Los Angeles herald., 1906-03-11
Auto-Grapf1s

A novel feature of winter sport In
Vermont this winter is put forth by
Nathaniel P. Wheeler, a White River
Junction man, who finds great pleasure
sleighing in an automobile. He has
replaced the front wheels of the car
with a pair of runners made expressly
for the purpose. and the rear wheels
have been equipped with a pair of
"creepers." With this equipment, an
automobile Is found to move over the
snow considerably easier than with
four wheels.
An automobile show today outranks
anything and everything else in the
exhibition line. The public attend en-
masse, and each patron feels a warm
personal interest in the affair. The in
PRODUCTION of excellent music and elab-
crate decorations in brief, the refine
ment of cars and surroundings, appeals
very strongly to the female element,
which is interesting itself to surpris-
ing extent. In fact, to the average lady
of New England a motor is no longer
an unsolved mystery. General interest
has conferred in motor cars as in moth
ing else for generations. They are in
teresting alike, to the individual who
can and the one who cannot afford to
buy. Common education almost de-
mands that we have some knowledge
of those objects which fit about so
generally in our midst.
The Philadelphia automobile show,
which closed a most successful exhibit
last week, eclipsed anything of the
kind previously seen in the Quaker
City. Especially noteworthy was the
large exhibition of commercial cars,
which showed indisputably the great
future for the automobile industry
along these lines. To those acquainted
with the progress made in the way of
motor powered trucks and commercial
wagons of all types and descriptions
the horse age already appears a thing
of the past. They confidently expect
the belief that within a few years a
wagon drawn by a horse will be the
object of is much curiosity on the city
streets as IN automobile was few
years ago and a team of oxen would be
today. In line with the new activity
in commercial motor car circles will
be the publication this month of four
new periodicals devoted exclusively to
this kind of vehicle.
The Pennsylvania railroad is now
building at the Altoona car shops 100
special box cars for transportation of
automobiles. This business appears to
be growing and it will be remembered
that the New York Central, some time
ago, built a number of cars for the
same purpose, which were illustrated in
the hallway Age OIL July 70, l5Uo. Inc
general construction is quite similar TO
that Of the Pennsylvania standard box
car. The underframe is pressed steel,
the side stills being 20 inches deep at the
center and 10 inches at the ends. The
center sills are II inches deep at the
center. The cars are SO feet long over
end stills and feet az inches wide over
siding. The height from floor to plate
is s feet 3-S inches, and from top of
rail to top of floor Az inches. The CEN
ter Of draw bar Is Az inches from the
bottom of center stills. Unlike the New
York Central cars, there are no end
doors, but the provision for loading the
automobiles is made by very wide side
doors. This is obtained by the use OF
two sliding doors on each side, making
a clear door opening of 10 feet inches
and a clear height of feet Az inches.
The lateral support of the doors at the
center is a 5-inch steel beam weighing
9% pounds per foot. This beam is re-
movable. The cars will be finished in
time for the spring trade and they will
be distributed at points where large
shipments of automobiles are made.