Omaha daily bee., 1909-09-26

markable increase in the number of vehicles has been an advance
unmarked by any such craze al hit all parts Of the country when the
bicycle first became popular. Owners of cars in Omaha have bought
only after they have studied the best points of each car, and the re-
suit is that the stock OF cars carried In Omaha is Or the highest
grade, even the lower-priced cars being the best which can be OBJ
tanned anywhere on earth for the money.
When an Omaha man buys a car he knows what he is getting,
for the competition is keen and the dealers have learned that they
have to deliver the goods if they expect to continue in a business
which is growing to such enormous proportions. II an Omaha
buyer has less than $1,000 to invest in a machine he soon learns
that in Omaha he can secure the best cars to be had for that money;
If he has $2,5OO or $4,000 to invest the same conditions prevail and
he soon learns that here in Omaha he could get the best returns on
whatever sun of money he chose to invest in a benzine buggy.
Years of studying the situation in the automobile business has
given the city a fine line of good standard cars. with every owner
knowing exactly what he owns and what he has purchased. In
omaha there are few owners who bought simply to he buving hut
the contrary is the fact-that all owners selected with care, and the
consequence is that Omaha has fewer poor cars than any other city
of its size in the country.
The cost Of the first car owned in Omaha was 1850, and was
bought by a man who Jaw the advantages Of a horseless carriage
and who believed in its further progress. For several months he
was the sole possessor of a car in this city. other citizens holding
back for reduced prices. They waited in vain for instead Of going
down prices began to steadily advance. Even to this date. eleven
years afterward, there has been no reduction, the tendency to higher
prices obtaining, until now the wealthy man does not look at a car
for his family that will cost less than $4,000, and from that to
$1,000.
The winton was the nst large machine to be owned in Omaha,
and H. e. Fredrckson was the owner. He was told that he was
very foolish to invest o much money in such q large car, as he
would not be able to and . buyer. He WA even told that he was
surs to lose a lot of money on his purchase. The wise ones were
wrong. for not only was . buyer found for that car, but since that
time the demand for bigger and better cars has been steadily on the
increase. until at present It is only a question OF how many of the
better classes OF oars the dealers r able to get from the factories.
The first automobile to be run in Omaha was not owned here,
but was run during the Transmissshppi exposition. having been
loaned TO q local man by a Boston arm.
When Omaha was the proud possessor OF four automobiles a club
was formed and out of that club has grown the present Omaha Au-
tomobile club, which has come to the front o n so many occasions Of
late, notably in the entertainment Of the women accompanying the
visiting Eagles to the national convention, and in the entertainment
of the tourists in the contest Of the Kansas City Automobile club,
which passed through Omaha Wednesday.
As the number Of automobile owners have increased, 80 have the
dealers, until OmahG has become the chief distributing point of the
middle-Sest for automobiles of all kinds. Dealers learned a few
years ago that the farmer had the money with which to buy an au-
tomobie. and a s a consequence the manufacturers have been making
cars especially adapted to the needs OF the farmer, and the man who
lives In the smaller towns A ride through Nebraska will reveal
automobiles at every station, some owned by farmers and some by
lverymen. who use them to make drives to neighboring towns.
When the first garages were opened in Omaha they were scat
tered all over the city, but a change has come in this. and the dealers
are now nearly all located on Automobile Row. This is the name
which has been given to Farnam street from Eighteenth to Twenty
fourth street Many OF the dealers have found the business prOhta-
BILE and as a consequence Omaha can boast OF some OF the best built
garages in the entire western country. These dealers carry large stocks
Of machines, giving the prospective buyer a chance to look over a big
selection OF cars Nearly all the larger garages r equipped as we'll
as the best in Chicago. or any other city west OF New York. Tourists
passing through Omaha have been agreeably surprised by the local
the at any place along the route OF their travels
.DAmonE the dealers now doing business in Omaha are Mcintyre