El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-01-03
A Motor Car Propelled by
Springs 800 Years Ago;
Steam Carin1748.
u,frER DE-. WHITEsIDE.

IF motor car industry was but a
vision in the 18th century and
4 if was years later before this
vision began to be realized and the in
dus+rv as if stands today is practically
an the deveIOpment of the last quarter
of a century.
automobile industry and so common has
become the car, that one is inclined to
forpet what wonderful strides have
been made along the lines Of horseless
vehicles and what part, in this worlds
great industry, the mechanical and
business minds have played in the steps
sible that the first automobile factory
in the United States was started p
wears AGO nevertheless this was fact
In 1892 the first American factory was
established by J. FRANK Duryea, at
SDringfield. Mass, and in that and the
s17ccpedinp wear produced 10 motor
cars. Since that time motor car bust
ness has forged ahead by leaps and
bounds until today there are over 500
factories with an estimated yearly out
nut of $50 600 cars. This certainly is
fuIfIIment of the prophecies of Roger
Bacon. made in the 18th century, that
steamships. horseless carriages and
f1ving machines would soon be COM
mon.
The first experiments with hOrseleSS
carriages that met with any degree of
success, were made in the 18th century.
Johann Haustach of Nuremberg con-
structed a carriage propelled by springs
al This early date There was no steer
ing device attached to the mechanism,
but the car would travel in straight
line when wound up
During the same period, vehicles 70
which were attached sails, were used
in Holland These would run only on
level ground. In 1916 another spring
driven carriage termed in the patent
paper as a cart without horses, was
natented in England, and in 1914 a
French patent was issued to one Jean
Theson on a fOur-wheel carriage pro-
pelled by fOot-pOwer, on the same prln-
chile as was later used on the bicycle.
In 1748 a carriage, propelled by
clockwork was exhibited before Louis
I XIV of France.
steam as Motive Power.
Several others experimental along
/ the spring drive line up TO the year
| 1906 but with little success. 1t had
] been discovered tnat steam c0uI 'l- pe
I used as a motive power and clock work
| devices were discarded in favor of the
/ new found power
Steam was first used in road car
| rage in PelCin China. in the year 1880
History credits Father Verbiest, mis-
I sionary, with achieving this feat This
! was followed in 1880 by Sir Isaac
: Newton's steam carriage.
Various experiments followed New
/ tons carriage, but as peculiar com
| cidence development was carried on IN
! France In 1869 Nicholas Cugnot
! backed by the French government tanc
! here it may be said that the trencf
| government never failed to 1urnlsn
| capital for the advancement or 9
| meritorious inventiOn,) constructed
| steam gun carriage
This was a three-wheel cOntrivanet
( equipped with two-eylinder engine
| that carried two and one-half tons anC
] Travelled three miles per hour. Inc
] French revolution put stop to further
| development along this line
Watts Patent.
I In 1884, James Watt patented an IN
ventiOn for driving carriages by steam
but did nothing toward building or ex'
lust prior to this in 1871. William
Murdoch, a pupil of Watt, had built
/ steam carriage, and it is supposed the
patent was taken out on this vehicle
In 1881 oliver Evans, Of Maryland
invented a steam road wagon anC
Nathaniel Reed, in 1890, at Pecouslc
Mass, constructed a combined roa'
wagon and boat, carrying on his expert
/ mental work on the banks OF the Con
necticut Evans and Reed were tn
/ first ones to really build steam car
I liages in this country that would sue
/ cessfully propel themselves under thel
own power. Reeds wagon was NJ
! doubt. developed from an endeavor t
successfully navigate the Connecticut
and, since a power was devised tina
would operate paddle wheels the at
! temDt was made to harness them to tn
/ road wheels of the ordinary wagon
Although these early experiment
! were not carried on in the heart o
Springfield. the desire to have trans
portation facilities both on the waite
/ and land, no doubt gave Reed and HI
associates the strong incentive TO per
feet a combined wagon and boat.
The Crankshaft Drive.
The first team carriage in which tn