Newspaper Page Text
Horses Passing Out; Motor
Cars Taking Their Place
By F. J. Long.
Manager < ole Motor Company.
The dodo and the dinotherium vit exterminated because tin :-'
was no need for them in the general economy of things, liorses and
mules are going the same route a few laps behind.
1 believe there will be readers of this paper today
who will live long enough Io see horsts and muh
as infrequent <m the streets of Atlanta as irntfalo-:
and blonde-hairi d Kstjuimaux are todny.
The motor truck is sweeping the horse and tin
mule oft the streets as relentlessly as boiling water
melts snow. Il is a slow process. Tlio.se of us win
are selling trucks ha\e had to overcome many sort?
of opposition. But they are being overcome. Tie
use of trucks in Atlanta is increasing by the Inn
dreds of per cent each year. It is only a matte)' o
time when they will be supreme in Ih< d<diverin
and hauling work
It has reached a point now when we have mor
live prospects tor commercial ears than we have l<
pleasure ears. *lt course, a commercial ear prospei
some limes hangs on a good while, l-'oj we have
to sell business men both service and sal isfaet ioi.
we have to sell him something that will give him continuous service,
and he has to be convinced. Rut it is being done every day.
The commercial cars today are sweeping everything before them
in the large cities of the Soiiih. and it is a very surprising fact that
lh< y are making real progress, 100. in tin small' r cities.
Look around Atlanta and similar
Southern cities today and see what
classes of |ie"|ile at' using truck
lumber dealers, hide dealer-, coal deal
ers, paper manufacturers, steel manu
faetui'ers. wholesale grocers, retail ifr>>-
eers and transfer people.
In Atlanta w find it hard to i'll
trucks to th' bin depmami nt -toie
and merchants because of their con
nection with :t parcel deliver; • "in
pany. But this condition will not long
persist. I noticed in a t. ri-ut i--tie of
Mfitur Vge the following stab mi nt
about what Chicago department stores
wet ■■ planning in lb way of replacing
horses with motors:
For Department Stores.
“Down-town t'lileago department
stores are planning to do away en
tir ly with horse- and substitute the
motor truck for all delivery. In the
list of thus, thus planning an Mar
shall Field .<• <'<>., Mandel Bros, ('ar
son, Ririe. Scott X- Co., the Boston
Store. The Fair, etc. About I.lino horses
will be displaced by commercial motor
vehicles when the change is finally
completed.
"This will mean the operation of be
tween 7(10 and 000 more motor vehicles
than are at present in use in Chicago.
Taking 750 teams and wagons from
Chicago's streets and substituting mo
tor vehicles will mean a saving of
nearly two miles of street space, to
sny nothing of the gain in other lines
of the city’s progress.
"For some time the various Chicago
department stores have been using mo
tor trucks. The first machines were of
large tonnage and were used for haul
ing the heavy transfer load.- from the
main stores so the delivery sub-sta
tions north, west and south. The ma
chines were put Into use not with any
thought of financial gain other than
that resulting from better service. With
the motor vehicle the load could h ave
the down-town store an hour later than
was required of horsed wagons, and
arrive at the shipping or distributing
point in time to meet the small horse
wagons there, at the regular schedule
hour for delivery. Thus each truck
saved one hour for each of three or four
deliveries a day This paid in service.
After a time it was seen that if cer
tain things could be done witlt the
trucks to keep them continual!; mov
ing that they could be made to pay
actual dividends over horsed service.
“Then It was that a fen large gas
oline ears Were put in for furniture;
work, delivering bulk loads in house
to-house work. These trucks are non
doing better in the matter of cost than
any other machines in the department
store service, some of them running K 0
to 100 miles a da; One van for Mar
shall Field's is quoted at the latter fig
ure.
“When it was found that these ma
chines were a success, smaller ones
were tried out by a couple of the linns,
notably Marshall Field A- Co., for the
longer hauls to the suburbs. In this
work loads were smaller so that small
trucks were put to work. These run
ning from six to nine miles from the
store before commencing deliveries
then engage in lious. -to-lmuse delivery
work and have provided a success both
as to service and cost. From one to
and with more reliability titan was pos
two hours is saved on each delivery
slide with horse- especially in winter
work.
"Selgel. I'o'.pet A Co. operate four
three and om -half-ton gasoline trucks
and no electric cars. Some 225 horses
are used also in the house-to-house
work. This firm is not yet convinced
of die coming u the motored vehicle
for ibis latter branch of «y ork. hut is
• nthusiastie ov< r lite hauling of the big
machines for transfer work and fur
niture hauling. Th, eventual motori
zation of this equipment would mean
possibly 100 motor vehicles.
"'We favor the gasoline truck,' aid
the shipping clerk of this firm, 'on ac
count of its mileage capacity. It cun do
things impossible to tin electric. For
instance, we had a breakdown on the
north side one afternoon. A lug truck
from Hammond got In about 4 p. m.
and was sent nortli with a load at
once. With an electric this would have
been impossible. It would have had n<>
charge for*the trip. Again sometimes
there is an extra bulk delivery Ilk. a
talking machim and cabinet yy < sent
out 'today. The gasoline truck can
make a detour and deliver this at a
point one mile Wi st of tile regular
route. With an electric 1 couldn't do
it on at count of low mileage. ,
" 'With horses on the house-to-house
work, too, th> • rh • is out and "U th'
way to t 1 !■ i . beb ■< i 4 11. >, Hide
stops. With th, motor lie can not do|
I this. He ha- to stop the vehicle first.
II Os course I can send an extra boy.’"
I have quoted this article so exten
iv •I? bi' au.-' I consider it an impor
tant on, . If the trucks arp proving sue
ces’.-ful for department stores in the
city of Chicago, where the pavings as a
ruh .ire m> better than they ought to
be. thi will do well in Atlanta.
Horses Worth Money.
■ ' eni bi demonstrated very easily
that gasoline truck delivery is more
economical titan horse delivery when
conditions ate right, of course, unless
a. man can displace at least.'two-liorsc
teams with a truck we don't advise
him to get om- that is, unless the truck
give.- him a greater radius and thus a
chance to increase his business. When
there is enough work to keep a truck
busy all the time it will pa; for itself
many times over. For instance, one
truck w< sold here In Atlanta disjilaeed
three horse vehicles.
In Atlanta, where the streets are
rather narrow, the truck is going to
solve the problem of congestion. Ow
ing to its compactness, its ability to
turn In small space flexibility
of motion, it is just the thing for- our
crowded streets. With motor trucks
in place of horse-drawii vehicles, the
, congestion would he decreased one
half or. since wt must count on the
growth of Atlanta, double thi present
traftiy could lie accommodated with no
greater crowding of the stte. ts.
Horses a Poor Second.
f II Lils offer no terrors to the modern
truck. They will pul] any hill a horse
1 cun pull, rhey -an go over any road
that a hors- -drawn vehicle can. In
fact, the transcontinental Also proved.
I think, that a motor truck can go a lot
of places where m> horses- could pull a
, wagon.
In the South, motor trucks ar. com
ing i-al'ticulacly useful because they
are heat proof. Last summer, for ex
ample. the Vdanta Coal and lee Com
pany was hard up against it because
their mules were being killed off like
flies by the heat. VV e heljayd them out
with some additional trucks and they
came througQi In fine styb .
Another point—in Southern cities In
this latitude there are usually ice
storms to be looked for each winter.
When they come horse trafllc is at a
standstill. But motor vehicles go right
on Neither he nor snow (In moder
ation! hold any terrors for the modern
motor truck.
The wonderful service that a truck
can give through snow am] slush is
hard for one to believe who has not
seen a machine in action under blizzard
conditions. Last year, during the aw
ful weather that hit New York in the
latter part of January and early In
February, an .-Vico truck made a non
stop run. staying in service day and
night, with many shifts of crews.
At that same time, witli horses going
to the bad on every side, a 3 1-2-ton
Alee truck was in service 336 hours
continuously for the United States Ex
press Company in New York. This
gi(c- an idea of what the modern mo
tot truck will do in times of weather
stress< -
365 Days of Service a Year.
With modern sei vic. departments,
wo can very nearly count on giving
truck purchasers 365 days-of service in
the y.ar. At our place we give over
Saturday afternoons to trucks. That is
the tinu when they are not in use. any
way. ..nd we go over them and put
them in good shap' on that day.
By studying drh'i rs as well as motor
trucks, th. manufacturers have ren
dered them nearly fool proof. If they
will give the machine.- plenty of oil
end grease they will hardly go wrong.
Os eourse.tlnexperieni ed drivers make
trouble. And the practice of over
loading trucks is bad.
To obviate this we always send n
man out with our trucks to teach the
new drivers. We have him stick around
three or four days—or a week if neces
sary until he has shown the new man
not only how to drive, hut how to load.
Then we seldom have trouble.
If drivers will only use a little care
am! will refrain from overloading, and
if purchasers will give a little study to
their own transportation problems,
truck.- will prove out .very time. In
this town th. truck- were knocked a
he because th. •.t . ;>• trucks were poor,
I : ■ y did me get Intelligent care, then
I Werl- no service departments and no
service.
Bi.: ilc- -.r.-jii'i . ..gain.-' motor
I trucks - i i-, q>. ..t j'g T"i y in. tak
ing ■
| trial lib of AL.uit . lie .111 South.
IXL 1
h- I
/' ' a 7
- & &
'IE ATLANTA GEORGIAN AND NEWS. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16. 1912.
YOU’LL SEE THEM AT THE SHOW
Velie Truck. Firestone-Columbus Touring Car.
————— - - -—■ -—■ ... - - \ X
»a . KtoJ r ZZZ ===:=: = :
Overland Touring Car. Ford Touring Car.
Local Motorists
Keen For Latest
Highway Project
By Innis Brown.
uta H E enthusiasm and interest at-
9 tendant upon the opening of the
big automobile show in this city
are extending to motordom tn all its
phases. Manufacturers, de tiers and
owners appear to be enthusiastic over
the future of this gigantic business,
and its developments in all lbs rami
fications are being discussed. No little
interest.is being manifested here in the
big proposition recently launched by
('ail (I. Fisher and Janies A. Allison,
president and secretary and treasurer,
respectively, of the Prest-o-Lite Com
pany, of constituting a national high
way from New York to San Francisco.
This proposition is said to have been
entertained for quite a lime by Messrs.
Fisher and Allison, but it was only
about two months since that any defi
nite form was given to the idea, when
it was submitted to members of the
automobile interests in a dinner held
at an Indianapolis hotel. At this meet
ing practically every motor and acces
sory manufacturing firm of that big au
tomobile center was represented. Fol
lowing a few preliminary remarks by
the toastmaster of the occasion, Mr.
Fisher "’as called on to put the propo
sition fully before the meeting.
Will Ask More Donations.
According to Mr. Fisher’s plan, it is
proposed to ask the automobile and ac
cessory manufacturers to donate either
one-third of one per cent of their gross
earnings for three years, or one-fifth of
one per cent of these earnings for a
period of five years, in order to create
a fund to undertake the proposition.
It was estimated that such a levy would
certainly assure a fund of at least $lO,-
000,000. With this amount the ma
terial necessary to constructing the
highway is to be purchased. This will
allow approximately $5,000 per mile. It
is estimated that the cost of the ma
terial will be not more than 30 to 35
per cent of the cost of the road when
completed. This would, therefore, se
cure a coast-to-coast highway, which
would cost, all told, about $25,000,000.
In addition to the above feature, it
was pointed out that states yr coun
ties would be asked to lend their as
sistance, in the way of having the ma
terial applied. In order to insure that
there will be no hitch in haying the
most made of the material, it was stat
ed that all work would be done sub
ject to government inspection.
In addition to the donations to be
asked of manufacturers apd dealers who
are disposed to assist the project, a
plan has been devised whereby auto
mobile owners may also lend their as
sistance. To this end membership but
tons will be sold to all owners who de
sire to help. These buttons w ill be sold
for $5 and for SIOO. There w ill also
be given to every manufacturer who
gives to the fund a medal cast, rep
resenting a firm membership.
Scope Will Be National,
In older to Insure that the proposi
tion is of national scope and intended
in no wise as a benefit to any special
section, it is plannud to place mat
ters in charge of a national committee
to be selected at some later date. This
committee is to have full charge and
is tit authorize a duly bonded trust
company to make all collections and
to handle the funds. This committee
will also have in hand the matter of
m iking a decision as to the route to be
followed. It is understood that three
prospective lines have been considered.
However, neither of thcs< has been of
ficially indorsed.
TJio promoters of the plan have been
careful to see that no unforeseen hap
pening shall in jmy yvay divert such
funds as arc subscribed, in cas» the
proposition does not mutcrlalize full',
in fact, not a penny »if tin fund is to bi
Usi ill : '. i 'til l .<I ti.uiH>.i>it*i ;>;ps been
!• ■ -ue.l I \l< s<rs. 1' islu T
any i uni - .. ■. paid in, aud sotm I >' ■ l
| occurrence prevtfnts the completion of
I th" project, the amount of such dona
tion is to be refunded in full, together
with interest at the rate of three per
cent.
Among prominent motor and acces
sory manufacturers who attended the
vZv' /Zt’ c ZSa' Ik'
f z *~ZiV4.' 'P 1 riiilirin' j -iirf**‘“’fTlir*~flMMiraiml'Ylt**>4*«—/ ZV) MK
X —' />„ r ■ imi r-—-■ - ... V " JL ’ W®
|X- .LLFy
Dm jp
at its!
t’ 4 MewYoriGtv - - ——
Ini )
11Z Prosperity
/ Yours—or the Fellow’s?
r-jZHE dawn of a new prosper
ity rises today on America.
The election is over.
Bumper crops have come
from rhe fields. The farmers’ bins
are bulging. Ihe railroads are
buying. Ihe steel mills are run
ning full blast again. Many believe
the American people are beginning
the most prosperous era of their
history.
On the crest of the prosperity
wave will ride only those alert, far
sighted houses which project them
selves into the future and prepare
for it. Here is a big and interest
ing problem for them: how are all
these products, this grain, these
cottons, these textiles, this steel
and this machinery going to he
carried to the ultimate consumer?
• * •
The railroads will take care of
their share as usual. But the
railroads do not carry the goods to
the ultimate consumer. For every
piece of goods that is hauled by
railroad 100. miles, is hauled over
street or roads 5 miles by horse or
automobile. Ihe extent of road
transportation is today way beyond
the belief of the average man.
Wheat, for instance, is hauled
to the railroad by horse or auto
mobile. The railroad hauls it to
the mill and then on to the city.
The horse or automobile hauls it
to the grocer and from him to the
ultimate consumer. Thus the story
goes. Arc your horses able to take
>care of the increased business?
f
COLE MOTOR COMPANY OF GEORGIA
239 Peachtree Street. Phone Ivy 799
’ dinner at which the proposition was
submitted are Carl G. Fisher and Janies
A. Allison, of the Prest-o-Lite Com
pany; F. H. Wheeler, of Ihi Wheeler-
Schebler ('ompany: Walter Marmon, of
the Marrribn-Nordyke Company : W. 13.
Cooley, of the Waverly Company: C. P.
Have you enough horses to take
care of the increased business?
Don’t buy more horses. Buy
motor trucks. They can work
twenty-four hours a day if neces
sary. They can haul three times
the load. They can cover a
greater area of territory. They
reach out and get new business.
lALCO
Motor Trucks
ton 5 ton ton 2 ton
——l
They never tire. They travel as fast
at the end of the day as at the be
ginning. They do not die suddenly.
I hey do nor consume on Sunday.
* * »
Motor trucks are increasing ar
the rate of about 100 per cent per
year. I hey are being used now in
every line of business. Nearly
every house that has bought one
motor truck has bought more motor
trucks. Sixty-two per cent of the
Alco trucks we have built were
purchased on reorders. That is the
evidence. The testimony of nearly
a thousand Alco owners is against
the horse.
Within a year Alco trucks have
risen from sixth to a command
ing position. They have behind
Henderson, of the Cole Motor Car Com
pany; George Dixon, of the National
Motor Vehicle Company: representa
tives of the American Motor Sales
Company, the Marion Motor Car Com
pany, Remy Magneto Company, and a
number of others.
them a company with a capital
of $50.000,000, —a company of 77
years’ accumulative transporta
tion experience.
And bear this in mind: sixty
five per cent of all Alco owners are
rated by Bradstreet and Dun at
$1,000,000 or over. Big business
houses are shrewd buyers. They
seldom purchase mistakes. Nearly
every one of these big business
houses has bought more Alco trucks.
I his is a good guide for the smaller
business house, for it can avoid the
danger of an unwise purchase if it,
too, selects the Alco.
• • •
We sell the Ako truck on a
scientific basis. We are not so
much interested in the immediate
future as in the ultimate business.
I herefore, a year ago, we established
the Transportation Cost Bureau.
This Bureau will determine
for you just how much your horses
are actually costing you, will blue
print your horse delivery system,
reroute your hauls, estimate if you
can employ motor trucks to advan
tage. determine how many you
need, the size, the type of body,
and vvil show you wnat the auto
mobile equipment will save over
the horse equivalent. The saving
runs from 15 to 40 per cent, de
pending on the type of business.
The service rendered by this Bureau
is without charge to you.
Appointments are made in order
of request. Our telephone number
is Ivy 799.
AUGUSTANS PUN
TOUR TD LOCAL
AUTOSHOW
AUGUSTA, GA., Nov. 16.—The Au.
gusta Automobile club is preparing for a
run to Atlanta to the automobile show
next week. It is probable that there will
be between 20 and 30 ears to go and at a
meeting to be held tonight of the local
auto club It may develop that between 50
and 60 cars will be entered.
President C. B. Garrett, of the Augusta
Automobile club, Secretary George s
Lombard and many others are enthusias
tic over the proposed trip.
A run to the automobile races at Sa
vannah last year by Augusta automoblL
ists was highly successful.
Roads in Good Trim.
The roads between Atlanta and Augusta
are in excellent condition now.
Two routes are available for such a trip
The normal one is through Thomson'
Crawford and Madison.
The other one, less direct but none the
less interesting and desirable for those
not in a hurry leads south from Augusta
lor a lew miles to Waymesboro, and then
straight to Atlanta over the northerly \t
lanta-to-Savannah route, through Louis
ville, Milledgeville, Eatonton and joining
the direct route at Madison.
Alternative Routes Possible.
This route can be varied by the leisure
ly motorist by traveling to Macon, from
which point there is most excellent rid
ing to Atlanta.
The direct route is 171.2 miles in length
—a long day’s run. The other is 225.7, an
easy two-day run, or a comparatively
stiff day-and-a-half run.
MILWAUKEE PICKS DATES,
MILWAUKEE, WIS., Nov. 16.- Mil
waukee's fifth annual motor show, the
third under the auspices of the Mil
waukee Automobile Dealers associa
tion, will be held in the. auditorium on
or about January 20 to 25.