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One of the long-forgotten, but historically important events of 1919 was the staging and execution of the U.S. Army's Motor Transport Corps Transcontinental Convoy (MTC-TCC), which made the cross country trip from Washington D.C. to the Presidio in San Francisco. The route used was the Lincoln Highway, which passed through Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Also known as the Lincoln Highway Convoy, the exercise was an experiment using standardized military trucks, along with some motor cars and motorcycles, with the purpose of gathering valuable data and experience in the developmental use of the relatively new concept of motorized transport. It was an operation to evaluate the several classes of trucks and cars that the Army's Motor Transport Corps had used during the World War, along a few recently released models under consideration from various U.S. manufacuters.
It was also a unique opportunity to gain valuable insights on the state of American roads and automotive infrastructure. By 1919, only twelve percent of the country’s rural roads had been "surfaced," a definition that included mostly ill-maintained dirt and gravel surfaces. To make matters worse, with no higher authority overseeing construction, what roads there were were unconnected and broken into thousands of star-like clusters. The Lincoln Highway itself, the coast to coast thoroughfare that was dedicated in 1913, was in reality just a patchwork of connecting roadways, many of which were no more than undeveloped dirt paths, especially west of the Mississippi River. The convoy highlighted the need for highway improvement for all kinds of travel, particularly commercial. In the years to come this information and experience would help advance the concept of the Interstate Highway System. <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> The Vehicles And The Men The Motor Transport Corps convoy included thirty-four heavy cargo trucks, four light delivery trucks", two mobile machine shops, one blacksmith shop, and one heavy trailor hauling an Artillery Tractor equipped with a power winch. This tractor, called a Militor, was capable of pulling several Liberty Trucks at one time. It was the real work horse of the convoy. There were two spare parts stores, two water tanks, one gasoline tank, one searchlight with an electrical power plant truck, four kitchen trailers, eight touring cars, one reconnaissance car, two staff observation cars, five sidecar motorcycles, and four solo motorcycles as well as five GMC ambulances with two ambulance trailers, and a Loder 4-ton pontoon trailer. Over twenty of the trucks were standardized Army Class B 3-ton Liberty Trucks.
The train was meant to be self-sustaining and self-operated, carrying bridge-building equipment so that, in case of washouts or structural damage, repairs could be made speedily. It was the heaviest, longest and most thoroughly equipped and manned Army motor train ever assembled. The 300 military personnel involved were Company E of the Army's 5th Engineers, the Quartermaster Corps' Service Park Unit 595, Companies E and F of the 333rd Motor Supply Train, a medical unit and a Field Artillery Detachment. Official observers who traveled along with the convoy included seventeen officers representing the nine branches of the Army, including then Lieutenant Colonel Dwight D. Eisenhower. A number of civilian companies attached themselves to the procession in public relations campaigns. Most were vehicle and parts suppliers, and three were tire manufacturers, including Firestone and Goodyear.
<><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> Leaving The Nation's Capital The convoy, three miles long from beginning to end, left Washington D.C. on July 7, 1919, amid much fanfare. The departure was coupled with the dedication of the Zero Milestone, south of the White House grounds, marking the starting point of what the New York Times described as "the largest aggregation of motor vehicles ever started on a trip of such length." Two motorcycles scouted about a half hour ahead of the main body to report conditions and place markers. In the lead of the convoy were the 5th Engineers and their heavy artillery trucks, followed by the machine and blacksmith shops. The engineers were responsible for repairing or replacing any insufficient bridges or make minor road improvements along the way.
The convoy was often detoured off the main road around such obstacles, often onto poorly maintained secondary dirt roads. Along with the artillery tractor, which was constantly employed towing broken down or immobilized vehicles, the mechanics of the Quartermaster Unit brought up the rear, handling the necessary repairs. Encountering excellent weather at the start, the convoy passed over into Pennsylvania on July 8 and made its way for Gettysburg, where it merged onto the Lincoln Highway. The procession faced its first real challenge on July 10, when daylong rain turned many roads into slippery paths that caused delays and one vehicle lost after skidding off the road in the mountainous region and crashing down the hillside. <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> The Convoy Passes Through Pittsburgh The Pittsburgh Gazette Times reported on the 12th of July that after spending an evening camped in Greensburg, the convoy arrived in Wilkinsburg, on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, at 9:00am on the morning of July 11. The train was met there by a delegation from the Chamber of Commerce and mess was served in Floral Park.
Pittsburgh motorcycle police met the motor train at 1:00pm and escorted it through the Steel City, beginning in East Liberty along Penn Avenue. A truck load of sailors met the train in East Liberty and joined the procession, helping to liven things up on the trip through town. The motorcade turned onto Baum Boulevard, then went down Craig Street to Fifth Avenue and on through the downtown business district. A parade-like atmosphere was present all along the route, which was lined with flags, eager spectators and curious onlookers.
This was a chance for everyone to come out and see some of the equipment and men who had only recently returned from the war in Europe. The cheers of the crowd mingled with those of the soldiers in the train, who kept up a lusty yelling all the way through the city. The Mayor of Pittsburgh, Edward V. Babcock, along with other city officials, directors and officers of the Chamber of Commerce, reviewed the procession as it rumbled along Grant Street past the City-County Building to the sound of a large band. The vehicles then crossed over the Sixth Street Bridge to the Lincoln Highway on the north side.
An unplanned stop over in Sewickly was necessary pending repairs to several of the vehicles. The convoy resumed its journey the following morning enroute to East Palestine, Ohio, where an elaborate celebration was scheduled during a scheduled rest and repair day. <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><>
<><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> The Journey Continues To The West Coast After the lay over in East Palestine, the convoy continued on it's journey west, making good time through Illinois on mostly acceptably improved roads. The parade of vehicles reached the Mississippi River at Clinton, Iowa on July 22. After crossing the river, travel time decreased dramatically as the road network became more rustic, with mostly dusty or muddy conditions the rest of the way.
Averaging only fifteen miles a day, by August 19 they had made it as far as Salt Lake City, Utah. On August 27 the motor train passed through Austin, Nevada. Seven days behind schedule, the MTT-TCC arrived in Oakland, California on September 5. Foregoing a scheduled rest stop, the train proceeded to its final desination. The vehicles were immediately ferried across the bay and arrived on the morning of September 6 at the Presidio in San Francisco. <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> Lessons Learned And The Interstate Highway System Along the 3,250 mile route, the engineers repaired over eighty damaged wooden bridges. Practically all roads from Illinois to Nevada were unpaved. There were 230 instances of vehicles getting stuck due to road failure. When the two-month journey was completed, only nine vehicles and twenty-one men were missing from the original convoy that left Washington D.C. Valuable experience was gained with regards to improvements in the manufacture of the truck transports, and also in the future design and upkeep of the transportation network throughout the country. It may have taken thirty-six years and the experiences gained in another World War, but in 1956, the Federal-Aid Highway Act was passed, calling for the construction of 41,000 miles of interconnecting super highways throughout the United States of America. The President at the time of the bill signing was one of the observers on the 1919 convoy journey, Dwight D. Eisenhower. <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> The Liberty Truck Repair
Training And Laboratory After America's entry into World War I, the Army Quartermaster's Corps was in desperate need of trained mechanics to work on the thousands of Liberty Trucks rolling off the nation's assembly lines and destined for the war zone in France. Schools were set up to recruit and train soldiers in the assembly and field maintenance of the growing fleet of vehicles.
One of the first such schools was instituted on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh, on the hill just above O'Hara Street. The laboratory and barracks for the gas and engine repairmen to work on their Liberty Trucks began to take shape in April, 1918. By the end of May, seven barracks capable of housing 1000 men, a mess hall that seated 2000, an administrative building and a YMCA Hospitality House were constructed. The Liberty Trucks were built to have standard interchangeable parts so they could be produced quickly and also easily repaired during the War. The trucks needed a large engine, a large gasoline tank, a large radiator, and maximum ground clearance for environment of Europe. They also needed a large cadre of mechanics to keep them in working order.
A spacious Chassis and Engine laboratories would be where the main training and repair work would take place. Within six months, 2,200 men were being schooled. Many of these skilled mechanics were part of the Quartermaster's Unit assigned to the Lincoln Highway Convoy that passed through Pittsburgh on July 11, 1919. Industrial Pittsburgh was especially interested in the trip because this district would greatly benefit in the future as a result of the recruitment campaign. The Army was interested in training at least 6,000 men a year as skilled mechanics and, after their enlistments expire, turning those men over to industrial centers like Pittsburgh. Men who enlisted in the Motor Transport Corps were given intensive training in fifty-six different phases of electrical engineering and motor trains. The men were permitted to specialize in one or more phases.
<><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> A Great Recruiting Tool And A Valuable Opportunity The convoy was a great recruiting tool for the Quartermaster's Corps. Young men eager to learn the skills to be automotive repairmen flocked to the recruiters that trailed the convoy and enlisted on the spot or went to their local enlistment centers. For the price of a three-year military committment these recruits learned valuable skills that would serve them well in the upcoming automotive age.
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