The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1911-04-21
THINGS ABOUT
AUTOMOBILES
WORTH KNOWING
$4,000 FOR FREIGHT IN ONE DAY.

$4,000 FOR FREIGHT IN ONE DAY.
The enormous revenue derived by
The railroads from the automobile
business amounts to millions of dol
lars annually. The shipping of au-
tomob les is one of the most desirable
classes of freight traffic and one which
IS constantly growing. A good ex-
ample of what this business means to
the railroads is shown by the traffic
figures OF the United States Motor
company The railroad revenue from
4 single days shipments of this COM
pany amounted to N2.s44.44. This
represents los carloads of automobiles
shipped to twenty-seven different
states, but it does not include the
shipment of parts nor raw material.
Nor was this an extraordinary day.
The enormity of the business ID
shown in a more striking manner by
the record of shipments during the
entire month of March, 1911. In this
period of twenty-seven business days
the railroads actually hauled 1888
carloads 102 railroads having had
hauls. Only outbound business was
included so 1t can be readily seen that
the tonnage obtained from the auto
mobile busin1 So In all it's branches. is
tar greater than the average person
would imagine.
Including steel. lumber, leather, rub
Der and other raw material. as well
volume of automobile traffic would re-
rute the statement of some railroad
men that the industry reduces their
revenue or is unproductive.
INVENTED 90 YEARS AGO.
Although j. B. Dunlop generally is
acclaimed the inventor of the pneu-
matte tire. and though he undoubted-
ly IS responsible for it's adoption, that
re "a ArGf
well known. The honor belongs to
r. W. Thomson, of Adelphia,
England, to whom, in 1S47, a patent
was issued, of the existence of which,
however. Dunlop was unaware when,
some forty-fve years later he devised
an inflated tube for his sons tricycle..
Dunlop was q veterinary surgeon who
long had lived In Ireland, where he
still resides Thomson not only pat
ented the idea of an inflated tube. but
his description claims cover practical
Iy all OF the many adaptations OF the
pneumatic principle which were cor
lginated' fifty years later. after the
tire had come into practical and ex-
tended use and which in fact are still
being Originated. These include such
things as a leather casing. Thomsons
patent describing "a leather belt in
Guiding an inner casing of canvas sat
urated with rubber and sulphurized
and a strong outer casing" the tire
being "distended with air. preferably
by a small cap" instead of the valve
In use to-day. The leather tire, how
ever, IS as stated, but one Of the in
Vulnerable family OF innovations
which since have seen the light.
Thomson's patent mentioning even
that will O. the wisp which still is be-
ing pursued 50 indefatigably-t
spring tire. He not only suggested
that his belt or tire might be "dis-
tended with a metal spring" but that
1T might be distended by "sulphurized
pieces of rubber, horsehair or sponge"
thus foreseeing most of the various
forms of the non-puncturable tire. He
also described a wheel having "a ser
les or cluster of small or circumf"r-
entail tubes enclosed in an outer cas-
ing" while as another modification he
described a pet idea which has taxed
the brains OF many latter-day inven-
tors-the tube which Is divided trans
versely into a number of separate air
tight compartments each having its
filling tube.