Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-06-21
ABOUT The AUTOMOBILE
Machine Born in America and De-
velOped in France.
ROADS PLAYED AN IMPORTANT PART
Practically all the Words Used in the
Description of Various Parts of the
Machine are of French Origin; but
America Has Adopted Them Quite
WjIlinaIy,


America Has Adopted Them Quite
Willingly.
"Flivver" Is good old United States,
/ but Limousine" is French, originally a
proetarian sort of word, but now
| limited in it's use to kings of finance,
brokers, porfiteers, and favorite sons OF
fortune. America manufactured the
first automobile, but she had to borrow
her automobile terms from the French,
which explains why they have such
ella assical sound and why they are so
we'll beloved of those whose knowledge
of the French language Is comprised
within automobile terminology The
French early took the lead in the new
industry, because they had the re-
quisite imagination, capital, mechan-
les and some of the best roads in Eu-
rope. In those days an automobile
could not be steered easily out Of ruts;
it could not climb telegraph poles and.
iump fences without serious damage
to itself and it's owner; it could be
managed only on the best of highways
with which France had had the fore
sight to provide herself. In England
progress was delayed by legislation
and in the United States the poor
roads effectually stalled the weak en-
gines of that day and put damper
on the infant industry. So the French
took the automobile and christen-
ed the various parts OF Its anatomy
and later, when both motor-engines
and our roads had improved, we adopt
eI the names without any ceremony
whatever. Now such words as chaui-
feur. chassis, garage, tonneau, llmou-
sine and the rest of them are common
everyday words in our language. They
were not made up from nolhins' ike
the word gas" which was invented py
u chemist, or kodak" by a manu-
fucturcr. writes Albert n. Atkinson IN
the New York World. They were
words already in common use III
France and were naturally used IN lhe
new Industry dS t'iS o''>H
able The writer dClves into word
history and informs US that
The word chauffeur" means fire.
man or stoker. A man who fires
boiler Is called Il chauffeur in french'
There is n curious survival here Whlc.'
is difficult to explain. The early cars
were steamers and required Two meh
70 operate them, the "mecanicien' ana
the "chauffeur'-the machanlc ana the
fireman respectively. But rs the "oro
has now acquired a definite legal
standing, meaning paid driver OF an
automobile. it will probably last as long
as automobiles are used.
Hut the French dictionary gives
another definition Of the word whlcn
is not so complimentary: a roboer. IL
seems that lin the Middle Ages there
were bands of marauders VINO hau
tbeir own methods Of eXacting TOLL
rrou rreuuenters Of the highways IL
these unfortunate people did not coH-
,r;b,te MS much as the robbers thought
roa sonable they had a playful way OF
,.o rn,np the victims feet by building
= fire under them which soon oVercoiile
any unwillngness. AS this sen'ie
n,octice antedates the steam -eng.he
hy several centuries, the word, IL VIII
he seen, has almost high antiqui.y'
en- that II is far cry from the lowly
chauffeur Of the Middle Ages TO the
IordIv autocrat Of the modern autor1o-
bile. Be that as it may, some people
claim to have found the same STRAIN
running down the line and croppins
ont in the modern taxicab-drlver.
"cboss,s." the next word on our
list, means a frame" but is now taken
10 mean the mechanical part Oh 'hc
cor-all that remains when the ooav
is removed. 1t is now used in TINS
sense in French us well as III ol"e'
languages. ~
"The word garage" means rail-
road-siding. but as applied 10 au''-
mobiles means room or pullaihs
! where cars are kept ready for use"
close analogy, for the cars ARE SWITCH
ed off the main line for the time Deins.
| # is not storeroom or rcpair-shoP'
brt is similar TO IL livery stable, where
YOUR horse and rig arc, or rather WERE
kept in proper condition, ready lof
immediate use when required.
The word "tonnenu," applied TO lhe
renr seats, has apparently passed out
of use, although it was once nearo
very frequently. It merely means Il
t,nl; or cask. The gasoline-tank is
called a 'tonneau" in French, and the
rcar seats wcer called the tonneau De-
co,,se the back Of the car was almost
circular in outline. The French had Il
ci,.cuIar cart which was called by the
same name, and SO It was natufalis
applied 10 that part of an aiitomopl'e
which looked like 4; cask. or COURSE
the word was adopted, in this countr!
rs it sounded more automobllious'
you would hardly ask your lazy
friends to Jump into the tank
But the word "limousine' has 1he
most picturesque origin of all. IL Is
named after the hcad-covering OF cef-
tuin ladies OF France; the inhabitants
,f tho rapton around the city Of Lin