Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-01-07


star5ed building vehicles of various types.
and are finding ready market for their
wares
Surveys and victorias hansoms and run
abouts are to be seen in the streets and out
in the suburbs of not few American
cities and towns. while New York has fifty
public motor hansOms and coupes in serv-
ice. is building fifty more and will soon
have her antiquated 9TH avenue horse
stages. the butt of many a joke, replaced
by horseless omnibuses of the newest de-
signs.
of a sudden, and coincidental with the
practical perfection of motor carriages, the
popular impression of them has shifted.
Never did public sentiment change more
quickly. Now it is conceded on every hand
that the automobile is 10 be the vehicle of
the future. Hitherto only the far-seeing
had looked upon them with COmpldcency
TO-DAY no one speaks OF danger IN connec-
ton with horSeIess carriage, and all are
beginning 10 accept them.
The motor cabs of New York have more
business than they can do. Were hun
drtt in commission il would De none too
many. There Is talk of motor cGupes and
han~oms IN other cities, of regular horse
less hack service in ali the great munich
palItIeS. ana with this grows the desire for
private vehicles.
This article is to announce the birth OF
the motor carriage and wagon for popular
Use. the passing OF the age OF experiment,
and 10 celebrate this by bringing together
for comparison some OF the more interest
ing types Of automobile vehicles in actual
practical use. The field has been thorough
y WinnOWed ana the work of manufacture
Crs far and wide has been sought out.
More Graceful Lines.
First Of all, there is apparent the Won
derfuI grace and beauty of the vehicles de-
signed, when the problems that had to he
met are considered. Motors that were
heavy and bulky at best had to be provided
fer, some space furnished in which they
could be slowed away. As designing goes
on. the hOrSelesS carriage evolves IL Is
certain that motors Will he built OF less
size and weight, and then each vehicle viii
have inner and more graceful lines.
Again. il Is now plainly evident that
new industry has been created, ana an i'll
du-iry in such state and with such Il
demand behind ii that it at once affords
safe opportunities for capital on large
scale.
Several Of the manufacturing companies
have already spent over $1un.V1 apiece in
experimenting. These were the pioneers
from whose experience makers of the flu
ture Will profit. No figures have as Yet
been compiled, of course. OF the amount of
capital at present invested. but it must foot
Up into fairly respectable total amount.
There must necessarily be random notes,
for the field OF automobiles is too wide to
cover completely in the limits of a single
article. Little more can be attempted than
t. show the great advance in two and a
half years from the days of pure expert
meut 20 now the era of q practically per
tected machine.
Detail and Design.
Discussion is by no means yet stiled as to
certain oft-mOOted points of construction
and propulsion. In technical details and in
the design Of the vehicles themselves there
is the widest diversity Electricity and
gasoline divide hOnurs when it comes to
motive power. The deVotees of each are in
siStent regarding their claims. one party
asserting that batteries once exhausted can
be- charged readily. the other that gasoline
Is the better commodity since il can be pur-
Chased at nearly every cTOSS-rOad As a
matter OF fact, the best vehicles of each
have very nearly the same speed and the
Is practically fifteen to eighteen miles an
hour. though for some carriages as high as
thirty miles is claimed All can regulate
thor speed, from the maximum down 10
Very nearly TWO miles an hour. and the best
designed Of the lighter vehicles can climb
q - per cent grade. the most Il standard
locomotive can accomplish being Il grade of
{ per cent.
The field j. today fairly evenly divided be-
tween electricity ana gasoline as motive
powers There are many prominent
manufacturers along one line as the OF her
N-.iriN all, moreover. turn out all varieties
o. modern vehicles. the plan of the motor
Carriage manufacturer today being TO bl1iId
wagons closely experimenting the fashion
ablt STYLES. Thus there are buggies VIC
toridS, hanSOms. coupes runabouts T carts
hhd even broughams, an electric brougham