The Washington weekly post., 1899-06-27
AN 0Rl6IssI AUTOMOBILE.
Steam Road Wagon that Was Made
Fifty Years Ago.
From ID. S,v York Tnsgne

From The NsE York Tribune III
The automobile has ceased 10 affrs Il
attention as novelty IN New York. %
pie see IL and make use OF Il with j
same Indifference as they show :ov--5
other recent inventions. and it has pas.
ed into the same class with the el-1.-,
light, the telephone. and the phOn0Erasa
But there are not many people. eve,
among those who have watched the a
velO2ment OF this useful means OF trf-s-
pOrtatiOn. who know that an automa.I.
was built and successfully operated &,
New York about fifty years aE9 n
steam road wagon. as Robert DuIz..-
the inventor. called il. was not th. hs-s-
some. highly finished and noiseIess rss-.
OF mechanism OF the present day. b., +
was built TO accomplish the sar1s r-.
pose, and despite the great obstacles b.
the shape Of badly paved streets -,
crude methods IL was considered hv ~.
people who saw II marvellous and .-
genious work. and il did the w8r. -
which Il was constructed. Il wa -,
hibited at the Crystal Palace extib..---
and was destroyed when the palace a..
burned.
But Mr.. Dudgeon, who was a yv-.s.s
ful master machinist, with a shop lr ~
lumoia street. had too much Scotch .-
ergy and was too fully convinced rs .I.
ultimate success Of the horselcss -.--r..--
10 give IL ZIP because his original vr.--s
had been destroyed, and with the atg -
some OF his best wOTkmen he h-rr -r,.t
er wagon, better ard more ra-v.,-....
than the first. II was built AZ oE4 .....
and after regular work hours ami .h.
men who assisted at the work cs-s.g.-.T
the pleasure which they derived srar, s..
ing the thing develop and grow r,,.r,
compensation for their labor. Ths-s -
no thought OF patents and profits b,,, -.l
looked forward with pleasure 10 ths IN,
when the new wagon would take its r,ls.,
on the streets Of New York
The day came and there WIS r-rr5
rejoicing in the shop. The general uIs7
of the second wagon Was Ike tho .r5g.
inal one which had been DESTROYED q.
cept that the wheels, which reseuhlaI
heavy cartwheel5 in the first wsso-
were made solid out OF segments ~
cedar with iron fianges and tires in tFa
second. 1t was made TO carry sixty caf
Ions of water, and this was stored M.
der the seats. which formed the Two
sides of the vehicle.
On its first trip 1t carried. besides Sfr
Dudgeon, number of his worEuer
and while nearly all the people who saw
Il speed along the rough pavement as-
nired il and marYeled at the iugerIs.,
piece of mechanism, there were uOt a flv
who predicted that its general use WggIl
bring hardship and great loss 20 the
people who made living by driving
horses to carriages and business wagons
MIR. Dudgeon built the wagon" sail
John Weeks. who assisted in its con-
struction and is still employed in me
concern which Mr.. Dudgeon founded.
ITO carry him from his place OF business
to his home in Harlem, and h made tGr
trip to One hundred and eighth street
to show that such q thing could he Zone
He always cOntended that when streets
were once made smooth hOrseless car
riages would be used generally. Roads
and streets for horses were considered b.
him unfit for wheeling, and we have dis
covered that he was right. But even with
the bad streets, laid with rough stones
and poorly graded, the steam wagon used
to make trips regularly from Harlem 10
the shop and back, and on Sundays IL Was
used to take Mrs. Dudgeon to church.
But the wagon was used as a motor
only on these occasions. \ carriage was
coupled on behind it. and in this the WON.
en- sat while the driver and the men o.
cupied seats in the steam wagon"
The wagon is still a favorite theme IN
the shop. where many of the men who
helped to build IL are still employed,
Among these are A q. Hambley. John
Davis. Charles Herbst. William TODD.
Augustus Duffenbach. James Dawson.
and John Gross.
According to the accounts OF these
men, the primitive automobile must have
been a queer-looking and noisy thing IL
took two bushels of coal to run Il 10 One
hundred and eighth street. But IL
made good time" said Mr.. HambIey.
"and could be guided and steered as nice
ly and was as easily controlled as the
horseless carriages OF to-day. OF course
it made considerable noise. and that was
probably one reason why the city author
tiles. after II had been in use for about
ten years, refused TO allow Mr. Dudge0a
TO make his trips in II. With a clear road
it went easily fifteen miles an hour
The wagon remained in New York for
a short time after its use on the streets
had been forbidden. and then the invent
or sent It TO his country home at Pea
cocks Point. L. l.. near Glen Cove, wheTs
1t Is now. 1t made many trips on ths
country roads, 10 the edlfiCation OF the
rCstics. but with its banishment from
New York the wagons occupation was
gene. and II was at one time reduced 10
the level OF the ordinary stationary en-
gine. Tho running gear was taken on
been made and placed In position 10 pro-
pei wagon through the streets OF New
York was degraded 10 the level Of farm
labor
The men who spent much OF their time
at work on II during the eighteen months
Of its construction say that IL was time
well spent, and when they hear people
talk about the new" horseless carriages
they ask them 10 take a look at the Old
n fFaa ~ I