Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-06-29
FIRST HUDSON BUILT
STILL DOING SERVICE
IN POUGHKEEPSIE

What becomes of the aged automobile?
In the endeavor to answer that inter
esting question, a well-k known Detroit au-
tomobile authority made an investigation
among motorists.
In determining what becomes of the
old automobiles, the authority was I'M
able to find any of these cars which were
"scrapped." In several instances it was
discovered that old cars are being used
for pleasure on farms and are also being
employed in doing some of the farm work.
Some big beautiful cars of years ago are
doing service as delivery wagons, others
being used in livery service still others
are used only occasionally, while a few
had been stripped of bodies and converted
into power plants for pumping water and
general work Very few of the aged cars
of the infant days Of the automobile in
dustry have been lost to sight completely.
1t was found that with one make of
car, the Hudson, none had worn out and
motorists were successfully operating all
of them. Some cars. though they had
sold and resold several times, are still in
operation. But it was found that most of
the old automobiles are still running No
trace of an automobile Junk heap" was
found.
The inquiry brought out the interesting
fact that the first car created by Howard
e. Coffin for the Hudson Motor Company
car No. has run upwards of $4,000
miles and is still doing admirable service
in the hands of Joseph P. Davis, Pough-
keepsie, N. Y.
The car was originally sold in New York
city and up to the time of purchase by
Mr.. Davis, had changed hands a number
of times and Mr.. Davis has run car No
l over 5000 miles. Some old cars met
with accidents and were destroyed. some
were burned up in fires, some became
baggage wagons and taxicabs. Farmers
are buying some to haul produce to town
Another old car in Augusta, Ga. has
been driven by FIVE different owners and
the man who first purchased it bought it
back again after it had run thousands
Of miles Re still drives it and refuses
to allow it to get out of his hands again.
though it is one of the first Hudsons built
The first Hudson, which was driven on
the Pacific coast, is car No. 2, a car
which was turned out by the Hudson
factory the same day on which the auto
mobile owned by Mr.. Davis was built.
The car has been in the hands of a Sac
ramento, Cal, owner for four years.
For four years an FL Paso, Texas, wom-
an has driven an old Hudson and declares
that it is running as finely as the first
day it was built. This is also one of the
Hudsons that was built on the first day.
The first Hudson in Japan is still being
driven by an American physician in call
ing upon his patients.
AS consequence the investigators
found it impossible to determine the life
of the cars, for none had worn out.
An interesting fact in connection with
the very first car which MIR. Coffin built
before the Hudson company was organ
ized-is that it is being exhibited through
out the country. Though built a decade
ago the staunch little car is still in ex-
cellent running condition and when it re-
turns from its exhibit trip it is to be
placed on exhibition in Detroit
1t is an old-style curved dash car and
probably one of the most notable an
tiques of the automobile industry
Simplicity is largely accountable for a
cars long life Cars that are dustproof
because of inclosed motor and valve mech
anism usually live longest.
The astonishing point about the inves-
tigation was the apparent fact that no
Junk heap" could be found as is the case
with practically every other form of ma
chinery.