The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-07-23
The Automobile Question.

tute of Electrical Engineers at Philadel-
phia, was that dealing with The Com
pafatfTe Cost of Operating Horse aud
Electrical Delivery Wagons In New York
City" This paper went into the most
minute details Of the question. and en-
bodied the results OF extended investi-
cations and experiments made In conTlec-
ton with actual work in New York. the
results OF which show that electric de-
livery wagons are really % per cent cheap
er than delivery by horses. assuming OUT
side figures for cost OF power. deprecia-
ton, etc. In conclusion. the paper states
that In light delivery service, at least,
when a number Of units are employed by
individual firms, the adoption Of auto
mobiles would seem to be merely ques-
ton of tine.
The authors. Professor @. F. Sever and
Mr.. r. A. Fliess. give fun details as TO
cost Of operating delivery wagon. They
show that the average number OF miles
made per day by single horse Is about
fS-they assume n as the basis OF their
comparison-that the horse Is actually
about seven hours in harness. and that he
works six days a week, and has to be
fed seven. That the cost, including In
terest on wagon. cost OF feed or horses,
wages Of driver and helper, amounts to
$3.65 for trip of q miles. and to- cover
AZ miles, requiring two horses, but the
This represents the delivery Of about 30
packages, or 50 deliveries per trip. and
six trips per day. Some wagons make
100 to $50 deliveries on a single trip, but
the average Is not over 8 deliveries per
hour. Each delivery is estimated at 16
pounds as an average.
With an electric carriage running over
the same territory, but in much quicker
time, measurements taken show that the
consumption OF energy Is about los watt
hours per ton mile, and on a very hilly
run lis watt-hours; so 120 watt-hours was
taken for the comparison, as a fair fig
ure. The cost Of the power Is taken At
5 cents per kilo-watt-hour,' and the eff
cheney Of the storage batteries and motors
| at 50 per cent. On this basis. to cover
a miles a day, at a speed of nine miles
an hour-compared to seven and half
miles an hour for the horse-drawn deliv-
cry wagon-and including all interest
charges on wagon, rent of stable room,
wages OF driver and helper the same as
before, the cost is only $S.S5, saving OF
Il cents day per wagon. When 1t is re-
Numbered that the horse has 10 be fed
| on Sunday, az well as any other day,
| and that the electro-mobile has only In
terest charges during the same time, a
years showing on this basis, with rate
Of three cents per kilo-watt for power
| (Which might easily be obtained from a
| central station. as the demand for charg-
| ing current would come at the most de-
sira'ble time when the station would be
practically idle). would make the saving
| twice as great.
Economy pure and simple is the COM
| mercial reason for adopting automobiles.
besides which. however. there is the i'm
proved hygienic conditions that would re-
suit, the decreased cost Of cleaning streets
saving in wear and tear on streets, avoid
ance of noise. as rubber tires will be uni
| versal, and a saving of valuable street
| room, owing to the absence of the horses.
The automobile appears to be ram
pant just at the present time, and the
| news comes from all quarters of the
growing popularity of the horseless We
| hicles, both In this country and abroad,
and. now that their construction has been
reduced to a scientific basis. they are
| becoming quite as popular and extern
| sively used for commercial work as they
| are for pleasure. F.
| For instance according to the Western
electrician. a Chicago firm has received
a contract from a large Brooklyn store
| for a number OF automobile delivery wag-
| ons to be delivered as soon aslpossible
| From Dublin comes the word. through
/ a foreign exchange. that Guinness. Son
| & Co., have introduced ''motor-cars," as
the English say, for the delivery OF their
| goods. They expect before long to have
| 100 OF the horseless vehicles on the road.
| In Buffalo, Uncle Sam has taken up the
| idea of using automobiles for the collec-
! ton Of the mail Experiments made shoW
| that mali from 40 boxes. in a territory
| six miles in length. can be collected In
| less than one-half the time II takes "a
cover the same route with horse and
/ wagon The experiments, II Is said, ara
TO be continued. and II they prove as great
| a success as they give promise. automo-
biles will be placed in regular commits
sion in connection with the postal ser
vice.
indianapolis IS to the fore with still
another scheme, which Is nothing more
nor less than the use Of automobile ex'
| press wagons President Moran, OF the
Indianapolis Transfer company. Is quoted
as saying that his company has placed ar
order for % automobile wagons. to be usee
| In their regular trar=Sr business
Still, another scheme In the air is the
establishment of an electric stage between
Canton and Congress Lake. a distance Of
Is miles. A company is being organized
to carry out this project
That we are rapidly overtaking Cont
| mental makers OF automobiles. as We dit
in bicycle construction. Is apparent from
the fact that some makers are now ex'
porting considerable numbers OF their ma
chimes abroad. Recently an invoice o
ten cases was shipped TO Havre for dis
tribution to other points.
The honor Of having the first private
electromobile stable IN New York. !:
claimed by Mr. Isaac L. Rice, president
OF one Of the largest electric vehicle com
panles This stable is being erected a.
| Riverside Drive and Elghty-eighth street
/ $3.50 nr4sN IL
adapted for the charging and Transferring
of the storage batteries. etc.
Apropos OF the general discussion a.
to whether automobiles should be allow
| ed In public parks, Is the decision o.
Judge Gibbons. Of the circuit court o.
Cook county. who has Just passed upoI
the rule Of the Chicago park commission
ers, which debarred horseless vehicles
from all the parks and highways undel
their jurisdiction. To quote the decision
in mart Judge Gibbons said: The Ordsl
in question is void. In singing out auto
mobiles BY name and placing them undei
the ban OF Outlawry. when. as a matte
Of common observation and scienun'
knowledge. there = less danger IN pro
j pelling an automobile than there ts II
I driving a horse and buggy" This decis
ion will no doubt have a bearing on IN
| same question which has been brouR y
up before the Central park commission
| ers Of New York. as well rs our owl
FaIrmount park commissioners
The remarkably strong statement va
| made before the American Institute o
Electrical Engineers at their recent meet
irg that the storage battery OF toda,
| even rivals the fitness OF the electric mo
tor for this class Of ~ork. Among u
advantages are SIS large reserve pove
at instant demand. SIS entire freedom
from danger when fully charged. SIS Al
most constant pressure Throughout ~
capacity. 10 may be charged IN almost an