Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-02-21
BY WALTER H. wHITEsIDE.
president stevens-Duryea Co.

president stevens-Durye Co.
~ HE motorcar industry was but
vision in the seventeenth century
and II was years later before thla
nsion began to be realized. and tnt
Industry as 1t stands today is prac-
gcally all the development Of the last
iuarter OF a century
So swift has been the growth Of the
automobile industry. and so common
lae become the car. that one is in
lined to forget what wonderful strides
ave been made along the lines OF
lorseless vehicles, and what part in
mis- worlds great industry the me-
hapical and business minds nave
llayed in the steps of development.
hardly seems possible that the hrsJ
automobile factory in the United
ltates was started twenty-five years
60: neverthe. less this was fact. In
se2 the first American factory was
Established by J. Frank Duryea, at
1 lpringfieid, Mass, and in that ana the
ncceeding year produced hfteen mo-
nTcars Since that time motorcar
BUSINESS has forged anead by leaps
md bounds until today there are over
NJ factories Will al EGLAAAAtAINA $50 -
hItuut of 350, 900 cars. This certainly
a fulfillment of the prophecies OF
soger Bacon, made in the thirteenth
Antury, that steamships, horseless
Rrriages and flying machines would
bun be common.
The first experiments with horseless
arriages that met with any degree OF
uccess were made in the seventeenth
hritury. Johann Haustach, of Nurem-
eIg, constructed . carriage propelled
" springs at this early date. There
gas no steering device attached to
he mechanism, but the car would
ravel in straight line when
round up.
bur ng the same period, vehicles,
D which were attached sails, were
lsed in Holland. These would run
my on level ground. In 16lS an
ther spr ng- driven carriage termed
a the patent paper as cart with
ut horses" was patented IN Eng
and, and in 1914 French patent was
ssled to one Jean Theson on a four
gheel carriage propelled by foot-pow-
l.. ON the same principle as was later
ssed on the bicycle.
In 174S a carr age, propelled py
Aockwork was exhibited before Louis
w. of France.
Several others experimental along
ne spring drive line up to the year
300, but with little success. 1t had
cen discovered that steam could
% used as a motive power and clock
FORK devices were discarded in favor
I the new found power.
Steam was first used in road car
snge in Pekin. China, in the year
$40. History credits Father Verdi
1t. a missionary. with achieving
ais feat. This was followed in 16S
n Sir Isaac Newton's steam carriage
Various EXPERIMENTS followed New
ems carr age. but as a peculiar CON
doence, DEVELOPMENT was carried on
4 France. In 1859 Nicholas Cugnor
Acked by the French government
INSTRUCTED a steam gun-carria"e
This was a three-whe | continuance
auipped with q two-cylinder engine
hat carried two and one-half tons
md Travelled three m les per hour.
Pie French reyo' ution put a stop to
hrther development along this line.
In 1854 James Watt patented an in
ention for driving carriages by
Aeam, but did nothing toward build
sg or experimenting,
Just prior to this. in 1871, William
pDTuDCh, u pup'I VI w dllt lAct1 buiit
j steam carriage, and IL Is supposed
b. patent was taken out on this We
sicie.
In 1887 Oliver Evans, of Maryland.
svented a steam road wagon and
fathaniel Reed. in 1890, at Pecousic,
lass, constructed a combined road
wagon and boat, carrying on his ex-
ierimentai work on the banks of the
connecticut. Evans and Reed were
he first ones to really build steam
nrriages In this country that would
successfully propel themselves under
heir own power. Reeds wagon was,
70 doubt, developed from an en-
ieavor to successfully navigate the
Connecticut, and, since a power was
revised that would operate paddle
Fheels the attempt was made to har-
less them to the road wheels Of the
ordinary wagon.
Although these cary experiments
vere not carried on In the heart of
springfie'd. the desire to have trars-
sortation faci'ti both on the water
md land no doubt gave Reed and hi
associates the strong incentive to
lerfect combined wagon and boat.
The first steam carr'a age In which
ne erankshaft was geared to the