Arizona republican., 1920-12-27
By Frederic j. Haskin

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1s--A funny looking rig which Is probably the oldest American automobile in existence has just been given a prominent place m the National museum here.
 This vehicle was made in 1893 by Charles Duryea. It is literally an old fashioned pheaton carriage with an en- zine fastened at the back and long steering rod which worked up and down sideways conspicuous in the front To start the engine, the driver had to go to the back of the car and crank. He had to get out to shut off the engine when he stopped the car. But in many ways this primitive auto mobile is closely related to the su- perior car of today.
 Duryea saw that his motor wagon could not turn corners easily on or dinary wagon axles. He therefore made use of a differentiaL so that the outside wheel could revolve faster than the inside wheel in making a turn--a fun- damental principle of every modern car. He used a spray carburetor, not very unlike the modern carburetor; electric ignition, water cooling. and other features which later makers inn proved but have not replaced.
 This car saw hard service for a few y it has stood in Massachusetts barn where children played around it and sat on it's cushions and dust, cobwebs, and rats helped along it's appearance of antiquity. Fifteen years ago the l inventor offered his historic automobile to the National museum but at that time the government had to crowd its l thousands of exhibits into one made quate building, and rather than &C., cept the gift and then store it away 1 in q warehouse, the curators refused it. 1 Now it has been dug out of it's oblivion. carefully shipped to Washington. and set up in state, in a roped-o off eneIo- sure, in the hall with our early locoTno- tives and airplanes and other pioneer vehicles.
 This is not. of course, the worlds l first automobile. Automobiles run by steam were tried out in France in the eighteenth century. They were never satisfactory, and they had little in common with the gasoline automobile. ! But even in the history of the real gas- l propelled vehicle We find that a Ger man inventor was running his car in 1884, before American inventors dared attempt anything so startling.
 Sudden Rise of the Auto
 Then, all of a sudden, automobiles appeared in different parts Of the United States. The time was propitious for a revolution of traffic. and the in- ventors were getting busy. So rapidly did the first machines appear that ii is a matter of proving the months or maybe the exact days, on which sev- eral of the first cars appeared, in order to settle the question of which is the original American automobile. This exact information has not been SUD- piled by some of the inventors claim ing priority for their inventions. It is possible that 1t cannot be obtained, an6 that mystery will always enshroud this epoch of our history
 Meanwhile, only when indusputabls proof of it's existence at a certain time is given. will the museum authoritie: consider using an historic vehicle a: an exhibit Duryea has proved thai
 he built his first car in 1891. and wa: using 1t by the end Of September or tn, first of October 1892 The next veal lie took it apart and used it's best flea
 lures to make a batter one-the ca
 given to the government.
 Until Duryea proved the history 0
 his model, Elwood Haynes was popu ilarly given credit for making the frs
 appearance in an American car
 Haynes planned his invention and ha, it built in 1894 and on these ground
 he claimed the title of the father of tn
 American automobile.
 Gottfrieid Schloemer of Milwaukee
 is still in the competition for the title
 He sets forth. for the benefit of al
 whom it may concern, in a sworn affi
 davit, that he built an automobile il