The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-04-30
ELECTRIC TRUCKS
FOR THE FUTURE
Advantages of This Type Are
Numerous and Many Are
Used Over Country.

trio automobile is a problem of such
wide dimensions that 1t is difficult to
attempt to treat of it in a single arti-
Gle. The advantages of the CONNER
cial electric are we'll known to those
advantage Is the fact that they are not
apt to be put out of action on account
of the weather
During the severe Chicago blizzard
OF Feb. Fl, when the snow was falling
heavily and the wind was blowing fiji
~ miles an hour, electric omnibuses
and delivery wagons used in the bust
ness part of the city We're in no way
affected by the weather, while hun.
dreds of gasoline automobiles and
trucks were overwhelmed by the high
winds and deep snowdrifts and were
left abandoned
During the two weeks between
Feb. and Feb. 20, when the snow was
heavier on the streets of Indianapolis
than 1t has been for number of years
a Waverly one-ton electric truck in
the service of the Hibben-Hollweg Co.,
wholesale dry goods merchants Of this
city, made $50 miles in fifteen days, or
an average of 81 miles daily, at the
total cost for current of $7.65.
Example of Cost
The mileage of the Vonnegut Hard
ware Company's truck for a period of
twenty-eight working days was 1863
miles, or an average of 800 miles per
day, with cost for current of $10.66.
These are average performances of
electric cars under the varying condi-
ton of the weather and may be dupli-
Gated in any part Of the country where
electrics are used
1t is a well-known fact that the cleo
trio was the first successful motor We
hicle used for transporting merchan-
disc, but it is not so well known that
during the last ten or twelve years
the development of the electric vehi-
Gle has been going on at a steady
and rapid pace. Skilled electrical and
mechanical engineers have been work
ing at all the problems connected
with electric transportation.
Especially have there been i'm
provements in the electric storage bat
teries, which are now SO far developed
that an electric vehicle seldom gets
into trouble on account of the battery.
The few simple rules for charging and
care Of the battery enable any driver
of ordinary intelligence to care for his
own battery at the place of storing his
electric. Motor troubles are almost
unknown in electric machines today
and the controller Is so simple and eff
fective that even a child may operate
1t with perfect ease and safety
It does not follow from this that the
electric vehicle is adapted to all pur-
poses of transportation in cities,
towns and villages. There are many
cases where the selling engineer will
frankly inform the customer that for
his purpose an electric vehicle is not
the most suitable or the most econom-
ical.
Electrics are not sold, as a rule, for
long, straight-away hauls with heavy
loads and with few stops. In the ma
jority of such cases the gasoline truck
Is better adapted to the field.
Short and Medium Run.
The peculiar field of the electric is
the short and medium run that has
many stops. Whenever a competent
engineer recommends the use Of an
electric vehicle 1t is safe to say that
the economy of that vehicle is greater
than that of any other means of haul
age. Few people realize the many and
varied uses to which an electric vehi.
Gle may be put.
In the ordinary business Of hauling
and delivering castings, it is custom
airy to apply the electric power direct
1y to the hosting of the castings OF
safes to the upper floors of large build
ings. This can be done without the
tedious delay of operating hand wind
lass, and adds greatly to the speed Of
making such deliveries.
The United States government has
in use upward of seventy-five electric
trucks. In municipal service, motor
trucks are used very largely. The city
OF Boston operates sixty-two different
cars, of which twenty-five are In the
department of public service, two are
used by bridge and ferry officials, five
are used in the paving service, three
are used in the street cleaning de
partment, three in the sewer service
one of which is an old type Waverly
seven are used in the water depart
ment. 1t Is understood that the Bos
ton Developing and Sanitary Company
are about to install motor cars fol
transferring garbage from the receiv
ing stations to the wharves. The fire
and police departments use twelve
motor cars between them, while al
the hospitals are supplied with motor
ambulances. Other departments O.
Boston that use motor cars are the
bath department, public ground de-
partment, schoolhouse department ant
the wire department. Often these car:
are transferred from one department
to another and in this way larg,
part of the service OF modern city il
performed by motor cars
Coal and Ash Car.
A novel use of the electric vehicl,
in Boston is coal and ash car. TIL,
Quincy Market Cold Storage an,
Warehouse Company have two five
ton electric trucks now in use in de
livering coal and hauling ashes. The,
oil Shnuyiuc~ a,arc