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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 26, 1909)
unday Bee. PART EIGHT AUTOMOBILES PAGES 1 TO 12. A PAPER FOR THE HOME OMAHA DEE YOUR MONET'S WORTH Fhe Omaha VOL. XA'XIX-NO. 15. OMAIIA, SUNDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 26, 1909. SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTS, Growth of Important , Industry How the Automobile Trade in Omaha Has Increased from One Runabout Eleven Years Ago to the Present Immense Proportions and Commercial Consequence. O SHOW that the automobile Industry in Omaha has been one of splendid growth it 1m only necessary to make the statement of the increase in cars in the last decade. During the last eleven years the number of machines owned in Omaha have Increased from one 750 cai to 600 or 700 cars,'; ranging in price from $800 to $7,000. The transition of the horse-driven vehicles to the buzz wagons" is one ot which Omaha is proud, for it marks a gain that has been equaled by few cities in the glorious west. This re maskable increase in the number of vehicles has been an advance unmarked by any such craze as hit all parts of the country when the bicycle first became popular. Owners of cars In Omaha have bought only after they have studied the best points of each car, and the re sult is that the stock of cars carried In Omaha is of the highest grade, even the lower-priced cars being the best which can be ob tained anywhere on earth for the money. When an Omaha man buys a car he knows what he is getting, for the competition 1b keen and the dealers have learned that they have to deliver the goods if they expect to continue in a business which Is growing to such enormous proportions. If an Omaha buyer has less than $1,000 to Invest in a machine he soon learns that in Omaha he can secure the best cars to be had for that money; if he has $2,500 or $3,000 to Invest the same conditions prevail and he soon learns that here in Omaha he could get the best returns on whatever sum of money he chose to Invest in a benzine buggy. Years of studying the situation in the automobile business has given the city a fine line of good standard cars, with every owner knowing exactly what he owns and what he has purchased, in Omaha there are few owners who bought simply to be buying, but the contrary is the fact that all owners selected with care, and the consequence is that Omaha has fewer poor cars than any other city of Its size in the country. The cost of the first car owned in Omaha was $750, and was bought by a man who saw the advantages of a horseless carriage and who believed in its further progress. For several months be was the sole possessor of a car In this city, other citizens holding back for reduced prices. They waited In vain, for instead of going down prices began to steadily advance. Even to this date, eleven years afterward, there has been no reduction, the tendency to higher prices obtaining, until now the wealthy man does not look at a car for his family that will cost less than $5,000, and from that to $7,000. The Wlntou was the first large machine to be owned in Omaha, and H. E. Fredrlckson was the owner. He was told that he was very foolish to Invest so much money In such a large car, as he would not be able to find a buyer. He was even told that he was sore to lose a lot of money on his purchase. The wise' ones were wrong, for not only was a buyer found for that car, but since that time the demand for bigger and better cars has been steadily on the increase, until at presedt It Is only a question of how many of the better classes of oars the dealers are able to get from the factories. The first automobile to be run in Omaha was not owned here, but was run during the Transmlsslssippt exposition, having been loaned to a local man by a Boston firm. When Omaha was the proud possessor of four automobiles a club was formed and out of that club has grown the present Omaha Au tomobile club, which has come to the front on so many occasions of late, notably In the entertainment of the women accompanying the visiting Eagles to the national convention, and in the entertainment of the tourists in the eontest of the Kansas City Automobile club, which passed through Omaha Wednesday. As the number of automobile owners have Increased, so have the dealers, until Omaha has become the chief distributing point of the middle-seat for automobiles of all kinds. Dealers learned a few years ago that the fanner had the money with which to buy an au tomobile, and as a consequence the manufacturers have been making cars especially adapted to the needs of the farmer, and the man who lives In the smaller towns. A ride through Nebraska will reveal automobiles at every station, some owned by farmers and some by liverymen, who use them to make drives to neighboring towns. When the first garages were opened in Omaha they were scat tered all over the city, but a change has come in this and the dealers are now nearly all located on Automobile Row. This is the name which has been given to Farnara street from Eighteenth to Twenty fourth street. Many of the dealers have found the business proflta . ble and as a consequence Omaha can boast of some of the best built garages in the entire western country. These dealers carry large stocks of machines, giving the prospective buyer a chance to look over a big selection of cars. Nearly all the larger garages are equipped as well as the best in Chicago, or any other city west of New York. Tourists passing through Omaha have been agreeably surprised by the local garages, for here they hare been able to secure better workmanship tj-, at any place along the route of their travels. Among tna dealer bow doing business la Omaha are Mclatyre 4 UTOGBIJiE5 E G T 1 0 N Paradise for the Auto mobile Enthusiast Omaha Roads Perfection for Driving and Omaha Gar ages Equipped with the Latest and Best of All that is Needed to Keep the Finest Machines in Perfect Order & Wallace, W. L. Huffman & Co., Jackson Implement company, Drummond, H. E. Fredrickson Automobile company, Derlght Auto mobile company, H. H. Van Brunt, Council Bluffs; C. F. Louk, Pio neer Implement company. Council Bluffs; Colt Automobile company, Paxton-Mitchell company, Freeland Bros. & Ashley, Guy L. Smith, Atlantic Automobile company, R. R. Kimball, Electric Oarage com pany, Omaha Automobile company, Apperson Sales Agency, Central Tire and Rubber company, Velie Automobile company and others. There are now over thirty first-class garages in Omaha, and the number is Increasing as fast as dealers can find available quarters where they may open up to show their wares. One large manufac turing firm now has its agents in Omaha looking for a location. A new factory will soon be located here. Besides the garages there are many salesrooms where machines are sold, but where cars are not taken for storage or1 where repairs are not made. During the last few months several new buildings have been erected on Farnam street along Automobile Row for the accommodation of automobile dealers. The growth of the business in Omaha is also shown by the auto mobile show. When the first show was held four years ago It was a hard matter to find cars enough In this section of the country o fill the big Auditorium. A different tale could now be told. Now it is a hard fight among the dealers foi space, and last year no outside dealers were allotted any show room, all the space being needed by the Omaha dealers, some of whom did not have as much as they wanted. Besides being a distributing point for automobiles, Omaha Is a great center for the distribution of automobile supplies, and several large houses do a thriving business. Owners of cars as well as dealers throughout Nebraska and western Iowa have learned that it is to their advantage to send to Omaha for parts for cars and for accessories. Not only can a couple of days time be saved, but a considerable sum is also saved in express charges, the cost of express from Chicago or St. Louis to Omaha being saved la each instance. The loss of a day or two in time means a good deal to an owner of a car who is in the livery business la some of the smaller towns, for it I means that his car is out of commission just that long, when the time could be saved by sending to the Omaha firms for the parts wanted. One of the larger firms of Omaha sold $350,000 worth of cars of one make last year and hopes to do even better this year. These cars were sold to Omaha people and to buyers all over the west. One dealer has within the last week sold six cars of one make, each car being listed at over $5,000 In addition to the accessories which such an expensive car will carry. v The Implement houses of Omaha have also been forced Into the automobile business, whether or no. They found that the demand in the country was so heavy for cars that all Implement dealers in the smaller towns wanted to handle automobiles and that to be able to sell the dealer plows and cultivators and threshing machines it was necessary to be able to sell him some automobiles. As a conse quence most of the thirty-one Implement houses In Omaha and Coun cil Bluffs have large numbers of automobiles on their floors. The automobile business in Omaha has surely thrived and the end is not in sight. Not only Is there a growing demand for touring cars for pleasure purposes, but there is a growing demand in Omaha for cars which will do some of the heavy work now being done by horses. Breweries, piano houses, creameries and many other indus tries are supplanting horses by drays. When President Tart visited Omaha during the week he was given an automobile ride around the city, the parade being made up of cars of the very latest models and all of the 1910 make. This shows that Omaha owners and dealers are up to the moment and having the very best and the very latest the automobile world can offer. President Taft expressed himself as greatly pleased by the splendid streetsand boulevards of Omaha. He even asked Mr. Pickens If the boulevard between Harney street and Woolworth ave nue was not a park and said that it was surely a beautiful drive. MAIIA is the Gate City to the west, and as such is naturajly on the route of all transcontinental and world tours. Here all drivers making runs across the continent stop to repair their cara and complete their outfits before starting on the long stretch to the mountain. When the famous New York-Parla race was was on all the cars had their various parts needed shipped to Omaha, where the splendid garagea of this city were pressed into service In overhauling the cars. The for eigners were loud In their praise of tne garages which were put at their disposal. At Omaha the world racers were fitted by the M. E. Smith com pany with fur-lined clothing, which they were to wear in the cold regions of the north, where Peary and Cook have been trudging for some time. These warm garments were put to use, although the racers turned back before they reached Alaska. Many cold miles were traversed in Siberia. At Omaha the Glldden tourists came near to breaking up, but older heads prevailed and the trip was finished, although It Is stated in many quarters that the trip will have to bo under different aus pices If It is ever run again. Omaha was not on the map of the Glldden tour as far as a stop was concerned, the motorists preferring Instead to stop in Council Bluffs. Most of the tourists spent the evening in Omaha, although forced to leave their machines in the city across the river. Only last week the autolsts of Kansas City decided that the best roads In the world could be found by making a run to Omaha and Wednesday night 250 enthusiastic automobile men from Kawvllle were camped under the hospitable roofs of Omaha hostelrles. That as many of the good roads might be enjoyed as possible a run was made all around the city, the tourists circling from Ashland to Fre mont and thence to Blair and then into Omaha. Automobiles have done a vast amount of good In forcing the au thorities to Improve the roads in and around Omaha. Automobiles and the Inheritance tax have given drivers of Omaha as fine a collec tion of suburban roads as are at the disposal of any community. In every direction from Omaha for distances of from ten to twenty-five miles splendid macadam roads stretch their white ways into the country, and are ready at all times for the owner who delights in a spin in the fresh air which the country districts afford. To the north, are several roads and the driver may take his choice of the Ponca hill, the bottom road or tie hlghllne. Any of these will land tha tourist into Calhoun. To the west the driver has the choice of the old Military road, made famous years ago as the route of the '4 9 pulling out for the gold fields of California. The course of this road has been changed but little for years, although it has been graded and surfaced with brlcfc and macadam pavements. Then there is the Dodge street road, the course of many an auto mobile and bicycle race. The pavement on this road has been ex tended until It now reaches almost to Elkhorn. A little farther south the Center street road may be used, and on this the seeker for pleasure may find a splendid drive all the way from Omaha to Mile lard. To the south a good pavement leads down Twenty-fourth street to South Omaha and on to Albright, and if the road be dry the rider may continue his Journey to Fort Crook, one of the fluent posts main tained by Uncle Sam. This is the homo of the Sixteenth infantry at present and here may be Been the beautiful dress parades and tha band concerts may also be enjoyed any pleasant afternoon. Council Bluffs has finally awakened and has repaired the road between the heart of the city and the Douglas street bridge. 'This is one of the finest automobile drives around Omaha. Although tha pavement does not extend from curb to curb, there is a twelve-foot brick drive on each side of the road over the entire route without a bump to mar the pleasure of the ride. When electric cars were first built they were not adaptod to bills and could not be used to advantage in Omaha, where thero are many and steep grades. The factories soon saw that a car was needed that could climb the hills and It wrs but a short time until a change was made In the style of the car, so that it not only had more power, but the battery was so balanced that the hills did not so materially; affect its mechanism. Automoblllsts have also been instrumental in having muoU of the repairing of streets which Is so noticeable of late. As a rulo a man who owns an automobile is quite an Influential personage and when a protest comes from any ve.y large number of owners It is sure to have weight. The routes which are most frequented by au tomoblllsts in Omaha are kept in good repair the year around, whereas it was but a few years ago that some of the principal streots of the city were really a fright and almost impassable. Timen hava changed. Not only are the outlying stre. ta kept In good repair, but this year will see the repaying of nearly all the downtov.a struts.