The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-08-07
Edison A. Perkins Is
Safest Of DriOerS

Nnusana11u
fully considering the claims Of ever
claimant 10 the title, Their dools'
lon that Mr.. Perkins bo named wa
unanimous.
From the day when The first auto.
mobile was manufactured al Spring
lield, Mass, BY puryoa and sold Y
BarnuIi and Bailey ~ q circus at
TRACTION, down 10 the present wher
he drives his new machine equipped
with electrical gear shifts Mr.. Per-
klng has kept step with progress
Avaiding accident by taking nc
chances, driving carefully and cal
culatlng what "the other fellow
may do,
And also by keeping his Automo.
bile In perfect mechanical repair
keeping best tires on the front
wheels and getting new tires after
old ones have served 10000 miles
Mere Distractions
Judges who awarded tho title 70
Mr.. Perkins, recommended that nc
DO considered the youngest old
driver In America" His ~ years
and more, for he was born IN Tor
rlngton December 10, 1883, which
may give numeFologists q clue 10 his
safety reeord-rost on him lightly
Ho has no sprlghtllness, the open
mlndedness and love OF life OF a
man q score OF years younger
Sometimes, but not IN Connecticut
where tho speed limit II fifty, nc
drives sixty miles IN hour.
"Young, inexperienced drivers,
no said, "seem TO me the class we
must watch very carefully. SAFETY
on tho highway demands that new
drivers DO put through o prepare.
tory school OF instruction, and not
left TO learn by bitter experience
that risks are not only dangerous
and foolhardy, but anti-sooiaL
In 1901 bought my own auto
mobile, ono OF the first Haynes.Ap'
person, equipped with Q Two cylinder
opposed engine under the rear seat,
Surrey type, with door At the rear
and long crank Ut the side, low dash
board, brake under foot, and with
lever steering gear. Tho engine was
number 20, There were seven other
automobiles In Torrington then.
Cows Troublesome
"That was the time the mills were
Installing electricity and ] used the
automobile 10 get about, saving
much time, although roads were
narrow and cows ana horses were
the greatest hazards. Cows were
worse than horses. They would not
get out OF tho way, Horses were dit.
ferent, Their frantic efforts 10 get
of tho road were moro OF q men.
acc to their drivers than TO auto
lists.
"in those early days we also had
10 regard people 90 dangerous, for
many many Of them had never seen
O COR, and they would goT In tho
way out OF curiosity. ! remember
going down n hill outside town.
twelve hundred feet ahead, down
tho hill, an old horse was slowly
making his way up, his head bob
bling OF every step. He paid no at
tenEion 10 uS, but m old woman
driving him threw her armS out
wildly, O picture ] remember vivid
~ even today.
Where's Your HOrsOe
" drove 10 the side OF the road
and stopped, which was some con-
cesBlon In those days, for wo had
no starters and cranking was dit.
ficult. Sho came alongside, and oil
sh0 had 10 soy was,
mister, where's your horse"
my first long trip IN that car
was 70 New Haven and HaVln Rock,
We had no speedometer, but We
did have q gradomoter on tho left
arm OF the seat, whose solo purpose
was 10 show the grade We were trav.
cling. / remember with what graft.
ficatoin I'd look at the meter ana
oxolainn;
"My gracious, she's climbing pref
BY WE'LL" :,
II was IN 1908, Mr.. Perkins said,
that Connecticut passed It's first
automobile law. II hiod mo up 10
tho capitol and made my appliea-
tion," Mr.. Perkins sold, "aS soon
aS / heard OF II. ! got license NUM-
Der 10, Those were days before il
cenge plates were issued. Every auto
igt had 10 provide his own plates.
" made mine Of patent leather
and nut aluminium letter and num-
erals 70 10" on II. IL was q wondor-
full locking plate, II appears on the
picture Of several OF my early ma
chimes"
Mr.. Perkins then told q story
which the judges think might war
rant the AAA In orediting him with
avoiding tho first grade crossing mo-
tor accident In the country. I'm
those days." he said, "thore were
as many as 10 grade crossings In
ten miles. Later the road was
changed, 10 run alongside OF the
tracks instead Of crossing them 80
frequently.
ION Pearl street crossing In town
there we're two freight tracks TO DO
crossed and one track for passenger
trains, AS neared the crossing !
heard the whistle OF the passenger
train. ! stopped on the first freight
tracks. George, the crossing watch.
man, an old q. A. II. veteran, yelled
10 me TO come on, that ] had plenty
Of time.
Leaped from Car
"But engines didn't accelerate
then as they do now, and slowly !
made my way TO the third track.
Just as got past the second bank
OF freight cars I say the passenger
train coming. ! knew II was trav-
cling faster than ] was. AZ that
moment wouldn't have given ten
cents for my automobile. ] stood
up and with one leap jumped over
the dash board and raced ahead
OF the automobile across the tracks,
yelling TO George and man stand
ing with him, Run for your lives
"Over my shoulder ! saw the en-
gineer shake his fist ut me. A mo-
ment passed. looked again. MY
automobile had escaped the crash