Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1906-03-07
KEEPING UP WITH TIMES.

Vehicles.
Fast motion has a fascination of
its, sxn that appeals strongly to civil
lied man. He seeks the pleasure OF
speed whether he be a farmers boy
on a Dobsled or a retired business
man behind his roadster. a young fell
low shooting the chutes with his girl
or raising automobiles
The most fascinating phase of this
fascination is the control and Dire
ton of the speed The crude product
OF civilization may be satisfied with a
ride on gravity railroad or a dash
down a toboggan slide. but the more
highly developed specimen of modern
humanity must have his hand on the
throttle and the steering gear. Thus
master Of time and space above his
fellows, man temporarily feels only a
little lower than the angels.
Modern commercial conditions have
put SUCH a premium upon lime that
competition in the matter of saving it
Is. as fierce as any other competition
in the business world. Civilized man
has carried the same competition in
the saving of time into his sports
that he may gain further pleasures
from increased speed.
A yacht, for example, was original,
ly a pleasure craft as distinguished
from cargo vessel The extreme
development OF the yacht is now a
racing machine like the Defender
and the Shamrock, built to compete
for an International cup.
Wherever speed can be made to
serve as the test of the measure. of
| excellence the assault on time is as
successful as persistent 1t has TAX
| en- one hundred years to produce the
two minute harness horse, but he has
arrived. Every year sees new rec,
ords on the running turf
Where machinery furnishes the
/ speed progress has been more rapid.
| For example half a dozen. wears ago
fifteen miles an hour was the extreme
speed OF the motor-boat: the record
speed is now approximately thirty
/ miles
But the automobile bids fair to DE
the speed king, A deca5v or so ago
| It's extreme limit was 5welve miles an
! hour-one mile in five mi1pMes It,
| speed has increased by LEAPS and
bounds until the recena tests on the
! Ormond-Daytona beach in Florida es.
| tablished records tha5 are bewiIier-
ing.
In these speed tests Fred Marriott
! drove a fifty horsepower American
steam car mile IN IS Is seconds
! VicIor Demogeot drove a 200 horse,
power French gasoline car two miles
in So As seconds
Marriott's speed is the greatest
ever attained by vehicle with one
exception. He Travelled over the sand
beach at the rate of about $50 feet a
second. more than two miles minute
about 1913 miles an hour
These hgures mean little except
by comparison. This automobile wen
about nine times as fast as a man car
! run mile four times as fast as q
harness horse; three times Is fast as
a running horse. The writer has
coasted at the rate of a mile a minute
and flown in an iceboat at the rate
OF three miles in two minutes-bott
OF which are slow by comparison,
The only vehicle that has exceeded
the speed of the automobile is cal
on German electric railway of pecu
liar type that ran in 1908 at the rate
of about 1870 miles an hour. The
steam railroad engine has fallen be
hind, its record standing apparently
stationary at a mile in thirty seconds
-l20 miles an hour.
Yet Marriott's marvellous speed is
| presumably by no means the limit
Since =. speed OF % Is seconds to the
mile has been achieved in a decade Of
automobile development who shall
dare set the speed limit of the motor
car Of the future?