Evening journal., 1905-12-04

The man beneath the machine NlNn n
monkey wrench and a wonderful vol
ume OF epithets. whose troubles and
ltribulations have been so widely aired
by the cartoonists. has passed away, or
is only seen i'm particular cases where
he Is the owner of an antediluvian ma
chine whose chief characteristic was
It's propensity for carrying its driver
just far enough away from civiliza-
tion to make a breakdown appreciated
The few break-downs that occur in
up-to-date cars come just frequently
enough to make their spelndid relia-
hility appreciated. A two or three
hundred mile run. in which the driver
never leaves his seat 10 look after the
machinery IS so usual now as not TO
call forth any expression of wonder.
Luxury Of the Sport.
The greater comfort Of the luxurious
furnishings Of the present-day car has
also had its share in the mushroom
growth I'm its use. The single cylin-
der machine with its nerve-racking vi-
bration has been supplanted with the
quiet motion of the four cylinder mo-
tors. and one could now travel from
with almost as few discomforts as TO
be carried I'm a modern parlor car
Gasoline cars which minimize dan
/ ger Of explosions. must also receive
great credit. In the early days Of the
automobile, a man was forced to st
above "A tank In which 400 pounds Of
steam was stored. not knowing at what
moment it's death-dealng power would
] IA
| The machines i'm this city in 1902 were
OF this dangerous type and it is a Won
der that any person could be found
to drive them.
Want Good Roads.
with good roads. such as are enjoyed
by other large cities. the number Of
autos in Wilmington would take a de-
cided jump with the exception Of
/, about twenty miles OF good pike. on
I the Kennett and Concord highways
. there is hardly any extended stretch Of
sroad that can be called good. The Phil
adelphia Pike is a horror to automo-
lbilists. while the highway to Balti-
more is only attempted by the most
hardened drivers.
Even our boasted Delaware avenue
has terrors for the impromptu auto
lparty. Little ridges which horses pass
lunnoticed. have a decided tendency to
lmake an impression on the fast-go gg
automobile in the shape of severe
jolt and shaking up. The cobbe paved
streets and even many of the neglected
'macadamized thoroughfares of the city
furnish anything but pleasant driving
when traversed in an auto.
Owners Never Satisfied.
The present life OF the industry lies
/ in the desire OF owners to possess bet
ter cars as time progresses. Many buy
land exchange machines three or four
time year getting speedier. larger
land more powerful cars each time.
Power has Increased over three hum
ldred per cent. since the advent Of IN,
first car. as there are two or three
specimens now here that are keyed
up TO run seventy miles am hour IN,
laverage speed OF Wilmington cars /.
about forty miles an hour, while the
laverage horse power Is about forty.
The majority OF the machines rang.
lin price from $3.50 TO $500 although
There are some that exceed this i'm price
Zone In particular, that OF Alfred l. Du-
lPont. Is worth over $4,000.
With good roads. the 100000 wortl
lof "benzine buggies' now in the city
lcould be increased many fold and an
important business field laid open {,
lWilmlngtoni8ns.
In its automobile development, VII
lmington has patronized domestic man.
sufactures almost exclusively. as therl
arc hardly half a dozen machines o
foreign mae in the city.