Show k 0 J ra J frank duryea left at the it iler ot his car at the start of the first race in the united stale held in chicago on thanksgiving day 1895 beside duryea Is arthur A H white an to the automobile as exemplified by the affronts suffered by louis greenough and harry adams of pierre S D in the early nineties having constructed a homemade horseless wagon powered by a two cyl inder gas engine and capable of seating eight the progressive pair were refused the right to carry passengers at county lairs fairs and were even refused permission to drive their vehicle inside the town limits of mithell Mit Ml cheU thell sald bald the press and Da it Is a dead moral certainty that that infernal machine will frighten horses and endanger the lives of men women and children model tl arrives by the time henry fords old model T started rolling in the however the american farmer like his other compatriots was rapidly accepting the new motor car radical improvements in construction and design have come through the years A vast integrated roadway system presently comprising nearly miles in state highways alone has been constructed almost from the start the gas driven car supplanted canted the electric and steam jobs proving a steadier source of power and simpler to maintain the extent ol of the development ol of the automobile in the 50 years dating from the first american race Is vividly shown in the chicago museum ot of science and Indu exhibit in connection with the celebration of the motor cars golden anniversary niver sary it was at the southwest entrance of the present museum then the fine arts building of the columbian exposition of 1893 that the heralded race of 1895 got under way with six vehicles lined up four were gas driven of either double or single cylinder motors and two were elec powered according to accounts a goodly throng was has on hand to see the start of the 65 mlle mile race from chicago to evanston and back the roads were slushy from an early snowfall crowds pressed about the high wheeled buggy type vehicles in wonder only drawing back to permit the drivers to start off with kohlsaat bent upon making the race a constructive event rather r than a circus strict rules were laid down tor for judging the winner with a total of in cash prizes awards were to be made on general utility or performance of the no more it was the installation of the electric starter on the cadillac of 1911 that marked the first great stride forward in the development of the automobile in the aj U si S not only enabling an easier and safer method of operation but also permitting women to take to motoring in inventing the self starter C P F kettering Ketter bg one of the mechanical wizards of the industry was spurred by the mishap of a friend who fractured his arm while cranking like all innovators kettering Ketterl ng had to run a gauntlet of sc offers but he got out of a sick bed to demonstrate his new fity fifty years ago ja 1 frank duryea and his brother charles formed the duryea motor wagon corp they made and sold 16 of the quaint machines in 1896 theirs was the pioneer automobile autom obi ile manufacturing fac turing company of the united states the 1895 model was described I 1 bed as a vehicle run running nt ing on four wheels with pneumatic tires and ball bearings speed is controlled by a proper arrangement arrange ment of gears cones and levers the duryea company despite spi ite its ita early start and the prestige r enjoyed by the car fillol following wing the victory in the american america n automobile race at chicago on thanksgiving tha day 1895 faded out in tho the not 0 years ye d III alry OA V automobiles automobiles a by AL JEDLICKA years ago H 11 FIFTY F kohlsaat editor and publisher of the old chicago times herald took up his pen to make this daring prediction t to 0 a skeptical public the horse still has work to do but motors are arc coming in and they will in the end be cheaper faster and more economical they will ot of necessity command ultimate supremacy the law of selection the survival of the fittest is going to play its part in carrying it out as it has played it in everything else in the world kohlsaat was waa druin drumming ming up his promotion of 0 the first american i automobile race to be run at chicago ni III with the twin objectives of popularizing the motor car and improving the count rys roadways his was no easy task for though the automobile has since become an important J economic and social link in american life it was then looked upon pon with curiosity and even suspicion indeed the nations farmers the then n were in the forefront of opposition machines economy of at operation and appearance or design three ot of the contestants dropped ou out t early in the race one on e gas daiv en job tailing failing to obtain sufficient traction in the slippery going and two electric powered vehicles retiring because of b battery limitations only two finished that left three gas powered machines in the running with one the rogers entered by the macys of new york falling out after first colliding with a street car and damaging the gearing and then running into a hack and bending the steering apparatus with lour four vehicles eliminated 0 only the two cylinder duryea motor wagon piloted by frank duryea and the single cylinder imported benz driven by oscar mueller and charles king remained to fight it out traveling the distance in a little littie ailt over 10 hours duryea crossed the line first with king who relieved mueller after he collapsed un under der the tension following close behind though the winning car Is not on exhibition at the museum a sur rey type stevens duryea model of the Is to bi be seen with its brass kerosene lamps folding top and leather mudguards mud guards A four seat er the driver was situated in the back with the engine beneath him first to win an american automo apparatus after a previous test had miscarried when the car caught fire coming in the same decade was the closed car cir which also represented a marked mi aked advance in the motor industry since it permitted year round use of vehicles on exhibition at the museum is a 1918 cus torn tom built pierce with an open drivers seat and a closed rear fashioned after the elaborate horse car biages of old with oval windows and fabric upholstery of pearl gray also shown is a 1916 overland coupe with the low slung body and high boxlike box like cab in 1824 automobile engineering made another significant advance in the installation of tour four wheel brakes on bhicks adding to the safety features of motor vehicles and increasing their appeal to the public 4 the same year C F kettering Ketterl ng made another notable contribution to the industry developing ethyl gasoline which increased compression in automobile to engines and resulted in greater power and efficiency and higher mileage toward the close of the the old custom built automobile which had dominated the industry since production po got under way in the was replaced by the standardized car As a result of the perfect mon of mass production more automobiles were turned out at lower prices putting motor cars within F X 1 4 Z u gg mm this Is one of the handsomest of the he new cars the he packard clipper tor for 1946 the dashing appearance has been achieved by redesigning the radiator grille and by more massive sl si deguard bUin bumpers pers colorful new interiors and clean lined modern styling also enhance its beauty there have been many mechanical improvements too bile race duryea also had the distinction ot of being the first to sell a gas powered motor car in the V U S in 1898 1896 next to the duryea stevens the mobile phaeton of 1900 intrigues moderns used to the sleek stream liners ot of today A surrey like four seater with steering handle in the rear this vehicle had an open front and a square canvas top with tas meled fringes 0 of f wooden structure the mobile was smartly trimmed in fed and black along with the old vehicles the model T ford of 1908 proves ol of especial interest to spectators milestone that it is in american motor history none can mistake the old T with its high top supported by metal brackets its leather seats shining black body brass headlights and lamps and octagon shaped hood next comes the big blue cadillac touring car of 1911 with its high windshield gears on the outer running board steering wheel on right and brass accessories A tour four cyl inder hider car this model possessed an electric ignition system and headlights the reach of at the average and lower income groups with the development ol of volume output prices showed a considerable drop between 1925 and 1940 the average in the former year being 1007 fob and in the latter 77 tob fob besides the 1940 cars car 3 were heavier and improvements included balloon tires safety glass all steel bodies finer ip springs rings sturdier and better finishes windshield wipers and rear view mirrors also in production in 1940 was the automatic shift which chUke lace the self starter promises to further facilitate the use of the automobile by the elimination of the hand shift oft so befuddling to the more nettlesome motorist still a luxury and not in general use the automatic shift enables drivers to stop and start without the traditional change or disengagement ol of gears and provides smooth fast ast pickup spectators at the museum exhibit were quick to notice the revolutionary difference between the old horseless carriages ot of Dur yeas days and the new postwar automobiles on exhibit though representing no radical change over prewar models the new cars possess an abundance ot of chrome grill extending across the front sleek streamlining and many mechanical refinements indeed prophecy ot of 1895 that the automobile was here to stay and would prove of 0 the greatest greate t utility to the american people has been amply borne out agthe asa the museum exhibit shows even if 0 the press and dakotans Dako tans assertion that the internal machine would frighten horses and endanger the lives of 0 men women and children has proved to be only too true A tricycle car with ats its three wheels arranged in imitation of the lauding flauding gear of some fighter fighte planes Is being manufactured in 4 W los ang angeles cles it Is probably the Z 4 most startling departure from conventional vent ional automobile design that has been put into actual production other features are it a horsepower aircraft type motor that will give five a speed of miles per hour at ordinary speeds it will run mu 40 miles on an a gallon of gasoline its makers claim the e body Is plastic |