MOTOR V. TRAIN.

Manawatu Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 2646, 15 May 1923, Page 8

MOTOR V. TRAIN.

A-HAZARDOUS RACK. CRASH ENDS ATTEMPT. SYDNEY, April 18. ■ Misfortune has overtaken the attempt of two venturesome Sydney motorists —Messrs J. Burton and J. Bradley—to race the express trains across Australia from Fremantle in the west to Sydney in the east. The path of the. great trans-continental railway is at any time a hazardous one for a motorist to traverse, the tracks being of the roughest, water always scarce, and little variation in a weary waste of many hundreds of miles, save an occasional camp of blacks, who speculate in gibbering wonderment at anyone choosing the hardships and dangers of such a mode of travel, when the train would serve their purpose. In Inking their high-pawer Vauxhall car over to Fremantle preparatory to the,race home, the motorists had a perilous experience between Port Augusta and the west coast of South Australia, and found it necessary .after having undergone terrible hardships through lack of water, to return to Adelaide, in order that repairs might be effected to their machine. They were more successful at their second attempt, and Fremantle was reached in safety. No time was lost in getting ready for the next trying task, and the motorists left Fremantle on their long trek, a week last Saturday, at -1 a.m.

By train the journey to Sydney occupies 10!l hours 45 minutes, all went, fairly well as far as Eucla when they had "covered 935 of the 1750 miles to Port Augusta, after which travelling would have been comparatively easy. At Ecula they were a little behind their scheduled time, which they accounted for by having to traverse rough country with limestone outcrops varied with roots and stumps. They were, however, 145 hours ahead of the previous motor record time, and considerably .ahead of the train time. But when a little distance out of Eucla they crashed madly, narrowly escaping with their lives, and the bold venture had to be reluctantly abandoned.