Sit back, relax, and imagine what it might have been like to tour in a Milburn Light Electric. Here are a couple of stories written when Milburn Electrics were new.
Toledo to Pittsburgh
314 miles
July 15 (year unknown)
(Map of the tour)
We left Toledo Thursday afternoon with Sandusky as our objective, a distance of 67 miles; 40 of which were over some averagely fair, level roads, and 27 over some exceedingly poor ones. Here we put the car on charge for the night preparatory for Akron Friday morning.
Our route to Akron lay through Lorain, Cleveland and Twinsburg over some good rolling roads and some fair hills, but living up to expectations the Milburn took these without effort. Arriving at Cleveland we stopped for luncheon and gave the car a 3-hour boost; after which we proceeded to Akron which we reached at about 6 o'clock tired and hungry yet enthusiastic over the splendid performance of the car; 103 miles on one charge and one boost.
Recharging over night at Akron we then took the Kent-Ravenna-Warren road to Youngstown a distance of 67½ miles which we covered in 4 hours, 20 minutes.
Saturday morning saw us on the last trip to Pittsburgh, 76 miles of the worst roads imaginable. For instance between Youngstown and Unity we ran into 4½ miles of hills and mud, worse conditions were met with between Unity and Beaver Falls, while from there into Pittsburgh we encountered a series of bad hills, two of which were especially steep, and two very rough detours.
This last stage can easily be called the star performance of our 314 mile trip, because not only did we get 76 miles on this one charge but we did so under the most unfavorable driving conditions. In spite of all however, the Milburn never faltered and not only was its performance all that could be desired but we enjoyed a real pleasure trip without a cent of expense.
Yours very truly,
BISHOP PORTS, Inc.
Per C. S. Chamberlain
MOTOR WORLD, July 26, 1920, LETTERS from READERS
Driving in Electrics
Toledo to Indianapolis
Approximately 300 miles
(Map of the tour)
Editor Motor World: You ask regarding the recent drive-away of electric cars from the Milburn factory, photographs of which you have received.
To be brief, we left Toledo Sunday morning; eight new Milburn cars, five for Cincinnati and three for Indianapolis.
In a little over two hours we reached Findlay, a distance of about fifty miles. The roads were fine and the weather overcast but free from rain. At Findlay we gave the cars a boost charge for several hours, and then proceeded to Lima where we charged the cars over night. The total day's run was 87 miles. The roads from Findlay to Lima were not nearly so good as those before traversed, and in places were decidedly rough.
Monday morning it was pouring rain but that did not hinder us from pulling out early in the afternoon for Piqua. The roads on this stretch were very soft and muddy, and to make matters worse the rain turned into a blinding snow storm. However, we reached Piqua in due time and put the cars on a boost charge. Late in the afternoon we started for Dayton. It was still snowing hard but the roads were quite solid though very rough in places.
We reached Dayton in time for a late supper, the total distance for the day being about 85 miles.
Tuesday morning our party split up, five cars going on southward to Cincinnati and our three westward to Indianapolis.
It was only 40 miles to Richmond but we stopped all night there so as to have a good charge to carry us on to Indianapolis, which is 72 miles.
Between Richmond and Indianapolis we found some extremely bad stretches, in one or two of which gasoline trucks were stuck. We rolled into Indianapolis Wednesday afternoon about three o'clock with every car in good condition.
We covered approximately 300 miles at an unfavorable time of year, over roads that varied from the excellent to the almost impassable variety, and during stormy, blustery weather, yet the trip was not a difficult one.
Indiana Battery Service Co.
H. C. Churchman, President
