davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1939-10-22
New.Car Output Is Due
To Aid Rail Business

A boost in business for railroads,
due in part to heavier automobile
shipments this fall, Is forecast by
the Great Lakes Regional Advisory
Board.
The bigger automobile output
alone will require a 9.5 per cent in
crease in freight car deliveries,
95,686 railroad cars, as compared
with 1892 In the last quarter OF
1888. the committee predicts.
OF the thousands of railroad
freight cars on the move night and
Evening star., 1939-10-22

mercially. providing . new mode Of
transportation.
Motor vehicle factory sales reached
an all-time high Of 5,62l ,045 motor
vehicles.
1880.
Pontiac introduced tin-plated pis-
tons and pressed steel axle housing.
Police cars were being equipped
with radios to combat crime.
Studebaker used helical gears in
the transmission.
FLOATING power" was used on the
Plymouth, the first of the flexible
engine mountings.
A transcontinental freight run was
conducted by the Southern Freight
Line. Inc, using a refrigerated
trailer. 1t delivered 2l tons Of fresh
California fruit to New York, in
lit hours running time
Oldsmobile adopted the syl1chro-
mesh transmission.
The radiator grill on the Pontiac
was made Of pressed steel.
1882
This year saw the introduction Of
Startex. vacuum operated clutch,
and low pressure tires.
Graham started style with full
skirted tenders.
Pierce-Arrow adopted hydraulic
valve lifters.
A Diesel-engined car made a sue
cessful trip, using crude oil.
Ford introduced the V-8.
1888
Mechanical developments Of the
year included power brakes, acceler-
ator pedal used for starting engine,
body ventilation, and aluminium CYL
inder heads adopted on several cars.
A Pierce-Arrow. driven by Alb
Jenkins, established record by COW
ering 5000 miles in slightly over
25-l2 hours.
Valve inserts were used on some
cars.
This year saw a greater trend to-
ward streamlining.
Independent wheel suspension was
q feature on several cars.
Chrysler introduced the Airflow
Evening star., 1939-10-22

Scott Medal for his work in STAIN
less steel, Stellite and chrome iron.
1928.
The Chrysler was introduced,
featuring hydraulic brakes, oil filters
and a number of other improve
ments.
The Dodge had an all-steel closed
body.
Cannon Ball" Baker drove an
Oldsmobile, with gears locked in
high, from New York to Los An
geles in 1912 days.
The millionth Buick came of the
assembly line.
The 1924 Oakland was the first
car to be finished in lacquer.
Four-wheel brakes were adopted
by number of manufacturers.
1924.
Ethyl gasoline was put on the
market.
The Chysler car went into pro-
duction.
There was one automobile to every
seven persons in the country.
The Post Office Department had a
fleet of over 5000 trucks.
Ford put out 10,00000Oth car.
A REQ motor bus made a trans
continental trip.
Balloon tires became standard
equipment.
Hupmobile brought out q straight
eight.
The Winton company discontinued
the manufacture of cars to go into
the Diesel engine business.
1928.
Crankcase ventilation was intro
duced by Cadillac.
General Motors introduced a 1-ton
truck. the first to have 4-wheel
brakes
Over $50 electric railways were
operating motor buses.
Ralph Mulford drove a Chandler
1000 miles in 689 minutes. the fast
est 1000 miles ever made on wheels.
Rubber engine mountings, rubber
spring shackles. and adjustable front
seats were used by Chrysler.
Cannon Ball" Baker drove
truck, carrying a capacity load. from
New York to San Francisco in days
17la hours.
The Hudson had a steel body.
Ford Model T discontinued after
10 years, during which 100000
units were produced.
Packard adopted hypoid gears.
The diaphragm fuel pump adopted
by Pontiac.
A vacuum pump booster was
adopted on Mack trucks.
A Studebaker made a record run
Of $4,000 miles in less than a mile-a-
minute time.
Ford went out Of production for
six months to make preparation for
the production of the Model A.
An electric drive with no gear
shift was developed by E. NJ. Frazer.
Lockheed introduced an internal
hydraulic brake system.
1928.
Mechanical developments OF the
year included shatterproof glass on
the Ford Model A, synchro-mesh
gears on the Cadillac and La Sale,
and four speed transmission on the
Graham.
Coast -to-coast bus service was in
augurated.
1929.
Chrysler adopted the down-draft
carburetor
The Cadillac Wis was introduced.
The REQ announced silent second
gear.
Auto radios were introduced.
Ford raised the minimum wage
scale to 81 a day.
House trailers were produced COM
Evening star., 1939-10-22
Travellers Good Spenders

Organized motorists take more
time for their vacations, travel
farther and spend more money
than do the average car owners.
Reports from the largest car owner
organization in America show that
more than 40 per cent of them
drive over 5000 miles during their
individual vacation trips. It was
also found that nearly 80 per cent
spend more than 81 per person per
day while away.
Evening star., 1939-10-22
Routes and Numbers

Although 1t was once the most
famous Of the transcontinental
routes, the Lincoln highway is now
unrecognized officially. 1t has
given way to route numbers. Many
seasoned tourists, however, believe
that the number plan for famous
routes will, in turn, give way to the
plan Of marking them by name.
Evening star., 1939-10-22

day, every seventh car Is tagged
"Automotive."
More than 3,000,0OO carloads of
revenue freight last year consisted
Of new cars, trucks. gasoline, tires,
parts and other factory supplies
and building materials.
During the last decade, when the
total car loadings Of all kinds of
freight moved by railroads declined
more than ~ per cent, the propor-
ton Of that total represented by
automotive freight increased. In
1929, 1t was 10 per cent and today
it is 14.6 per cent Of the total.
Evening star., 1939-10-22

The well-prepared tour is the
most successful tour, according to
the touring bureau of the Keystone
Automobile Club.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-08-10
William E. Thonns

The sudden death of William E. Thoms comes as a distinct shock and severe loss to his thousands of friends through out Waterbury and Connecticut. A year or so ago he had been reported very ill, but a short time later he was greeting friends along the streets and in such places where his extensive law practice took him. He was an inveterate walker and it was nothing to find him skirting the outlying districts of the city hours before it was time to report at his desk in his office.
 To the Democratic Party of the city, state and nation he remained ever bull Wark His counsel was always ready for party leaders and it was compliment to him that he was called on time and again to give opinions on matters of party policy AS in the legal profession his advice was always good, quite apt to be terse, very seldom wandered far from the nub of the situation. AS mayor of this city and later as a candidate for other offices and prospective candidates he re- mained faithful to party tenets.
 In the legal profession, too, MT. Thoms enjoyed the respect and admiration of his fellow practitioners. A veteran member of the local bar he participated in many legal battles both here and other places throughout the state. A healthy regard for his forensic brilliance and ability to convince jury was won by dint of much hard work and application
 Waterbury can well afford to pause in it's busy Whirl, bow it's head solemnly, and pay last, respectful tribute to Billy" Thoms. He was good citizen and his memory should be eulogized.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-08-10
Much-Disputed Tree

If Highway Commissioner William J. Cox can only make people believe taht the now-famous oak tree on the former Lapham property in New Canaan, along side of the Merritt Parkway, is really dying, he may be able to have it cut down But if he can't, then 1t looks as if battle of year ago would be revived and fought all over again. Everyone re- members the tempest Public Works Com- missioner Robert A. Hurley created with his criticism of the road contour at the point where the oak Is growing.
 He claimed that the entire layout of the roadway was changed to permit this one tree to be retained by the side of the parkway. This provoked quite an exchange of views between him and the late John A. Macdonald, former Highway Commissioner, in which all sorts of angled pictures were taken of the road at the point in question. There were expressions of opinion from all sorts of experts, some qualified, others not. At any rate the tree remained and the other day a car crashed into it and a man was killed.
 It was the first fatality on the parkway in it's more than one year of use. High way Commissioner Cox doesn't believe that the tree should be removed because it figured in the fatality. In fact he doesn't seem to think that the tree was any more to blame for the death of the car occupant than if it hadn't been there. The driver of the car fell asleep and the car simply went off the road and hit the nearest thing, which was the oak tree.
 The commissioner won't have to do much arging with interested tree-lovers and garden club members If he can show that the tree is slowly dying and should be taken down. But that is up to him to prove.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-08-10
Now Is the Time for All Good Men

With the obiectives of the recently
 enacted Hatch bill, no one can quarrel In fact, with the objectves of the bill, no one has quarreled. There are two or them: First, to prevent federal employees
 from being blackjacked out of part Of their
 pay by forced campaign and party 1und , assessments, and second, to prevent na- tional party conventions from being stacked" with federal office-holder dele
 gates who are under obligation to the ex-
 isting regime. President Roosevelt, hail. ing the Hatch bill as "a step in the right 1. direction" has signed it, and it is now the < law of the land.
 Like most solutions, however, this one , raises new problem in it's stead. There seems no way to carry on republic like our own without political parties Pontlcal parties demand organization. Organlza- [ ton demands money Where is the money {. to come from now? In the first place, state party organizations and office !! holders are not affected by this federal act. It is not impossible that the next party conventions will be as heavily
 weighted with state office-holders as those : of the past have been with federal. Unless
 and until states pass similar legislation, this is bound to be true.
 1, In the second place, since federal office holders may no longer be tapped more or less at will for party funds, both partles when in power will be faced with the prob ,, lem of how to raise them. Voluntary con | tributions may still, of course, be made, {, and it is possible that most federal Job- !, holders, long educated in the knowledge
 of which side of the bread is thickest
 spread with butter, will continue to con-
 tribute to party funds on genuinely
 voluntary basis. The alternative IS to
 20 back to the system of large, lump
 sum contributions just before elections
 from those who have it to give, like Rock-
 efeller or the United Mine Workers.
 Efforts have been made in the past to
 devise plans for broadening the base of
 party support, and both major parties
 would welcome means of securing regu- : lar, even though very small, contrlbu- !. tions from rank-and file members. The
 radical parties here, and the totalltarlan
 parties in Europe, have solved this prob { fem. They simply tap all members auto , matically for a slice of their weekly pay.
 This, in country where political ale
 glance to parties is less fixed, is scarcely desirable. Most Americans want to know : who's running before they decide which party to support. But the study of ways
 to broaden as far as possible the sup porting base of all major political parties Is worth the attention of all of them Widespread voluntary support, not only just before election, but all the year
 round, is the democratic way to maintain party system in republic.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-08-10
Selected Poem
OLD LETTER

(Nellie B. Mace in the Christian Science Monitor) It is beautiful; that, indeed know, For have not seen it? Not, really As one who at dawn, watches the long low Shore rise through the haze and then at full noon Wears a welcoming lei of ginger flowers But here, your letter-Written long ago On frail rice paper with its bright picture Of the statue of Kamehameha
 At the top--crumbles when turn the page, As fragile joys break; and through its dim lines I see fields of rice pineapple, and sugar cane; And the shops with their bolts of kimono Cloth, and hair-nets small tinware, blue china And lovely obis Now meet Chinese Girls in their pantaloons and fine jackets, And Japanese girls in bright kimonos; And taste tentatively, papaya And mango, just ripening in Maytime Small dark-eyed children, wearing straw sandals, Smile as they clop-clop on their way to school; And as I see upon the mountainsde, The sage-green pepper trees and ironWood, The deeper green bananas and bright flowers, Through this strangely soft and brilliant sunlight, find Oahu beautiful-and your letter, On yeowed paper, crumbles in my hand.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-08-10
Hail, Taxpayer!

Here in Connecticut the states legal department is browsing through ponder ous tonnes to get sufficient and bond ing definition of what is taxpayer so that the Town of Westport can appoint a commission composed of taxpayers. But out in Willows, California, they seem to know who and what the taxpayers are. And maybe right here in Waterbury we could take a leaf from Willows book, although this suggestion is not to be regarded too seriously.
 James Boyd, chairman of the high school board of trustees at Willows, is much in his community's eye this sum- mer. He practically dictated to his fellow members the name of the new athletic field that was just built in Willows. And what was the name Chairman Boyd de- mander? Taxpayers Fiel d! Yes, sir! He insisted: "The taxpayers put up the money. We'll call it Taxpayers Field. ," All of which may sound bit prosaic and uninteresting, but it's memorial cer- tainly to the Forgotten Taxpayer.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-08-10

In an effort to get away from court rackets the last session of the Legislature made a number of changes in the proceed ure of our minor courts. One of these is just now coming to the fore. Towns are being asked to set salaries for their trial justices as well as other court officials. Formerly they were all on fee system and it was an alleged abuse of the fee system, particularly by constables prey ing on erring motorists that really cen tered attention on the small courts and made the legislators, many of whom are graduates of the small courts or hope to retire to them, take action. The law now demands fixed salary for the court off, cials and the selectmen of the town are obliged to determine just what it shall be- Actually many court officials have worked since the first of July without receiving any compensation due to fail ure of town officials to set up salary items They must be paid monthly according to the new law.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-08-10

And after the unsuccessful at- tempt to defeat Senator George of Georgia, a committee of Geor- gia New Dealers was received by the President and invited by him to handle future federal patron age, to select strong Roosevelt supporters for federal jobs in Georgia, men who would form the nucleus of a liberal Demo- cratic organization there.
 But what happened? Ten months have passed, and no Roos- veltian Democrats have been ap- pointed to office in Georgia. The Presidents pledge meant nothing. Senator George still controls the Pie. His men still hold office, laughing behind their hands at the New Dealers who thought they were going to start new machine in Georgia.
 THOU TOO, ICKES
 Even as ardent a New Dealer as Secretary Ickes has kept on his payrolls men who hate Roosevelt and pledge allegiance to his en- emmy, Senator George.
 The same is true of other states, especially in the South. It is the conservative southern Democrats who caused Roose- velt's disastrous defeats in the past session, among them Gene Cox of Georgia, who has more relatives on the payroll than possibly any man in Congress. Only a week ago, when he was in the midst of leading . hatchet brigade against the Ad- ministratiOn's pet wage-hOur law, his sister was reappointed for four more years as . post mistress.
 Another vigorous Roosevelt op- ponent is Representative Woodrum of Virginia, whose district is pep pered with juicy jobs given him by the New Deal.
 Other congressman see how the enemies of Roosevelt are reward ed, and party esprit de corps vanishes. Some congressman ac- tually work on a system of poli- tical blcckmail, whereby they fig ure that the more they oppose Roosevelt the more jobs they can get to buy them off.
 IT'S ALMOST UNBELIEVE- ABLE BUT IT'S TRUE. NO DEMOCRATS
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-08-10
Q HIGHlIGHTS FROM
 LATEST BOOKS
Causes of War
 Are Not Simple

It is interesting at this time to look
 back on the American attitude
 toward war in 1915-16, to trace
 the gradual swing to the Allied
 cause. Frank P. Chambers re-
 counts the whole expressing story
 in book covering the political
 and civil fronts from 1914 to 1918,
 "The War Behind the War" (Har-
 court, Brace: S3.75). A portion of
 the American picture is given here.
 There is in America today an important school of thought which represents the munitions traffic with the Allies and the financial opera tions which supported it as the de- cisive influence on Americas ulti- mate participation in the war.
 Drawing partly on the wellworn historical theory that human mo- tives are invariably attributable to economic causes, and encouraged partly by present-day disillusion- ment, the school has built up a formidable exposure of the "reali- ties" underlying President Wilson's professed idealism. The argument is that America, permitting, by the accident of the blockade, one-sided commitment to the Allies, created toward those Allies predispositior which became too strong for her normally influenced as she already was-to withstand; or that, in other words, the $500, 100000 in private American loans to the Allies made a very potent reason flor not let ting Germany win"
 It is perhaps not so hard to ac- cept this general thesis. The Amer ican people doubtless did rationalize their interests, and they are not the only people who have done SEQ. But 1t is much harder to accept the more extreme view of which this school oi thought is sometime capable, name ly, that the American financial bar ons, by means of propaganda, lobby ing and graft, forced President Will son to go to war. Woodrow Wilson's life has been minutely studied by historical workers, many of whom have been uncritical and unfriendly but none of them has ever seriously impugned his integrity of charac' ter.
 There was a certain "imponder- able prejudice" on the part of the American people and their lead CTS, especially toward England. Int prejudice was due to the common language and traditions, to person. al ties and sympathies; it was dut to Americas horror of Germany conduct of the war. But doubtless 1t was also due to the American economic commitment.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-08-10

Representative Paul w. Shafer, Michigan Republican, returned from a COP rally in Pennsylvania and swore that the following is what happened there:
 The meeting was held in an open-air theater near Sudbury and Shafer, the guests peaker, had just launched in glowing eulogy of the Republican party when a highly individual odor suddenly pervaded the atmosphere. Shafer. very much disconnected, smiled weakly at his 1,500 lis- teners and remarked, "Gosh, I didn't know my speech was as bad as that"
 At that moment three skunks. @ large one and two little ones, emerged from under the platform and, pausing for an awesonne mo- ment to survey the scene, paraded calmly across the theater and out a side exit.
 Republican Shafer watched the fearsome animals depart and then. his spirits revived, turned to the audience and said, "Well, well, I didn't think there were any Dem- ocrats left in this vicinity"
 MERRY-GO-ROUND
 One episode of his Washington visit that Kentucky's Governor Happy" Chandler did not adver- tise was his long private chat with Federal Security Director Paul McNutt. They ran into each other on Capitol Hill At the banquet celebrating the 18th an- niversary of the AFL International Cigar Makers Union, a number of the guests smoked cigarettes dur ing the speech of William Green. Irate Townsendites already have started gunning for Massa- chusetts Republican Allen T. Treadway for his desertion of their old-age pension bill during the recent House vote. They have launched a drive in his district to fight his reelection next year .l . West Point officials say that the reason they have a smallerr plebe class this year is that many congressman have not made theil appointments. They are holding back until election year, when the appointments will do them more good.
 Copyright. 1889, by United l Feature Syndicate, Incl
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-08-10
SHARON's BIRTHDAY
(New Haven Journal Courier


 Such 300-years-old communities as New Haven, which can look back on an eventful history extending to the earliest years of settlement along the upper Atlantic coast, may regard with tolerant big-brother amusement the birthday party of the placid little town of Sharon. which is currently celebrating the 200th anniversary of its founding. But in a country as young as this, even in a state as old as this, 200 years represents sizeable slice Of history and Sharon has much to re- member.
 In fact, Sharon has more to re- member than to be busy about at present. It is one of those Connect- cut communities which have been passed by the parade of what is called progress and have slipped quietly and unobstrusively, into mild residential prosperity. At one time Sharon had a wagon factory malleable iron works, flax mill a tannery-the usual small localized industries of Q preponderantly agri- cultural era. These have all long since disappeared and the last tc finger was a mousetrap business which finally closed during the sos Gradually the town has become ( restful haven for folk who wish tt retire on regular incomes and fol professional people who commute h metropolitan areas to earn Q living So few descendants of the origina families remain in the town that ths cast Of tonight's pageant. the cliinaa of the birthday celebration, Is com. posed almost entirely of new resl.. dents--new in the light of the 900. year history. in this littis sharon
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-08-10

The average person may not connect the State of Michigan with blueberries, but they are one of it's best crops. Not so many days ago, too, three-day festi- val was held at Manistique, Michigan, to pay due honor to the blueberry. The town is on the upper peninsula where most of the blueberries are raised. It's worth about $5O,00O to the region to get a good blueberry harvest and this years was exceptionally fine. New England produces a great many blueberries, also huckleberries of which we hear so very little these past few years.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-08-10
OFFICIAL sHUN-PIKES
(New Haven Journal-Co

(New Haven Journal-C Courier
 When the toll-booths first opened along the Merritt highway we wrote something about the old-time shun- bikes. They were the informal path ways which the farmers in colonial and later times beat out roughly pa- rallel to the tollroad routes and to escape the tolls. Traces of these shun- -pikes may still be found in Conecticut---a very pretty one runs from what is known as the Haddam. Quarter in Durham north toward Middletown, and another from Mid- dletown up the west side of the river to Rocky Hill and beyond. And we said that shun-pikes would accom- pany the new toll-roads back into modern use and recognition.
 The New York Daily News, for in. stance, came out the day the Merritt booths opened with . careful map showing to motorists alternative non-toIl routes. And yet it k not quite accurate to call such alterna. tive non-toii roads shun-plkes in the original and ancient sense. For the