THE MOTOR CARAVAN
Whilst in Regina waiting for the caravan to be ready for the road I took
steps to be ready for the van. I had never driven a Ford, but Aylmer
Bosanquet's Ford roadster arrived whilst I was in Regina, and she
allowed me to have lessons on it. It was quite easy to drive, and on the
second day I took it out alone. I also went to a motor school and had a
course of lessons on Ford running repairs and vulcanising tyres. The
head man was exceedingly nice, and took infinite pains to help me in
every way. I was the only woman in the shop, but there were a great many
men learning motor-tractor work preparatory to working on the prairie
farms. Most of them had been in the army. They took a most embarrassing
interest in me and my future plans, putting me through the usual
catechism, with the inevitable leading question: "Are you married?" They
seemed to think it was not fit for two women to go out alone on the
prairie, as in Western Canada women hardly ever drive outside the towns,
and never do their own running repairs--and seldom even oil their
engines, judging from the sound.
On May 1 I heard that the caravan was ready, but, unfortunately, the
trails were not yet open. However, spring comes suddenly on the prairie.
On May 2 there was a blizzard of snow, and on May 5 it was like an
English midsummer day. Archdeacon Burgett advised us not to fetch our
caravan until his clergy had arrived at Regina with theirs, as they
could then tell us what the trails were like. They came in on the
Saturday, May 8, having had a very rough time with snow-drifts and
mud-holes. They had bent their back lamp and damaged a rear mudguard. I
noticed that they had no shock absorbers, which accounted for a good
deal of the damage. They gave us a book with directions and maps of the
blazed trail between Winnipeg and Regina, and gave us a lurid
description of the perils of the way, apparently wishing to dissuade us
from what they considered a mad attempt. But as I had mapped out the
caravan itinerary with but little margin, I did not wish to lose any
time in getting off, so Winifred Ticehurst and I started for Winnipeg
late on Sunday evening (after working pretty hard all day). We took a
blanket or two and a little spirit lamp and saucepan as our sole camping
equipment. The parish hall, in which our sleeping-bags, etc., were
stored, was locked, and the caretaker had gone to church.
[Illustration: THE CARAVAN AND HER CREW
(W. M. T. LEFT, F. H. E. H. RIGHT)]
[Illustration: THE INTERIOR OF THE VAN]
_To face p. 28_
[Illustration: TIDYING UP (see page 54)]
[Illustration: A SHACK ON THE MOVE (see page 22)]
We arrived at Winnipeg at 11.30 a.m. on Monday, and went straight to the
coachbuilder's. The manager showed us the caravan, which was all ready
for the road, except that they had not put non-skid tyres on the rear as
ordered. I pointed this out, and the manager said that the mistake had
been made by the Ford Company, but he would send the car down to have it
put right in the morning. We had expected to start that afternoon, but
were told that the car had not yet been passed by the Government
officials, who were going to register it as a commercial vehicle to
escape taxation. As it was a public holiday this could not be done until
next day.
The caravan was much like a tradesman's van in appearance. It was
painted black, with "Sunday School Mission, Anglican Church," lettered
in red and gold on one side. The driving seat could be completely closed
in when necessary, for, besides the wind-screen, there were half-glass
doors on either side, which in hot weather could be taken off and put
behind the mattresses. There were two doors at the back of the van,
which opened outwards. As the side doors had their catches inside, when
we wished to leave the caravan we got out at the back and padlocked
these doors, thus making all secure. The back of the driving-seat was
hinged and folded forward at night, so that the six-foot mattresses
which were strapped back to the van sides during the day could come
down over it. Beneath one mattress was a wooden locker, and under the
other a wooden shelf with legs. There was also a shelf on one wall of
the van. When I got back to Regina, before starting out on the prairie,
I added further items, which the run from Winnipeg had shown to be
desirable. An electric bulb was fitted to the roof of the van, and a
reflecting glass put on the left side. I also got an inspection lamp for
use at night in case anything went wrong with the engine. This could be
attached to the electric current which supplied the bulb. We racked our
brains to think of some means of keeping the things on the shelf, and
finally nailed on wire netting, which we hooked to the roof. This proved
very effective, but so great was the jar that the dancing pots and pans
wore it out from time to time. We made a bag to hold our tidiest
clothes, and blue cotton covers for the mattresses and a bag to keep our
pillows clean. We also nailed linoleum on the floor of the van, because
dust and draughts came through cracks in the wood-work, and this made
the floor easy to keep clean.
The caravan had a Ford chassis with electric starter and head lights. I
had heard that for the rough prairie trails nothing could beat a Ford
engine. Only a car with a high clearance is of any use on these earth
roads, and whereas a heavy car would stick in a mud-hole the light Ford
can get through. Then again, even little "towns" which are nothing more
than hamlets stock Ford spare parts, both in garages and in the ordinary
"hardware stores"--_i.e._, iron-mongers. I had had two extra petrol
tanks put on the foot-board, each holding 8-1/2 gallons, so that we could
carry 25 gallons in all. The tool box, also, was on the foot-board, so
the spare tyre had to be strapped inside the caravan above the driving
seat. We had very strong shock absorbers to prevent the body smashing
the back axle and springs when we went through very deep holes, and
sub-radius rods to strengthen the steering-rod and front axle. I carried
three spare tubes as I had not remountable rims, and a pyrene
extinguisher fixed inside the car in case of fire through damage to the
petrol tanks on the rough trails.
I fitted out the caravan in the light of what I had learnt about the
prairie from the Regina Railway Mission clergy lecturing in England, and
from books on the subject. From these sources I knew something about the
condition of the roads and the storms one might expect. This was why I
insisted on having a caravan rather than a Ford roadster, for though the
lightness of the latter would enable it to get through a mud-hole where
a caravan might stick, I guessed that a prairie thunderstorm with its
terrific winds and torrential rains would sweep away the tent and hood
of the roadster like straws, leaving the occupants homeless.
As we could not get away that day we were obliged to find lodgings for
the night, and had not the least idea where to go. I would have asked
hospitality from the Daughter of the Empire to whom I had an
introduction, but we did not care to present ourselves to a stranger in
our travel-stained condition, and we had brought no evening clothes with
us. Winifred suggested that we should try to find a Y.W.C.A., which we
did. The head received us very kindly, and gave us cheap and comfortable
accommodation. Had we not been so tired we might have attended a concert
in their concert-hall.
Next morning we went to a store which sold camping outfits and bought
several things, in particular a cunning arrangement of aluminium cooking
utensils which fitted neatly into a canvas bag. Canadians make a
speciality of this kind of thing, as people often camp out when on a
shooting or fishing expedition. I also had to get several extra tools
for the car, as very few were provided with it. Whilst I did this
Winifred went off to buy food.
When I went to fetch the caravan I found that a mechanic was just about
to take it to the Ford Company to have the non-skid tyres put on, so I
accompanied him. I noticed that it was not easy to drive in traffic, you
could not see out of the back, and as yet it had no reflecting glass.
The engine was very stiff as it had just come out of the assembly shop
and had not been run, so it was difficult to steer and to regulate the
speed. Also it swung a good deal as the body was very long, and the
shock absorbers helped to make it swing. Though Main Street, Winnipeg,
is much wider than Oxford Street, it also contains much more traffic,
including trams, so it was not surprising that we nearly ran into a
motor bicycle and other vehicles. Then the pyrene extinguisher fell out,
and I had to rescue it from under the nose of a tram.
Seeing what Winnipeg traffic was like, and how stiff the engine was, and
also not knowing the way out of the town, I thought of the suggestion
made by the Regina motor school, where I had learnt Ford running
repairs. This was that I should ask a mechanic of their Winnipeg branch
to look over the engine and see if it were rightly adjusted, and then
take us out of Winnipeg. Leaving the caravan at the Ford Company, I went
to find this firm. The address given to me proved to be a barber's shop.
This was rather disconcerting, but, on inquiring the way, I found that
it belonged to the same firm, and they directed me to the motor shops.
They sent a mechanic with me, but he seemed all the time to be in a
great hurry, and kept looking at his watch. I left him looking at the
engine while I went after something or other, and when I came back he
was gone. I then saw that I should have to take the van out of Winnipeg
myself, as they could not spare a mechanic from the Ford Company.
What must be must, so Winifred and I started off and drove into Main
Street, with its surging stream of trams and cars. The rule of the road
here is the opposite of the English rule, all cars having a left-hand
drive, so I thought it best to cross over to the right side of the
street. But just as I had turned across the tram-lines a policeman
stopped me, saying that I must cross further up at the regular
crossing-place. The engine, being stiff, stopped dead, and there we
were, right in the way of the trams. However, by the help of the
self-starter, I got it going again and tried to turn, but the
steering-wheel was so stiff that I nearly ran into the pavement. We went
on further up the street until we came to a red notice which marked the
crossing-place, but as I had to drive slowly through the traffic, the
engine kept stopping, so I turned into a side street, and with a good
deal of difficulty found my way out of the town. With every mile the
engine ran better, and after fifty miles it went quite easily.