Evening star., 1917-09-30
MOTOR INDUSTRY
STARTED IN 1893

The beginning OF the automobile in
dustry in the United States dates back
about twenty five years with the show
ing at the Columbian exposition at
Chicago in 1893 of three motor We
hicles of radically different design,
none of which proved to be more than
novel toys. One of them was an cleo
trio brake of very low power and er-
ratio service, another a one-cylinder
vehicle called a "quadricycle' by it's in
ventor and the third was just an or
binary buggy with the shafts re-
moved and a gasoline motor installed
under the seat. delivering it's power
to the rear wheels by chain and
sprocket.
The horseless carriage. as it was
called. was the product of Charles F.
Duryea, and stands unchallenged as
the immediate parent of the luxurious
car of today. Intense interest was
manifested in the new mode of trans
portation, and within the next two
years many other styles of self-pro-
PEELED vehicles were designed and
built by the devotees of the new found
sport.
by 1899 many Improvements tdt
been made that in principle are still
used today Steel tires had given way
to solid rubber and cushion tires.
which III turn had been displaced by
pneumatic tres, the movable front
axle was discarded for the fixed axle
and the principle of spur gear trans
mission had, even at that early day.
been adopted as the best.
~, 1QOS
The first automobile race in America
was held in Chicago Thanksgiving
day, 1895, over a course of seventy
miles. This race was held under the
auspices of the Chicago Times Herald
and a prize of $4,000 was offered the
winner. More than eighty foreign and
domestic cars We're entered in this
race, but only one finished, an Ameri-
can car entered by the same Duryea
who had exhibited the "horseless" car
rage at the worlds fair TWO years be-
fore.
The chief cause of trouble among
these crude automobiles of that day
was the ignition systems 1t was not
until along in 1896 that the father of
the present magnetic was introduced.
and from that day on the ignition trou-
bles ceased to be such a large factor
in the self-propelled vehicles.
1t was at about this same time that
internal combustion engines We're first
Msed in motor boating and the first
speed boats were built by devotees of
the land sport.
Although the early pioneers in the
automobile industry mainly stuck to
gasoline motors, some few of them
chose steam cars for their favorite and
since the controversy has ragged between
the steam and gas car adherents.
In the early 9os a growing demand
for electrically propelled cars was felt
and for few years attempts We're made
to adapt these vehicles TO every form
of travel. Later they assumed their
rightful place in the minds OF the pcb-
lie and have ever since been the choice
of "milady' for her shopping tours and
for light "close-in'' hauling.
The automobile for the last fifteen
years has been undergoing a slow
process of publication of design. The
foreign cars, which for a number of
years were considered to be the best.
even before the war. were relegated to
the rear as American methods of stand
ardization have produced better cars at
a smaller cost.
The light car made in this country
has taken the lead all over the world
and at present is In extensive use in
Europe for speedy transportation of
light loads over almost unbelievab1y
bad roads. In the transportation OF