Automobiles Popular in Omaha
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. 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)
