Evening star., 1914-08-09
Cut "a, 600 Gears Daily.

Cut "a, 600 Gears Daily.
1t can safely be said that the concern
has manufactured parts for more than
100000 motor cars. Only a relatively
small proportion of the automobile trade
have any knowledge or understanding of
the size and capacity of the great Dodge
plant. Not even in the city of Detroit
is there any general appreciation of how
huge a thing the plant is, as neither the
company nor its product have been
brought into the limelight. The company
has cut on an average of $4,000 gears a
day. The plant employs about 5000 men,
but during the transitory period of the
past week the force has been running
about 100 while making preparations
for the production of their first car. By
fall the force will be increased to fully
5000 men.
| With well trimmed lawns and beauti-
fully arranged gardens and flower bor-
ders, the view of the plant from the front
is in itself a promise of the wonders to
be found inside the walls. At the left is
the main power house, bearing a towering
| smokestack. In the center of what is
really little park is the administrative
building, two stories high, containing the
main offices, while at the right Is the
gateinans lodge, guarding the entrance
for wheeled vehicles, where also the
workmen enter and leave. AS one promi-
nent resident of Detroit expressed It: 1T
takes efficient manufacturing to supply
parts like crankshafts, connecting rods.
| steering gears, transmissons, differen-
tals and axles to the manufacturer of al
most the lowest-priced in the world.
on which the manufacturer has made
millions. and to make millions yourself
| In selling those parts. md that is what
| John F. and Horace f. Dodge have done
| Conservatism in promise and aggres-
| siveness in performance constitute two of
the important elements in the policy gov
erning the business, the writer was told.
| The character of the plant and the char
| acter of the men who own and direct its
activities have been grasped as rich prom
| ises in themselves by those at all familiar
with the situation. so that the wide well
come to Dodge Bros. complete car
| manufacturers has been considered re-
| markable. ] made complete inspection
| of the entire plant. covering over ten
acres with a similar amount of floor
space. | was escorted through the big
| plant by T. $. p. Griffin, a Washington
| boy who graduated from Yale over a
year ago and started on the ground floor,
so bright is the outlook in the business.
| | was admitted to every department ex-
cept what is termed the mystery room
| In that room is a complete model OF the
car which is to be produced this fall.
| Representatives. | was told. are now scat
| tered throughout the country at vari-
\ Gus points closing UP territory. But these
: representatives are just now engaged in
|
| manufacturers-"Dodg Bros.
Few Know Secret
/ Outside of the engineers and officials
| of the company. what the car looks
! like. what the selling price of the car is
| TO be. wha; the specifications call for,
y, is like a problem in algebra The I'M
known quantity might easily be called
| * The only information which I Sc
| cured in this connection IS that the car
| will sell somewhere between 500 and
| 81 600. and that it is not the idea of the
| firm to compete against Henry Ford in
| the production of his car. A. l. Philip, the
general sales manager, formerly occupied
| the same position with the Studebaker
corporation. and is said to be one of the
| best posted men in the industry today.
He had his desk piled high with orders,
and is taking his time in picking the dis
tributers in the various parts of the coun-
| try over 5000 applications for agencies
| had been received up to the first of this
| month.
| Notes.
| Claude f. Miller. Charles f. Speaks and
Roy c. Mcdowell of Miller Bros auto
mobile and supply house We're visitors
here last week. visiting the new Ford
service station on Woodward avenue.
|
| =
| Ed &. Terry. who accompanied the
| writer to Detroit and Flint, Mich, where
! he inspected the Buick plant at the lat
| ter town, returned to Washington the
early part OF last week. Mr.. Terry is
| one of the pioneer motorists of the Ma
tional Capital, and is at present driving a
| Buick six
| i; x i:
| Capt. ]. T. Rose. formerly of Washing
| ton, is now located with the members Of
/ his family in this city.
| y i
"Wild Bill" There.
| T. Oliver Probey and ". D. Arrison of
the Probey Motor Company. after an ex-
| tended trip to kokomo. Indianapolis.
| Chicago and Jackson. spent several days
| in Detroit, visiting the various automo-
bile plants. incidentally wild BIZ Ar
rison, participated in an automobile acci-
dent Just before leaving Jackson, Mich.
While out in one of the Briscoe demon
| strating cars ell route from one plant to
| another. the driver of double team of