pneumatic tires. Below, exhaust side and intake side of dual-Valve engine (note the heated air intake).

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Front view shows the spring-loaded bumper and the oak running boards supporting the fenders. The optinal windshield on the driver’s side has an adjustable top pane for rainy weather.

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The 20 in. steering wheel of the truck has a wood rim mounted on a malleable iron spider. A spark lever is mounted under the spider. The four-speed and reverse transmission is shifted by the black knobbed lever through a disk clutch. The powerful rear wheel brake is applied with the right hand lever. “lazy back” seats were said to be applied, along with “comfortable cushions.”

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The front axle of the larger Pierce-Arrow trucks were “es-sentially the same as on preovious Pierce-Arrow models,” according to the description at their introduction by P. m. Heldt in the september 9, 1920 issue of Automotive Industries. All the parts were of generous size. The frame of all models was heat treated pressed steel of 5/16 in. stock, 6 inches deep on the X models, 7 inches deep on the W models and 8 inches on the big model r. All were 2 1/2 in. wide. on top of their straight lengths were clipped oak sills for attaching body sections without drilling the frame itself. A torque rod was installed on the larger models, along with radius rods at-tached to a tubular frame member in front of the rear springs. The brake rods for the internal expanding hand brakes on the rear wheels were mounted below the radius rods. The largest Pierce-Arrow trucks had foot brakes working on the transmis-sion by means of a 12 in. diameter drum, 6.in. long. Below the door on the passnger’s side is the brass plate giving such information as serial number, weights of various assemblies, speed limitations and limitations on the 90-day warranty that came with the chassis.

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Page 13

A leBAroN

CUsTom-desiGNed ToUriNG CAr BodY

BUilT BY demersT For A 1923 series 33

sean and Tonya orndorff:TX

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PierCe-ArroW WiTH rooTs

This is an unconventional life story about a single automo-bile from the distant past. It is a Pierce-Arrow car, one of

thousands like it: a Series 80 7-passenger sedan from 1925, car number 805121. This particular style of car was added to the Series 80 line on September 6, 1924, a few weeks af-ter the model was introduced in two versions: a 7-passenger touring car with permanent top, and a 5-passenger family sedan. The introduction of this series of cars marked a new direction for the Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Co. Previously, their offerings had been in two limited categories, namely heavy-duty trucks and very expensive cars. Ten years be-fore, this lineup brought solid demand and impressive prof-its. Then World War I came, stimulating truck sales enor-

mously and limiting car production for a while. The markets changed greatly after the Armistice, especially, from the sharp business depression of 1920-21. The new postwar models Pierce-Arrow offered did not sell as expected, and nearly fatal losses followed. The Series 80 was an attempt to find a product that would match the new informalities of the developing postwar boom, later named “The Jazz Age.” Happily, it was an immediate success. There is some evidence that car number 805121 first belonged to Myron E. Forbes, who was Pierce-Arrow’s pres-ident from late 1922 to late 1929. One important piece of evidence we have for that, by the courtesy of Robert Reeves, Myron Forbes’ grandson, is a family photo of this particular model Series 80, apparently taken (continued on page 16)

Peter Williams at the wheel of his series 80 and some passengers in the tonneau contemporary photos courtesy of Peter Williams

isthis the

same car asthe one myron

Forbes of Pierce-Arrowowned back

in the olddays?

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A February 1926 family photogrpah of a nearly-new series 80 seven-passenger sedan kindly shared with the PAs by robert reeves. it shows vacationers (from left to right): an unknown guide on horseback, a family friend, likely Gracie Johnson, myron Forbes Pierce-Arrow’s president, seated on the running board, Helen A. Forbes, Janie (mrs. myron e.) Forbes, david Johnson and ibbie Johnson.

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February 1926 somewhere in the American Southwest on a vacation. That Mr. Forbes and his family used a Series 80 sedan that could seat six for personal transportation is unde-niable. Was it actually car number 805121? There is some further supporting evidence. The present owner of this particular 7-passenger Pierce-Arrow is Peter Williams, a recent president of the Pierce-Arrow Society. He has owned this car for more than a decade, but knew the car for several decades already. His Uncle Joe owned it, and took great pleasure driving it around his Western New York neighborhood loaded with his nieces and nephews. That recollection plus Peter’s present owner-ship covers more than half the car’s lifetime. According to Peter’s account, as published in the New England Classic Quarterly of the CCCA New England

Region in 2010, Uncle Joe had acquired car number 805121 from his wife Betty’s Uncle Joe, a man named Joe Waldorf. It was long the family tradition that the car once belonged to Pierce-Arrow’s president because Joe Waldorf was an im-portant employee at the Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company in its prime, supervising rear axle assembly. Mr. Waldorf, the story went, obtained the car once owned by Pierce-Arrow’s Big Boss in the late 1920’s. Hav-ing then reportedly put the car through the factory service department for reconditioning, he kept it for the next quarter

When Uncle Joe’s old Pierce-Arrow arrived at Peter’s home, the engine compartment looked like this. The unusual colors on the various parts prompted several theories about what the pur-pose was. Among them was the idea that they might have been rejected parts from the Pierce-Arrow service department that had been reconditioned, and repainted so as to prevent them being mistakenly used as service stock. Nothing about the motor and its accessories seemed particularly out of place for such a car more than half a century old.

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century--through Great Depression, Second World War and Postwar Boom times. It was long out of fashion, but fur-nished reliable transport at reasonable cost, not to mention access to a number of former factory personnel well-prac-ticed in Pierce-Arrow care. The years of their upkeep left the car operable but altered in noticeable ways for convenience sake or, perhaps, mere whim. When Uncle Joe’s heirs sold the car to Peter it came with a fine selection of extra parts: spare crankcase, cylinder block, crankshaft and camshaft plus more greasy boxes of miscellaneous (and unmarked) parts. Some time before, the car had been repainted in a very common dark Brewster-green type finish over the original color. Brightwork had been chrome-plated over the original nickel. Stylish cowl lights were applied, as was a right-side tail light assembly. A curious rearview mirror that showed the driver a wide pan-

oramic view was substituted for the original. An undeniably convenient new inside gas gauge was added to the instru-ment panel. A modern oil filter was adopted, along with a later Stromberg O3 carb. Most noticeable of all, the entire interior of the en-gine compartment itself had been painted orange. Engine ac-cessories wore bright colors too: the starter red, the generator and distributor yellow. Even the inside face of the radiator was yellow. When the hood was raised there was something certainly unexpected to see. Otherwise, the Series 80 sedan remained a rather un-spectacular, but cared for, large old car. The kids in the fam-ily had loved to ride in it as much as Uncle Joe had loved to chauffeur them. Upon the arrival of his collector car, Peter found himself a bit overwhelmed at the task before him. Unfamil-

Peter’s memories of his car when he was a boy looked a lot like this, a holiday or family event with Uncle Joe filling his unusual old car with a load of children to take on informal tours of the neignborhood. over time some more modern bumpers were adopted in place of the original single-bar, spring loaded Pierce-Arrow type. The parking lamps were another added accessory.

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iar with the specific skills needed to restore his uncle’s car to proper condition, he joined the Pierce-Arrow Society as a re-liable source for maintenance and restoration tips. Above all, he felt that his “mission” was to bring the “family” Pierce-Arrow, in his own words, to “some semblance of its former glory and make it interesting enough for the next generation of the family to want to maintain.” Fortunately for his mission, Peter was a patient learner, willing to proceed with tasks carefully, and do them over when necessary. Again in his own words, “to be the head mechanic and general contractor.” The time frame for completion he arbitrarily set at ten years. Having christened the car Chauncey, Peter began

getting to know the care and feeding routines. He first want-ed to take the car to the 2007 PAS meet in Williamstown, Massachusetts, right in his home state. This he did, and it worked out well. Peter found himself among friends who took pleasure showing him some of the less apparent aspects of reconditioning such a car. All around him were finished examples showing the results of careful restoration. De-tails such as proper pyramid aluminum running board cov-ers were noted, and adopted. New nickel was applied to the once-chromed brightwork. A valve job undertaken revealed fractures in the valve cages themselves. Those replaced with newly-reproduced replicas, he reseated the valves as per the Owner’s Manual. Tedious cleaning out the deposits of de-

For many years the function of this Pierce-Arrow sedan has remained pretty much the same: transporting guests on pleasure jaunts. The large capacity seating makes this possible for seven people at a time, or, as seen above in Uncle Joe’s hands, even more when children were involved. The interior shot, Peter driving, the editor navagating, shows the unusual panoramic rear vision mirror.

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cades in the various chambers of the engine enabled freer flow of fluids. Chauncey ran cooler as a result, with better oil pressure. The exhaust system was next overhauled, and manifold coatings renewed. The car was driven and enjoyed. Details were attended to. Satisfactions multiplied. Is Peter’s project car really the genuine hand-me-down from Myron E. Forbes of Pierce-Arrow? It probably won’t be proved without more conclusive evidence than has surfaced so far, but it certainly looks like a good possibility. In any case, all Peter’s hard work has renewed a car that has now been a prized possession for nearly a century. “It is also,” as Peter says “a symbol of my family’s generational continuity.”

As Peter reconditioned the car its aspect was largely unalterd in any important way, but is a more thoughtful example of what a Pierce-Arrow car is expected to be

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PIERCE-ARROW GOVERNMENT CONVOY SETS NEW RECORD

Buffalo-Washington Trip Accomplished in Nine Days and Nine Hours.

Actual Running time for Distance of 703 Miles 68 Hours and 38 Minutes, an Average of

10.25 Miles per Hour

Of the forty-six trucks which left the Pierce-Arrow factory on New Year’s day to travel overland to Washington, thirty-eight

pulled into Camp American University, just outside of the capitol, at 8:30 on the night of January 10th, exactly nine days and nine hours elapsed time. And don’t assume that eight trucks were lost along the road. They had been diverted to Governor’s Island at New York City, there to take on loads awaiting them, and shortly after 7 P.M. the day following the arrival of the main convoy, they also drew into the camp. A record has been made of which every member of the Pierce-Arrow organization may feel justly proud. No other convoy so large in number of units has yet attempted such a trip. And no other con-voy proceeding toward the national capitol will have to contend with the conditions encountered crossing New York State at this season of the year. Where roads were not blocked by an endless succession of snow drifts, they were glazed with ice. But the worst difficulty of all was the bitter cold, often 20° below zero, and accompanied usually by a stinging wind that penetrated the heaviest clothing and chilled the men to the marrow. Bearing in mind these conditions of road and weather, and

adding the fact that each unit of the convoy was guided by almost totally inexperienced hands, the conviction that this achievement merits even more than the praise it has already received is amply justified. Accompanying this article is a tabulation well worth a little study. It results from a critical analysis made on their return to the factory by Pierce-Arrow men who accompanied the convoy. The “miles per hour” column, for instance, clearly shows where trouble was encountered and just how serious was its nature. It should be remembered, however, that the tabula-tion considers what may be termed average performance. The time of arrival of the first truck at any control has not been made the basis for computation, nor yet the last truck to report in. The former might have been in the hands of a naturally apt driver, or had the good fortune to stay on the road throughout the run, while the latter might have been

From The Pierce-Arrow SalesmanFebruary 1918

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wretchedly driven and often in the ditch. With this in mind, let us consider the totals. For a total distance of 703.3 miles, the convoy was actually on the road 68 hours and 38 minutes, and therefore proceeded at an average rate of 10.24 miles per hour, which is roughly five-eighths of the maximum speed of the trucks. The most optimistic prediction heard at the factory prior to the run was that, at best, nine miles per hour would be averaged for the trip, The slow rate of progress between Geneva and Utica and again between Utica and Little Falls indicates a stretch where drifted snow made its strongest bid for supremacy. Strangtown Hill, a killing grade even with good trac-tion, was almost insurmountable under a glaze of ice. This was the cause of poor time on the run to Yonkers, for upon reaching it, the trucks had put most of their skid chain equip-ment out of commission, and on the hill, made almost as good progress backward as forward.

It was planned to move slowly from Yonkers to New York City so as to keep the convoy in close formation, and once within the city limits, traffic, although handled to give the train every advantage, resulted in numerous delays.

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The drop from normal from Trenton to Philadelphia was due to the fact that the convoy had to thread its way through traffic for the full distance. A few drivers were in-clined to dispute the right of way, and their vehicles were summarily shoved into the ditch. It didn’t pay well to im-pede the progress of a government convoy out for a record. The slow run between Baltimore and Washington was due to orders to keep the convoy in close formation for its entry into the last control. Military authorities are exceedingly well pleased at the showing of the convoy. Col. Mitchell, in command at Camp American University, and Major Clarke, at the Army and Navy Building, shared the opinion that the run consti-tuted a record difficult to beat even under more favorable circumstances. The letter of Captain De Loach, who commanded the convoy, is reproduced with this article.

A Word About the Pierce-Arrow Squad The big “66” driven by Johnny Guenther carried Charlie Estabrook and a deck load of cameras, tripods, film packs, plates, and all the other impedimenta that our most

expert of photographers would necessarily provide to take a few simple snapshots such as decorate these pages. Ac-cording to plans, this car was to carry Captain De Loach and act as pilot, but Johnny very wisely provided himself with three extra sets of chains and a tow rope which one of the downstate newspapers said looked strong enough to anchor a battleship. And quite early in the trip, the “66” began to shine as a tractor and increased its brilliancy at the stunt until the end of the run. While the convoy was making a mileage of 700 odd, the “66” ran up 1085 miles. This was due to much chasing up and down the convoy line, and many side trips to round up trucks that had taken the wrong road.

M. Weitz has a Light Lunch Looking forward to an all-night session of inspection and adjustment of trucks in Rochester at the end of the first day’s run, our energetic friend, Hank Weitz, sought a “one-arm lunch” to fortify himself with a little food. In strident tones he passed his order to the counter-man: 6 eggs, 12 pieces of toast without butter, 2 pieces of pie, 3 cups of coffee and 2 pieces of cake.

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There was considerable excitement while Hank con-vinced that individual that his desire for this simple repast was not to be viewed the light of a joke.

A Gas Attack At Geneva, the trucks were quartered in the taber-nacle used by Billy Sunday, during his campaign there. For a short time after arrival, engines were kept running, and the building soon filled with gas fumes, and eleven men were so badly affected that they had to be treated by the Surgeon. On the way to the Armory, several of them were still pretty wobbly, which caused several natives to report to the Sergeant that his men were being furnished with liquor.

Hank’s Own Selective Draft At the Strangtown Hill in Ossining where great dif-ficulty was encountered getting the trucks up the icy slope, Weitz bethought himself that a few willing hands on the ropes might accomplish much, and invited the crowd of in-terested but idle natives to lend their aid. When his request met no immediate response, he promptly collared a couple of them, and the soldiers followed his example. One hapless individual was discovered by Hank pull-ing a rope in the wrong direction, and booted down the hill. When last seen he was headed due north at top speed.

Page 24Paul Johnson found this photograph of an early series 33 sedan converted into an ambulance.

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A FleeT ArroWmoTor Home

Near the end of the 1920’s Pierce-Arrow decided to develop a smaller, higher speed truck that used its 289 cubic inch six-cylinder motor from the series 81 cars. This model was announced in the spring of 1928. it had three wheelbase lengths, 140 in. 160 in. and 180 in. The capacity was said to be 1,500 lbs to 4,000 lbs. The speed, regulated by a governor, was from 38.6 mph to 47 mph. This was a relatively fast speed, leading the company to call the model the Fleet Arrow. it also had four wheel brakes. The aim was to supply a fast, light commercial car for business and industry. it was the last new Pierce-Arrow truck until aftter stude-baker took over management ot the company. The Fleet Arrow to the upper left has what is described as a “Privateer” body, which may refer to a body made by a company by that name. it was displayed in the montana Auto museum in 2005 (see Arrow 05-2). The owner brought it to the Pierce-Arrow society 1978 meet in Nagara Falls, New York, where this photograph was taken. it was reportedly one of three experimental prototype house cars that Pierce-Arrow made at the time the model was developed. other two phototgraphs courtesy Univeristy of michigan libraries