St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1910-01-26
VERMONT NEWS.
A Pou1tney Man Has Invented a Farm
Automobile at Reasonable Price.

/
Automobile at Reasonable Price.
| A farm auto car that will do any and
| all the work on our hill farms that the
usual team now does is the invention
| claimed to have been perfected by ]. B.
Mahana OF Poultney. He says that this
auto will plow, NOV, haulloads and when
it is desired, take the family into town to
the county fair. The car when compile ted
will be placed on the market for less
than $1,000, and it will be equipped
with 16 horse power engine. One OF
the features of the car is the fact that
power is transmitted to both the front
and rear wheels. The engine which will
be used in the car is now completed.
1t is 4-cylinder 6 horse power gaso-
line engine and it is peculiarly construct
ed, weighing only 35Olbs The engine is
neither air nor water cooled but there is
an arrangement whereby if the engine
becomes hot it is transposed and allow
ed to cool, making it partially air and
water cooled.
For road purposes it has three speeds,
forward, two and a halt, five and 10
miles an hour. 1t has half elliptic
springs and hard rubber tires and two
seats when needed. There is an attach
ment in the rear OF. the car which will
permit the hitching on of load and
Mr. Mahana claims that the car will
haul at least three tons. All the four
wheels are traction wheels. This part of
the car is the most novel. in that the
steering gear attached to the front
| wheels is of special design as is the
method of transmission Of power, to
allow the play of the wheels in turning.
Telephone Hearing at Newport.
hearing on petition of States Attor-
neys Robert Simonds of ST. Johnsbury
and w. M. Wright of Barton for an in
vestigation of the New England Tee-
phone and Telegraph company and Pas
sumpsic Telephone company by the
public service commission was held be-
fore Commissioners ]. w. Redmond and
S. Hollister Jackson, at Newport, Tues
day of last week. Officers of the Pas
sumpsic company were present who tes-
tilted relative to the plant. rates etc, of
said company and the New England
Telephone & Telegraph company furnish
ed expert evidence relative to it's plant,
equipment and traffic conditions. E. w.
Longley, auditor of the New England
and Passumpsic companies produced
books, trial balances and data showing
inside information relative to the New
| England company and its relations with
the Passumpsic company William B.
c Stickney appearedsfor the New Eng
and Alexander Dunnett for the Passunlp-
sic company. The prosecuting attorneys,
assisted by Attorney General John 6.
Sargent. examined no witnesses other
than those furnished by the telephone
companies and the case was continued
to April 5th to allow them time in w hich
to secure expert evidence.
St. Adams is threatened with another
water famine such as it experienced only
few years ago. Unless there is a thaw
and the city supplied from the pumping
station a St. Adams bay.
The state board of optometrv held
three days examinations of applicants
| at Montpelier last week. The members
of Brattleboro; secretary, Augustus S.
Haskins of St. Johnsbury; treasurer,
Arthur r. Slader of Rutland. The six
candidates who took the examinations
were E. l.. Hunt, West Derby; J. E.
Madison, North Bennington; Frank G..
Balloon, Boston, Mass, Walter E. Felt
us, Springfield, Mass, Fred A. Walker,
Bradford l.. Cook, Bennington.
Dr. H. D. Holton, secretary of the
state board of health has issued a bulle-
tin to town and city health officers,
warning them to quarantine all suspi-
cious cases of small pox and be vigilant
on account of the prevalence of the dis
ease in VI Massachusetts,.
At White River Junction water is so
scarce that drinking water is being sold
| by the gallon. A committee was
appointed last week at special meeting
to Investigate possible sources of water
supply and expenses of construction.