Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1903-02-06
EXPERT ON MOTOR CARS
Fourier Compares American
and French Automobiles.
THINKS Us CLEVER 1NIrAroRs.

YaAsus Chauffeur says the United
States WIN Lead the World In
nAn nufacturiA1 Autsmebiles In
Three Years--Hs Considers Races
the D<st Test.
Henri Fournier, best known of chauf-
feurs on both sides Of the ocean, took
time from the demands of business and
the opportunities Of Questioners at the
automobile show in Madison Square
Garden, New York, the other night to
discuss the French and American au-
tomobue industries and to express
some interesting opinions Of the COM
parat1ve advance each has made dur
Ing the last two years. says the New
York Herald.
The Partisan autOmobilist stated en-
phatically that in two or three years
America would overtake and pass
France at the present rate Of progress
both are making. Fournier considers
Americans clever imitators and that
they are only behind the originals be-
cause the latter get out the new things
q year in advance Of the former. The
French automobAlist thinks that rae
ing IL responsible for most Of the for
eign success In automobile building.
II have been to every one Of these
Madison Square Garden shows" said
he. The one two years ago was moth
ing at all. last years not much and
this years very much" to quote his ex-
act words.
Last year you Americans tried to
COPY. and you did not copy. This year
you COPY very well. The machines
show q great Improvement. You make
nne bodies, as handsome bodies as we
have In Paris-perfect bodies.
"You do not catch up with US because
We understand before you understand"
he continued I'VE understand first
and carry out our ideas. and you wait
to see what we do. and SO you are al
ways I year behind. Your progress,
though, II far faster than ours. In two
Or three Year, you will be ahead Of US,
- fast IL It and 20 good are your me-
chanics."
Fournier then drifted, a. might have
been expected. into q discussion Of rae
Ing a. 4 factor In automobile improve
ment.
what you need are good roads and
racing" he resumed. III you can't
have races on good roads, have them
on bad roads. Come over and race
with US, Just a. Winton did, and learn
something. What has made Winton
but racing! Who would have regarded
highly the Napiers had not Mr.. Edge
won race on one?
why are the Mors and Panhards at
the head In France but because they
win races! They did not become great
from riding eighteen miles an hour
You remember the bicycle years ago
cost $125 and weighed forty pounds
Racing necessities made 1t light"
FOurnier WAS now thoroughly warm
ed up to his subject and became elo-
Quent.
1T is absurd to ride at eighty miles
an hour" he continued, but II max.
er cannot make machine that can go
1t eighty miles an hour he cannot make
4 good machine Your endurance runs
are no good as tests. You allow COM
petit0rs to 20 but fourteen miles an
hour and the. poor machine has as
much chance as the good one."
Questioned as to electricity, he said
"Mr. Edison showed me his battery.
| was surprised at Its beautiful works.
Electricity is a wonderful power but
like to try a thing before l believe In
II. You make better looking electric
vehicles than we do. but you make
them 30 weak that they are suitable
only for riding in the park. There
il no reason why they should not be
built to 90 far out into the country"
The Frenchman's prejudice against
steam a. a motive power was strong.
"Steam vehicles are nice to look at"
he said, "but there Is too much for the
driver to watch about them. Some en-
gines are Orfect. Your steam vehicles
far Outnumber ours. In ride around
Paris you will see 600 gasoline ma
chimes where you see one Gardiner
eerpoilet, our only steam vehicle worth
mentioning"
Fournier has 4 poor opinion Of small,
low priced automobiles.
1--WE have NO cheap automobiles.
Th0ss tat are " demand bring hlKh