Norwich bulletin., 1915-01-14

contemporaries in this country had been working hard to solve tho prob lem Of the horaeless vehicle Oliver Evans. according to some authorities is credited with the honor of ilveul ing the first steamboat and so-called automobile and t is a matter Of rec ord that he did construct. in the eigh- teeDth century, a. vehicle. which Tal through the streets of Philadelphia, down Market street. and. which. gel ting beyond control, plunged in th- Delaware, where. being of wood, 1t ffoated.
 The fruits Of these early efforts were seen in England in 1885 1y the -resence Of twenty road vehicles or erated by steam in the vicinity Of London and a number of companLcs were organized to build and operate them over regular routes. There wa- even trade publication published aJ that time describing the technical de NeIopment Of horseless vehicles A. the first modern automobiles eucouH- tered serious opposition on the part or horse owners, so in the early days these steam DrOE elled vehicles were streuuously- oDpoSed, as il was feared they would injure the stage 0--sinssS In fact. thiS opposition became 70 strong that laws were enacted impcs- ing excessively hieh tolls and I 2quir- ing each horseieSs vehicle 10 be pre- ceded by man on foot carrying a red flag as .. danger signal.
 Those carly automobiles had other difficulties to overcome such as lie prevailing road conditions, which led to the pioneer builders providing their cars with Nlde-f1anged wheels auj eventually with rails to run on, this being the origin of the railroad loco
 motive. with trailer Sars for passen- gers. Thus # was rHat for years the manufacture of il0rseless vehicles fol ordinary roads remained dormant an, the steam railroads made rapic strides.
 It was in 1s44 thai a Ereachmau. pr. louie, after years. of. experiment. developed q new type Of motor that proved to bc the fOTerGnnor of the modern internal combustion or ga SO line motor. Ten years later 3. pr. Ottc perfected this engine sufficiently l. attract corSidera bte attention, but il was not until 1876 that his engine came 10 De regarded as practical. Al first It Was employee only for sta tiGnary power engines and later foi slrai! boats, but finally was adopted Tor the purpose Of pr0pelliug road ve- h,cles- Finally ali inventor named BraHton in 1872 obtained d patent G4l an internal combustion motor foi6N- ing closely the principles lald down by Dl. Joule. IT was known ss a con stant pressure motor. due 10 rhe fa4r that the charge was compressed n 2 reservoir by means of q pump and 5e uiced as it passed into inc motor cyl finder. The Otto engine conpTcs5 5ed the charge in the motor cylinder and Was known as the constant volume motor.
 Thus. through period oc ninety years man has been struggling with problem which finally reached it's sue CeSsfui fruitinn n the invention of George E. Sheldon, who in 1889. a nun dred and seven years after the first record of exper:runta with horse less vehicles, applied for his first pat e-.t. This patenF, however. was not granted by the United States Patent Office until 1895. Selden in his en- sine had really adapted inc principles Of the Erayto1 motor. It is a matter Of record in the Unit ad Stales con. that had Selden adapted the Otto motor principles instead of the Bray ton motor, which was really based or the Otto. his patent would have been held valid and the automoDile industry of The United States would haze been saved Q long and tryinc period of litigation