MANY PORTLAND WOMEN RUN AUTOS, AND
IT'S down with all tradition that n.
woman can never know anything
about machlnerj-. Many are the fair
ona In Portland whose slender hands
are as steady on the steering gear of
an automobile, whose wits are as swift
to respond, and whose feminine nerves
are as cool as those of any trained
chauffeur.
Portland is contributing- generously
to the increasing use of the machine
among women, and there are more
DUtos run here by women today than
there were altogether three- or four
years ago. And they are seen Just as
frequently where there is a tangle! of
traffic as on the boulevards or in the
suburbs. It is not :orily pluck but real
Interest that is at the bottom of wo
man's success with the "benzine wagon."
The entire notion of the machtneless.
mind of woman Is discredited by those
who profess to know -something about
women who ..operate autos. Several
dealers in Portland profess such knowl
edge. . '. '
"Women. get in' 'on' the know about
a machine mighty fast," said one
dealer, "and any ono who says a wo
man doesn't study her cur and how to
operate it doesn't know what he- is
talking about And they are fussy
about their machines, too, which they
ought to be. If they hear anything
like a squeak they don't wait till to
morrow or next day, but it's stop right
then and there and oil up. A man will
wait till after, the trip. is over or until
It is convenient to him, but meanwhile
there has been considerable wear and
tear on the, machine. I know a woman
here in Portland who has been run
ning one of cur cars for about a year
and. where a man's expense bill for
:he same time may be JIOO, hers has
been less than $25."
Hare Better Auto Sense Than Men.
Certainly local salesmen who are
tspecially strong on gallantry insist
that women show a lot more sense
about automobiles than men do, and
Shey put up a good argument. ;
"Whoever heard. of a woman running
over anybody?" they say, "and who
sver heard of an accident or collision
where a woman was driving? No one
ever did, at least, not In Portland. Nor
!a it because she takes her time about
getting anywhere.
"Not that for. a minute, for when
she is traveling in an auto she looks
like she -might be preparing to scatter
humanity all over the landscape. But
whether she is going fast or slow, she
always knows ivhat she is doing, and
:an t'top nutcker than any male driver
I; ever saw.
"Early this. Spring I was teaching
a young woman out at Mount Tabor
how to run a car. It was a sure sale
and a big commission if she made
good, and I taught her quickly, for
her father would buy her a car Jflst
as quickly as be would buy her a- pair
of gloves, if she wanted it. . She was
learning all right how to run It. but
my particular line of lingo at that
moment ws how to stop It. I had
made her try several times, and she
had failed so often that she was get
ting discouraged, -and I felt that com
mission s'Jpplng out of my hands
pretty fast
r'Sudderily a kid ran from behind a
car right. In front of our machine, and
we were, going at a rato that would
have! made the speed ordinance look
like It had never been passed. My
heart Jvtmped like a trout at a fly, and
U tho nerves concealed about me sot
an. awful racket, but, before I could
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think she had . stopped the machine.
And she did It so bloomln' fasc that I
came pretty close to going head first
over the front end. We turned around
then and drove back. I told her that
she had learned all I knew about driv
ing and she said she guessed she liked
the car all. right, so the sale was
made." , - ' .
Women Drivers Arp Courteous.
So far as the public generally is con
cerned, there Is little doubt but that
persons afoot in Portland prefer wo
men drivers to men. They are Infi
nitely more courteous and polite, and
few women drivers Impress one as be
lieving that the streets were made ex
clusively for their use. People are usu
ally saying mean things about automo
lblists, but the women drivers of Port
land seem to have escaped the general
Ill-feeling.
"I have never received anything but
the most polite and courteous treat
ment," said a young woman who oper
ates her own car on the streets of
Portland. "It may be due to the fact
that I always try to be. considerate of
others. If a huckster . or teamster pulls
up his team to let me pass, I don't act
as If the whole road were mine anyhow.-
I look towards him and bow my
thanks. And if a horse in the suburbs
Is the least bit fractious I stop my
machine and even shut off the power.
The appreciation that people show al
ways repays me for this trouble."
Women of All Ages Run Cars.
A great many persons may be some
what ourious to know at what age a
woman may suddenly evince a passion for
the auto. Investigation is said to show
that it makes little difference whether it
is the woman grown white with years or
the young miss who is not yet out of the
High School. Indeed in Portland women
of all ages operate cars and some of the
most expert drivers are among the very
young and the very old.
Most of the women drivers in Portland,
it is said, limit their dealings with an
auto to operating it. They rarely clean
it or oil it, or tinker with its intricate
mechanism. A few, however, take pride
in attending personally to their machines.
They have a full supply of leather gloves
and apron and attend to even the mi
THE SUNDAY
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nutest details of oaring for their cars.
A certain local dealer says that often, in
teaching a husband and wife how to
operate a car, the woman has proved to
be the far better pupil. The man, he
says, would never confess it, for where la
the member of the male sex who is gener
ous enough to revel in his wife's superior
skill with an auto? - The dealer told
of one instance where the husband had
taken an impulsive desire to own an elec
tric runabout, which was said to be so
simple that any one could manage it.
However, he never could, while the wife
soon discovered a real affinity between
the machine and herself; The man never
understood why he couldn't learn to oper
ate It while his wife operated It as deftly
and gracefully as she did a baby car
riage. - .-- -
But there are" exception's to this rule,
according to the dealer. Occasionally he
finds instances where Lthe. woman, never
learns thoroughly how to operate a car,
and he tells this- story of a runaway:
. "A lady who lives on the East Side,"
he said, "wanted to go down town on an
errand and jumped Into' her runabout to
make the trip. She did the errand all
right, and started for home. She reached
the street in which she' lived, but sud
denly discovered that she could not stop
the car. She had stopped it many times
before, but simply forgot how to do it this
time. '
"So she went past her home and drove
around the block. On reaching her place
again she couldn't stop, so again she
drove around the . block. ' This continued
for some time, until the husband, wonder
ing what had become of her, went out on
the street to take a look. He saw her
drive past and she made signs to him
which . he didn't for a moment, under
stand. After she had driven around the
block and made signs ' to him several
times, he finally got wise, and with a big
leap and great danger to himself climbed
aboard the next time she passed.
Just Like Merry-Go-Round.
"Together they drove around the block,
he 'joshing' her considerably, but when
they again reached their home, he
couldn't stop. He tried It again,, but
failed. After repeated failures .the wo
man, suggested that they drive to a ga
rage where they might get aid. So they
drove over to the West Side, and good
OREGOXIAN, PORTLAND,
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ness knows wnat might have happened
if they had been called upon by aome
emergency to stop suddenly. Luckily
nothing happened and they reached the
garage. . .
"They drove past it once and around
the block. Those in charge finally caught
sight of the car passing and repassing
and one of the chauffeurs went out to
see what was the matter. The man
shouted to him like a megaphone, but the
driver didn't understand the first time.
It took several trips around the block
and in front of the garage, combined with
a number of signals and much shouting,
to make the chauffeur understand what
was wanted of him.
"Finally he understood and with a fly
ing leap he also boarded the car. It took
several more trips around the block-before
he was able to bring the car to a
stop.
I "He afterwards explained to me that
nothing was wrong with the car, that the
only thing necessary to stop It was to pull
out the plug near the spot where the
driver's feet rest. He thought, of course,
that the man or his -wife had done that
and" he had looked for trouble-elsewhere.
"The woman seemed very grateful to
the chauffeur, and she also seemed very
happy that her husband was along with
her. She told me confidentially after
word that he would never have quit 'Josh
ing: her- if she had been alone and had
failed to do such a simple'thlng as pull
out a plug." - '
WORK OF TRAINWRECKERS
Engineer Killed and Ten Injured In
Pennsylvania Smash-up. , -
HAZLiETON, Pa., June 27. One man
was killed and eight or ten passengers
Injured at Lofty, on the Mountain, 12
miles from here, early today, by the
wrecking of a Pennsylvania passenger
train, which Is believed to have been
deliberately derailed by the spiking of
the tracks. The dead man Is the engi
neer, Aaron Raub, of Pottsville. The
injured passengers were brought to the
State Hospital here.
The Pennsylvania uses the Lehigh
Valley railroad tracks between Delano
JUNlfi 28,- 1908.
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Junction- and this city. The superln- i torney Langdon, many of the bonds
tendent of the Lehigh Valley says his men were disqualified entirely and oth-
men found two spikes on tue tracks,
placed in "such a way as to leave no
doubt that they had. been put there de
liberately, to wreck the train.
The Pennsylvania train .was com
posed of a combination car and one day
coach, and left Pottsville for Nescopeke
at .5:35 this morning. The train Is used
principally by workmen, most, of ;whom
arc miners, :
The tracks where the accident oc
curred extend along the side of the
mountain. When the cars . left the
tracks they toppled over on the moun?
tain side of the roadway. Had they
fallen on the opposite side they, would
have gone down a steep embankment
of more than 60 feet.
REJECTS RUEFS SURETIES
Court Finds Them Insufficient and
Denies Bail. ' .
SAN FRANCISCO, June 28. Freedom
on ball was denied Abraham Ruef to
day on the sureties offered by him to
cover bail In the amount of $465,090, as
required on the various Indictments for
bribery found against him. The sure
ties were required to qualify in double
the amount of bonds. .
Ruef'g attorney presented bondsmen
who were presumed to be able to quali
fy In much more than the amount re
quired, but under an examination by
Judge Dunne, assisted by District At-
Dealers
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ers were greatly reduced in amount.
Judge Dunne, after denying the ap
plication for release on the showing
WELL
PIANO FREE FOR A YEAR
Is One of the Features of the Piano Exchange and Bargain Room
This Week.
Possibly you are waiting- "until you
can buy- a Weber or a Kimball. H. M.
Cable, or a Pianola Piano, or the Eilers,
on the principle that the best only is
good enough for you. meanwhile de
priving yourself and family of a piano
and the Influence of music in the home?
If so, here is an offer for you: Buy
any used instrument in our Piano Ex
change and Bargain Room and there
are nearly forty to select from, good
makes in perfect order play on it a
year, and at the end of that time we
wi'l take it back in exchange for a new
piano, allowing you the full amount
paid. Then you will have a piano a
year free.
Before you buy anywhere no matter
what you are offered come and see
what we have. No doubt you will find
the same piano here, used a little, it is
true, hut in good condition and wait
ing for you to come and get it, at
about half you'd pay eise where. There's
a reason for this. For Instance, last
week the owner oi a nearly new Stein
way piano decided, after careful in
vestigation, that the Webr Pianola
Piano was the only Instrument that he
Say They Understand "and Operate
Cars Better Than Do lien.
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I made, set next Friday morning as thfc
! day for examining another list of
bondsmen to be presented by Ruef, sup
plementing those who were accepted
today.
could enjoy, as he could not play his
piano, so -e gave him a reasonable
allowance for his Sleinway and now
it is in the Bareain Room.
Speaking of the Weber and other
Pianola Pianos handled exclusively by
us, they are largely responsible for the
creation of the Piano Exchange and
Bargain Room so many really good,
nearly new and high-priced pianos and
other player pianos come to -us iu ex
change. If any one would like a bar
gain in an -Hi" note player piand. A.
B. Ohase "Arti3tano" and other makes,
the Bargain Room is the place to visit
save couple hundred dollars or more,
too worth coming in for.
Here will be found Monday about
every known make and, remember,
"small pocketbooks" - can find what
suits them, as -prices" begin at $75 and
up to $95 and $120 for very good pianos
and $168 to $1!0 for some of the best.
No matter -what you have in mind, we
will interest you here, and it's best to
come down early; at any. rate, come
as early as you can. Remember the
plrce EllerS Piano Exchange and Bar
gain Room basement , 363 Washing
ton. Cor. Park (4th). ....
' emm.