New-York tribune., 1901-10-21

THE PASSING THRONG.

The modern automobile is wonderful thing"
said B. A Arthur. OF Chicago. at the Waldorf
Astoria last evening. II have Just
COMPARISON returned from Europe where I
OF AUTOMO- spent the summer and on the
BILE POWER other side they are simply crazy
about them. When you take into
consideration the power OF the machines and the
comparative Ignorance in engineering matters
OF many Of those who them. you
wonder that there not more serious accidents
than there are. Take one of the flyers such as
inquired IN the recent Paris-Berln match for in
stance and figure out what forty or fftv horse
power ,}H machine really means. Fifty horsepower
tHe mammoth steel girders used in the construction
~ IN, SGIls strucuoh slX, eight or ten horse
Team VIII drag with ease. Multiply that power by
Ghines f DO you wonder that occasionally they cut
csniv ana MAKE havoc? There was scheduled re-
power automobiles. It was TO have been held
sassnated Of course f %a as5d6ns Geg Wa a as s.
tne contestants. however. went the course.
utes Later he told me he could have made much tte
better time, except that there were wet places
on dirt % read is somsthng to make
'Since returned a friend Of mine told me tale
OF woe apropos of the automobile He owns
farm some thirty miles out of his
HE WAS home cftv in Western PennsyI-
SORR4 HE vania. The distance is not great
BET but the road between is Of fearful
and awful construction. Among
MS cIubmates is automobile owner and crank.
To make long story short, the farmer bet the
auto crank 800 that he could not run his machine
from the club in town to his farm in two hours
ana half. The crank promptly accepted the bet
oh COnultlon th4t the farmer accompany him on
the ride, motion enthusiastically seconded by the
lnotudl trIehdS present. The farmer. naturally
enough dld not take kindly to the proposition but
III the language of the poet he Of felt that il
was up TO hlm, and consented. Well the
Tip TIP was made, and made in two hours and
nineteen minutes The road bad that the
auto simply crawled part Of the way. then would
come a good stretch and on would go full power
me FARMER SAID that such occasions auto
struck her gait. About half way TO the farm they
were kiting through a small town at thirty mile
an hOur salt, when kid tried to run across
the ROAD; only &c fall down directly in the path of
with hlm, however, and the machine swerved sum
clenty TO just clear the fallen urchin The farmer
sald as they swerved he sailed gracefully into
ar ana only good luck and benevolent Provi-
was. ne completely lost his breath, only TO get il
pack ana lose II again five miles from his farm
az the sight OF his favorite pair of horses cavortin
up the side OF a bank, while the driver his wifa's
most intimate friend and the overturned wagon in
the ditch passed like the slide OF a magic lantern
before his dismayed eyes. He besought the crank
20 stop, but he was deaf TO all entreaties Ten
minutes later. when the farmer arrived AZ his
destination he was yelling at his astonished farm
hands TO hitch him up horse quick. WHAT'S that
forE' queried the now satisfied crank To find Our
WHAT'S happened TO my horses and my wife's
friend. you it snapped the enraged farmer tOhT
Is that IL? commented the crank Saw in that case
you'd better take my machine, it'll save time Not
by d sight answered the man with the hoe
as ne ciambered into the waiting trap; If did I'd
probably have to chase those cussed horses TO the
seashore! " - '10