Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-07-06
READERS VIEWPOINT
c. E. Duryca Says He Is Father Of the Auto
Industry

To the Editor Of the EreninD Public Ledger:
Sr-There are some statements in the ar
ticle on "Gasoline's Silver Anniversary" in
your paper that are incorrect, but / would
not assume you acted under any psychic
effect Of the auto Having selected the gaso-
line engine ignited by electricity as the
proper auto power in 1885 and begun build
ing in 1891 can inform you that the silver
anniversary" was last year. Further. 1 had
completed two or more successful autos be-
fore the fall of 1898 and decided that the
auto of the future would have more cylinders
so was actually at work on advanced forms
before Haynes, Winton Ford and others
began.
In the first American contest. held in the
fall of 1895 my car carried of the first prize
of $4,000. having defeated a field of more
than eighty entries. containing the best
American and foreign vehicles. Haynes had
car in Chicago, but not on the course. The
other entries did not include names which
afterward produced cars enough to be re-
membered. In the electric line the cars of
Morris & Salon. of Philadelphia, easily led
In the second American contest. held in the
spring of 1895 from New York up the Hud-
son. no American cars except mine dared try
to take the hills SO all prizes-S3000-wer
awarded to my vehicles. and the only for
eign car that reached the turning point had
Even in the State fair race at Providence
in September, 1895. the Duryea cars had no
competitors except electriCs. And at the Lib
erty Day run from London. England, to
Brighton. to celebrate the opening of British
roads to the new vehicle, no American cars
were present except Duryea's, and one of
them beat the best French race winners of
that year by over an hour in the fifty-two
miles, and this in spite of the fact that those
celebrated had been brought from
in, -, 80
them to victory in France to show the British
how the vehicles could perform. Some
years later Winton tried two years in sue
cession to duplicate this American success,
bur was not able to do so.
Most Of the above facts have been used in
court and so are matters of sworn and un-
disputed record Contrary claims had better
be taken with salt.
OF course. we all know that there were
many sporadic attempts at auto building in
the past-Homer, writing 100 B. c.,
earlier describes Vulcan's output for
day as twenty, and Philadephia's car built
by Oliver Evans in the early part of the last
century is not to be forgotten; but people
claiming to be pioneers should not only begin,
but should continue. and blaze the way
that others not only can but do follow. My
cars were advertised in 1895. made in some
quantity that winter and sales made and
agents appointed in 1896. No other Ameri-
can can approach these records closer than
about two years.
Five Duryea patents to myself and broth
er. in my employ issued prior to July I,
1897, published to the world how successful
autos should be made. The first of these
antedated by some months the Selden i'm
practical device-not built tin 1906 and soon
after overthrown by the courts-while all of
them were more than a year ahead of the
first Haynes or Winton patents and more
than four months ahead of Olds and Maxim
Finally my cars. built before the products
of others mentioned, contained many fea-
lures in use today, but which were not found
in the first crude efforts of the others. Facts
like these prove beyond dispute that / am
entitled, If any one is, to the title of Father
of the Auto Industry.
CHARLES E. DURYEA.
Philadelphia July 5.