The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-05-29
STORAGE BATTERIES RETTER.
And kasetFie Yehiols Makers CAIN Mere
Ter ThetP Wasuns New. d.

@NAANAAAAAAH
greatest demands 0f day BY day traslo
They say they have a oar that is a. AZ lOr
business use a. 10 Ia for pleasure drivina
One Of the agents OF an elsCtFio vehicls
concern has this 10 cay in behalf Of his
company's product;
The uae Of the automobile for snort and
alnussments Of various kindshas obaoured
in the minds Of the public the important
part Il plays in the permanent progress
Of civilization. We are In the midst Of 4
revolution In transportation methods,
although few even Of those most int.
mately associated with tAs devalopmsnt
Of automobiles seem 10 have Erasped this
fact. The gradual accomplishment Of
the change stamps Il rather a. an svohi-
ton than a. q revolution. The statsmsnt
that all attendant mechanical problems
have been solved 10 uaually regarded with
soeptioism. Y is none the less true,
however.
The GTeat majority Of the requirements
Of business aud personal convenience
now fulfilled by horse drawn vehicles can
he much more economically and satisfao-
t0rily performed by automobiles. The
Conspiouousneaa Of failures and the OBJ
security Of successes in the past seem 20
have prevented recognition Of what has
been accomplished in the development
Of electric storage batteries and wagons.
The electric commercial vehicle meets the
conditions Of passenger conveyance and
business road tfafIic IN cities better than
any other motive power.
Heretofore economy Of fuel has been
the basis OF comparison A. 10 the relative
advantage Of various kinda Of motive
power for these purposes. This. however.
10 rather an inimiAoant item in such
comparisons To be- Of practical service
such comparisons should include such
items asinitiai invCt :ment, reliability. de-
precision. sEpsnss Of upkeep aud repair
coat 70 some Of those particulars The
electric vshidle has only recently taken
first place. " .."f
we have ample warrant for tAs state
ment that the cost Of maintenance OF
hoPsedrawn vehicles VIII coOnterbalanos
the expense of upkssp Ofstha electric
automobile. In fact figures show that The
greatly superior capacity Of the auto.
mobile throws thu advantage in this
tom IN its favor
The commercial practicability and
relatively low deterioration Of the LEAD
storage battery l. not due 20 any radical
invon ton or Improvement but mainly
due to a recognition Of the requirements
Of a storage battery for road traction
a nd other purposes. This end has been
hastened by the increasing public lamil-
i1rity With the storage battery and the
CORRESPONDING increase in the number
Of 81 orage battery hostlers. We are
beGinnihE % learn that a laboratory
knowledge Of the storage battery Il not
a necessity Familiarity with the suhjari
h the principal requirement.
-Perhaps the public misoOnception
a. 10 the impraoticabilty Of electric
storage batteries n equalled only BY les
mistaken notion Of the nageReity FOR
rubber tirea on commercial vehicles.
ID o. however, 0f singular interest 6a'an
example % the extraordinary persistency
81 reiterated error. In a properly de-
signed motor wagon q rubber tire u
most frequently a desirea be refinement.
sometimes a pure lnEuTy, hut seldom
a necessity " has been graRted that the
rubber tire waa a necessity for the pr o
lection u the structure Of many Of the
earlier automobiles.
However. the reluctMncs u abandon
this class Of tire when desirable 10 20 20
seems ~ he based upon the enron eois
idea that other tires do not give adequate
traction WhatsveF may have been the
origin Of the prejndice. the error seems
10 have been generally accepted. in some
instances even In the presence 81 an
entirely adequate performance ~ iron
tires undsr adverse tractive conditions.
The experience Of the Liverpool Self
Propelled Traffic Association hos proven
that iron tires are particularly well suited
10 heavy motor truck service. They
have made the following statement upon
the subje The second trials provided
satisfactory evidence that the tire and
adhesion difficulties had been overcome
for Mons Of ths wheels gave the Smallest
trouble. and five out OF the STA compeging
vehicles climbed both laden and uniadeh
where the Inclination varies between
one In nine and one In thirteen tho heav-
iaat load taken NO and brought down
again being six and 0ne-hah tons
last winters eNperience demonstrated
the availability ~ properly dimensiOned
iron tires even upon ice and In sn5W when
equipped with special appliances for the
purpose We believe Il is nov possible
10 assert that a commercial vehicle with
iron tires can he operated just a. many
days in the year az horse drawn vehicles
excepting in localities where runners arr
habitually substituted for wheels upon all
in the winter
These statements are amply e0rr0bO-
rated by the performance OF wagons
now operating IN New York. Pittsburg
and South BEND These wagons were
made 20 regular express company model
bv a firm " American wagon builders.
There v nothing mysterious about them.
Any competent wagon manufacture dan
satisfactorily vehicles Of similar
Kind II provided with power equipment
suitable FOR tho work which is 70 be per
formed. The recognition Of this con-
titiOn has rapidly gained ground. One
electric company u nov marketing COM
7ists electric s1uipmait with ample spsol-
icationa, thua putting Il within the reach
" any cOmpetent Manufacture Of hOrse
fRWn vehicles 10 enter this new field.
The economic importance Of this cannot
Do overlooked.
In the evolution Of transportation the
production Of new apparatus has almost
invariably heen conducted BY new oFgani-
Eations with new capital. This Of course
considerable shifting about
" investments and no small degree Of
oas. IN the present state 81 Affairs. how
lver, the Substitution u Tho new ap-
larMfuafof The Old can be better and more
shectAd by the existing
than BY any Oth@T
HTha anDuofBic ADVANTAGES % The electric
vehicle lies largely n la
Iupefiog oaphcity for work. there Il q
gruat deal that msy be said IN ita favor. !
inwever. In cgnhectiOn with the amount
4 labor necessary 20 keep u tn condition
v compared with tho cars demanded hT !
he number Of horReg and wagons re- |