Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-02
Commercial Automobiles.

AS factor in the business life of Wash
ington it Is apparent that the commercial
automobile has come to stay. Its appear
ance on the broad, concerted roadways of
the capital has been described simply
along the lines of evolution In modern bust
ness methods Mr.. E. D. Trowbridge of
the Oldsmoble Company in referring to
this subject said:
The steam railroad, telegraph, te1e-
phone, electric light electric railway and
typewriter have all come along at the prop
er time-not, apparently, as the result OF
accident, but in response to clear de-
mand The automobile promises to be as
important a factor in future business as
the telephone and electric railway have
been in the wonderful changes in business
conditions in the last ten years.
The telephone and electric railway have
made it possible to spread population over
large area-a matter of the greatest
Importance when the great growth of the
urban population is considered. This dis
tribution of population has brought with
II many serious difficulties to business
houses.
The delivery of goods Is no longer
simpl1 matter. Instead of having a small,
tnickly populated territory to cover, the
merchant is confronted by the fact that
hundreds of his customers live miles from
his store-many of them in very sparsaly
settled districts
The automobile, with a mileage of from
fifty to eighty miles per day, will greatly
simplify the situation as to the rapid and
sure delivery of goods by business houses.
In other words. the automobile will bring
within the reach of the merchant the pop
ulation which the trolley lines have spread
out over a large area. This means not
only saving in dollars and cents, but in
wolves the furnishing of a delivery service
which practically could not be furnished
with horse-drawn vehicles.
The tendency will be to cut down the
number of vehicles In the streets-an i'm
m crowded ia
Still another item of economy is the diff
ference of space occupied by horse-drawn
and self-driven vehicles. Generally speak
ing, the space occupied by the horse IS
saved. This not only applies to street
space, but to barn room.
The delivery problems which trouble the
retailer also trouble the wholesaler and
manufacturer. The distribution of populd-
ton over a large territory has resulted in
the springing up of small business settle
ments, and where the wholesaler or man
ufacturer formerly only had to deliver
goods to one district, he now has to cover
every section of the city
Another very important feature Of auto
mobile development will be in the use of
machines for stage coach lines. hotel buses
and general livery purposes. The element
of time saving will undoubtedly develop this
business very rapidly. There are, particu-
larly in the west, many good sized settle
ments from five to fifty miles from the
nearest railroad. Frequently the traffic
conditions do not justify the extension of
a steam railroad, or the construction of a
trolley line with its power plant, etc.
Such conditions are now taken care of by
stage lines, but travel is slow and very tire
some. Five six miles an hour is good
rate of speed. The automobile, with
speed of fifteen to twenty miles an hour,
will not only be economical in operation,
but will save time for every passenger.
Mr.. Trowbridge in describing his expert
ence in the commercial field, added:
Five years ago there were very few au-
in hn mr. no Of q
machine for any practical purpose was I'M
heard of. Shortly after we began market
ing machines in any quantity we found that
many of our customers were doctOes, con-
tractors, architects, city statesmen and
others whose business professional work
required constant travelling around city
streets or country roads.
To-day one-half of our total output of
Oldsmobiles is taken for business and pro-
fessional uses, and we have, believe. some
10000 machines which are used for prac-
tical purposes. Almost all of these ma
chimes have replaced horses
What has been true of the runabout as
| an errand machine will be true of COM
| mercial vehicles, and I think that another
| five years will bring forth some very re-
markable changes in city delivery and
transportation problems.
Mrs. Gardiner Hubbard has purchased for
| $50 the magnificent Baker electric surrey
which formed part of the exhibit of the
Cook Stoddard Company's agencies at
| the automobile show at the Washington
Light Infantry Armory.
The White steam touring car which at
| tracted so much attention at the recent
auto show in this city was bought by Mr.
| James Lounsbery from the Cook & Stod-
| dard Company's agencies for $780, 1t is a
fifteen horsepower and experts pronounced
| 1t beauty.
| To Protect Owners.
| Washington automobile owners are very