Halbert S. Greaves
1904 Herbert Avenue
Salt Lake City, Utah 84108
Professional Division
First Place Anecdote
Believe it or not, I tipped right-side-up a truck that was
upside-down. Incredible? Not when you realize that it was a light-
weight Model-T pickup, vintage 1921, And I had some unusual help,
extra adrenalin.
I don't know how much that puddle-jumper weighed,
with four small cylinders, no cab, nor other non-essentials.
certainly nothing like the trucks of today.
In early April, 1925, when I was seventeen, our cow strayed
from our farm on Little Lane, west of Ephraim. I took the Model-T
to look for her. I drove north to Big Lane, not because it was a
logical place to search, but because I liked the sweet, fresh smell
of springtime water flowing under the Big Lane bridges of the San-
pitch River. During springtime thaw, deep ruts had been worn in
the dirt road, and the truck's steering wheel had about five inches
of "play,” making it tricky to steer, with its pronounced wobble.
At seventeen I wasn't a particularly careful driver; the truck got
going too fast for the combination of ruts and wobble, jumped out
of control--and ruts—-and flipped over. I landed under the truck
bed, unhurt! I crawled out, looked things over, and decided I
could not leave the truck there blocking the road.
No doubt my adrenalin was flowing double, and the rounded
grade of the road favored me, for I gripped the frame and, with a
mighty heave, tipped the wreck right-side-up and off the road.
I walked to our farm, bridled a pony, rode home, and told my
‘brother, with whom I lived, what had happened. After checking the
ruin, he traded 1t for another cow, although we found the stray.
I remember thinking that he made a good trade, even if I had
to milk two cows instead of one.
No comments:
Post a Comment