LONG-DISTANCE MOTORING.

Wairarapa Age, 17 March 1927, Page 3

LONG-DISTANCE MOTORING.

LONDON TO TURKEY. ADVBNTURES BY THE WAY. LONDON, March 15. Advices from Constantinople show’ that Ellis and Birtles were the first to drive a car through from London during the winter time. Officials were surprised at their success, and regarded it as virtually impossible to negotiate the deep mud in Thrace and the snowdrifts in the notorious Dragoman # Pass, especially as the party was travelling in one of the w r orst weeks Eur-‘ ope has experienced this winter. The road in the Dragoman Pass alternated -from pr dry riverbed full of huge stones hidden in snowdrift to narrow bends i;ound precipices covered with slippery ice. Several times they had to risk the car on a frozen river unaware of the ■depth they would have to fall in event of the., ice-breaking. The actual running time to Constantinople was 16| days, which is believed to be a record for any time of the year. The travellers are regarded as having an excellent chance of clipping off a few days from the best Quetta time, which.” at present stands at 80 days. The negdtiation of snow mountains and roadless swamps is not the only part of the adventure. Rigid Customs regulations and scores of borders, long inquisitions of officialdom, and language difficulties have «to be overcome. Many of those were responsible for delays. The utmost courtesy was found in those centres where there.are British Consular representatives.— (A. and N.Z.).