The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-05-05
R|GHM0ND'S FIRST
AUTOMOBILE SALE
WAS DIR. STU ART Nc
CURE AND THE SALESMAN =
n. A. BLENNER
WONDERFUL INCREASE
FROM ONE MACHINE IN 1901. THE
NUMBER HAS INCREASED
no MANY HUNDRED At
THE PRESENT TINE.

Richmond has grown within the last
Gccc de from a big. osergro@n village
INTO great metropolitan city.
Ana with the growth of the city has
grown the citys Industries, its fads, ii
hobbies and Its business opportuni-
ties.
In he good old days OF the mule
cars, the canal boats The bicycle and
the gas lamp The people loved to
thinA ot---the greatness OF the past,
bur they are now thinking of the great
nces + the future and niakinb nc his
tory of the present NoIaSRards new
a dozen years ago thu-t.itS was full
- rIcecles Everyone Nifh two legs
roqe a wheel--men. women AID o"a-
5ren Then they took 20 The csec-
trir co., and now they take TO the ,.u-
fouoh Il.
such has been -the progress Of tl1e
times.
In 1900 there were f,c thousand
5-it.eal@4 In 4ia4 Fs4.-f4l.a- zt4a44+-5 ~ cry
dat. There were some horse cars
Eut tho hitter We're fudine quietly
ttteat The old trough nj Laurel Bud
Main stleets was among the things
III he last and the turny..ale 1t 1rWea-
t-- rintL md Main had Disappeared
~t;l bore. but he soon went With the
departed.
The electric lines opened up the city
to iuart tt.tffentA and to ADJ antages.
n bicycle gave way - the auto
mobile
Tive, e years ago there was not an
automobile in the city. John SHELTON
williams president OF the Traction
and the Seaboard Companies startled
the citizens one day by appearing on
Inc streets In handsome Kicker
Electric. which he had purchased
somewhere in the North, This ma
chin, carorted about the streets OF
the city for some tipe, before another
made tts appearance. People would
rgu squares to take a hook at the ma
chine o. which the Chlnaman said;
No rushee. no pullee; go Ike helloe."
Starts Auto Business.
About that titne-the time Of the
passing Of the horse cars. the bicycles
Inf the canal boats-H. x, Bienner. ono
IF the leading auto men In Richmond,
now conceived the idea of starting the
business OF selling autos. He realized
that 1t took lot OF morev for tn
those DAYS twelve hundred dollars for
Il machine. vas wh,ie lot OF mon ~,
ana when a machine was placed or
held no their hands In horror
THAT much money for a toyl My
goodness"
But Mr.. Blenncy rersevered, and at
ter plugging away Cor q year he man
AGED to sell & .anchfne to Or. Stuart
McGuire. That vas the first automo-
filc slld IN RiciTcrd. and II WAS IN
fa9t Since then Or. MCGUIRE Ia, own
GO sever cars vt various makes.
Nc thx..>n
common object in the streets ~ Rich
noud. and the city fathers bethought
that with such means OF locomotion.
which proved cheaper by those who
used then the horse team. the streets
might he made Smoother and better.
so with the Introduction here Of the
auto came the movement for smooth
and comfortable paveInents. .:
''itizcns may thank the people who
stroVe for several Yesrs To place the
auto before the people for the good
ravements and the good roads sur-
rounding Richmond.
.An4G4lE~ fha--lt i.sl,-~ GlsAr IT, purchasers
I We're f. j. Willis, Fred Jurgens and
Young Andrew Pizzini
For tVe Years the auto business Was
not u mint. The owner OF one was
! looked upon as q Croesus. who had
more money than brains, and the aver
age citiZen, spent his money In buying
/ gold mines uud brick houses rather
tiian automobiles,
hut after five or SIX years had dwin-
died away with less than hundred
machines I'm use In the city. the auto
mebll" business here. like everywhere
else ia the country became "A stable
Industry.
Ali In the Gs~s.
Everybody got In the game. IL was
found that carriages and buggies and
husses We're thin@s OF the stone are
and that with the rush OF modern
time. md ideas must come the means
81 QUICK, safe and clean transportation
Atltl traffic Sas ss.. ..as
2f!o price Of aut1aiof,iies Increased,
but so did the improvements and com
forts and safety appliances
man who bought machine ten
years ago at g stipulated price would
have To pay twice MS much five years
later but no got more than twice as
many improvement over the old ma
chine. and he WAS satisfied
FROM that one machine of Dir, Nc
G4ires of eleven years ago tha auto
mobile ownership In Richmond has
increased. until today there are 1s30
isssGnsiffs fssne(i ny tnyfss itftfhar IN the,
city or Rienmond.
me frst long trip taken from Rich
mond to a distant point was that 10
charlottesville on May 30. 1906 Just
few years age
IN the party were a number Of the
leading young spirits of the city and
the day.
1t was no joy ride simr,y social
run, with the view in mind OF seeing