The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1922-05-06
HENRY FORDS LIFE
As TOLD BY SELF

Life on a farm drove Henry Ford
into making automobiles. Mr.. Ford
says so himself in an article which ne
calls MY Life and Week" written
by himself in McClure'k Magazine
for May, with the collaboration of
Samuel C%rowther. author and editor.
Too Much Hard Hand Labor
And Mr.. Ford still feels the same
way about farming. Not that he has
anything against farmers. he points
out, but there is too much hard
hand labor on farms" Because he
was born on a farm and knew, with
out question, Just what farming
means. Mr.. Ford invented an auto
mobile with which he hoped, first,
to tighten the farmers task and, sec
ond, to aid people without a lot of
money in their search for enjoyment
and business relief.
That, in a nutshell, is what Mr..
Ford's article gives as the reason for
the Ford car. Incidentally it is the
reason for his interest in farm tract
ors and for a lot of other things
which have happened in Detroit re-
Gently.
Auto Miglia Have Been a Watch
The automobile, however, barely
escaped being a watch. Mr.. Ford
had a desire to do fine mechanical
work and his ideas naturally turned
to watches, he says.
At one period of those early days
he had 800 watches and knew what
made the wheels go around in every
one of them. 1t was then he thought
of the possibility of making a watch
for thirty cents. In fact, he says, he
almost started in the business but
~refrained when he figured out that
watches were not a necessity and so
would not be sold.
Just how | reached that surpris-
ing conclusion is difficult t state
now" he observes.
Road Machine Started Him
But a combination of the farm and
the watch, and the sight when he was
only twelve years of age of a road
engine, were too much for anything
plebeian in Mr.. Ford's future. He
started to consider the possibility of
machines and after glancing at that
engine, studying it, watching changes,
reading and thinking, Mr.. Ford
branched out into the automotiye in
dustry.
OF coures, says Mr.. Ford, the horse
less carriage was a common idea. He
had 1t, as did several other inventors.
But Mr.. Ford figured that steam was
the best Ear for moving his car,
and he set about making a machine
to operate by steam. He built one,
and it ran. But it had defects, lots
of them. He very carefully points
out most of them. When he found
he couldn't work u his difficulties
to his satisfaction, he turned to gaso-
line-and SO vas born the Ford.
Works at $40 a Month
1T was in 1890 that l began work
on a double cylinder engine, he
writes, because 1t vas quite imprac-
tical to consider the single cylinder
for transportation"
Shortly after that the farm was
left behind indefinitely and complete
ly, when Mr.. Ford went to Detroit as
an engineer and machinist for the De-
troit Electric Company at exactly $45
a month. The job wasn't much in it
self, but its great beauty lay in that
1t kept him out in his workshop, for
he had spare time and he employed
II.
His First Gas Buggy
Two years later Detroit got a thrill.
Chug-chugging down its main streets
kI4 raa Ir.roxr In The unnf mo q
Henry Ford. Behind 1t was a string
of frightened horses and curious peo'
pie. In front of it was a bulwark of
wondering thousands. Henry Ford
had found a way to ride without
horses to drag him.
The machine, however, was a slight
problem. To begin with it blocked
traffic. Not that it stalled, but every
time Mr.. Ford stopped the crowd
started and he could not, in safety,
leave his car a moment.
Always there was some curious
soul who would climb aboard, play
with the brakes or the clutch and
then trouble commenced.
Gets Permit From Mayor
Finally, 1t came to a showdown
with the city authorities. At last,
writes Mr.. Ford, although there were
no speed laws, no traffic ordinances,
he had to get a permit from the may
or to operate the machine.
Thus for a time" he continues,
Il enjoyed the distinction of being
the only licensed chauffeur in the
country"
MI. Ford ran the first machine 1000
miles until 1896 and then sold it.
1t took him four years to make the
first sale of a Ford automobile, but
Immediately did what he has done
since-put his profits into building a
new and better car. /,
Electricity VS.. Gas !
All this time, Mr.. Ford was work.
ing as an electrician with the electric
company. He had become a foreman
at $125 a month, but his gas engine
experiments were not popular at the
shop. The trouble vas they believed
in electricity completely, and were at
least mildly skeptical about gas.
Fairly soon, therefore, Mr.. Ford
left the electric company. That was
when a group of men willing to take