Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1901-12-13
THE AUTOMOBILE.
ITS ORIGIN MORE REMOTE THAN
GENERALLY SUSPECTED.

10 OHIOiN MOh6 REMOTE THAN
GENERALLY SUSPECTED.
First Model Made in l7S6-Some Curious. Look
ing Types We're Placed Before the Public ir
Its Development-Late Experiments lncreas,
Spesd-It May EvoIute Into Those Essential.
for Popularity. Usefulness and Cheapness.
Pennsylvania Grit.
The remarkable time recently made
by Henri Fournier, the French chauf.
feur, with his gasoline automobile
81 As seconds for mile-on the
Ocean parkway, Brooklyn, N. Y, is a
striking proof of the wonderful devel.
opment made in horseless carriages
during the past few years. Three diff.
ferent men have made a mile in less
than a minute with this style of ma.
chine, and it would seem as if the
speed limit has by no means been
reached.
Fournier is, at the present time, the
foremost chauffeur in the world. He
does no. think his record is a very re-
markable one. and firmly believes that
he will lower it by number of Sec
onds in short time. He thinks the
mile record should be between 80 and
40 seconds; this, of course, for a
straightaway and not for an oval
track.
Many attempts have been made in
the past to determine the speed possi-
bilities Of the automobile, but none
have been go successful as was the ef.
fort Of the Long Island Automobile
club of Brooklyn, at which Fournier
made his record.
While machines OF foreign make have
captured the main honors of the day,
American machines finished closely
second and third. 1t should also be
remembered that American ingenuity
has been turned to building speed ma
chimes for only q few months. The
achievements possible in this direc-
ton during the next year cannot be
predicted At this time. While the big
gasoline 40-horse-power machines cap
tured most Of the records, the much
lighter gasoline and steam machines
did remarkable work, and broke all
previous records made by similar ve-
hicles. Just before Mr.. Fournier had
finished, Foxhall P. Keene, the fore
most American driver, had sent his
40 horsepower machine over the
track at terrific speed, but there had
been some mistake in the timing ar
rangement, and it never will be known
how fast he was going. Later, how
ever, Mr.. Keene made mile in "a 2-t
seconds, the third fastest time Of the
day.
The interest taken in this new sport
will be understood when it il stated
that more than $4,000 people wit
messed the speed tests. There seem'
TO be no doubt at the present time
that the gasoline machines are the
fastest, best and safest. What The fu
ture may have in store in this respect
when an economical storage battery
shall have been invented, it is impos
sible to predict. The statement il
probably true, however, that the elec
tfi, automobile 10 the one having The
the greatest future before it. Thoma,
A. Edison claims to have invented 9
battery that is both light and cheaE
in construction. If this he true, ar
automobile will doubtless be con
structed within the next few year.
that will not be extortionate in price
The time must shortly come, as it die
in the case of the bicycle, when ar
automobile may be purchased for q
reasonable amount.
Any one who regards the horseles'
carriage as sign Of the development,
of our own time will find himsel
greatly mistaken. As . matter o.
fact, instead of being an offshoot o.
the present steam railway, as many
imagine. the exact reverse is the truth
for the railway system of to-day is re
ally an outcome OF the motor carriage
craze of nearly century ago. It wal
in 1856 that Richard Trevithick, ar
Enslishman, first patented mode
he had made, wherein he had con
trived to make q hOrseless carriage rur
along ordinary country roads at a fail
rate Of speed by means of steam, thi'
being absolutely, 40 far 40 is known
the first time that steam had eve
been actually used successfully in sucl
a connection. The general outline o
Trevithick's steam motor was much q
the motor carriage is to-day-namel,
"a carriage upon four wheels, with I
seat for the driver in front-the steer
ing gear. being there-and the bacl
wheels much larger than the from
ones.
After Trevithick's carriage, Their
came many others, all modelled NOR
or less after it, and all running b!
steam power along the roads. Cur
ney, James and Hancock were tn
men conspicuous for making thes
machines. There seems to be but lit
tie doubt that the motor carriage OF
our highways would have become
great factor in modern life long befor
the end Of the Nineteenth century ha'
it not been for the fact that tn
thoughts and ideas of inventors were