The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1922-02-21

transportation.
In more leisure moments, however,
looking backward is worth while, and
it is interesting to trace the devel-
opment of the modern automobile
from the time man used the branch
es of trees as the first We. iicle until
his hands grasped the steering wheel
of a powerful motor-driven machine.
Six thousand years B. c., or there
abouts, one finds that the means Of
transportation consisted of the fork
branches of fallen trees.
The Persians and Egyptn.ns re-
garded this crude type OF web lcle as
a stroke of genius at that TIME, Tor
it meant that instead of lifting ton
of weight bodily and carrying it
along the load could he placed upon
the "tree cart" and draw-pul OF
something like 200 pounds would
suffice in the transportation OF
1000 pounds.
Then Came the Sled
A century later the sled, with Il
more stable platform, came into ex-
istence.
About 1000 years B. c. an ancient
automobile engineer cut two slices
from tree trunk and mounted them
on an axle. Thus the first carriage
with wheels was invented.
Then a clever chap conceived the
idea of hitching an OK to the crude
cart. Wheels held in place by wooden
pins in the axle, a pole to which
horses were attached and a rude box
omen at the rear constituted the early
chassis.
These, and early primitive carts
were always two-wheeied. The four
wheeled vehicles came into use with
the formation of comparatively
smooth roads having been i'll adapted
to rough and unimproved highways.
From Egypt the use OF charlots
spread to other countries and were
used in war on the great plains OF
Asia. We read of the 800 chariots OF
Jabin, king of Canaan, and how
David took 700 chariots from the
King of Syria and 1000 from the
king of Zobah. Solomon had 1,4O0
chariOts.
The chariot went out of use about
the time of Christ, and several kinds
of four-wheeled vehicles with seats
and cushions, and sometimes with an
awning or canopy, came into service.
First Real Joy Ride
Ancient history, at least, records
one "ioy ride" Those who have
burned midnight oil will remember
how Caesar went from Rome to GauI
in one week using relay of coaches.
What a JOY it would have been to
the Roman emperor had he been able
to make the trip in modern motor
car with several of his chosen friends.
As late As 1860 there were only
three coaches in all Paris, and the
stage coach. according to one histo-
rian, did not make it's appearance in
England until 1855.
At the beginning Of the seven
teenth century there were about
5000 coaches in England, and their
use became so prevalent that, III
1901, the attention of parliament
was drawn to the subject, and bill
to restrain the excessive use OF
coaches was introduced. This, how
ever, was rejected on the second
reading
Tbout 1925 the hackney came into
existence in London, and the hired
cab soon became an established IN
stitution. The general Improvement
in highways caused gradual in
crease in carriages and wheeled We
hicles Of all sorts during the seven
tccnth and eighteenth centuries.
In America the prevalent mode OF
travelling for the first two centuries
was on horseback, the roads prevent,
ing any extensive use OF wheeled
vehicles.
Family Coaches Maintained
However, there were even at the
time of the revolution and for some
decades before, few family coaches
maintained by wealthy families OF
the larger towns.
In 1871 there were only 1905
miles of post roads in the United
States, and over the greater part OF
these mail was carried in heavy wag~
ons, occupying three or four days
in the trip from Philadelphia to New
York, or making the round trip IN
week.
The Improvement in the highways
led to improvement in the vehicles
and on the great thoroughfares from
1910 to 1S45, the stage coaches were
Of their kind, admirable vehicles.
Since then continued Improvement
has been made in horse drawn vchl-
Giles, and out of the carriage has de-
veloped the automobile of today. =,
Turning now to the modern period
Of the development of the carriage
in 1878, George B. Selden of Roch-
ester, N. y, completed for road To-
comotion an internal combustion en-
gine of the compression type using
a LIQUID fluid, and in May Of the next
year he patented it:
But there was long struggle be-
fore he was able to get it on the mar
ket through enlisting capital in Its
development, and this came only al
ter the successful demonstration III
Europe of the practicability of the
gasoline motor car, and the posi-
bility Of it's immense Importance IN
transportation.
High Speed Gas Engine
In 1884 Gottlieb Daimler invented
his small high-speed gas engine, toi-
lowed a year later by the invention
Of single-cylind inclosed crank
and fywheel engine.
$50 49, H. .l .>rsa..~r-a - .