The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-09-26
T. \. lowell RETIRES
FROM AUTO INDUSTRY
Veteran Manufaeturer who Put
klaHon HSrn aa May SELLS -
United Motors Company.

F. Hallett Lowell. Jr. for many years
president and principal owner OF the
Lowell McConnell Mig. Co.. Of Newark,
N. j., makers OF the Klaxon horn. has
sold his interest In the company to
the United Motors Co. and will retire
from all active connection with the
company.
BY Loveirs retirement the autofno-
bile industry loses one of its most
important men. He frst conceived
the idea of jobbers association
among automobile accessory houses
and the present N. A. A. A. j.. of
which he Is director. 10 the direct
result of his efforts. At the time of
his retirement he was president OF
the Motor and Accessories Manufactur-
ers, in which he has been active for
many years. His influence has been
felt also in many other ways through
out the trade and industry as a cham.
pion of price maintenance. fair legis-
lation and many other constructive
measures.
Nine years ago when Lowell was
manufacturer of electrical and other
supplies for naval and railroad pur-
poses, an inventor came to him with
primitive noise making device de-
signed az the novelty warning signal
for automobiles. 1t operated from the
hywheel of the engine and produced
screech that fairly lifted a man out
OF HE shoes.
Vice the possibility not of n novelty.
but of a universal signal for automo-
biles. The very warning quality of
the noise that so instantly got atten-
ton. that said 40 distinctly, '1eok out,
that so successfully cut through all
other noises. appealed at once as the
logical voice of the auto ana the
successor to the feeble and awkward
bulb horn.
Against Advice sf Friends.
Against the advice Of his friends he
too kever the crude device, changed
it's motivs power to electricity and
started In to make and market 1t. II
proved hard going. when the sales
legislation set In. states and cities
refused to allow the use OF the 'dia-
bolical noise maker"
Undismayed Lowell set out to prove
the truth of his theories--that the
very unpleasantness OF the Klaxon was
the thing that made 1t so effective As
a warning and 20 necessary ~ q safe.
ty device.
BY advertising ana publicity cam
paigns, demonstrations before automo.
bile associations and boards OF alder
men. he gradually battered down his
ahtagonism Of the public and Of leg
islators.
The laws that prohibited the Klaxoh
were gradually changed to require =
signal loud and abrupt enough to
warn. And Lowell came out with coll
ors Ayins, and a wonderfully successful
business
Today large percentage OF auto.
mobiles are equipped with Klaxons and
the Klaxon note has come to be the
voice OF the auto. just a. Ne predicted
that II would be when the Inventor
was psddlinE his device from door to
door with no takers.
With Lovelrs retirement the name
OF the Lowell Mcconnell Mtg. Co.. will
be changed to the Klaxon Company.
d. A. Mcconnell. who since the con.
Germ was organised has been vice.
will become president: Otis
q. Friend viii b the new viee-presi.
dent; Walter p. CoughlAn. who has
been secretary. will become secretary
and treasurer.
Lovsll will remain ~ director. but
his time will be chiefly devoted to the
other manufacturing concerns In
which he 10 interested. among them
r. n. Lowell 4 Co.. OF Arlington. n.
j., makers Of marine and railway
supplies, Of which he 10 president and
nrinciua1 owner