The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-09
TIE DEVIL WAGON TiAT ~ ooISo OFT


You see. it is am'ning to the very rich
folks, who are Away CRYING for some Lew
pastime. to dirty their hands by dabbling
in mechanic, and to risk their bones by
trying to OUTRAGE each other with specially
COL structed engine; but il d,esu't last.
II il merely pas ing fancy. Just as bicycling
was to them. and they soon get tired OF it,
Il believe they are getting tired Of the
devil wagons AZ you call them, even now
and-thougi hate oslyi' profeS ion Ally
good thing, too. Their interest in the
sport and the money they have put In 1t
has '"rvcd it's purpose by putting the trade
OH u firm foundation. Now the middle
class Of folks, the only moderately rich,
can come in.
II is to these people that our trade now
chiefly looks for support ard they are Civ
ing it, More automob iles are being sold
every month. and that at a hotter profit
to the trade than when only a few mil
lionairrs were buying.
"Automobile buyers are OF two classes
First there came the very rich They
waited the high speed, long distance ma
chimes Of the type that was fashionable
abroad.
lHev DoukUI tnoIn dDTDuu, 100, no
that although cost was Of small importance
TO the buyers and most Of them had two
or three machines. their trade was VI COM
paratively little benefit 20 the Amer ican
manufacturer. except that II furnished
him with models.
These are the people who introduced
and used the devil wagons and brought
the chauheurs and all the other fancy
attachments here. They're all supplied
now and many Of them, believe, are even
getting little bit weary OF their toys and
looking about for new ones
But. in the meantime, the industry they
have helped 10 foster has found now Gus
TONERS and Is making machines 70 suit
them These are the mon and their wives
who don't want tent hous and- dollar racers,
but re- willing 10 spend a thcWand dollars
or 40 on a machine which will be a con-
venience to them in business. or carry them
about in their leisure hours without need
ing special training 10 run II or hiring
| a foreigner to manage 1t for them.
81 figured out tho other day that at least
| a thousand 81 these people had bought
aut omobiles in this city In the last year,
| counting only the sales Of the dealers |
| knew. Probably tho total number was
| rearly two thousand.
Any person who keeps his eyes open,
| though. will see how the number Of these
! automobilists Ia increasing, You can OBJ
serve it for yourself, for the types Of ma
chimes they use are totally different from
the noisy heavily-framrd cars which us
through the streets at a pace which has
| given the automobile its bad rame.
These arp the men who 60 about the city
a good deal and hitherto have cabbed IL.
| They find il cheaper and handler to keep
light electric or gasolene auto, and their
wives abet them In buying one because,
when the head Of the family doesn't need il,
the wife can take the children out riding
in It.
Half Of the town physicians who used to
keep carria &c, for instance. have taken to
using an automobile instead. 1t Is less
expensive on the whole; II Is certainly hand
Ter when conveyance Ii wanted In a hurry.
and even II 1t Isn't a racing machine, Ii
takes the owner about lot quicker than
a buggy would.
"Beeides that. he needn't have a man to
run IL IL he doesn't want TO. When he drove
a buggy he had to have a coachn,an to watch
the horse while he was making calls. All
| he need do with his automobile Is to take
| out the plug and leave the machine stand
ing at the curb, Nobody can run away
with It.
Il sold an automobile to town drummer
| only the other week for that same reason,
! and when I saw him few days ago he was
very happy over his Investment. He said II
had halved his transportation expenses and
at the same time enabled him to get about
more
1.-THE country doctors and lawyers. who
know a good thing when they see 1t, have
been quick 10 follow the example Of their
town brethren. When l went into the
country on NV vacation this summer I was
surprised TO And the village doctor up to
date. He had sold his morse. made gard
ener out Of his coachman and was making
his calls in an automobile. with his small
bow beside him.
"Automobiling Is having the freakish-
ness shaker, out OF It and settling down to
be convenience TO the great bulk o. people,
everybody
One Of the indications that ordinary folks
are finding automobiles useful ana are buy
Ing them. IL that the department stores
Two have already done 30 and one Of them
has gone into the business extensively.
The machines they find II pays to trade
In are not the heavy imported touring oars,
though you will And some OF these on ex-
hbition, but the American made runabouts
electric gasolene and steam. which sell
from $3.50 to 81 600 apiece and oen be re-
paired by American mechanics at q reason
able cost If they get out OF order.
That 10 the cost Of most OF the machines
now being sold. The cheapest imported
car costs 5000 and the price runs
up to $4,000 for special makes and extra
speed
The most popular automobile L. that pro-
PEELED by gasoiene and OF about eight-horse
power. 1t Is built in runsbout style. seats
four persons and costs about 81 900. 1t
will climb any hill. Is not particularly noisy
and il easy to operate and repair.
It's chief recommendation 70 the economy
with which II can be maintained. a dollar
day, including storage. is the estimated