New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-10-16
ENDURANCE OF AUTOMOBILES.

The most instructive kind of rivalry between
horseless carriages is that represented by the
| run from NewYork to Pittsburg, which ter
minated last evening. incidentally, one likes
to know something about the possibilities of
speed and the drivers skill in handling, but the
great essential of a good vehicle of this class is
its powers of endurance. If it can travel over
good roads and bad at an average of hun
dred miles or more n day, for several days in
succession il possesses the quality which will
chiefly commend it to a sensible purchaser If
il cannot hold out under the conditions of such
a test it may represent fairly good workman
ship. but it will not inspire complete confidence
The conditions of such a trial are more severe
than those to which horse drawn vehicles to-
day are subjected Few people now care TO
drive more than fifteen or twenty miles day
over country roads, and perhaps even these do
not want TO attempt that much often. In the
old days, when travel was conducted by stages
runs of one hundred miles or more a day We're
not uncommon Moreover, the coaches which
took passengers from Atchison 10 the Pacific
! Coast probably traversed roads which, every
| thing considered, were inferior 10 those over
| which automobiles now find their way in the
East The test just made, therefore, was not
exacting.
The route selected for this contest led out as
far as Cleveland. and then doubled back tow
ard Pittsburg Thus il was possible to utilize
eight hundred miles of road, though the terminal
points were scarcely four hundred miles apart.
In the present instance the famous one thou
sand mile run in England and Scotland a year
or two ago was not equalled but the trial which
was interrupted by McKinley's death in 1901
was much more than matched On that occa-
sion New-York was the point of departure and
Buffalo was to witness the finish. InaSmuch
as the contest terminated at Rochester, the dis
lance covered was considerably under four hun
dred miles
Thrty-four vehicles left Weehawken Il week
ago last Wednesday, and about half of that
number seem to have arrived in the Smoky
City. A Sunday having interviewed between the
beginning and the end, the actual running was
limited TO eight days. Hence about one hun
dred miles was covered each day. Some OF the
failures TO continue In the race no doubt were
attributable TO unforeseen and unpreventabe
causes, rather than defective propelling ma
chinery or unsatisfactory construction. Mr..
Edison will probably feel that his convictions
about the need of greater strength in automo-
hiles still have a good foundation but it must
be confessed that the showing just made Is ex-
ceedingly credtable
1t is matter for regret that on the last day
Of the competition undue haste was shown by
some of the participants. If the high speeds
developed were not contrary to law, they GER
tainly violated the spirit of the test itself One
can readily understand how man might grow
weary of travel by automobile after more than
n week of it. So many things have occurred
TO bring the use of such vehicles into disrcpute,
however, that is pity TO add TO the catalogue.