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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (May 22, 1904)
Automobiles Popular in Omaha L W-rx 4:- ... r"" HTfl ; I i i I ' ' rJ.J, ! L lit ' It i I 9 . ' J LU; it h ! ?! r 7FLL 'kiWLSi!?! . iroMio or rrrra wtvton in omatia AND WORKHOUSFl RIMITIVBl man probably dreamed of the time when he could get from one place to another In a hurry, and without the expendi ture of much effort on his part. but he didn't dream of the realisation that baa been reached by man of the present enlightened age of the world. Man has conquered old ocean, the earth, and has made something more than a start at re duclng the realms above the earth to the condition of well explored and carefully narked courses for the passages of swifts flying airships. While the achievement of that desirable result is still in abeyance, man Is busy with his latest genuine tri umph, the horseless carriage. It Is not the purpose here to go into anything like a history of the machine, nor of its develop ment; the Idea being rather to deal with It as It is. In a general way. It may be stated that the present highly developed automobile carriage Is one of several bless ings for which we are Indebted to the French. It was a Frenchman who con ceived the Idea of making a boiler out of a coiled tube, so arranged that water primped in at one end came out super heated steam at a tremendous high pres sure at the other, and this by the minimum expenditure of fuel. This boiler made the team wagon a practical affair. Prior to this electricity had been used, but the suf ficiency of the storage battery had not yet been established. Wizard Thomns A. Edi son contributed from his genius, and now the storage battery is all that could well be asked of It. Rome time before the build lag of autos had boon established on the high plane of Industry It has now attained sjnsoltne motors on the principle of the gns engine had been in use, and the enterpris ing mechanic wasn't long In adapting the jnsollne motor to whlM-wugnn usefi. As In the case of the bicycle, specialists have taken hold at every point, and the motor &r that was a wonder four years ago Is a bank number now, and the triumph of to ay Is likely to be outclassed by the car that will be on the market next season. The automobile has been made practical and practicable for all purposes to which k vehicle enn be devoted. In Europe it as been Installed in every avenue of hu Miin activity requiring transportation fa cilities, nnd In America It hits passed be yond the fad stage, and Is coming to be Recognised as a real factor, If not an actual necessity, In urban life. Omnha haa been a little slow about taking hold of the new departure, mainly because of the nature ef the country and the condition of the reads about the city, but now that the machines are mado so that they are really serviceable on any road that is at all passa ble, the Omnha people who have the money fa spend for an automobile are buying them as fast on several agencies can deliver them. About 100 machines are now owned bare, ranging all through the several sizes aad makes, and orders ore In for many jnnre, to be delivered during the summer, that the toots that are now heard on the streets will bo multiplied and Increased before winter conies ngntn. One of the local owners demonstrated that nn auto nuy be nmde very comfortable even for Vinter uses by houHlng his in, leaving only the chauffeur exposed to .the weather. Others soorntid to seek the protection thus afforded and drove through nil kinds of feather during the winter, and proved fhut a machine is of Just as much service t a team could ever expect to be, 1 . VP te the present no effort has been fmule to introduce the self-propelled truck a the ptroete of Omaha, but It seems only a short time two that the steam or gas driven carriage was a stranger here, too, an It is Dot uitreaMotuibla to expect that before many ninonn the ohuuffeur will be busy around tho freight houses and In tha Jobbing district, and eight and ten-ton loads will rumble over tha street on cars il hi frftdftrickbon'b garaok I IDi TL R. KIMBALL, HAS TIIB STEVENS pushed by engines registering several times the number of horse-power now used In handling Omaha's Infernal freight traffic. Very recently in New York a test' was made of these trucks, and Ujjcy were found to have a wonderful degree of efficiency. Auto racing, said to be a most exhllor atlng and exciting form of sport, is still In its swaddling clothes here. Lrfist season two or threo owners of big machines en gaged In some desultory tests of speed and driving ability, but the addition of a num ber of the great touring cars, with their engines running nway up into double figures on Indicated horse power, is certain to bring about an ambition to beat somebody In a race. The Omaha Automobile club has not us yet formulated any program, but some of the owners have Intimated that they would not bo averse to on invitation to see whose machine can cover the dis tance In the shortest time. It has been suggested that some interest might be de veloped in a road race over the old century course, from Omaha to a point north of Tckamah and return. In tho days when Omaha was full of bicycle riders that course was frequently negotiated by the ambitious roadburnerB, and It certainly offers nn Ideal place to test not only the powers of the machine, but the skill and nerve of the driver. It has the hills and the level stretches, the curves and the straightaway bits, and affords a variety of scenery, in case tho racing chuuffeur should find himself with time on his hands to look at the country he was passing through. H. E. Predrlckson, who carries a largo and fine line of horseless carriages, was the pioneer In the nutomobllo business In this city. He brought to Omaha the first auto that ever traveled its streets, about five years ago, and later brought tho first heavy touring car that canio to the city. Mr. Kredrlckson said: "When I passed up Farnam street with the new Wlntou touring car crowds of people congregated on the sidewalk to look at it. Those I talked to said I would never be able to sell It here; that the price was too high, and the machine too elab orate for any one in Omaha, but I sold that one and many others since. Lout year we disposed of seven of these hoavy machines, and sold six of them In two months. "I have made the automobile business a study ever since there has been such a business. It has been my policy to attend all the automobile shows in different parts of the country, and there I have pt.;ked up a large stock of Information about the machines and the business. '"f be outlook for bualuaiis this year is A CADILLAC AND WlllTIJ STEAMERS ARB TO BE FOUND AT THE G ABACI HI OF CLARK POVVELU -DURTEA AT A PLEASANT HOME, better than It has ever been, and we have made many sales already, with numbers of people in sight who are contemplating the purchase of an auto. Since the busi ness has proven successful a large num ber of other dealers have engaged in it. My trade is about equally divided between the city and country. The bulk of my business is confined to the states of Ne braska and Iowa, but my mail order and supply business extent's over a much larger territory. There has been nothing but American-mado cars sold in Omah:i so far. The foreign cars, I believe, are too high priced, and the majority of people believe they are .not as durable on our roads as the American cars. "It la my intention to accept the chal lenge of Colonel Ilayward of Nebraska City to race him from that place to St. Louis, he to use his steam launch and I a Wlnton car. The race will probably be open to all comers and I think It will bo very Interesting. It Is the present in tention of (several Omaha people to go to St. Louis for the great automobile meet to be held there In August. I will go, leaving here about August 9, and will make the trip In an automobile." "Automobiles," said G. I Smith of the Clark Powell Autoinobilo company at Fif teenth nnd Davenport streets, when asked to give his view regarding the outlook for "red-deviling" this season. "There is to be more tooting nbout tho streets the coming season than even those In tho business dared hope for. Everyone who has the price seems to want one, and hardly do we get a consignment of machines before they arc all sold. The main reason for this de mand is that the machines are vastly im proved. Tho automobile that had a pen chant for coming to a stop right across the car tracks and holding back a long line of curs and sarcastic conductors is gone. Gone also is tho machine which created a noise like a volley of musketry and emitted an odor unlike rose bouquet, and with the passing of thoso types of machines has dis appeared the once general opinion that nn auto was a thing with which no life-loving man ought to tamper. "Many Omaha automoblKsts are contem plating a trip to St. Ixiuls this year In their machines, intending to travel from, here to Topeka nnd thence on. We have had a largo demand for medium-sized touring cars. White Steamers and Cadillacs seem ing to catch tho popular fancy. Resides those who buy machines for pleasure, we are supplying many autos for people whose business necessitates them traveling around the city and who formerly kept horses. "The one drawback (or tho auto In this dry Is tbe condition of the roads. I al ways thought the city council did a lot of unnecessary work when It passed that speed limit ordinance, as no man with a respect for the insurance companies would ' travel over the limit as the roads are now. ; A beginner loses much of that pleasurable . thrill which is only allowed the person with the auto specs, when he dives over a precipice on Dodge street or manouvers . around the irrigating ditches on Capitol avenue." ; J. J. Dcright of J. J. Derlght & Co. saysn "While we are carrying automobiles la ' stock and selling some, we are not as yet In the business to any great extent, but we are carrying what we believe to be tha finest line of cars in the city. It Ib our Intention later to put In a much larger stock and go into the business on a mora extensive scale. It begins to look as though there is to be much more interest mani fested in the automobile." Among the cars carried by the firm Is . a depot wagon which Is certainly a model of beauty and neatness. It is equipped with electric lights both Inside and out. All of the windows are of plate glass, and by drawing the curtains the car can ba made perfectly dark. A speaking tube hangs by the chauffeur's scat with which communication can be had with the occu pants of the car. The sidelights are equipped with electric light bulbs, and the finish of the whole vehicle Is about as nearly perfect as it is possiblo to make it. The car Is a Wavcrly. Ry on indi cator on the footboard In front of the driver's seat it can be seen Just how much electricity is on hand, so that there is no danger of running out between stations. A Thomas three-cylinder gasoline car is also displayed, which is capable of mak ing a speed of fifty miles an hour. The run from Omaha to Fremont was made one day last week in one hour and thirty min utes. The Waverly runabout is also a very neat affair with oil modern improve ments. "We are in the automobile business more for fun than anything else Just at pres ent. I like to put In some of my time with them, as it Is very interesting to me, but we are going In heavier a little later on," said Mr. Derlght. T. M. Eromwell, representing the Ram bler Automobile company in Omaha and the state, was installing a car of machines In his salesroom at 1506 Capitol avenue, when the status of the automobile of to day was asked of him. Mr. Bromwell said: "Last season proved the practicability of the automobile as a means of locomotion, both from a pleasure and business stand point, and the seeds planted last year are bearing fruit in abundance this season. Yes, indeed, the automobile is a practical proposition, particularly from a business standpoint. So far this season fully 85 per cent of our sales have been to tha medical profession alone. They, more thaa any other of the professional men, have found the machines adapted to their pe culiar needs and they are falling in line with remarkable rapidity. Other business men to whom time is an important factor are also being enrolled. "The multi-cylinder car, of ten or more horse-power, Is the kind most In demand. Teoplo want a machine that will overcome such obstacles as mud, sand and bad roads; in fact, I have figured that 86 per cent of our sales have been on machines of this class. I might state that In the smaller towns we have sold 75 per cent In places of 3,000 or less population and about 86 per cent of these sales have been to the farming class. In the past people sought merely a machine that would transport them, but now they seek one that can be relied on absolutely as a means of loco motion. "At recent automobile shows over If per cent of the machines exhibited were cperated by gasoline, which was folly es tablished as a motive power last season. There Is little change In this season's ma chines aside from minor Improvements tha)