The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-18
AUTOMOBILE BOOM IS HERE.
THIS rs THE ONLY EXPLANATION
or THE GARDEN SCENES.
Reliability OF Present Day Motor Cars
Tempts Hay ers-I'rosress Of the Hori'
Lontai Engine -Nomen Numerous nj
the ShOW--Sorne OF the NONel Features

Ihs is tho only possible Interpretation OF
the scenes az the National Automobile show
In Madison Square Garden and at thr eNhi-
billion Of the Importers Salon In Herald
square Hail.
The fascination OF vehicle offering new
mode OF looomotion. which oon.bines the
qualifications for both sport and utility.
being great enough 60 build mp a huge new
industry in a few years. boom was certain
TO come az some stage of the DEVELOPMENT
The history of tho bicycle was considered.
and an automobile boom WAS expected Now
! IL has begun, and the fact Is just beginning to
dawn upon the bewildered members OF the
industry. who are being overwhelmed by
tho demand for motor cars. clthough they
were prepared for an increased sale.
IL was generally considered that the boom
would be caused by conditions similar 10
those that caused the bicycle boom. namely,
! the production OF cars so cheap as 20 be with
In the reach OF every one and the outbreak
OF fever OF desire on the part OF tho masses
20 enjoy n sport which had previously been
restricted TO the wealthy. 1t was realized,
I however that tho automobile boom would
be different from that OF the bicycle Ia several
rcspects. Chief Of all. II could not extend
TO the masses, because OF the great difference
botv cen the cost o! buying and keeping the
cheapest automobile and the cost OF blcyohhs.
II was known that many OF the moderat ely
urosperoue GLASS were waiting Tor the auto
mobile 10 be further projected and brought
to a stage OF greater reliability. but " was
thought that this class vould walt also Tor
q general reduction In price, and therefore
the boom was not expected this year, lhere
! has been no reduction in price, bit the motor
/ cars have reached "A stage OF satisfactory
! efficiency and reliability and those who were
/ waiting seem 10 have made UP Their minds
| all together that the time for them TO buy
/ has arrived.
Nothing else can explain lie urpre' edehted
l attendance at the automobile show IN the
I Garden this year and the way the majority OF
/ visitors fairly scramble to make purchases IN
( order to get early deliveries. The trade was
prepared TO welcome the boom with open
arms and the few who realize Il has begun
| are doing so. l. has b cen appreciated that
! the sad reaction and stu mp which Followed
the bicycle boom will not attend any boom
| In popularity thut the automobile may have
/ There are many reasons FOR this faith. hicy-
cling involved strenuous athletic work. which
/ as "a novelty may be q fad but 81 which tine
majority soon tire The bicycle became very
! cheAp and CON mon, and one class OF us
( patrons repealed another because cycling
I involves a certain intimacy Of contact on tho
road which motoring does not. Again. " IA
/ calculated by those on both sides tnht the
( analgarnat!on OF licensed manufacturers IS
/ doing good work for the whole industry in
! nj least one respect which 10 that IL IL pre-
venting the thrush Of speculative capitalists
I and tie flooding Of the market With cheap
( cars.
\ was thronged with serious minded visitors
| studying automobiles. The brillianoy Of
! the lights and the really imposing though
| inartistio Affect OF the spectacle a. whole
seemed TO have no charms for them; They
! wanted TO learn all they could about the cars.
/ The pinces where clinical lectures are given
With n dissPcted chussts Tor the -ubJeOt are the
Among the new and novel inventions de-
signed 2or the use OF tho automobile
| driver Is a new, American made. non-strain
automobile google THIS + me only sosglci
breaking work would prevent the dust from
entering his eyes when going az tremendous
speed IL has @ lso Diet Achable shade that
prevents the sun striking the eye. Thereby
removing one OF tho most annoying things
the chauffeur has 70 contend Tithi .,..,
Last night tho aisles OF the Garden looted
as II q social levee was Ia progress so lash
louable vas the character OF the visitors
! Women il the crowd. Tho women took. de-
light IN avoiding being iostled ~ the alsles
BY taking seats In tho various nS cars ahd
-irvaying the scene from these points OF
vantage, and the hardsomer the cars wero
the better they liked i
The number OF handsome bodies on tho
oars AZ the show Is one OF the striking feat
ures II indicates an Increasing tendenoy
toward the adoption OF cans with eanopy
turs. or enclosed. or seni-enclosed bodies
Z The finish on some OF these has been done
b nand polishing at great expense. and TINS
fine work has not been conflhed to the ex-
pensive cars either. The highest price
J American car at the show Is LocomonHe
with lnousine. which sells ior - COZ; lms
other side Of the main floor Is 5000 Rambler
with n limousine body. which in the finish.
both outside and inside. and general mNufl-
business OF design IS wholly superb. This
| eD5 model Rambler ia an eKenpiNcAuon OF
the fact that tha' typical Amenoa9 my,eenuon
tho horizontal engine, Win OPPOSED cylinders
ms moi vet reached the limit OF it, posi-
h!lity II has been popularly supposed that
a horizontal engine vas ,praGtira0le only UP
car with an engine OF this type u rated at
10 to % horsepower.
the development q American IDEAS Is the
high degree OF efficiency which has been
Sdiistajnstively a development OF this country
In the franklin 1905 model Is found an engine
o! 20 ap PaS aPeiSe i at sss, The loT a
est priced tire is tl9. while the highest priced
ones cost 800 each. There , are goggles TO
Horns range in price from 40 cents to ti4
Among the exhibits OF automobile clothing
there Is 70 be found coat at il2' and also
Oi The best exhibition in fur clothing is found
outside OF the Garden among the chauueurs
are kept waiting 10 take out prospective
buyers for demonstration purposes. Nearly
ali OF these wear fur coats and iur caps ana
some Of them are wonderfully and cheer
fuiiy clad Yesterday the line Of demons
tratiOn cars standing next 70 Una euro was
endless on all four sides OF the Garden. and
emergency calls were frequent from
| he eYhihitOrs at the Eho ~ TO their garages
in tho city for extra cars u take out intend
fRe demand for the cars has been simply
! amazing 10 every one. An illustration Of
| how much business ia being done by some
n The exhibitors Is afforded by the fact that
! ono manufacture sold seventeen big touring
| cara during the day. u is "A great mistake.
| bowcver 10 suppose because OF all the talk
I about biz cars and the fact that all the manu-
. faoturers arc introducing higher power en-
/ giues In their new models the majority
[ ~ automobiles being sold big fellows.
|, Tbs actual statistics OF the different manu-
I fact1rers show that fully 80 per sent of tho
! cars sold last year are OF the class that bring
/ 81 900 and less.
The sale OF seventeen cars yesterday
were mAde by Z X. Thomas OF Buffalo. The
/, oars we're of that novel model which created a
sensation at WayeTly. ". j., last November.
when one of them entered the ces ond won
with It's muller closed something that Was
never known 20 be done before on race
track II runs as silently when It's mu1ler
: "A on ms does any steam car.
; Major O. J, 4. Miller OF the Vow York Ath-
r letio Club. who has purchased six cylinder
! | Thomas car and entered II for tho races in
. | Fioridn. shipped II South YESTERDAY Fred
Titus the former bicycle raoer, N now a sales
man for this style OF car
: II 1, said that the sales made IN the Garden
now amount TO several millions OF dollara,
| Men who hitherto have owned only imported
cars are now buying domestic machines.