Evening star., 1923-02-18
RAPID GAINS MADE
BY YAUTOlNDUSTRY
Development Has Been Cy-
clonic Since Time of Nc.
KinIey, Says Strong.
FIRST CAR MADE IN 176O
Frenchman Was Inventor-Discov.
cry of Gasoline Gave Boost
to Experiment.

Development of the automobile in
dustry Is big story-a story in turn
OF gradual, then rapid, then COM
paratively cyclonic achievement. The
men who have taken part In it may
we'll be proud OF their work. for they
have given 70 the world not merely
a new means of recreation. but 4
utility second to none. Its benefits
TO man in saving time and speeding
business transactions are incalcula-
BILE, says Z. r. Strong, salesmanaSer
of the Buick Motor Company.
1t doesn't seem so very long ago 10
some of US when William McklnIe!
was elected President of the United
States. Yet at that time--1S96-there
were but four automobiles running IN
The United states.
Early Motor Vehicles.
The motor car Is not a modern !dea.
The first record Of a motor-propelleo
road vehicle takes US away back to
1850. when a steam operated car was
Invented by Capt Nicholas Joseph
CNignot, Frenchman. In 1867 Oliver
Evans. an American. applied Tor q
patent on an automobile.
Four years later, Richard Trovitt-
nica, an Englishman. created
Christmas eve sensation by operating
= steam driven coutrivance on the
streets of London. During the fol-
lowing four years hundreds OF at
tempts were made to produce a p:ac-
licai automobile.
In 1923 Thomas blanchard s,ot OF
american car People laughed at IT.
The same year Goldsw orthy Gurney. a
Eriton, built one. and three years
later he made 20o.mile trip in u.
The first automobile sale on record
was made by Gurney in 1880. Sir
Charles Dance was the victim.
The next ten years Of experiment.
so far as the records go. were confined
20 England. One Walter Hancock hs,
ured II several hundred trips around
passengers in his 'newfangled no
ton" Il Hills drove l2s miles over
4 hilly country in single day
chrouiclers declare.
Reaching the year lS44 NE hit upon
A .rio Of events bearing very impor-
ianuy on the evolution and ulttmat te
success of the motor car. In tina
year Charles Goodyear evolved a
method of rulcanizinG rubber IN
1916 and 1897 pneumatic tire was
England. then IN America. Gasoline
was discovered in 1850. No further
progress was made for twenty years
thereafter. the public at large eX-
pressing little interest In the erort
other than to ridicule.
Rapid Progress Mnde.
In 1879 George B. Seldcn of Roches-
ter, " Y. filed application for patent
on gas-driven automobile. In 1886
carl Benz Of Mannheim. Germany,
built the first vehicle propelled by an
internal combustion engine. In 1891
he first practical electric car was de-
signed and built. In 1892 there was
built the first American gasoline Car
that would run.
Progress was rapid from thai time
on. Many enthusiasts worked fever
ishly on their pet conceptions. Capt.
tai became interested and plans were
made to produce automobiles in guam
tity. In July of 1894 the first auto
mobile race was held-the Paris
Rouen run of eighty miles.
In 1895 two events Of Importance
occurred Pneumatic tires were first
used OH automobiles and a Chica go
newspaper sponsored tho first Ameri-
can automobile race. The first known
sale OF d car in America was made in
1895 Ivy Alexander Wiuton Of Cleve-
land. Robert Allison of Port Carton.
Pa. being the purchaser.