The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-02-01
Juice" OR "GAS"
FOR MOTOR TRUCK?
SHOW SEASON BRINGS OUT HIS
ToRIc DEBATE WITH RE-
DOUBLED FORCING REAL
COMPETITION 49, EACH TYPE
REALLY HAS ITS OWN SPHERE.
Gasoline or electricity?

Gasoline or electricity?
Revived at the national truck show
in New York, and destined to form
the livelist topic of talk at the similar
exhibition in Chicago, h old ques-
ton of commercial a power is
again with us. And the advocates Of
each type have an array of argument
which is often conflicting in its ma
ture and confusing to the man who is
looking for help in solving his own
trucking problem.
Organizations which market gaso-
line trucks urge the undisputed fact
that their product is superior to the
electric in speed. reserve power and
| simplicity of supply. The salesman
of electrics comes back with the state
ment that the type he markets is far
more flexible in dense traffic, can do
anything in the line of a days work
in house to house delivery on one
charge of Juice" and is simpler than
the gasoline truck in operation and re-
pair.
Sifted down to a basis Of common
sense, the hard-headed business man
usually analyses the various leading
arguments to indicate that there is
a very definite sphere for the gasoline
truck, and another, Just as clearly de-
fined for the electric. And, before he
4IldhSS Ills ClOlCSp lie DdChS up his
W Judgment by calling in some I'M
prejudiced expert to pass on the needs
of his individual problem.
Manufacturers like The Studebaker
corporation, who market both gaso-
line and electric trucks find that this
facility brings them into touch with
a far greater range of prospective
truck buyers. If such a manufactures
has at his command an array of ex-
perts with many years of experience
in the delivery problem generally,
the situation is still further simplifed
from the purchasers point of view.
The Studebakers have featured at
the big shows two new models which
were greatly admired. One of these
was the internal-geared three-ton
gasoline truck, designed by Albert f.
MATS; the other, the one ton, worm
drive electric, created by William
McGlashen, and embodying a number
of automatic features entirely new.
Displayed along with the standard
Studebaker electric types in general
use for years, and thanking the famous
Studebaker ,"20" delivery wagon, the
display possessed points of interest
from every angle and was noticeably
a rallying focus for the army of truck
engineers in attendance from all over
the country. .
An interesting feature of the show
week at New York was the "open
house" celebration at the garage of
Gimbel Bros. who operate one Of the
largest department stores in the coun-
cry, ana do their delivering by means
of seventy-seven ~Studebaker electric
trucks of the one-ton and three-ton
types. The building and its equip
ment have been pronounced models of
their kind and have been the subject
Of several papers before gatherings of
experts. Though the present installa-
ton has been in service for more than
two years, visitors were interested to
hear that through. the two weeks that
included the holiday rush Of 1912,
every n of the seventy-seven was in
almost continuous service day and
night, without an instance Of mechani-
cal failure. The representatives of
the firm in attendance also assured
visitors that the trucks are now, de-
spite their long. hard service, ap-
praised at So per cent of their pur-
chase price.
The Gimbels make no secret of their
belief that the Studebaker electrics
have solved their delivery problem TO
their complete satisfaction.