Life, 1919-05-22 · page 3 of 42
Life — May 22, 1919 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **commercial advertisement**, not political satire. It depicts a supply convoy of 25 trucks traveling 25 miles per hour from Versailles to Paris—likely referencing post-World War I reconstruction efforts. The text credits First Lieutenant C. Glynn for observing how heavily-laden military transport vehicles tested tire durability across poor roads in difficult weather. The advertisement promotes "Nobby Cord" tires as superior for heavy-duty use, emphasizing their sturdy tread pattern visible in the large tire image. The "burden" in the title refers to the trucks' heavy loads during wartime logistics operations, positioning US Tires as reliable equipment for demanding military transportation—a common advertising strategy in the WWI-era period.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
of the Burden ~ United States Tires are Good Tires for trucks “HERE we were—heavily overloaded with spare parts and supplies. Our orders were to speed up to the limit—and Paris ninety miles away!’’ Onward they plunged—these monsters of the motor transport. Creaking and crunching, crashing and smashing through to the end. The story is best told by First Lieut. H. C. Glynn, officer in charge of the train:— “Our route was between the Reconstruction Depot in Verneuil and the main Supply Depot in Paris. “We covered the distance four times in three weeks, making 20 and 25 miles an hour, over all kinds of roads in all sorts of weather. “Thirty-five trucks of my train were fitted all-‘round with ‘Nobby Cord’ tires. They stood the ‘gaff’ through the entire run—never a single change. This was a most gruelling test of strength and endurance.”" That is the secret—the ‘Nobby Cord’ stands the ‘‘gaff’’. A big, burly, brutish, bull-dog tire with a tread of surly, sturdy ‘‘teeth’’ that grips the road and hangs on for keeps. More life, more wear, more distance—less gas and oil, less depreciation, and fewer replacements. For passenger and light delivery cars—'Royal Cord’, ‘Nobby’, ‘Chain’, ‘Usco* and ‘Plain’. Also tires for cycles, airplanes and solid tires for ‘trucks.