The Washington herald., 1913-02-03
juice OR GAS
MOTOR TRUCKS?
Show Season Brings Out His
toric Debate with Re-
doubled Force.
NO REAL COMPETITION
Each Type Really Has Its Own Sphere
on Which Others Cannot
Encroach.
NO REAL COMPETITION
Gasoline or electricity?

Gasoline or electricity?
Revived at the national truck show in
New York. and destined to form the live
nest topic of talk at the similar exhibi-
tiop in Chicago, the old question of COM
mercial car power is again with US And
the advocates of each type have an ar
ray of argument which is often conflict
ing in its nature and confusing to the
man who is looking for help in solving
his own trucking problem.
Organizations which market gasoline
trucks urge the undisputed fact that
their product is superior to the electric
in speed, reserve power. and simplicity
OF supply. The salesman of eIectrics
comes back with the statement 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 repair.
Sifted down to a basis of common
sense, the hard-headed business man
usually analyzes the various leading ar
gumentS, to indicate that there is n very
definite sphere for the gasoline truck and
another, just as clearly defined, for the
electric. And, before he makes his
choice, he backs up his own Judgment
by calling in some unprejudiced expert
TO pass on the needs of his individual
problem.
Manufacturers like the Studebaker Cor
poratiOn, who market both galosine and
electric trucks, find that this facility
brings them into touch with far greater
range of prospective truck buyers. II
such a manufacturer has at his command
an array OF experts with many years OF
experience in the delivery problem gen.
orally, the situation is still further SIM
plified 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. Mais: the other.
the One-ton wOrm-driven electric, ere
ated by William McGlashen and embody-
ing a number of automatic features en-
tirely new. Displayed along with the
standard Studebaker electric types in
general use for years and flanking the
famous StUdebaker '.20'' delivery wagon.
the display possessed points of interest
from every angle and was nOticeably
raIIying focus for the army of truck en-
gineers 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 Glmbel Bros,
who operate one of the largest department
stores in the country, and 90 tneN &c
livering by means of scycnty-seVen stu
debakcr electric trucks Of the one-ton
and thrce-tOn types. The building and its
equipment have been pronounced models
of their kind and have been the subject of
several papers before gatherings of eX-
perts Though the present installation
has been in service for more than two
years, visitors were interested TO hear
that through the two weeks that includ-
Cd the holiday rush of 1872 every one of
the seventy-seven was in almost continu-
Gus service day and night, without an in
stance Of mechanical failure. The rep
Iesentative of the firm in attendance also
assured visitors that the trucks are now.
despite their long, hard service, appraised
al q per cent of their purchase price.
The Gimbcls made no secret Of their
belief that the Studcbaker clectrics have
solved their delivery problem TO their
complete satisfaction.