The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-09-12
PIONEER PERIOD OF
 TIRE INDUSTRY IS
 RECALLED BY PHOTO
Picture of Ancient Two Cylinder Equipped With Goodyear Tires of
 Oldest Style

Memories of the pioneer period of the automobile tire industry were revived the other day by the reciept at the fac tory of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber company, Akron, O., of a photograph of . Gobron-Brillie car. The ancient car was built in 1901 It had two cylinders and four pistons and was owned by a well known Suffolk gentleman. With it's ''buttoned up the back" tonneau, it's maze of levers, its Gargantuan lamps. It's ludicrous radiator. and it's 6-inch Goodyear detachable tires, 1t was the sensation of motordom in that day. The Goodyear tires on this old relic of by gone days carried those who had been with the company since its inception back to the period when the foundation was being constructed for Goodyear's present success. For of truth the mod ern Goodyear fortified tire is the result of a process of evolution from this tire that was the sensation of motordom nearly 15 years ago.
 From a present viewpoint this old original straight side tire, with its l2 plies of fabric, tremendously thick side walls, and it's solid base of fabric and wire, might be termed a monstrosity Yet this pioneer tire, despite it's short comings was Fundamentally correct in principle. It was worthy tire con struction advance in its day. prophetic of the wonderful change which has eince taken place in the tire industry. The enthusiasm with which this old type of tire was received is well Illus trated by the fact that the King of Eng land, Edward VII; Sir Thomas Upton and Lord Salisbury, the prime minister. used them.
 The story runs that while touring one day one of Lord Salisburys tires was punctured After futile attempt at repairing the tire, the prime minister hit upon the ingenious expedient of fill ing the casing with hay. This worked well enough until the prime ministerial nose detected the unmistakabe odor of burning rubber. Spontaneous combustion had ignited the hay and was rapidly re- duclng the tire to scrap rubber. The skill of tire engineers following out the principles established 14 years ago, has evolved the modern Goodyear fortified tire, a lineal descendant of the first straight side tire made in America.
 Several years ago it would have been presumptuous for Goodyear to attempt to prove to the automobile world that pre- vailing ideas on tire construction were faulty. It would have taken a rash prophet to predict the disappearance of the then popular clincher tire. Yet this is happeing today. Figures just com piled from estimates received from the automobile manufacturers of the coun- try of their 1916 output of cars. ex- elusive of those manufacturing cars us- ing s0xS and sox3h regular clincher tires, show that fully 95 per cent of the new cars built will be equipped with straight side tires. Goodyear pioneered this type and has blazed the trail all the way.
 Tire history will record that the Good year No Rim-Cut or Fortified tire was the first demonstration of the possibility of building a practical straight side tire. Much of the success of Goodyear tires today may be ascribed to the head start that Goodyear gained In learning how to build this ultimately successful type of tire.