The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-06-18
More Than 100000 Invested in
Motors in This
City.
THEIR INVASION
BRINGS GOOD ROADS
e4
Development of Suburbs Causes
an Increased Demand Which
is Met BY Many
Agents.

When one stands in Broad street
on "a summer night. and sees the tour
ing cars, runabouts. notseiess electric
passing is seemingly endless review
UP and down the wide thorongnfare.
flashing great glaring eyes as they
swing aroufs corners In and out of
side streets. IL Is difficult to realize
that nine years ago the first automo-
bile came TO Richmond. and that for
time ii had few rivals.
In nine years the number has grown
from one 10 about soc. and the num-
Der is constantly increasing. Now al
most every man CT means owns q car,
but the end is not Yet, II Is said The
increase OF wealth and the growth
of the city's population will nearly
double this number in the next twelve
months, 1t is confidently predicted.
No other line OF business has ad-
vanced with the same leaps and
bounds as the automobile business.
New agencies spring up with amazing
frequency, and the spring season, in
fact, seemed to bring new compeu-
tor every week. All seem to be doing
profitable trade. Their prosperity
4 is shown by the fact that many of
them are erecting new buildings for
display OF stock and garage purposes.
d
more rapidly than floor space for
storage. While many owners have
their own garages a large percentage
have not. and there il now demand
for more garage room. There is now
demand for a central garage down
town where business men can house
their cars during the day.
Much Money Invested.
Taking the number of automobiles
lanr s.f
/ 100000. The annual interest on this
sum at per cent. is $4,000. Bankers
are deploring the rapid Increase In
the number of automobiles. saying II
is rapidly withdrawing money from
business. and is serving to retard de-
posits On the other hand the auto
mobile men point out that bank de-
posts seem to be growing at rapid
rate.
4 In many cases the automobile Is a
necessary adjunct to mans business
the physician. The up-to-date ply
stefan with large practice feels that
he must have an automobile to use
In making his rounds
The entire South ia experiencing the
same invasion OF the automobile. The
North. East and West were the first
fields OF conquest. Because of In
ferior ROADS the south came last. FER
haps this was for the best. for by the
time the automobile came South. IL
had passed the experimental stage,
and was thoroughly practicable and
thoroughly durable.
The South Is the ideal field for the
automobile. Twelve months Of use-
fulness are open to IT, In the regions
where there Is rigorous winter the
machine must spend much OF the year
In the garage.
There were no garages or agencies
here until about 1902. Since that time
the gasoIene car has outstripped Its
rivals, the steam and electricss There
are, of course, splendid machines OF
all three types. but popularity rests
with the gasolene propelled vehicle
The next few years may bring q
change even here. Experiments are
being carried on abroad with kero-
sene engines. These may be a de-
velopment of the future. So, too, may
the denRtured alcohol motor.
Richmond streets are full of auto
mobiles Of all kinds, from the roomy
limousinen to the tiny runabouts equal
nv serviccable. perhaps. but Of less ca