The Washington herald., 1914-03-01

rope through experiments with gasoline
as a means of locomotion in place oi
the horse. These reports gradually
found their way to Kokomo and sci
the Apperson Brothers thinking. as II
yNas only the beginning Of the dream
which had long been leading Elmer
Apperson along the path he had chosen
to follow. Then came a day in the
mellow, hazy Indian summer of October,
the year 1885, when one of theN few
financially independent men OF Kokomo
as il was then, dropped into the Apper-
son workshop. Those who happened to
be present say that conversation
something like this was heard:
Say. Elmer said the man oi
finance, have you been reading about
the progress being made with what they
call the horseless carriage over on the
other side?''
YES" answered Elmer Apperson,
resting a moment from the work he
lad in hand. "and do you know we
will live to see the day when the self
propelled vehicle will supplant the
horse, not only for pleasure, but also
for business?"
well. why don't you and Edgar get
busy and build one of these mechanical
wagons? You certainly can do it."
why? Simply because we do not hap
pen to have a superabundance Of
finances"
well, then. why don't you let me en-
ploy you to so ahead with the building
of machine Of this type according to
your ideas?"
. A Rough sketch; Its Sequel
Thinking for a minute. Elmer Apper-
son replied: I'VE will be willing to do
that. and IL you have a minute I can
show you right here what we will be
able to do" And. taking an envelope
from his pocket, Elmer Apperson pro-
ceeded to diagram roughly upon the
back of it his idea OF how a motor-car
could be successfully built. As the pencil
left line after line behind ii and the
machine gradually assumed form. the
interest of the man Of finance awak-
ened until it amounted to an enthusiasm
which resulted in his making an offer TO
back the Apperson Brothers for the ma
terial of their first car.
Consequently Elmer Apperson reduced
his rough sketch to working drawings
and the necessary material was ordered
in. Night and day the three worked on
their new steed. No one Will ever know
the troubles. the worries, the nights
when sleep was not 10 DC tnougnt OF
through which this American automo-
bile triumvirate passed. But always the
directing genius of the man who had
been the leader among his playmates in
his youth showed them the way through
the valley to the heights beyond. The
result was that one day the natives of
the uItraconservative little Hoosier viii
lage were startled by seeing an appari-
ton run out of the Apperson brothers
shop, the like OF which had never been
seen before. 1t was a fourxwheeled
rather high-seated buggy, with a gaso-
line engine TO send it over the road
rather than a hcrse to pull IL.
The success of this car was so great
that it attracted the world to the little
town of Kokomo, and the man Of finance
-Elwood Haynes by name-went
into a partnership with the Apperson
brothers to build motor-cars. OF course.
many improvements had to be made
upon this first car. so that the first sale
lid not come until the spring of 1897. !
Then they followed in such rapid sue
,ession that the Haynes-Apperson Au-
.omobile Company. with Elmer Apper-
SON as the directing genius, was organ
zed in 1898.