Los Angeles herald., 1908-11-15
AUTOS AMONG
HOME PRODUCTS
TWO LOCAL FACTORIES BUSY
MAKING MOTOR CARS
PAYRoLLs RUN INTO HUNDREDS
OF THOUSANDS
Shops and Workrooms of Tourist and
Durocar Companies Will Be Open
for Inspection of Visitors Dur
ing Prosperity Week

Two places where home products
are made that will be open TO the pup
lie during Prosperity Week are lie
automobile factories of the Auto We
hicle company and the Durocar Manu-
featuring company, located IN the same
block and the same building.
At Tenth and Main streets the large
sales room of the Tourist automobiles
attracts the passerby on the walks
and street cars, not only from the va,
riety Of the cars but the nuhlper anu
attractiveness of them.
After passing through the sales room,
in one corner of which are the co11nlo-
dious offices, the visitor is ushered dl-
rectly into the machine room, WnicH,
to the lover of things mechanical Is
the most interesting of all the depart
ments. 1t is here that dozens of slow
moving lathes, drill presses and milling
machines cut into the steel and brass
that will be formed into parts for the
cars under the skillful guidance OF the
numerous machiniSts.
To one side and in a part of the same
room is the department where the pod
les are built, and the pattern maker
works out his problems and produces
queer shapes in wood that to the unln-
itiated have no form or reason. Many
of the patterns are cut in half with
carefully set pins to allow them TO
match perfectly as whole When they
are placed together.
To the iron noulder they are as an
open book, and after he has carefully
moulded their counterparts in the sand
at the foundry the molten metal IS
poured red hot into the moulds, ana a
casting is the result.
Just back of the machine shop is the
stock room, with its multitude or va
ried parts that go to make up the mod
ern motor car. All accessories, such as
lamps, tires, horns, screws, bolts and
all extra parts for replacing worn or
broken pieces are kept in this room.
At the rear of the building, which
reaches through to the next street, Is
the assembling room for the four-cyl-
inder cars. 1t is here that the various
parts are brought together and built
up into the semblance of a car without
a body.
In the basement are the testing and
repair departments, and the forging
shop where much of the heavy metal
is got ready for the machines.
It is on the upper floor that the
bodies are fitted and trimmed, and the
topmost floor Of all is the paint shop,
where the color is put on and the nigh
finish added that gives the cars their
final dressing, and at the same time
protects them from the effects Of the
weather.
Payroll Is 100000 Annually
There is in all a force Of nearly 200
men employed at present in the Tourist
factory, and it takes an annual pay
roll of 5000 900 to satisfy their demands.
In addition to that amount, the COM
pany spends as much more with local
firms for materials that go into the
cars, thereby distributing nearly half
a million dollars in Los Angeles Ia
way that gives the best results for
prosperity.
The directors of the company are all
local men and have large interests
here besides their part in the Auto
Vehicle company.
The force Of employees will be in
creased within the next month until 1t
will reach nearly 300. Last summer at
one time the total number of employees
was 1858, and present indications lead
to the belief that at the height OF the
producing season it will exceed that
number next year. Probably 1900 per-
sons are dependent upon the Auto We
hicle company for their livelihood.
The factory is equipped to build from
500 to 1000 cars annually, according TO
the type.
Quite a number of models are COM
prised in the line that the facory puts
out, and many special cars are built.
The more notable examples recently
made by the company are the Holly
wood fire apparatus and several COM
nercial and hotel bus specially de-
signed cars.
Durocar Factory Is Busy Hive
Smaller in size, but just as busy, is
the Durocar factory, with nearly 100
men busily engaged in making the well
known two-cylinder Durocar that has
won a most enYiable reputation in the
short time the factory has been ope-
rated.
1t was less than two years ago that
the factory was started, and it has
steadily grown from its inception. Only
one style of engine is made at the fac
tory and that is a two-eylinder four
cycle type.
Several types of bodies are fitted to
the two chasses built, and 1t is possi-
BILE to have special orders executed
under personal supervision.
When one enters the Durocar factory
there is no sales room, and one steps
from long entry hall directly within
full view of the machinery floor Two
long lines of lathes stretch to the rear
of the room, and other machines make
a third line composed of a variety OF
metal working marvels. Each machine
seems to be devoted to some special
part or feature of the car and is stead
ily engaged in turning out quantities
of parts all alike to q thousandth of ar
inch In size.
Near the rear Of the room are the
larger machines with the special jiggs
that hold part so that 1t may bt
turned at various angles and any side
worked upon without readjustment
OF the part on the machines.
This arrangement assures the part
being in perfect alignment on all side:
and a perfect 1T when 1t is put int
the motor.
One huge drill press holds a set o.
cutting tools while the work revolvei
on a turntable base. An enormous
lathe has a turret carrying all the turn
ing tools necessary to finish a part al
one setting.
At the front OF the first floor is thS
assembling department, and the Gus
toner can watch the car put together
and see Just how carefully each part
has been made to fit the others witt
which It comes in contact.
Paint Is Dried in parkened Room
on the second floor is the trimming
department and body finishing room
II is here that the tops and dna
touches are put on the car.
Above on the third floor is the painl