davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-29

of the most vital things which the in
dustry is concerned with to-day, the
demountable rim.
"There are many patented devices
and accessories which are more or less
optional with manufacturers, but the
demountable rim is a practical neces-
sity for every car and so far there has
been no substitute for it.
"The Perlman case is unique in many
respects. In the first place, 1t was
fight Of an individual against 'nnumer-
able obstacles which were thrown in
the way by powerful interests. Since
Mr.. Perlman's patents were issued the
demountable rim business has grown
perhaps in greater proportion than any
other part of the automobile industry.
"To those who have followed auto
mobile patent litigation the Perlman
case is interesting on account of the
fact that the inventor has been able to
obtain a decision within two years and
a half after the issuance of his patent
and in less than two years after the
bringing of a suit for infringement
"All the elements of Mr.. Perlmans
claim have been we'll known to manu-
facturers of rims and complete vehicles
because of the length of his contest IN
the Patent Office His fight, IN fact,
was largely within the Patent once.
Two Commissioners of Patents passed
upon his claims and during their ad-
ministrations his case was before
every departmental tribunal several
times, and was once reviewed by the
Court of Appeals of the District OF
Columbia. All of his essential claims
were finally allowed, and it was the
excellent foundation which he laid
within the department before he
brought his infringement suits that
enabled him to 60 into court with
perfect assurance of victory.
ave have had many patent sulIs III
the history of the American automobile
industry. Some have involved millions
of dollars and for a time threatened
various large interests. The Garfield
shark plug case was important in the
sense that every car is compelled to
employ spark slugs, just as it is neces-
sary to use demountable rims on every
type of automobile manufactured to-
day.
Garfield was an American engineer,
who lived at Manistee, Mich. He did a
great deal of original experimental work
in the early period ofthe automobile in
dustry, but, as subsequently developed.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-29
The Horseless Street

st. Louis Missouri, is seriously considering an
ordinance which will remove all horse drawn We
hicles from one of its main streets This rather
radical move is considered from an experimental
standpoint and the result will doubtless be watched
by all large municipalities.
great many students Of the traffic conditions
in New York have said from time to time that 1t
will be soon necessary to adopt such an ordinance
in Manhattan. 1t has been suggested that the city
authorities give notice that such an ordinance will
go into effect at date two or three years hence.
1t would be manifestly unjust to owners Of
horse drawn vehicles to suddenly establish such
regulation.
New York City is and has been for some time
in a hopeless traffic tangle, and while numerous
committees are working upon the subject none OF
them seems to make any Roadway. Those who
have criticised what has not been done say there
are too many fingers in the RE and that the Mayor
should appoint small committee with power to
act, or at least with power to make recommends
tions which would be acted upon by the Board Of
Aldermen.
Most of the committees which pretend TO be en-
gagged in solving the New York traffic problem arc
largely interested in obtaining publicity for their
members. While publicity is good in an educa-
tional way, il is not nearly effective as the
doing of one definite thing in the right direction.
As the situation stands now, of the sew
cral committees has any power and they are so
widely separated to what should be done, that
the Mayor, when he hears the different sugges-
tons is more perpexed than if he tackled the sub
iect alone and solved it according to his own best
Judgment.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-29

committee will make a general recommendation
that will permit the use of various lamps and
searchlights which do not project their rays to
greater height than four feet along level ground
nor more than ten feet in front of the moving
vehicle
The committee does not believe that this regu-
lation will nhict any hardship upon resident or
visiting motorists. The committees recommended
ton has been forwarded to the Highway Commits
sion, but will probably not so into effect until
the fall.
Headlight glare is a matter which is receiving
serious consideration in many states. Wholesale
arrests are taking place in the Middle West and
the authorities in New Jersey particularly
active.
The nuisance has no. been abated to any
tent in New York Westchester on Long Island,
ard it is extremely difficult to drive at night in
these districts with any safety.
The post roads to Albany and Boston filled
with glazing headlights at night and the authori-
ties are apparently making attempt to put
stop to the dangerous practice. Even in Central
Park and along Riverside Drive the police do not
pay any attention to headlight glare
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-29

~ VERY now the automobile industry OF its allied
branches judicial which tends change the com
plexon of things. Now a decision the Peman de-
mounabe United District Court which carries
for infringement against the Standard Wdng
that has been manufacturing ooo
rims daily according its advertisements.
company supplies rims for nearly half hundred car manu-
facturers, including the largest in the country.
H York and OF the early
automobile Broadway suddenly into public view
not king call him. but the dictator OF
the demountsbe His victory carries with hne lesson IN per
st.ne and if holds good through higher which his
opponents undoubtedly the should prove lasting
hundreds of inventors who have been tor years hgh
ing for their rights which the motor
dustry.
Judge c. Hunt Perman and who has just
handed his decision
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-29
Bad Roads, Bad Business.

1t is no longer a question with the farmer or
the landowner in the country as to whether ne
shall vote for a bond issue an increase In taxes
in order to keep in repair the roads in his COM
munity. AS an evidence of this, let US take the
case of the miserable short stretch of road which
lies between Keyport and Perth Amboy, on the
direct line between New York and prominent New
Jersey coast resorts.
This section of few miles Of road has become
notorious than any other stretch of road OF
equal length in the United States Every visiting
motorist from distant states who travels between
New York and South Jersey resorts may forget
every attractive spot the trip, but he can never
forget this piece of miserable road. Ii has for
years been disgrace to New Jersey.
Even the hotel keepers of the South Jersey. re-
sorts did not realize until this year what disas-
trous effect the condition of this road was having
upon their business.
New England has had more tourists business
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-29

further litigation, the Manufacturers
Association purchased the Dyer patents
and, as in the case of the Garfield pat
ents, issued stop rights. In the course
of ten years Mr.. Dyer realized large
sum and has long since resumed his
practice Of law in New York. His claim
was in the application of a series Of
gears which employed the direct drive
on one speed and the placing Of the
transmission in line with the engine,
clutch and driving wheels.
Another famous patent case was
that Of the Klaxon Horn. The Lowell
Mcconnell Company, of Newark, y. j.,
manufactured horn under the patents
of DR.. Hutchinson, who is associated
with Thomas Edison. In this fight the
patent rights were largely obscured by
the marketing considerations, which
practically controlled the production Of
horns of this type for number of
years and dictated terms to dealers
and purchasers. During the last two
years the manufacturers who were
operating independently of the Klaxon
company have gained numerous decis-
ions in the courts and destroyed the
monopoly which was maintained for
long period
"Shock absorber patents have also
occupied the attention of the courts
for a number of years, and large sums
of money have been spent in litigation.
zone of the best protected commodi-
ties in the industry to-day is the Weed
Non-Skid Chain. Scores of inven-
tors have worked for years upon the
problem of providing a non-skid device
which can be attached to a tire and
quickly detached A review of these
efforts shows the surprising fact that
nearly every inyentor-at least in the
first stages of this work-wss pos
sessed with the idea that his non-skid
device, whatever it might be, must be
of fixed nature and not OF a creeping
type, such as was employed by Harry
Parsons, the English engineer, who in
1903 invented the Weed Chain. 1t is
said that Mr.. Parsons, who was one of
the original motorists of England, con-
ceived the idea of the non-skid chain
while driving on a slippery road in
England He found that in order to get
traction it was necessary for him 10
sprinkle gravel under his driving
wheels. This developed in his mind the
necessity for a non-skid device which
would not be permanent on the wheel
and which would shift slightly as the
wheel revolved in order TO prevent
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-29
GASOLINE GOSSl

dustry thinks that the trade is still employing
very extravagant business methods and that there
must soon come day of reckoning on expenses
and balancing of books which will not be favor
able to a number of houses.
Mr. Roche says, for example, that great deal
of the factory expansion which is going on now is
without due consideration of what the morrow may
bring forth He deprecates the extravaganza of
shipping automobiles by express, and holds that
this rush to make deliveries would not be necessary
had the manufacturers prepared themselves for
early deliveries through ordinary freight shipment.
Mr.. Roche says great deal of money is being
spent uselessly by executives of factories, who are
rushing around the country in effort to hurry up
parts makers and contractors whose goods enter
into the 1915 cars
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-29

his spark plug invention proved to De
of more commercial value than any
thing else he accomplished. He was
quite a young man before he began
experimenting, and died in 1900, long
before the manufacture of spark plugs
had grown into an industry within IT
self. His claim, in brief, was based
on air gap between the insulation and
the she'll. The form of plug was even
tually adopted by all spark plug manu-
facturers, and after the death of the
young inventor his heirs put forward
claims for the protection OF their
rights. They threatened suit and 1t
wa. at this time | was called upon as
a representative of the Manufacturers
Association to visit the Garfield heirs
in Ann Arbor, Mich, and pass upon the
merits OF their claims.
81 saw there was a chance OF these
claims being sustained and | recon-
mended that the association purchase
the Garfield patents outright and issue
shop rights to manufacturers. Before
the heirs of Garfield began any suits
the association purchased the patents,
and within a short time sold them to
A. r. Mosler, q spark plug manufactur-
err. Mr.. Mosler undertook to protect
them and extensive litigation was be-
gun. The early decisions were not
favorable to the Garfield patents, and
after Mr.. Mosler had spent small
fortune in protecting his property he
decided to abandon any further fight.
His attorney, William A. Redding, had
faith in the validity of the claims, and
eventually prevailed upon Mr.. Mosler
to allow him to continue the litigation
on a new agreement, which did not
involve any further expenditure on Mr..
Mosler's part. After several years of
continuous fighting, the Garfield claims
were fully established in the higher
courts, with a sweeping decision, which
returned to Mr.. Mosier ample reward.
another famous patent case which
threatened to shock the very founda-
ton Of the automobile industry, was
based on the claims Of George B. Sell
den. Of Rochester, N. Y. Mr.. Selden,
who still resides in Rochester, and who
is, by profession, lawyer, filed pat
ents in 1879 on a gas engine, fitted
with mechanical transmission and a
clutch. After long fight in the Patent
Office. his claims were granted in 1879.
"I was, at that time, residing IN
Hartford, Conn.,, and was associated
with the Pope Bicycle Company. In
March, 1899, William C. Whitney, who
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-29

matter which interests the tire and
rim makers, rather than the car
manufacturers, but point out that the
patent. if sustained, would affect
practically all the tire and rim manu-
facturers; therefore, they suggest
that the tire and rim manufacturers
get together and fight this patent,
and request that we ascertain your
attitude in the matter.
In compliance with this request,
we are sending copies Of this letter
to all the tire and rim manufacturers.
As Perlman's date goes back to the
middle of 1906 and his claims are
very broad on their face, this mat
ter is worthy of your prompt and
serious attention. We would like
to have you give US your view as to
the probable course your company
would be willing to pursue in the
premises. Very truly yours,
Automobile Chamber of Commerce,
Inc, (SigneO Robert A. Branigan,
Manager Patent Department.
Next called upon Hermann F. Cuntz,
of East Forty-second Street, who has
had more to do with automobile patent
litigation than any man in the industry
and who is familiar with all the hooks
and corners Of both past and pending
cases. He had already been carefully
over Judge Hunts decision.
asked him to tell me what he, as
an expert in these matters, thought of
the Perlman case, and incidentally to
tell me some of the interesting history
of the many patent cases in which he
has figured.
"The decision in the Louis n. PERL
man demountable rim patent case" he
said, "is probably one of the most i'm
portant ever rendered since the begin
ming Of patent litigation in the auto
mobile industry.
There is only one other case pend
ing which would have the same bearing
upon the industry at large. That is
the so-called Kardo patent case, which
is, in brief, contest between the man
ufacturers of vehicles and the manu-
facturers Of axles. The first step tow
ard settling the claim of the vehicle
manufacturers was thwarted when .he
courts decided that the claimants could
not bring suit in the State of Michigan
because it was shown the directors
were not stockholders in the Kardo
company.
"The Perlman decision reaches one
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-29
Famous Motor Patent Litigation in the History the Automobile Industry

constant wear in one place on the ,p,.
face Of the tire. Every inventor OF ii,
time seems to have overlooked the in.
portance of having shifting device
and as it strangely happens nearly
every court in the world has passed
upon the validity CT this neeesav
feature in the Parsons chain. In Amer.
lea the case has been before twenty.
four courts, six of them Circuit Court,
and altogether the American selir,
company has prosecuted more thai
fifty suits for infringement.
"Only recently the highest eour, q
Germany upheld the Parsons pasna
despite the fact that they were Enf
lish and at the time Of the decisio,
Germany and England were in bite,
conflict.
This non-skid device has slwsy
been known in America as the Wei
Chain. About year after il was pat
ented the proprietors Of chain msns
featuring concern in Bridgeport wen
travelling in Europe and obtained ta
American rights to manufacture All
sell this chain.
Fully half hundred stock cor
panies have been formed in this eog,
try for the manufacture Of similar d.
vices, but they have been gradually n
tired through injunctions granted b
the Weed Chain Tire Grip Company.
"The Ray Harroun Bumper patents
have been sustained by the courts, and
this we'll known racing driver is said
to have derived handsome benefits fro.
his original work.
zone of the last cases TO come befou
the courts was brought by the owner
of the Motor Meter, who obtained ia.
functions and stopped numerous manu-.
facturers from infringing upon Their
rights. This was case in which the
patent owners succeeded in establish.
ing their rights within a Few months
after their patents were issued.
There have been innumerable con
tests among tire manufacturers a..
the holders Of patents on the process
of manufacturing tires and on variosi
devices in relation to both sohd az
pneumatic tires. At the very dawn |
the industry, in fact, there was an e.
tensive fight made on the TilllnghM
patents, involving the single tube tit
This would doubtless have reached cor /
siderable proportions had i not bee;
for the general adoption Of an irrc
tube, which placed the single tube q
sign in an obsolete class. Before N
double tube tire was adopted, howeyei'
Theodore Dodge, who purchased he
Tillinghast patents, realized EXTENSIVE
~ on this invention. Following re
Tillinghast suits there were several
relation to clincher tires and faena
employed in the manufacture Of she's
None of these have been so iii'
reaching as the Perlman Demounaes
Rim patents. In the lengthy dees''
of Judge Hunt Mr.. Perlman has sue
ceeded in obtaining victory for ics'
claims, which seems to me to ial
establish his control Of the demOgrF |
able rim situation"
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-29

formed the Electric Vehicle Company,
one of the largest of the early man
ufacturng concerns in this country.
came to Hartford, and merged his in
terests with those of the Pope COM
pany. | urged them to examine
the claims of Mr. Selden, and after
made a visit to Rochester and had a
conference with Mr. Selden Mr.. Whit
ney decided to control his patents
on a royalty basis and at the same
time took an option to buy them out
right. The new owners of the Selden
patents then began litigation to pro-
tect their claims and from this devel-
oped the Association of Licensed Au-
tomobile Manufacturers, to manufact-
ure vehicles under license from hold
ers of the Selden patents. Hundreds
of thousands of dollars were spent in
maintaining this fight in the courts,
and the first decisions were favorable
to the claimants. Several associations
of independent manufacturers were or
ganized to fight the Selden suits, and
opposition was supported largely by
Henry Ford, Benjamin Briscoe and
other leaders, who claimed the right to
manufacture cars without license from
the holders of the Selden patent.
Judge Hough, OF the United States
District Court, finally rendered a de-
cision unfolding the Selden patent, but
on appeal the claims were held no. in
fringed, and this practically put an end
TO the most famous patent case which
has been known in the industry. The
case might have been continued fur
Their, but the Selden patent was due to
expire within two years and the vari-
Gus interests did not consider it worth
while to carry the litigation to the
higher court.
"Mr. Selden derived a handsome sum
from his patents, but this represented
on his part fight of more than TWEEN
ty-fve years. He was, Of course, more
fortunate than Mr.. Garfield, in that he
derived this benefit during his life
time.
"While the Selden cases were in the
courts the so-called Dyer patents came
into prominence and were fought sew
eral years. Leonard II. Dyer, a law
yer, residing in Chicago, held patents
on the mechanical transmission which
is used to-day on nearly every car that
is manufactured. Mr.. Selden had en-
ployed a similar transmission in his
car, but the Dyer claims were not put
forth until long after the Selden suit
was we'll known to the public.
an order to protect itself against
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-29
FIGHTS AND FORTUNES OF THE AUTOMOBILE INVENT
How Pays the Inventor 10 @PHMsa

placed my first application in the Office felt th.,
had valid claim perfectly original invention. Although w.,
prepared TO prove my invention distinct step forward M
evolution of the automobile tire inventor could have create
obstacles in the establishment of his claims.
sppics from official Official through
review and every this department the gov
ernment it was heard by each times and
never objected offered by the o
who opposed the granting of my patents.
"Te Of Judge Hunt shows that claim and
nv invention eritoriou doubt Of final victory should the
rim makers carry the the highest court in the land
Melville Church and Edgar NJ Kitchen attorneys Washington
conducted the legal fight for the inventor Alexander Dow
the mechanical engineer the best authorities cou
try on tires appeared and succeeded re.
moving the veil of technaty which the opposition endvor
to surround the cardinal facts.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-29
By Hank Caldwell.

WHEN the historian Of the auto
NJ mobile industry takes his
w typewriter in hand 10 record
the rise and fall of the men who have
played their parts in one of the most
astonishing developments Of modern
times, he will find much of the ro-
nance centred about the inventor and
his struggles.
We have all read Of the achievements
OF the maker OF cars and his engin-
GERS. They have their faithful Bos-
wells in able publicity agents, who
grind out the every move of these men
who make the foundations which were
laid by the inventor commercially
profitable.
But it is seldom that the automobile
user gets a peep behind the scenes at
the man of obscurity; the inventor.
They tell US that. in the rush Of prog
ress the inventor is usually forgotten
by the ultimate rulers of our great in
dustries, yet, if we glance back at the
scenes which mark the advance Of the
motor car, the inventor looms up as one
of the leading benefciaries.
There is, in fact, hardly man who
has done anything vital N the line OF
automobile invention who has not been
rewarded for his labors.
do not think the men who have
achieved large fortunes in the making
and selling Of automobiles will go
down in history as graspers, or men
who have cheated the inventor out OF
his just reward.
Their greatest fights have been not
against the men who had the original
ideas, but rather among themselves for
control of the field. Even these dis
putes have been settled without blood
shed and, after more than twenty years
of automobile making in America, our
markets are open to any genius who
comes along with the inspiration that
re has the car which the public wants.
It is true, of course, that the leading
concerns in the automobile industry do
not buy up every patent which comes
along, and all Of the inventors have
been compelled to prove the validity of
their claims in the Federal courts be-
fore the makers would pay royalties.
This has been the attitude in the past,
and as inventions increase in num-
Der the maker of cars grows more and
more reluctant about recognizing the
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-29
The Perlman Demountable

MANY claims were presented and many cancelled and find
no claim of the same scope claims the patent and none which
being conceded patenbe be construed as an sopp
against right protection against infringement by rim
wheel dmounbe embodying locking elements placed the
outward and thrust at right angles to the
final position and to lock hee ten
stoned during being readily released from tension
allowing loose position before starts to move
off the wheel.
This been adopted by defendant and the
disclosed claimed the patent IN suit mas
defendant patented nventoh
before manufacture demountabe rims Inc evil
dence requires finding of infringement and the granting OF an IN
junction accounting in usual FORM
fought persisteny from the door OF inc patent
Office 20 the doors the big plants wherein demountaoe rims are
turned into millions of dollars annually.
But this nearing the last leg OF MS hght