The sun., 1906-12-07
SHOW LEADS TO MANY SALES.
sITO BIIING ~ INDIIIDU AIS
BEGINS IN ERNEST.
I SuaI Mtdwcck Prosperity Surprises the
New Ncn IN the Trade--SrOwd in Grand
central Palace Greater Than Ever
Many Visitors From Out OF Town.

Many Visitors From Out Of Town.
Buying by individuals began in earnest
yesterday al the seventh annual show OF
'le Automobile Club of America in the
,raud Central Palace and the lists of names
or purchasers read like excerpts from the
pnciai registers of every big city in the
country. OF course the exhibitors who sold
ears TO well known people were makers OF
high powered American machines or selling
agents for the different imported cars.
The purchases of the society element were
not entirely confined to high priced, high
powered vehicles. as many of them pur-
chased various types of small rUnabouts
When a curious salesman asked a very well
known motorist why he bought such a
low powered, small car he was told that it
va- for Use on his country estate down
on Long Island. He was of the opinion that
l,v ir- Use he could send TO the nearby town
ror mail or newspapers much quicker than
10 could by the old method of sending a
groom on a horse.
The veterans among the stand attendants
expect this individual buying to begin AT
every show about Wednesday night or
Thursday morning and refuse TO get excited
when they meet the same experience in this
regard every year. This was not the case
with couple Of youngsters stationed at one
" the booths where a foreign car, famous
abroad but comparatively unknown in
I'M. country, vas shown. They made a
couple or sales last Saturday afternoon
during the two hour private view
for members of the Automobile Club and
their friends, as ell as making a num-
her Of appointments for demonst rations
lum Saturday afternoon until yesterday,
however. things moved very slowly so far
H. these youths were concerned and both
we're fast losing their voices in their eager
rcsa 10 explain the merits of their machine
TO visitors.
For them, as for many others similarly
situated, the tide turned yesterday, AS
many Of the visitors they had talked 20
earlier in the week came back to have a
second look at the cars shown. Not all
~ those returning placed their orders. but
enough of them did to restore the confidence
" the two young statesmen in themselves
and the machine they are exploiting. A
very great many Of the visitors who came
hack ior second or perhaps a third time
hadheen making inquiries about the machine
,f their motorwise friends, and the de-
monstrating cars of this firm will be kept
busy for some weeks in keeping appoint
ments that were made yesterday and last
night.
To those conversant with the licensed
and unlicensed trade situation the presence
"t this show Of three very well known
licensed cars is amusing, though to he sure
they are not shown by the makers or selling
agents These machines are show n at
the exhibit Of Quinby & Co., the Newark
coach makers. and are :, Il NJ. Simplex
Fiat and Mathesoa ohasses upon which
vry fine bodies have been built There is
another car in the show bearing a license
Plate, a Brasier touring car shown with the
other Braser machines, which are not
adorned with a license plate. 1t is owned
by NJ. y. Chapman. "A New Yorker who has
rlp foul Of the patent Ar a couple Of other
exhibits salesmen are 10 he found Who are
regularly employed Ivy dealers who sell
unIy licensed machines. This anomaly s
explained by the fact that automoblistS
Who wish to buy one Of these machines
may buy IL either with or without a license
plate.
Gen. George Moore Smith and William
Plerson Hamilton of the A. e. A. show COM
nlttee, having discovered that the avera GO
unRcCompanied male visitor TO the show
does not believe in signs and had therefore
pad no attention Ia the many mo smoking"
-igns throughout the building, began a
personal campaign of enforcement Of this
rule nj the Fire Department yesterday
afternoon. They walked around the vari-
ous aisles, asking all the men they saw
with cigars to stop smoking and succeeded
m reducing the number OF smoke puifers
very appreciably Gen. Smith expressed
himself as ext remedy we'll satisfied with the
show 10 date and said that up 10 Wednesday
night. the latest date for which he had re-
Celved reports from the box Office, the paid
attendance had been about 10 per cent
greater than that for the corresponding
period AT any Of the clubs previous shows
Gen Smith also said that he has heard
nothing but enthusiastic reports from the
exhibitors and that he was fully convinced
ShaJ the plan Of holding the show in the
early part ~ December instead OF in Janu-
ary vas the right one. Many Of the heads
uf factories had told him that they have
never done so much business with agents
before in 30 short a time and reports Of in
'vidual sales we're beginning 20 swarm into
the Office Of the show committee.
His cnwoTker in the suppression of smok-
ing, William Pierson Hamilton of the show
committee, said that never in his long eX-
perience with automobile shows had he
seen 81 many visitors cared for in an eX-
hlbtOn building with 50 little CrOwdng.
'Of course. he explained, this is part ly due
20 the fact that never before has there been
80 much space at the disposal of a show
'Ommlttee.' But il is To the aisle system
employed that he gives full credit for the
comparative lack of crowding. Many of
the old timers in the industry who have
shown At most Of the exhibitions given in
this country haze told Mr. Hamilton that
they have never before been able to do
business with 80 much comfort.
In buildings where the asles are few and
the space for showing cars contracted and
all together the exhibitors have told him
that the steady progress of crowds of people
through the aises have in many cases swept
Interested visitors away from in front of a
booth where they stopped 10 more carefully
eyamine the machines shown. He said that
he firmly believed that his committee had
done wisely in not attempting an elaborate
scheme Of decoration. He thinks that the
men who bring their new models 10 this
city for an annual show do 80 for the pur-
nose Of Interesting purchasers in them, and
that II is not fair 10 the exhibitors To provide
50 grand lot OF building decorations that
visitors will have their attention distracted
from the cars shown.
The scene outside the building il an in
teresting one, especially after dark. Hun
dreds Of demonstrating cars are lined up
on Forty-thiTd and Forty-fourth streets,
between Lexington and Third avenues.
AS well as machines which have been used