The suburban citizen., 1902-11-15

rr is usually stated that there are
about 800 automobile manufactur-
ers actually engaged in building
l. complete vehicles in the Ohlteu
States and about 2000 manufacturers
WIN in addition to their other busl-
ness. make component parts ana ac,
cessories for automobiles. A great
many of the latter have found 1t uh-
profitable to cater to the automoolIe
trade. however, because the require
ments change with lightning rapidlty,
the shapes of parts are intricate and
the orders received are rarely OF SUM
cient magnitude to warrant speclai
efforts.
Summing up everything, the totai
outnut of automobiles for the nrst
eight months of 1902 may be placed
nt about 10 600 and their value at some
what more chan $20,000,000. This
takes no cognizance of the automoblles
which have been imported from Eu-
rope.
Beginning with the East and count
ing only manufacturers who nave
reached or exceeded ten automoblies,
we find in the State of Massachusetts
eleven builders of steam vehicles win
an output of TO machines sold at
S7I7.5OO One of these builders makes
only heavy steam trucks, worth about
$4,000 apiece, but has not yet built
very many.
In the same State, in which the
steam automobile was originated so far
as the most common American type is
concerned, there are eight manufac'
turers of gasolene vehicles whose out
put was 7O5 machines, sold at about
S747. 1900. More than one-half OF this
number were made by one firm, which
made it's debut at the first Madison
Square Garden show in 1900.
Massachusetts has never been favor
able to electromobiles, and the rev
makers who built electric carriages IN
previous years have apparently given
it up. A few may have been buil'
here and there to order, but none fol
! the market.
Connecticut occupies a peculiar posi-
tion. One highly capitalized conc|:n
with manufacturing facilities which
should be sufficient for turning out
1900 automobiles per annum at least
had no model corresponding to the pop
ular demand at the beginning OF th'
year.
1t sold its leftover stock at reduced
nrices. and made up, of new vehicles
probably not more than one hundred
OF these some fifteen or twenty were
gasolene vehicles and the rest electric
carriages.
Another large concern, capable o.
producing 1000 or 5000 steam vehicles
also found itself on the wrong side O
the market, and limited its output II
somewhere in the nelghborhood Of 20O'
machines, while devoting much of 1T
energy to the designing of new models
Two much smaller concerns rested OF
thei roars and produced PRACTICAL!
nothing
In the district adjacent to New Yorl
City. including parts Of. New Jersey
only severi manufacturers have mad,
gasolene vehicles. One OF these sever
firms has failed. The production
amounts to about 405 automobiles ant
their selling value to S6S0,00O.
Here also it is a new firm which ha
done most of the business, turning on
about 800 gasolene phaetons at mod
crate price. Heavy delivery wagon
(gasolene motors) foot up value o
about 100000 at an average of 5000
each.
In the same district electric truck
and delivery wagons have been pro
luced by one firm, aggregating $4,000
in value and 200 in number, and an
other firm has made from twenty-flv
to thirty electric delivery wagons of
lighter type, valued at 100000, Still
another firm has made about 100 cleo
tric vehicles, some OF them deliver
wagons, but mostly runabouts, sol
at $150,000.
A dozen large trucks operated on tn
system OF combining a gasolene motto
with electric transmission of the powe
and an auxiliary storage battery, con
plete the roundup of actual manufat
t1lre of electric automobiles in NeN
York City and its vicinity, but grea
deal Of experimenting is going o
which is likely to lead to results j
1908.
Three steam vehicle manufactures
have turned out in excess of 40
pleasure carriages, many Of them Q
large size and some Of them intende
for stage lines Their value come
comparatively high, reaching n toti
Of 81, ,322, 900.
Other parts OF New York State, ei
peclally Buffalo, Rochester and Syr;
cuse, are represented in the industr
as follows: Six makers have produce
245 gas vehicles worth S213, $50; tiy
others have made $50 steam pleasuI
vehicles selling for S277 800, and FEY
electric runabouts, probably not MOI
than fifteen in ALL have been produce
by two Of these firms, who give som
attention to all forms of power.
Until recently the State of Pennsy