The Washington herald., 1907-10-25
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

If horse racing has been in former
years the sport Of kings. automobiing is
now the pastime of the Nap0leons of
finance. The amount of money that is
being spent annually on the big. high
power and high-priced cars is almost
beyond belief There are many thousand
cars in the United States. the cost of
each Of which would have been sufficient
20 buy and stock pretty decent sort of
farm, cars that cost more than the av-
erage farmer in the United States is
worth. Some men in the United States
spend as much in the maintenance Of
their automobiles in one year as the av-
eTage newspaper reporter earns in half
life time. One car is not enough for
many of them. and there are some who
are not satisfied with even half a dozen.
At least one man in the United States
has more than dozen machines for his
own private use.
That man is c. X. G. Billings, owner
OF Lou Dillon, the trotting queen of the
American turf. Like many other lovers
of horse flesh. Mr.. Billings has gone IN
for automobiling as well as for horse
racing, and he is to-day the owner OF
the largest private garage in America
He has thirteen cars. some of them the
best that money can buy, and they repre-
sent an outlay OF more than 100000 IN
cold cash. 1t costs him from $4,000 10
$4,000 a year 10 maintain them. His
garage consists of two stables and the
rent for them. one of the smallest Of his
expenditures. is $500 n month. He has an
and chauffeurs galore.
Another man who goes in for the best
there is in the automobile line is W.
Gould Brokaw, Of New York. lie has
placed his order for three Of the finest
cars ever seen in America. one Of these
will be a veritable palace on wheels. Its
comfort-making devices will be as COM
plete as those Of the average private rail-
road car. There will be a compartment
that by day will serve as IA living
room and by night as a sleeping apart
ment. Berths as comfortable as those in
tie best Of sleeping cars can be made
up. There will be a little kitchen and
dining-room. a folding bathtub, an ice
box; IN short. everything that is needed
70 the little button on the wall' and the
iucandescent light France has dozens Of
ears Of this type some of them even
larger than that ordered by Mr. Bro
kaw.
One OF the most careful buyers Of
automobiles in America is John d. Rocke-
feller- He goes in for good cars. but he
is going 10 be sure that each is a good
one before he buys it. He has a special
American made machine that is his favor
ite, yet whenever he buys one Of this
make ne is just as careful to have its
possibilities thoroughly demonstrated as if
he had never seen one before. Recently
he bought a new one Of his favOrite make
but before he did so that individual ma
chine had TO bc put through every pace
that an automobile can go. Another close
buyer Is Senator EikinS. of West Virginia
VINO, since the retirement of William A
Clark. is probably the richest man in the
United States Senate. Not long ago he
was i'm the market for a machine. An
agent was showing him one Though born
In Ohio. Mr.. Elkins lived and grew to
manhood in Missouri and always wanted
20 be shown The agent made his ma
chine do everything that an automobile
can do, and then the senator wanted It to
do something else. But the agent turned
away. Senator Elkins called him back.
and wanted 10 know where he was going.
The agent replied that he was on his way
back 10 the garage, as IL was no use to
show the machine further; that he had
made 1t DO everything but talk, and he
couldn't do that. even for Senator EIkins.
The senator bought the machine
Speed laws, from the viewpoint Of the
automobiles, are the most detestabIe
things ever invented. The public has not
much Judgment as TO how fast car is
really moving. In New York they have
law that they must not go over ten
miles an hour. Partly to ridicule the law
and partly to educate the public to some
idea Of actual speed. a New York speed
ometer maker rigged UP a gigantic speed
OmeteT on an autsmGbile. Its face was
four feet across, and the figures on the
dial were twelve inches high The ma
chine has been run through the streets
OF New York, within the lawful speed
limit. Everything in the street except the
draft teams are said TO pass it. The
thing has been one OF the most mirth-
provoking Of Gotham's many sights.
No village marshal in the world ever
secured the international reputation that
Collins OF Glen Echo. I'D, did in holding
up violators Of speed regulations more
than one titled person paying the penalty
for speeding over his roads. But Phila-
delphia recently had one on whom its
motorists shOwered left handed benedic-
tions, and finally got even with him.
Taylor never overlooked an opportunity
10 hold up speed regulation violators. At
last the tide turned. The angry autoists
discovered that It was his duty to keeT
the stones out Of the road. They gath
cred bags full Of them and haled hin
into court on a charge Of malfeasanct
in office. The magistrate before whom hc
was brought held him on a $500 bond &c
be tried on a misdcmeanOr charge.
II there is any plea to be set up tC
escape q violation of a speed law one
may be sure that an automobilist viii
find il and use It. Recently a wealthy
citizen of Connecticut was arrested fol
speeding At his trial he set up the de
tense that he was asleep at the time and
that he knew nothing Of how fast tho
machine was running. and that If any one
was to blame it was the chauffeur and
not he. He was acquitted, and as The
chauffeur was then oUt'of the jurisdiction
Of the court, there was no fine TO pay.
Wisconsin enacted an automobile
law which has four sections that
should not be violated. Il read that
any one violating sections I. 3. 5. and &
should be fined w. F. Barnes, OF
Rockford. violated the law and was ar
rested. He set up as a defense that