The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-26
THE COMING CARRIAGE.

1t seems likely that the automobile car
rage will come more quickly into public
favor and generaf use than any radical in
novation in transportation or communica-
ton has heretofore DONE The public, and
especially that part of the public which
has money to invest, is proverbially con
servative respecting revolutlonizing inven-
tons. 1t took considerable time TO build
up confidence in steam railway trains, and
i'm steam vessels. When Prof. Bell an
nounced that he had perfected a system
by which he could transmit sound over
wires with the aid of electricity he was
called visionary. and for a long time tele-
phone stock was hawked about the
streets of the money centers with prac-
tically no buyers. The bicycle was regard
ed for dozen years as a toy. playth.ng.
or at best a sporting apparatus. But all of
these inventions are now regarded as ne
cessaries to modern life. The world of the
present day could not get along without
them.
Experience with the steam locomotive,
tho steam boat, the telegraph, the tele-
phone, the electric light, the trolley ETC.,
has modified the popular conservatism.
The people now more quickly recognize a
mertorious invocation and adopt it, The
practical self-propelLng carriage is prob
ably less than FIVE years Old, neverthe-
less there are not far from 5000 such car
riages at present in use, and The demand
for them is constantly growing. There are
said TO be 2,G0O automobiles in Paris. prob
ably half as many in London 200 in New
York, so I'm each Chicago and Philadelphia,
in Cleveland and a like number in St
Louis three each in San Francisco and
Boston, and two or three in Washington.
There are also a few in Vienna, Berlin,
and other cities of Europe, running the
grand total up 10 an estimated 5000. AS to
the demand, il is stated that three man
ufacturing concerns in this country have
orders for 900 automobiles booked for ear
lest possible delivery.
The question of price will probably do
more than anything else to prevent an inn
mediate general adoption of the horseless
vehicles. AT present they cost in the neish-
borhood of $500 to $1,000 each, still, even
at such figures a good many of them will
come into use Before many years st is TO
! be expected that the price will be cheap
ened considerably, just as the price of a
hrst-class bicycle has dropped from $50 to
$50. Until a reduction in price comes, the
vehicles will ne used only by corporations
and rich persons; but it is no doubt true
that the demand from these sources will he
| large enough to make the new carriages
fam liar sight on the streets of every con-
siderable city early in the new century.
The possibilities Of The automobile are
great. and there are those who confidently
predict that it will revolutionize urban
| life. They say that not only will the
horse practically be eliminated from the
streets, but that there win also be precip-
Hated a struggle for existence on the part
of the trolley and cable street railways.
The speed, reliability, and cheapness of
motive power of the automobiles will per-
nit of this. Ii viii be remembered that in
Mr.. Winton's recent Trip from Cleveland
TO New York, distance of 700 miles, when
he made in Az hours, the total cost OF
motive power was less than 81. No other
vehicle. of any character, could possibly
have been taken over that distance for
anything approaching so low cost for
motive power. winton's trip occupied four
twefve-hour days, making the cost of pow
or less than twenty-five cents per day.
With this statement as a basis it can Sc
easily calculated that automobile coupes
or omnibusses in a well-paved city would
make dangerous competition for the street
railways.
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