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In 1938, when I was 12 years of age, the N.C. State Highway Dept. completed the straightening and rebuilding HIGHWAY 421 from Boone, N.C. west to the Vilas area. Shortly after the new re-built road opened for traffic, I went to Boone, N.C. with my dad, Ben W. Farthing. This was the first time we had driven to Boone since the new re-built road was opened to traffic.
He drove the 1935 Chevrolet sedan that he had acquired new in 1935. This vehicle was equiped with mechanical brakes as was the custom with most vehicles of that era.
As we left Boone we traveled on the new Rt. 421 to the top of, what is called Boone Mtn., and we started down the mountain toward Brushy Fork some distance away.
As we headed down this straight stretch of the highway, Dad put the car in "neutral" in order to "coast" down the new highway toward Brushy Fork.( Putting it in neutral was usually referred to as " kicking it out of gear".!!
The car started picking up speed and as it did so, he started pushing on the brake pedal ( remember, mechanical brakes) attempting to slow it down, however the car DID NOT slow down. ( I remembered my older sister, Frances Farthing, complaining to Dad that the brakes were not working properly as it was hard for her to stop the car).
In any event, as he applied the brake pedal, the vehicle continued to pick up speed. Dad was chewing tobacco, and as he started to spit tobacco juice out the window, he let go with a mouth full of tobacco juice, it splattered all over the inside of the door glass, as the window was closed. He rolled the window down and as the car continued to pick up speed, he continued to spit out the window. After we got home, we noticed some tobacco juice hit the rear seat. Also as he spit out the window, the wind blew it toward the rear fender, some of it splattered along the side of the car in very artistic style sweeping curves.
Fortunitely, there was very little traffic on the road at that time. He continued pressing on the brake pedal and also he tried several times to shift back into "high" gear, which would have controlled the speed.( The gear shift was on the floor as was usual in that long ago era). However, he could not get it back in "gear" as it continued picking up speed.
At that point,as we were about half way down the mountain, he stopped trying to get it into "gear" and also stopped pressing the brake pedal. He simply steered the car and held on. As we passed the Doc Mast Store area, the car was traveling at a very fast clip.
As we reached the area where the road began to "level out" he continued to try to get it back in high gear. As the car began to slow down somewhat, he finally got, the transmission back into "high" gear at about the location of the present day Adams Building Supply Company. At this point he made the most profound statement I have ever heard; "BOYS, I WILL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN"!!
That is the last time I ever saw him "coast" the car !!! This story is true, and I have related it EXACTLY as it happened. By BAXTER FARTHING
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