1919 Road Trip
Johnstown, Pennsylvania
to Oswego, New York
Bob Gray, August 2016
My brother
brought me an old tin box a year or so back along with several photograph
albums and other family treasures that came into his possession one way or
another. I published one of the
photograph albums titled: Photo Album for
Robert Beckwith Gray but had not really looked through the
tin box until recently. The photo album includes pictures that were obviously
taken during a trip to Oswego, New York in 1919 to visit my father’s
grandparents. Going through the tin box,
I found a diary from 1919 where my grandfather had documented the trip from
Johnstown to Oswego. Continuing my look
through the tin box, I found a similar diary for 1918 which includes notations
on when the car was purchased and my grandfather’s early experiences diving
it.
ET Gray and family on 1919 road trip,
location unknown.
Back Row (L to R): William Gray,
Florence Gray, Robert B. Gray, Thyrza Gray, and Rosanna Stevenson Gray. Front Row (L to R): ET Gray and Sarah Jean
Lomison Gray. Oswego, New York, 1919.
Based on ET’s notes in a 1918 calendar, the vehicle is a
1918 Buick and he bought it in August of that year. Buick offered three different touring models
that year with four or six cylinder motors and seating for five or seven
passengers.
ET’s entries in his diaries tend toward the cost
associated with the vehicle but some information on their route is also included. The table below is a transcribed record of
his diaries from 1918 and 1919 starting with his purchase of the vehicle up
through the end of 1919. Although the
early entries have nothing to do with the road trip to Oswego, they are
included as they provide some insight into what it was like to own an
automobile at that time. Some entries in
the diary have been omitted either because they did not involve the vehicle or
they were simply records of miles driven. Also included in each diary is a summary of
expenses by month. ET used these to
document the costs of owning and operating the car, and, therefore, these cost
summary pages are provided below the calendar entry table. These expenses show that gasoline cost about
$0.30/gallon and taking the car up or down the incline, connecting Johnstown
and Westmont Borough, cost $0.45. (Note:
The incline still operates today and was one of my father’s favorite things to
do when we visited Johnstown. A one-way
trip for an automobile now costs $6.00.)
|
1918 |
|
|
Date |
Description |
|
Wed. Aug.
7 |
Paid for
license for Buick car $5.00. Notary’s Fee $0.25. |
|
Thur.
Aug. 8 |
Gave Note
for $550.00 Paid on
car $800.00 Paid
Interest on Note $16.62 First
Lessons in Running Car Abt. 28
mi. |
|
Fri. Aug.
9 |
Gas 5
gal. |
|
Sat. Aug.
10 |
Ran car
in evening Morrellville & back! 22 mi. Gasoline
12 gal. |
|
Sat. Aug.
17 |
Brought
car home and washed it. Millage 352. |
|
1919 |
|
|
Date |
Description |
|
Sat. Mar.
8 |
Mileage
1,487 Gas total
121 gal. Mile per
gal. 12.24 |
|
Wed. Mar.
12 |
Took auto
to Swank to have new clutch release bearing put in |
|
Thu. Mar.
13 |
Got car
back. Brakes too tight. Car will not pull up hill. Released brakes. |
|
Sun. Mar.
16 |
Tried
car. Still will not pull. Appears to
be clutch. |
|
Mon. Mar.
17 |
Car back
to Swanks. Byers says clutch slipping.
Adjust valves. Pulled Muffin St. OK in high. |
|
Tues.
Mar. 18 |
Dash lamp
out. |
|
Thurs.
Mar. 20 |
New dash
lamp. Bt. Hydrometer. |
|
Sat. Mar.
22 |
To
Franklin in PM via Roxbury. Bt 14 gal gas.
Tank almost empty at mile 1,558. |
|
Fri. May
9 |
Car to
Swank to have muffler repaired & valves adj. |
|
Sun. May
18 |
Tightened
or refilled all grease cups. Filled oil cups & transmission. Tightened
steering wheel. Battery test 1275. Time 3 hrs. |
|
Mon. June
30 |
Car left
at Smith garage. Oil changed, valves
ground, carbon removed. New valve put
in. Cost $15.35. |
|
Sat. July
5 |
Bought
telescope for vacation trip. $1.50 |
|
Sun. July
6 |
Total gas
bt. to date 121. In tank abt. 5 gal. Total miles 2,496 ÷ 206 = 12.11 mi. per
gal. |
|
Thurs.
July 10 |
Smith reset
valves. |
|
Fri. July
11 |
Left rear
tire vulcanized - $2.00. 4 gal. Gas – Full tank. Mile 2,560. |
|
Sat. July
12 |
Left
Johnstown mile 2,564. Duncansville
2,602 Altoona
2,611 Tyrone
2,627 Bellefonte
2,662 |
|
Sun. July
13 |
Bellefonte Cogan
Station 2,723 Elmira 2,792 Ithaca
2,825 – 163 miles Room
& Breakfast $6.50 |
|
Mon. July
14 |
At
Ithaca, 35 mi. around city & campus. Mile 2860 |
|
Tues.
July 15 |
Left
Ithaca 7:45 PM. Oswego 12 M. Mile 2,955. 1st 50 mi. to Syracuse in
_____ |
|
Wed. July
16 |
Fishing |
|
Thur.
July 17 |
Washed car.
Hoed. Gas 5 gal. |
|
Fri. July
18 |
At farm.
Hoed. Took Papa & Mama to Minetto & Oswego. Saw Aunt M.L.[1] |
|
Sat. July
19 |
Hoed. Gas
10 gal. Jean $1.00. Florence & Margaret home. |
|
Sun July
20 |
At home
all day. Small rides. |
|
Mon. July
21 |
At home.
Said good bye. Shipped telescope to Johnstown. Greased car. Gas 7 gal. |
|
Tues.
July 22 |
Start for
Buffalo. Mile 3,160. Rochester
3,231 Batavia
3,282 Buffalo
3,322 Silver
Creek 3,359 Stop for
night. |
|
Wed. July
23 |
Erie
3,419 – Detour for 3,401 – 3,444. First
puncture at 3,445. Put on spare rear tire. Conneaut
3,452 Ashtabula
3,467 Cleveland
3,530 at 9 PM |
|
Thurs.
July 24 |
At
Cleveland. Gas 12 gal. Rep(air tire) $1.10 |
|
Fri. July
25 |
At
Cleveland. Repair torque rod $1.85 Gas 5 gal. |
|
Sat. July
26 |
Left
Cleveland. Mile 3,609 Pittsburgh
3,744 Aspinwall
3,755 Irwin
3,777 Put on
Goodyear tire at 3,744 & it blew out at 3,753. |
|
Sun. July
27 |
Left
Irwin 8:15. Arrive Johnstown 12 M.
Mile 3,848. |
|
Sat. Sep.
13 |
Put Sears
Roebuck tire on right rear wheel. Mile
4,174. |
|
Sun. Oct.
5 |
Started
for Pittsburgh. Wrecked at East McKeesport. Room $1.50. Lunch $1.90. Street
car $0.30. Breakfast $0.80. |
|
Mon. Oct.
6 |
Lunch and
dinner at Ottinger’s. Street car $0.40. |
|
Tues.
Oct. 7 |
Hospital
$0.30. Jean $0.20. Street car $0.10. Shave $0.40. RR & street car $5.63. Taxi $1.00. |
|
Wed. Oct.
8 |
At work.
Heard from Jean and Belle. |
A search for Swank
Buick yielded the following:
which is obviously the dealer where ET bought his Buick
in 1918. ET’s office was in the Swank
building in downtown Johnstown. The
total amount of the Buick that ET bought was $1,350 in 1918. A search for 1918 Buick vehicles produced the
specifications listed in the table below.
This table is from “The Car Nut” web page. It lists all nine models produced by Buick in
1918 including three touring models. It
is noted that the tire size is different for each of the three touring
models. Per ET’s entry for Saturday,
September 13, 1919, he
bought a tire for the Buick from Sears and Roebuck. His order for the tire was also in the tin
box and the tire size, 34 x 4, indicates that his car was a five passenger,
six-cylinder E-6-45 Touring model. A
search for original prices for 1918 Buick automobiles produced two published
manufacturer’s prices ranging from $1265 (Motor Age, February 2, 1922, Page 65)
to $1361 (Automobile Journal, Volume 64, December 25,
1917, Page 42). As these prices
bracket the price ET paid, they further confirm that he bought the E-6-45
model. Current internet asking prices
for a restored 1918 Buick E-6-45 Touring automobile are in the $20,000 plus
range.
1918 Buick automobile specifications published on “The Car Nut” web page.
|
Year - 1918 |
Production |
Model |
Wheel |
Weight |
Tire |
Wheel |
Valve |
Bore |
Piston Displacement
Cubic Inches |
Compression Ratio
(Standard) |
Maximum |
Spark |
Spark |
Point |
Firing |
Ignition |
Grnd |
|
|
3,800/172 |
4
cyl |
E-34
Roadster |
106 |
1900 |
31x4 |
Hub |
In
Head |
3.375
x 4.75 |
170 |
4.5 |
35 |
18mm |
.025-.030 |
.020 |
1243 |
O
Mark |
-6 |
|
|
10,391/275 |
6
cyl |
E-44
Roadster |
118 |
2750 |
34x4 |
Hub |
In
Head |
3.375
x 4.5 |
242 |
4.5 |
60 |
18mm |
.025-.030 |
.020 |
153624 |
O
Mark |
-6 |
|
|
16,148 |
6
cyl |
E-49
Touring |
124 |
3075 |
34x4.5 |
Hub |
In
Head |
3.375
x 4.5 |
242 |
4.5 |
60 |
18mm |
.025-.030 |
.020 |
153624 |
O
Mark |
-6 |
|
There were entries for a trip to Oswego in 1918 but there
were no associated vehicle costs, so it is assumed that ET took a train. He returned via Youngstown, Ohio, most likely
to visit his brother-in-law, Elmer E. Lomison, before returning to
Johnstown. The road trip to Oswego, New
York in 1919 included a return via Cleveland, Ohio which most likely was so
they could visit Sarah Jean Lomison Gray’s nephew, William Spear Lomison who
was living in Cleveland at the time. The
trip ended on July 27, 1919. The table below lists the cities given by ET and
the millage driven from the start of the trip.
The cities identified by ET were entered into Google Maps for each of
the three days of travel to Oswego, New York.
The routes identified by Google maps will be slightly different from the
route traveled by ET and his family but the results presented below for each
day give a general idea of their path. The millage calculated by Google tends
to be slightly lower than the data from ET’s calendar. The intermediate cities are shown in bold
type on the maps. The scales for the
maps are in the lower right corner.
|
Date |
City |
Miles |
|
July 12, 1919 |
Johnstown |
0 |
|
Duncansville |
38 |
|
|
Altoona |
47 |
|
|
Tyrone |
63 |
|
|
Bellefonte |
98 |
|
|
July 13, 1919 |
Bellefonte |
98 |
|
Cogan Station |
159 |
|
|
Elmira |
228 |
|
|
Ithaca |
261 |
|
|
July 14, 1919 |
Ithaca |
296 |
|
Syracuse |
346 |
|
|
Oswego |
391 |
Day 1: Johnstown to Bellefonte.
Day 2: Bellefonte to Ithaca.
Day 3: Ithaca to Oswego.
The return trip took four days as they went by way of
Cleveland. The total distance traveled
and the cities along their route are provided in the table below for each day
of the return trip. Again, Google maps
has been used to show the general path of the return trip for each of the four
days. The map for each day showing the
cities listed by ET are provided below.
|
Date |
City |
Miles |
|
July 22, 1919 |
Oswego |
0 |
|
Rochester |
71 |
|
|
Batavia |
122 |
|
|
Buffalo |
162 |
|
|
Silver Creek |
199 |
|
|
July 23, 1919 |
Silver Creek |
199 |
|
Erie |
259 |
|
|
Conneaut |
292 |
|
|
Ashtabula |
307 |
|
|
Cleveland |
370 |
|
|
July 26, 1919 |
Cleveland |
370 |
|
Pittsburgh |
505 |
|
|
Aspinwall |
516 |
|
|
Irwin |
538 |
|
|
July 27, 1919 |
Irwin |
538 |
|
Johnstown |
609 |
Return Trip Day 1: Oswego to Silver Creek.
Return Trip Day 2: Silver Creek to Cleveland.
Return Trip Day 3: Cleveland to Irwin.
Return Trip Day 4: Irwin to Johnstown.
I have included some entries for later that year as they
involve more repairs and travel. ET
documents the start of a trip to Pittsburgh on October 5 that ended in an
accident at East McKeesport. I remember
my mother telling me about an accident that ET had where his wife, Sarah Jean,
was badly injured. My mother said the
car slid backwards into a ditch and that Sara Jean’s injuries were due partly
to the fact that she had my father on her lap.
My father would have been seven years old at the time. ET’s notes for the event indicate a trip to
the hospital. More detail is provided in
the expense summary for the month. Based
on ET’s notes for October 8th, Sarah Jean’s sister, Belle, must have
been on the trip with them. Further search of the tin box produced a hospital
bill for Belle Lomison and payment receipts for her visit made out to ET Gray. Based on the hospital bill, Belle was in the
McKeesport Hospital for a total of twelve days from October 5, 1919 to October
17, 1919. It is noticed that the total
for Belle’s hospital stay is consistent with ET’s entry for the hospital
expense in the October CASH page below. This
finding indicates that it may have been Belle that my mother said was badly
injured as there are no hospital bills for Sarah. The auto was repaired by the East
McKeesport Auto Repair Company and ET picked it up on November 21, 1919 at a
cost $560.00 which is almost half the original cost of vehicle. ET did not put any entries into the calendar
for November but the expenses summary page shows $4.16 for railroad fair on
November 21st. At the end of
1919, ET calculated the total cost to date of owning the car in 1919 at
$1,345.91. The expense for the vehicle
in 1918 was $941.57 yielding a total to date of $2,287.48. ET also showed the cost including his wife’s
hospital stay as being $2,660.73. The
lack of detail about his wife’s injuries or condition is disappointing. His
focus seems to have been on the cost of her injuries as indicated in his
summary cost sheet shown below. Early
on, ET recorded every detail of his ownership of the Buick, making notes about
when he washed it, as well as, when he had routine maintenance or repairs
performed. His expense records were
likewise very detailed, such as ten cents for a sponge, 45 cents for the
incline. After the accident, ET did not
provide descriptions in the day calendar about the expenses for the vehicle or
any notations about miles driven, such as the return trip to Johnston after he
picked the car in November. It appeared
that ET’s interest in the Buick had soured due to the expense associated with
his accident but he had a garage built for it in October 1921. A receipt was found for $531.43 for
construction of a garage at his residence in Westmont, Pennsylvania. The garage was built by the Industrial
Housing Corporation of Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
Material for the garage is listed at $371.33 and the labor cost $160.10.
No calendars were found beyond 1919. There were several earlier calendars that
appear to have been work related as the entries were crossed out. The monthly expense records for 1919 are
provided below.
ET’s records indicate that early road travel included
many tire and valve train repairs. There
are at least four times that the valves had to be adjusted or replaced in the
first year and a half of his ownership.
There are an equal number of references to tire repairs or purchases. Based on the limited time information
included in ET’s notes, it is estimated that his average speed was in the 25
mph range which probably accounts for the seemingly reasonable average gas
millage of about 12 mpg. The millage
driven in a day ranged between 100 and 200 miles.
Following the trip to Oswego, ET placed an order with
Sears and Roebuck for a new tire and other items for the Buick. His order
along with the response from Sears and Roebuck are provided here. The size of the tire he ordered was 34 by 4
which definitively identifies his automobile as an E-6-45, six cylinder, five
passenger touring model from Buick. In
keeping with the observation that tire repair was a major part of early
automobile travel, the reply from Sears and Roebuck indicates that they could
not fulfill his order for three tire repair kits due to the large volume of
requests for that item.
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