Roland Robinson Hazard Sr. Buys a Truck.

by

Wally Lee Parker

 Reprint from the October 2021 issue (#162) of the Clayton/Deer Park Historical Society’s newsletter, the Mortarboard.  See the editor's "Letters, Email, Bouquets & Brickbats" segment. 

 

Ad from the November 1^st, 1910, edition of the "Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal."

            Rowland Robinson Hazard Sr. was born at Newport, Rhode Island on July 25^th, 1837.  He and his wife, Rhoda M. Hazard, settled on Wild Rose Prairie in either 1883 or 1884 — depending on the source.  According to R. R’s. obituary in the October 13th, 1921, edition of the Deer Park Union, “He was one of the first settlers in this region, coming here with this wife, from whom he was afterward separated, she … electing to live in the east with a daughter, Mrs. Lottie H. O’Brien, the son, R. R. Hazard, remaining here with his father.”  As far as currently known, the only children surviving Rhoda and Rowland Sr. were the above Rowland Jr. and Carlotta — that being Mrs. O’Brien.

            It seems nearly impossible to separate any discussion of the history of Wild Rose Prairie from at least a mention of R. R. Hazard Sr. — one of those larger-than-life figures possessing the fortitude necessary to settle in what was then an undeveloped territory.  As the above noted obituary explains, “He … fought in the Civil War, being given the rank of first Lieutenant.”  Among his accomplishment at Wild Rose, “for a time conducting a post office and general store at Hazard’s Corner”

            Regarding the post office, in the July 2012 edition of the Mortarboard (#51), under the title “Rural post offices in the Clayton-Deer Park area,” society historian Pete Coffin wrote, “Rowland Hazard opened a store on his Wild Rose Prairie homestead at the corner of Spotted Road and Wild Rose Road in the SW/4 of Section 33-T28N-R42EWM in 1884.  In 1885 (February 16th) a post office was opened in the store to deliver mail to local farmers.   Mr. Hazard would drive to Spokane (obviously by horse drawn wagon) once a week on Friday to pick up store supplies and the mail.”   His post office remained open until October 31st, 1904, at which point the Deer Park Post Office began delivering to the area.

            According to the Spokane Chronicle, in June of 1911 Mr. Hazard purchased a truck for the specific purpose of “hauling merchandise supplies from Spokane to Hazard.”

Clipping from the Spokane Chronicle, June 7, 1911.

       A reasonably complete description of the truck was found in the June 1910 issue of The Commercial Vehicle magazine.

            To quote, “The Gleason gas motor light delivery wagon, with shaft drive, has been put on the market by the Kansas City Vehicle Company, Kansas City, Missouri.  The chassis includes a number of modern features of vehicle construction.  In arrangement the machine follows conventional automobile practice with motor-in-front under a bonnet and driver’s seat behind the dash, with inclined steering post.  The frame is of pressed steel and carries a unit power plant in front which includes a double-opposed 20-horsepower four-cycle motor, multiple-disc clutch, and selective change-speed gearset giving three speeds forward and reverse.”

            Regarding the above noted engine, this appears to be a novel but occasionally still used design in which two pistons share a single, extra-long cylinder, and on the power and exhaust strokes each piston moves toward the other.  Two crankshafts, one at each end of each single cylinder, are required, but several other components, such as cylinder heads, are eliminated.  Best guess would be that the Gleason’s engine has two cylinders and four pistons — that, of course, is yet to be confirmed.

            The Commercial Vehicle magazine continued, “The wheels are 36 inches in diameter and are shod with Swinehart solid-rubber tires.”

            Its review concluded, “The Gleason vehicles are sold with full equipment of lamps, including oil front and tail lamps, and two gas lamps in front of the bonnet with a large gas generator suspended on the outside of the frame.  A horn and kit of tools are also supplied.”

            The front and rear oil lamps were modifications of the common wick-fed kerosene lanterns.  The above-mentioned gas generator is a canister that drips water into a bed of rock-salt size calcium carbide bits — said bed supported on a wire mesh.  The reaction of the water and carbide produces acetylene gas under low pressure.  Tubing carries this gas to the two front driving lamps, where, when lit, the vapor burns with an intense white flame.  As the carbide degrades it forms a dust that falls through the screen into the bottom of the canister.  While this worked fairly well, it was high maintenance, requiring cleaning and so forth on a regular basis.  In the wintertime, it was recommended that 20% of the water be replaced with alcohol to reduce the chance of freezing.

            Running across the Chronicle article mentioning Hazard Merchandise's 1911 purchase of a Gleason truck, we wondered if that particular truck was related to the one currently on display in the North Spokane Farm Museum’s “Red Shed.”  We phoned Mr. Robert Greiff, president of said museum.  Mr. Greiff confirmed that the light truck on display is the same one Mr. Rowland Hazard Sr. purchased brand new.

R. R. Hazard's Gleason Truck at the North Spokane Farm Museum one-hundred and ten years later.

(Photo by Bill Sebright)

            There obviously has to be more to this story.  For one thing, how has this unique relic managed to survive this long?  Its working life consumed how much of its 110 years?  Who’s responsible for the restoration work, and how extensive was said work?  I’m sure someone has the answers to these questions, and a lot more not yet articulated, all of which we’d be most interested in hearing.

———  end  ———