New-York tribune., 1907-01-18
AUTO GROWS In FAVOR.
STORM Has NO TERRORS.
Garden ShozU Crosuded in Spite Of
the Bad Wedther.

The crowd was not large as usual at the
Automobile show IN Madison Square Garden yes
terday. The whirling snowstorm and not the
extra admission accounted for this. With the
city wrapped IN the proverbial mantle OF snow
and under adverse weather conditions, the at
tendance really the most remarkable Of the
week The aisles were well filed If not crowded
LAST night and those who had the hardihood to
venture out had the satisfaction Of being able to
study the cars with more care than has been
possible heretofore
The official attendance figures for Wednesday
were announced yesterday. and they broke all
records. More than twenty thousand persons
paid homage to the goddess motoring on that day
The previous record OF single days attendance
st automobile show was 1880. Up to and
including yesterday the total attendance has
been more than $4,000 persons. One CT the gate
men. who has taken the tickets at every auto
mobile show held at Madison Square Garden,
and ct other similar exhibitions held In New
York, said that IT was without doubt the best
drawing show Of all
The line Of demonstrating the Fourth
avenue side stood bravely in the midst of the
storm all the morning waiting for passengers.
Prospective purchasers, however, preferred TO
study automobiles within the warm and brill
iantly lighted Garden than remain outside. By
the middle OF the afternoon the demonstrating
Line had dwindled considerably, and the cars
which stu brayed the storm were not used.
Altogether. demonstrating is becoming less and
less an important feature Of automobile shows.
The exhibition itself is the real magnet.
Although the main floor. with its encircling
balconies OF parts exhibits, Is necessarily and
obviously the centre of interest, the two less
spectacular portions of the show-ths electric
and commercial vehicle displays-are sustaining
sn interest that is without precedent in automo-
bile exhibitions. One OF the exhibitors, who at
tended the French show in Paris last December
said yesterday that this exhibition demonstrates
WI dnfanf fhas harn fa In
crest in commercial vehicles in this country than
fn Europe.
At this show a goodly portion Of all OF the
visitors devote time 10 the study Of the trucks.
the delivery wagons and other forms of traffic
vehicles. One OF the peculiar features OF the
commercial vehicle exhibit Is that while In pub
Hcity the gasolene truck has made great inroads
upon the electric, the latter be holding
Ats own In both numbers, GALES and scope.
Another noticeable feature Of the commercial
Display Is that some OF the mechanical systems
which are not standard popularity considered
nost universally used 1t Is consequently ap-
parent that here are two branches of industry,
and that already the trade has discovered that
traffic wagons are not mere adaptations Of
pleasure rigs
For the purpose Of looking at automobile fire
wagons. with view to purchasing extensively,
Judge Thompson, Mayor of Atlantic City, and
Acting Mayor Leeds, Of Ventnori with their
spective corps Of city officials, attended the
show In q body yesterday. They spent much
time IN the basement studying different forms
Of commercial cars that might be adapted TO
municipal purposes.
The statistics field has been busy gathering
ell manner of mechanical data intended to show
the trend Of construction. One expert in figures
developed the fact that the popularity Of ball
bearings has reached such point that IN the
168 complete exhibition there are "a $50
balls. In ignition 125 of the cars are equipped
with high tension Jump spark systems twenty
eight have low tension systems and six have
both The question of body construction FOR big
is still open to discussion. While the popu-
larity Of the seven-seater has grown wonder
fully. there still many Of the large powerful
touring whose standard bodies are the
conventional ive-passenger ones. In seven-seat
bodies there are three kinds-those with light
folding seats, those with stationary armchairs
and those In which the tonneau is substantially
partitioned into two compartments.
The rathskeller IN the basement is proving O.
popular feature II Is more in keeping with the
expensive and artistic decoration and general
attractiveness OF the main exhibition than pre-
vious automobile show cafes have been II Is
replica Of famous rathskeler in Wiesbaden
and one can hardly believe 1t to be OF temporary
construction.
SO remarka BILE has been the attendance all
through the week and so impossible has it been
TO decrease it by weather conditions which have
put decided danper on other functions of the
week that the management is elated. The gen.
eral expression of exhibitors is that this week
IN Madison Square Garden is the most repre-
sentative and greatest automobile exhibition the