Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1912-05-05
Amarillo, Automobile Center Of the Panhandle,
In Private Ownership and General Distribution.
FIRST CAR HERE
EIGHT YEARS AGO
One-Cylinder Cadillac,
Owned by DIR. LOckett,
Created Some Stir

Eight years ago the first automo-
bile was seen on the then muddy,
trashy. unkept streets OF Amarillo.
That was when the present city OF
Amarillo was a struggling village.
or little more. and a suggestion OF
he conditions now prevailing would
have awakened scarcely more than q
derislye comment or reply.
DR.. W. A Lockett was the owner
OF the first car. a one-cylinder Cadil-
lac. the auto arriving here early in
/ the year 1904. The spurty little
'chug-chugs" o: the small craft.
sounded strange to the ears o: Am
arillo's people. II came almost too
soon upon the heels of the innumer-
able cattle-herds whose footprints
we're scarcely erased from the streets
and squares.
deed monarch Of all he survesed."
He had opened a new era, and the
people while viewing the machine
with something OF question. at the
same time felt us did the first man
In the community with an attack OF
appendicitis. I'VE have something
that Our neiehhors have never had"
The machine was viewed and review
ed It's strong points were demon
strated and il was tested ty all who
we're sufficiently game 70 acComp-
any the nervy physician on a Joy
ride The wonder that n machine
coJld he propelled over the tractless
'rodrd without horse attached. had
not al tHat time ceased % De a won
der to many people in this section of
the state They felt that the auto
was rot sure thing" and it might
possibly pass without having made
good Appearance upon the street
OF this trap caused wonderment and
usually attracted a crowd.
u cannot be claimed by even DR..
Iockett that the beast was a all
times as biddahle as Il should have
been. and many time the familiar
"Chug-a-chur' declined 10 respond
10 the twisting of the crank THAT
was a part 81 the game. and the
y oWner could we'll afford 10 humor
J the cranky auto when Il failed % re-
spond 10 the crank for the sake OF
being the first In this gies onwar
march toward n higher civilization"
While that watch Ur. l0rkctt did not
AZ that time know about an automo-
bile would probably have male q fair
ly literally proportioned volume. he
set himself 10 the task Of acquiring
a knowledge of the mechanism. and
with the final dropping from service
of tho one-lrngcr' came, the owner
could have taken gcrap iron and q
few other requisites ard built a ma.
chine Of superior worth
This machine was 1903 model
but shipment was not made unit. the
year thereafter Following the first
machine came another. oue-cslin'
der Oldsmohile. which vas owned ~
Charles Holleson This being th'
second car attracted a great deal oil
attention. and Mr. Tolleson had or
rortunIty 10 furnish rides TO nun
her OF the more timid ones who had
risked only "one-eye' or pr. lock
ett's machine This automobile
which could be called such only by
courtesy even by its manufacturers
when compared TO their present mag.
nlficent vehicles passed through tn,
various stages OF experimentation
llr Lockett's superior knowledge 81
the auto came INTO good play not
lonly for his own car. but also Mr.
rolleson's
For n time these gentlemen hell
the boards IN Amarillo. being coso
/. lute Lords % the overland auto situa
tion. During that time they did q
number OF excursions. II five and ter
mile spins coNld have been so called
T. They had numerous accidents. bit
these were repaired. and the vehicles
. kept in commission practically all n
G The time No lone distance stunt
J. we're attempted. and Il Is stated b,
] one who was fully ccgnizant Of tf'
@ actions o. the cars and their owners
Z that none OF them dared go further
e in day than could be walked In IN,
came day back 90 the town In cas-