The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 24, 1907, Page 3

The San Franciseo Sunday Call Frmesr AUTOMOBILE T8 EVER SUILT GEoRGE B. SELDEN; NoHE IVVENTOR. in numeseus fields bawe besn se surprising. that some day, ke Alexandeg It may sigh for mew worlds to invade. What the auteme- ile has siready sccomplished during its brief life is amasing; what it may sccomplish during the next decade may prove more amszing stiil’ Primarily designed for pleasurs, the &omains of industrial sand egri- are being #ntered and thelr manifold problems met and solved by the ger ive gasoling motor, is invasion of the business world = & remarkable fact in Stself, but it rendered still more remarkable by history of the sutomoblle uities attenling it on the rocky way to its present day success. It may surpiise many to learn that the first sutomoblile was piade in China, and was & weird and uncanny affalr operated by foot. the next motor car that dawned on the borizon was in 1601, and seems to have been operated by something re- sembling steam. In the seventeenth century = good German burgher wss popularly supposed to be inhabited by evil spirits becauss he constructed and navigated through the streats of his native town a fearfully and wonder- fully made machine, which it took both feet and hands to sfart. There were others. France had her crazy ones, too, but there were more determined and undsunted purspers ef the ides of self-propelling mashine in John Bull's and tian anywhers. Ev- ervbody laughed at everybody else, but they kept on trying. It was Newton awdy back In 1630 who concelved the thought of steam & motive power, but for some reasion the idea was pot put into practical operation. A little later & French officer bullt a sert of artillery carriage which was clumsily operated by steam, but it was erude end almost useleas in the face of acci- dent In England, Jumes Watt had patent- ed4 a steam carxriage, but it was far from being the conception Watt had It had far-reaching re- s, for 2 Willlam Murdock, a subor- dinate of Wakt's, thought that high pressure woulll solve the problem. In pursuance of ‘this idea he used to ex- periment with a dull, clanking ma- chine which aneaked and groaned most industriously over the country roads st night. Thiose of the neighbors who spled it proyaptly took to their heels, belleving It khe devil, and large stories spread. Wajtt made Murdock give up his noecturngl praectices, and the growth of the motbr car ceased till another Englishman, came along who intro, duced a2 gearing between the crank ghaft and ‘the road wheel, which im- proved this machine vastly. In the United States there were several gen- fuses toiling and molling for the same end with the result that there were several carriages in operation, notably _one in New Orleans which ran quite respectably by means of clockwerk; so A the commercial, worl is the early OF VI8 PRESENTQAY” This was in 1552, and, ide CAUTOMD - EEaEe {20 TR on the whale the automobile busiuer even bsek In the great-great-grand father days was active. b Everything was progressing beau- tifully when the trusts of those days decided to take & hand. The machine had made such forward strides that twenty or more wers running about London, and there wers five regular cars {n service which carried 12,000 people over 4000 miles In 20 weeks This was going altogether too fast to please what is known as the “Turn- pike Trust,” a corporation which owned thousands of horses and hun- dreds of stagecoaches, and which had a monopoly on 21l business coming its way. The Turnpike Trust didn't care m about the automobile/ so it set to work in its bwn little way. It dug trenches along the motor car high- ways, tore up the roads for miles at a stret¢h and made things generaily un< pleasant. Parliament backed up the trust by enforcing obedience to a law compelling every seif-propelling vehie cle on a public highway to be pre- ceded by & man walking and carrying a red flag.” This absurd law endured until 1895, when its repeal was cele- brated by a glorious procession of self- propelled vehicles from London to Brightofl. The First Real One But the English inventors had failed in the very essence of the thing. As it became clear that some other element besides steam was needed, many - liant minds set to work upon .§- scheme; but it is to America that the honor of gaining the goal first is due, for it was an American, George B. Selden, 2 student of law at Harvard, who conceived and carried out the idea of internal combustion' applied as mo- tive power. But Selden was a busy man, and it was not until 1875 that he found time to bulld a machine ac- of today. At the time Sélden was work- ing on his invention; public opimion against him ran so high that it was not safe for him to venture on the publc highways with his machine. He ‘was advised to take care of his family and to let “tinkering” alone.| In this connection it is interesting to state that 80 per cent of the American machines are manufactured by permission of Mr. " Selden, and €0 per cent éf the foreiza cars come under the sams Jaw. The event which caused the great awakening of American industry was the Herald race Chicago, which brought out every type and descrip- tion of vehicle to compete. Since then the motor car has been steadily ad- vancing. The motor Is still far from perfection, but new improvements be- ing constantly added render the area of usefulness for the motor of the future practically unlimited. The demand for cars today so far exceeds the supply that although there are 150 makers of cording to his plan. That machine, -cars in the United States, and the big however, is the father of the motor car factories employ from 3000 to 4000 men ' each, they are unable to cope,with tus neéd. One large firm gvl before the opening of the season had sold its entire output of cars and was ¢on- sidering arrangements for the stock of 1908. It is estimated that the out- put of automobiles for 1907 will valued at $57.000,000. Including the cars expected to be sold from last year's supply, Which may amount to $18,000,000 more,’ there will be about $75,000,000 expénded for cars during this year. The United States today counts 100,000 automobiles in use in its different sections, which represent moke than $200,000,000 and a combined motive power of 2,000,000 horses. Oddly enough, the State owning the largest number of cars iz the little one of New Jersey. This is because thers are no finer roads anywhere, and be /automoblles from adjacent States use her roads as a touring fleld. New York State has 30,000 cars, while California, ‘with ber tremendous area, can claim but 00. But this lack of touring cars is. universally attributed to the poor condition of many of her roads, which makes driving a car over them expensive. HoWever, California makes up for this bY being the only State in the Union Where so large & numbgr oter machines are used in farm for in the great ranches of the Sacramento and San Joaquin the mo- tor wagon is used by the farmer to haul his grain ‘direct to market, and the motor in plowing. threshing and grinding with twice the ease of the old style methods and ten times its rapidity and accuracy. ] Pushing Its Way The advent of the motor car in com- mercial and industrial centers has caused a distinct advance in the volume of business handled. In the industrial world the motor wagon fs able to carry merchandise frem the factory to the warehouse, or from the retailer to consumer at a much cheaper rate than was possible when horses were the main factors for hauling purposes. FFor the same reason the commercial world has welcomed it with open arms. Re- tail houses use it to deliver their goods; physicians savé valuable time in reach- ing the bedsides of the sick, and num- berlegs factories, breweries, and other like firms are finding it an effcient and co-operative factor. For civic ser- vice its uses are multiplied. Government institutions, such as the postoffice, find it thoroughly adapted to their needs, for it not only decreases the area of a city but increases the efficiency of the work performed by leaving an unhurried official more time in which to perform his duties. THe great metropolitan newspapers use it for quick delivery. Inspectors of parks and public buildings would be unable to cover their routes in the prescribed time were it not for the ever ready mator car. Tn several European cities the trolley lines have been almost en- tirely supplanted by the motor omni- bus, which has the advantage of not needing power houses and which cannot be thrown out of commission by a break in the line which, with the trol- ley, disables the entire system. In the military fleld its usefylness is a thing past question. It can transpert rapid- firing guns, or take the place of the pack- mule, performing both duties in a third or a fourth of the time re- quired under the old system. As an ambulauce its work has been highly approved. Think what it means to a dangerously wounded man whose safety may be a matter of minutes! ‘In the Fire Department expenses are cut down, as the motor engine does not consume fuel when idle; public property and private dwellings are saved in many cases by a quick appearance on > the scene and the wear and tear of the heavy trucks on the pavement done away with to the satisfaction of the city authorities. It is used as a street sprinkler, all repalir departments are finding it effective, and street conges- tion has been markedly lessened as the motor vehicle does not take up as much . -~ TLOWING WITH GASQILINE MOTOR IN CALI: NIA A pace as en ordinary wagon, and moves twice as quickly. The most extraordinary use to which the ublquitous motor car b put is that of & only be seen in Pa particular its merits ar distances to interment took formerly several are short ed by this m slow pace of the harses n Zen neces- sary. The motor hearse s absalutely noi of making from ¢ hour. Anot troduction h are d is capable in- In London, h an apparatus 1 registers t and the far called 2 gone over e the possibilitles of bas accomplished all innovations in less than Looked upon as a mers plaything the days of its birth, it bids falr to become the giant of the age. Almost it makes one belleve in propheey; for if one remembers, Mother Shipman foretold its coming in an old, a dozen ye: old rhyme. One does beliave, for the “roats of thie future are in the pres- ent,” and wagon, why not the stagecoach the stagecoach, why not the raflroad: if the autome why net prophecy fur e raliroad, why not d if the automobile, machine? €Can NEW AND INGENIOUS TALLIES FOR CARD PARTIES HE liveliness of card parties and games has been entuated this winter novelty of some of the taliies ch have lately been orig- inated. Indeed, progressive games especially are too edsy and jolly a means of entertaining a number of guests for them ever to grow old- fashioned. The tailies used are always a matter of consideration. Decorated cards bearing the guesis’ names, their places at the tables an game goes en, to pasted on them, hav ters of populari newer things equa ‘keepers, Recently at 2 mesting of a small card ubject, as the saving gilded stars after many win- n laid aside for efficient as score club bracelets were given to the women as tallies and key rings to the men. These bracelets had been ex- pressly made of heavy copper wire. They slipped over the hand and hung loosely on the arm after the manner of bangles. The key rings were alse made of copper wire, although some- what lighter In weight, and had been twisted Into shape by the same jeweler who fashioned the bracelets. As the party assembled each one of the guests drew from the number a ring or bangie and learned by the little ribbon tied on it at which table a place was to be taken. The women slipped the ban« gles on their arms; the men jut ths key rings in their pockets. Later lit- tle brass bells were passed around to be hung on the tallles of the winners. while clowns and tiny pigs decorated those so unfortunate as to lose. Be- fore the end of the game there was ;tturulr 2 merry jingle of these trin- ets. . There are, indeed, an Infinite number of inexpensive brass charms which might be bought for this purpose and which would add to the joliity of the game. The idea, moreover, is not a costly one to put in execution. . In fact, at the mentioned card party there were present over fifty people and the cost of the tallies amounted to less than seven dollars. Roman fibulas inatead of bangles mig given to, the women for charm hold On the bodices the fib would appear very decorative and the »mveniewee that some find in playing cards while wear- ing a bangle would be overcome. Nee and watch chains are also being us for tallles at gay card pa choosing them the best tas effective and inexpensive ones brilliant Venetian beads on the’ women's chaix are winners, eltt opaque omes indicate tha been losers. To strir watch chains can be made, kinds are used, i failure. so Yellow pin this tract allies. e t w are made of rec > a1 wpe hearts and diamonds. ' Th¥ men are given those of black cloth cut in shape of spades and clubs. As & means then of recording the games good sized china headed pins of two distinct colors are passed around, black ones usually being chosen as indicative of failure. The pincushions for the men &re con- siderably smaller than those givem to the women. They are designed for the ‘walstcoat pocket, and often are found useful long after the party is over. As soon as a good pattern for these tallies is drawn they can be dexterously made at home with very small cost. Small embroadery hoeops for weomen and tiny bows and arrows for men a also used this seasen as tallles for parties. Their repeated decoration narrow ribbons of antagonistic e is the means of keeping the scotes' These things, however, have to be ecar- ried. from table to table; and, singe it is desirabis to have the hands free at a card party, they are not in quite as high faver as tallles thal can be worn,