The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-08-05
ASTOR OWNS LARGEST
COLLECTION OF MOTORS

New York Correspondence of the Kansas
City Star
John Jacob Aston. who needs no intro
duction to the American public, is the
largest private owner of motor cars in
this country.
Mr.. Astors motors number twenty-four.
He Is now acquiring machines at the rate
of one every two or three months. and
the fad with him. instead Of waning,
wakes exceedingly.
Three machines that he recently pur-
chased averaged in price more than 5000
each. The average cost of each of his
machines is about $1,000. making total Of
$4,000 for all of his machines.
These figures are exclusive, of course.
of the supplementary equipment that goes
with each machine. Accetylene lamps cost
as much as $l5O, and MI Astor must have
the best or everything when it comes
10 motor car FILINGS lie does not hest
tate to pay 800 for experimentation
ter. Covers for seats, tops for touring
cars grademeters, emergency lighting
tanks, sets Of tools-all these accessories
eat up money. But Mr.. Aston has more
than enough to keep the wolf from the
door, so each ear in his possession has
its own particular equipment right down
TO the smallest detail. His investment In
these things alone reaches way up into
the thousands of dollars.
Then there is his garage, the best
equipped private establishment of its kind
In America. If not in the world.
It stands on Mr.. Astors country estate,
Ferncllffe, near Rhinecliffe on the Hud-
son Viewed from the outside ii is I'M
interesting enough, but inside 1t is sys-
tematically filled with the latest machin-
cry for repairing and keeping motor cars
in order Indeed, so complete Is the
equipment that a car could almost be
built In entirety in the garage. The fea-
ture of the garage is a pit over which
O morton car is placed when the shopman
wishes to work underneath II. And as
at the average public garage. there is
a chain derrick with which to hoist a ma
chine to the required height and hold it
in any position required by the workmen.
Three men are kept constantly en-
ployed in the garage The head OF the
garage. as skilled a motor ear mechanic
as can be found In this country. receives
a salary that is not possible to the aver
age professional man, and in addition a
home is provided for him on the estate
Mr.. Astor as a Workman.
1t is In the garage that Mr.. Aston. in
overars tinkers with his beloved ma
chimes by the hour. He tinkers to a pur-
pose. too. II is TO be doubted whether an
other millionaire motor car owner knows
go much about the workings of ma
chine or can remedy a defect in SO short
a time. He has doubled up his big frame
IN the garage pit numerous times and mis-
great physical strength enables him to
lift pieces Of machinery that none of MS
assistants can bulge.
Mr. Astor has always had a bent for
things mechanical He has invented a
road scraper. a turbine steam engine and
various other useful things. He was the
first to build a successful electric storage
battery launch. Though he patented his
inventions he announced that they could
be freely made of by any one who
cared to do so.
The motor car has. therefore, caught
his mechanical fancy. and. as a result,
the forty or more hourses that he keeps
at Rhinecllffe are no longer called upon
TO render the slightest service In return
for their comfortable quarters and boun-
tiful meals.
Mr. Aston has in his possession every
motor car that he ever purchased, His
collection shows wonderfully well the
progress that has been made in motor
building since the first DAYS of the in
dustry He will not part with his anti
uuated and smile-provoking machines; he
has for them the same sort of weakness
that makes n man hold on to a favorite
horse that has long since outlved its use
fulness.
American and French machines are
about evenly divided in the collection
Lately Mr. Aston has been going in rather
strongly for American cars. His latest
purchase consisted of two home-built cars
and one $4,000 French touring car. He
has paid as high $4,000 for machine
foreign built. of course.
Most of Mr.. Astor's foreign machines
have been purchased by him while abroad