New-York tribune., 1912-01-18
AUTO TRUCKS DRAW WELL
New Models at Garden Interest
Hundreds of Business Men.
REPEAT ORDERS ARE MANY
II Is Predicted That This Year S
Sales Will Far Exceed ANY
Previous Record.


~ Madison Square Garden was proven
a. -, ~, ,be fact that the attendance
49,. ,ho roorning and evening sessions
W. -, greater than 1t was for any day
,,,,,or truck show Of last year. From
81 ,tr,e the doors were opened at 10 O'CLOCK
o. Tho morning until the closing hour last
Tirb, the Garden was filled with spectators
Mating careful examinations OF the many
gaso,ene and electric commercial cars that
ore on display this week. The feature OIL
the attendance that pleases the exhibitors
,,ost ,s that very few of the visitors are
mere sightseers.
Harry 8. Houpt, manager OF the Alco
sales Of the American Locomotive Conn
nanv declared that business men nave
taken q far greater interest In the truck
show this year than in any previous eN-
hbit. NJ
This is not surprising either" said MI
uoupt. at has been recognized that the
motor truck has come into its own WIN
the lending men in every line of business
discarding the horse method OF hahulils
traffic. There is a surprising numoer VI
TRANSFORMATION men at this show-men VINO
have been sent a long way to select UucAs
for the companies they represent-or' az
least, to make a report on their prefer
ence.
"since the show opened we have collected
a list of close TO three hundred names OF
men who expressed more than casual inter
est I'm our product. The names given are OF
men who have come from all parts OF the
country. and some Of them beyond the
American borders This show is doing
lot toward realizing the prediction made
that the number Of motor trucks TO be sofa
during 1912 will be as great as the totai
number now in use"
Repeat orders for motor trucks were
taken yesterday by a number of the eN-
hbitOrs, and numerous sales 10 concerns
who never have had motor trucks IN their
delivery systems were recorded. One OF
the largest sales made yesterday was a
repeat order for ten Alco 3R-ton trucks
placed by the Long Island Express Com
pany.
A large percentage Of purchases that are
being made are by business establishments
that have used from one to five or even
more machines for varying periods to de-
termine their suitability for the service ana
the cost of operating them. These points
having been satisfactorily settled, the users
are now in a position to convert their
whole equipment into power vehicles. IL Is
70 such concerns that a large proportion
OF the sales wilr be made in 1872. Even
now the repeat orders from former pur-
chssers of certain makes Of motor trucks
constitute 30 per cent or more OF the new
business of the manufacturers.
Neyer before has there been gathered
under one roof such a splendid array OF
business vehicles as is now seen at the
Garden. There is nothing freakish or i'm
practIcai in the machines shown, and the
buver can make his selection of a vehicle
with a confident feeling that he Is getting
developed and proven product. The
range of choice is such that the buyer can
find practically anything needed for his
purposes.
Evidence OF the simplicity with which
heavy loads OF coal. sand, cracked stone
and other material may be unloaded IS
furnished at the Sampson exhibit, where
q midget operates fve-ton dumping body
by the simple movement of a lever on the
dash Attired I'm a green uniform and high
hat. this dimlnutive demonstrator, perched
upon the high seat OF the truck, attracts
great deal of attention. He controls the
dumping body by compressed air, merely
manipulating an air valve to set the BODY
I'm motion The truck has an air COM
pressor fitted to the power plant. which
forces air into a storage tank This is
- released by the valve on the dash, and IT
enters a raising cylinder whose plunger is
attached TO the front end of the body.
Announcement was made at the Madison
Square Garden Commercial Vehicle Show
yesterday ny several OF the heads of the
New York Fire Department who visited
the display that the New York Fire De-
partment has tried out with considerable
success new self-starting device. Sew
eral Of the high pressure Webb engines
have been equipped with the Disco self
starter, and the equipment is proving high
~ efficient. 1t is not special apparatus, but
the same aoetylene gas system that is built
for touring car models.
The chief trouble the department has had
in the past with its self-propelled vehicles
as far as efficiency was concerned was the
difficulty in starting the motor at times.
Upon certain occasions several minutes
have been lost in getting machines under
way, when the very nature Of their bust
ness requires that they should get off to a
fire as quickly as possible after the alarm
sounds
Regular records are kept Of the Discos
operation, the motors being given test
starts regularly on the hours Of s, IL,
and o'clock day and night. Reports of
these are made TO headquarters, and there
have been practically no misfires recorded,
the starter working properly each time.
save in cases of novices operating. In
more ways than one the device Is proving
a boon 10 the department, for during the
last year one fireman has had his arm
broken by a crank and another has had his
Jaw so badly injured owing to a backfre
when cranking that he had TO have por-
tion of the jawbone removed and a silver
plate substituted.
Two Canadian automobile dealers who
are in attendance at the motor truck show
In Madison Square Garden are preparing
for a challenge reliability contest Of sort
that is seldom attempted in this country.
Each has put up wager OF $500 with a
bank in Montreal, and I'm few days each
man will alternate in game Of follow
me UP and down and around" Mount Royal
the hill near Montreal. which is famous
for its tobogganing
The dealers are Frank Stockwell, agent
of the Maxwell automobile. and p A. b.
Robert agent of the Jackson. The latter
recently issued challenge in a Montreal
newspaper defying any dealer Of any car
TO meet him I'm a knockdown, dragout run
which should be continued until one car
could run no longer. When the two dealers
met at the New York show Stockwell noti-
fed Robert that he had accepted the chal-
lenge and forwarded his money to the
bank that was specified. Under the agree
inent each dealer will be permitted 10 use