The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-02-11

It is a fad. as some think, then II is the
most expensive craze ever known in his
tory. If it is permanent as others think.
then It has had the most phenomenal
growth in its years Of infancy ever known
in any business. not even excepting the
telephone. Americans have spent a quar-
ter Of billion dollars on automobiles in
the last seven years. and the factories are
now hopelessly behind with their orders
The value Of the automobiles manufac-
tured in this country last year is esti-
mated to be Sl00.00O00 The value OF
hOTse-drawn vehicles made during the
same period is estimated at S1l60900G0. On
this showing the motorist has almost
caught up with the horse as far as the
interests OF manufactures are concerned.
These are the facts that make enthUsias-
tic prophets declare that the horse will
be relegated t. the bride path and tine
field
EXpOneuts OF the automobile claim that
it is destined to supplant the horse in
local commerce, even as the railroad and
the trolley car have eliminated him as an
agent IN long distance transportation.
Among the numerous reasons given for
this claim are that a motor wagon viii
convey larger load a greater distance
than a horse can pull it,; it IS available
for work al all hours; il is not subject 70
fatigue; il requires no food. no lodging
and can be repaired after any accident
aside from one amounting 20 total de-
structiOn. II requires less room, can be
moved backward as well as forward
. neither contracts nor distributes disease.
and leaves no filth i'm the street
Express companies have adopted the
automobile for local delivery purposes.
and beer wagons are now being driven by
motor in nearly every city; department
stores are using them to deliver parcels,
and since the Baltimore experiment
proved so satisfactory the United States
government is buying automobiles for
use in collecting mails The city OF Cleve-
land has purchased eight motor cars for
Use in It's municipal department, and
Marion County, Ind, has advertised for
S5oo0 automobile dray % DE used i'm haul
ing material for repairing county roads.
Even farmers in the Northwest are be-
ginning to use horseless farm wagons.
N. FarouX, a French statistician. who is
regarded as the supreme authority on
automobile matters, SAYS that about 55e.-
600 motor cars have been manufactured in
the nine years since the experiment of
seif-propelIed road vehicles first sue
ceeded. These machines sold for more
than a billion dollars Until a year ago
France. the pioneer. LED the world in the
production of the horseless vehicle. Now
the United States has taken the lead. Ac-
cording 10 VI. Faroux the United States
built coco automobiles i'm 1876. France
$4,000, England -N.lOl. Germany 1000. italy
1900, and Belgium 12Cm Tn 1901 the
United States built only 3l4 cars. and that
same year France built Bill Thus it is
shown that although the United States
was the last Of the great nations 20 be
gin the manufacture OF automobiles. il
has not only caught up with the process
sion in half a decade. but is now at it's
head.
The late start OF the United States in
the industry was due to the inferior roads
in this country. France not only has a
decided advantage over as in The fine sys-
TEN OF roads ilaugurated by Napoleon
but il las enacted national legislation
which brings all the highways of the
country under common law. An auto
mobilst who desired to traverse the
United States. if our roads were good
enough 10 make such d trip possible.
would have to familiarize himself with the
various laws Of all the States and Terri
tories, and his machine would be literally
piastered with the numbers of the various
licenses he would have 70 obtain The
advantage Europeans have over Ameri-
cans in the matter of roads may be shown
by the statement that from Madrid I'm
latitude 90, TO Norway, iu latitude q. a
distance of $500 miles. there is an UNI
broken stretch cf fine highways, while I'm
our country &c would be extremely diff
cult TO ind 100 miles Of really frst-class
road in one continuous stretch
One Of the most remarkable tours ever
attempted i'm this country was when
Ralph owen went from New York City
TO Ormond, Fla. in eighteen days in an
automobile called The Pathfinder. -'
Through New Jersey and Pennsylvania
he had good roads. I'm Virginia he en-
countered some good highways and some
bad ones, but in the Carolinas and
Georgia he encountered many difficulties
being forced TO build rough bridges. ford
creeks. run through fields. and spend
much time on the outside of his car
working with the roads In Florida he
encountered swamp lands aud almost inn
passable obstacles. but he finished the
trip in two days less than the time all
lowed for the experiment
In older sections Of the country. such
as New York State and New England
automobile guide books are being pub
lished which show accurate charts and
give descriptions Of roads TO be Travelled
| on long tours. It will probably not be
long until the Automobiles In this coun-
3 try adopt what is known in Europe as
the confetti code whereby tourists post
each other in regard 10 discriminating
merchants or upstart officials ia each
y locality by scattering coIored confetti
along the roadside. A regular code has
been formed which no one but the tourists
can understand. The movement among
the automobilists looking TO the protec-
tion and safety OF pedestrians has pro
crossed TO the extent that the prejudice
against the devil wagon" is fast disap-
pearing. This has not been accomplished
however. without the enactment and en-
forcement Of some very strict laws.
The decadence OF the bicycle. the value
OF the American product of which feu of
from S32.oO0.0O0 TO 100000 in I'VE years
has caused many to believe that the auto
mobile craze viii also die cut To CON
trOvert this argument. it is said that the
manufacturers Of bicycles turned their
attention TO motor cars because Of the
greater profit TO be made, and thereby
contributed TO the downfall Of kine
Wheel Furthermore. that the bicycle re-