The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-11-30

' Birmingham has witnessed no greater trade expausion than in the automobile business. The city's well known auto few' is a development of recent years and it is one of the most pretenuous in the entire south. -, Time was when Birmingham's choice of motor cars were limited to favored few. No other city in the south now has a greater array of shops and gar ages where are carried all the wanted makes of automobiles from the trusty Ford to the costly Packards, Cadillacs and others of similar quality.
 The history of the automobile busi- ness in Birmingham is interesting from more than one viewpoint Probably none of her elder merchants are better known CT gained more prestige than did the pioneers of her automobile sales.
 = Among the older firms, scattered lTere and there about the city are re- called the following names: Birming- ham Garage, Crank Katz) Maxwell and Haynes Southern Garage (Charles Denegre) Franklin: More and CRourke, (Walker Moore and James O'Rourke) Stanley Steamer; W. T.. Harrison, Cadillac; Automobile Ex- change; q. c. Turner) Ford, Rambler. Wayne.
 = Most of these garages and dealers were in business during the years 1906 and 1907. Previous to this the follow ing garages had been in operation. White -Blakeslie, Cadillac. Franklin, Ford; Van Deusen-Kemp, Buick, Pack ard Winton Birmingham Garage, Oids. mobile, Locomobile, Steamer.
 First Local Dealer
 G F. White of the White-Blakeslie company is accredited with being the first automobile dealer in Birmingham n although repair shops were operated by Steele Bros. and Frank Katz.
 The first electric automobile buili In the south was built in Birmingham VI about the year 1900 by the Birming ham Electric and Manufacturing O.. for the Hillman hotel and used by that hotel between the hostelry and the L. and N. passenger station.
 Birmingham autoists fared bad during the early days because there were nc accessory stores in Birmingham where fhe modern appliances and conveniences of today could be purchased. Of course yhe usual accessories such as clusters cushions and the like were obtainablt at the various department stores and the dealers carried a few of the much Cailed for things in that line. Few oi the garages sold gasoline and of course there were none of the modern filling stations of today with restrooms, tele phones. information bureaus and the other modern conveniences which add so mupch to the pleasure of owning an automobile.
 In the old days before the modern stations gasoline was sold mainly by means of buckets, most of the automo. bile owners driving direct to the oil compapy's warehouse where the sup ply was obtained.
 First Underground Tank
 The first underground gasoline tank ss said to have been located at the old Birmingham Garage, 109 Twentieth street south. This tank was equipped with pump much like the ones in use now. Among the older oil and gasoline men were: Little, Davis, Wotford, FOX Ament, Johnson and Posner.
 Sol Caheen is rated as among uht first automobile owners in Birmingham He purchased q Locomobile steamer about the year 1900 and Cadillac about two years later. Mpay interesting stories are told concerning Mir. Cancer and his early automobiles.
 Birmingham gained quite a bit oi publicity in 1906 as having one of the fastest dirt tracks in the world for auto racing and several of the most famous drivers in the history of automobiles has driven over the tracks. On April 2 1906 Barney Oldfield drove the Peer