THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAN, PORTLAND. SEPTEMBER 18. 1910.
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PORTLAND TO FIGHT FIRES WITH
AUTO FIRE ENGINES AND APPARATUS
Faster Equipment to Be Installed Big Machine, First in Northwest, to Be Here in Two Weeks Cost of Upkeep
Light in' Comparison With Horse-Drawn Engines.
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truck, a three-ton Packard truck re
cently carried-up the steep htll on
North Twenty-ninth street, between
Thurman and Balelgh streets, 7140
pounds of baled hay. The climb made
by the car was up a 22 per cent grade.
To demonstrate Its power to better ad
vantage, the driver stopped his car on
the Incline and then started up the hill
again. This was one of the most dif
ficult tests ever given an automobile
truck.
For the purpose of operating It as a
stage between Clatskanie and the rail
road Junction, about two miles away,
Chris Johnson & Son. operators of the
old stage line, recently purchased a
one-and-a-half ton White gasoline
truck to be used between those twq
po.nts. The truck was fitted up with
seats enough to carry 16 people and
sent to the down-river city last Saturday.
SFORE the end of this year. Port-
lard will have two hose and chem
ical watjron. motor-driven. They
have been purchased by the Kxecutlve
Bfrd from A. O. Ixng. of this city.
Mayor Simon and Messrs. O'Shea.
Fler and Connell. of the Are commit
tee, are In thorough accord with the
plan to keep Portland's lire department
up to the best standard, which in these
days means It must be for the most
part equipped with automobile appara
tus. "I favor a moderate amount of auto
mobile apparatus." said Mayor Simon
I am inrllod' to think that we need
faster engines and nre-dghting equip
ment. We have ordered two pieces
which will be here this year, and I be
lieve we should purchase a reasonable
amount next year. We can use It to
good advantage now that we have so
many good street.. I suppose we can
use horse, for awhile In the downtown
districts. We have a large number
of horses and we cannot well trans
form the entire department Into motor
driven apparatus at once."
Fire Chief Campbell has made eon'
aiderable Investigation of the subject
of automobile apparatus and 1. highly
Impressed with it. lie believes, with
the other fire officials, that the time
Is almost at hand when horses will be
relegated out of the business, a. they
are too slow and cannot pull heavy
apparatus up long hills very well.
Th. type of apparatus purchased from
A. G. Long A Company Is such that It
can make much fas;cr time than would
h necessary in any ordinary portion
f the klty. It will be first-class for
reaching fires at remote points.
Fire Chief Campbell has been oper
atlng an auto In his work for two
breara, with gratifying results. lie can
ttnako trips on Inspection all over the
teity la comparatively brief time now.
"wbereaa. with a horse, a great deal
f time wa. required. It Is probable
(that all of the battalion chiefs will be
Turnlshed with small tyoe auto, within
the next year, so that they may be en
abled to make faster time In going to
fire, and In making Ihelr inspection
trip
While at first the idea of supplant
ing the horse-drawn apparatus with
the automobile was that of speed In
answering alarms It mas soon demon
strated that there was also a great
aavlng Is maintenance, and when it is
realised that It costs from S7S0 to
11900 a year to maintain a three-horse
hitch In fire service while the operat
ing expense of the automobile appara
tus for the same period is a very small
fraction of this amount the saving Is
Immediately recognised.
The city of Portland recently placed
an order for two pieces of automobile
fire apparatus, of American-La France
make, through A. O. Long, their Pacllio
'oast agent. These machines are of
the latest Improved type, made by the
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largest manufacturers of Are appara
tus in the world, and are the result
of three years of development In their
factories at Elralra. N. T.
These machine, from the automobile
standpoint contain a good many dis
tinctive features not embodied in the
ordinary pleasure automobile, several
of which briefly mentioned are as follows:
The tread has been increased to 2
Inches and the front axle Is placed
within the yoke which Is carried on the
spindle, of the front wheels instead
of carrying this yoke on the front axles
as 1. universally done; this will allow
this machine, of ISO-Inch wheel base,
to turn in a 39-foot circle, a special
feature In laying hose in narrow
streets.
Another feature in the adoption of
dual pneumatic tires, either of which
are of ample slxe to carry entire load
of machine so as to occasion no delay
In case of puncture to one of them in
responding to an alarm of fire, the pos
sibility of both tire, puncturing being
very remote. Of course the automobile
apparatus is Just as liable to accident.
' as the horse-drawn In responding to
alarms, considerable in either case de
pending on the driver.
The American-La France automobile
fire apparatus Is constructed along the
same line. a. followed by the foremost
manufacturers of pleasure vehicles.
simply enlarging on all points that
have to sustain the greater weight.
They use a chrome nickel steel frame,
hot pressed, of 3-16-inch thick, b$
inches wide by 3 Inches deep, with BH
Inch bore by 6-lnch stroke. 1-cylinder,
4-cycle, water cooled motor, together
with double side chain drive, with the
aforesaid dual tires 26-ln. x 4V4 in., geared
to a speed of 45 miles an hour on the
direct drive with a total weight with
all equipment a little less than 6500
pounds makes a well balanced compact
rig that should easily come up to their
guarantee as to hill climbing abilities.
By the use of large seml-elllptlc
springs they are enabled to carry their
load extremely low. placing the load
line well down below the tops of wheel
giving a low center of gravity enabling
easy handling of machine together with
safety In operation.
Do Autos Benefit. or Hurt
Human Health?
Authorities Differ but General Ver
dict Favorable.
AUTO TRUCKS AND VANS
FILL LONG-FELT WANT
In Few Years Commercial Value Is Realized Over Two Hundred Now
U3ed in Portland Economy Proved by Use.
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WITH the spirit of the day envel
oped in rapid transportation and
the popular desire increasing In that
direction, one of the factors that has
come to be Important in attaining that
end Is the automobile. During the ex
perimental period of the auto industry
attention' was almost - wholly given
towards making the auto a mere pleas
ure car. but a. progress wa. made in
the manufacture of automobiles, the
practical and utilitarian side soon sug
gested itself, so that now the automo
bile Is well fitted Into a broad niche of
the commercial activity of the country.
Where two or three years ago com
mercial autos were limited In numbers
and were In reach only of per
son, of large means, these vehicles are
today considered as necessary In the
conduct of business as streetcar, and
railroads. In Portland, the use of the
commercial auto has been strikingly
demonstrated within the past 18
months. In the short space of a year
ana a nail, tne number of commercial
car. ha. grown so rapidly that It
seem, almost incredible to one at first
blush. At that time there were not
over half a dozen automobiles In the
city nsed for delivery purposes or for
heavy trucking. A little later new
model, were Introduced, having many
point. 01 superiority over the one. al
ready in use.
The ease and dispatch with which the
vehicle, covered the street, at once ap
pealed to person, engaged in delivering
ana transporting commercial goods, ex
press companies and passenger-carry
ing concerns. Last year the number of
these vehicles used In Portland was
large ana their popularity ha. been
steadily growing. When the season
opened this year, there were more or
- ders on hand among the dealer, than
I could be supplied and within the first
1 six montns more large auto trucks
were sold in Portland than ever before.
There are fully 200 of these auto de
livery wagons In Portland at the pres
ent time.
While there seem to be nearly all
types of the commercial auto In use In
Portland, there Is a growing demand
for these vehicle. In the smaller cities
and town, throughout the state. In
farming communities, the transporta
tion condition, have been undergoing
similar change, and are giving a new
aspect to country life. With the use of
the automobile, farmer, have been able
to reduce the distances between their
home, and their neighbor, and trading
centers. With the education of the
farmer to the commercial use of the
automobile, another important matter
that has logically followed la the move
ment for better roads.
In discussing the use of the auto
truck In Portland, a prominent dealer
said:
"When the manufacturers first
brought the auto trucks out. there was
considerable feeling that they would
not prove practical or economical over
the old method of horse and wagon. It
was with some difficulty that the prej
udice was overcome, but as soon as
people were given an opportunity to
see for themselves the successful op
eration of the motor trucks in Portland
the matter resolved Itself to a question
of salesmanship. The number of vehi
cles that were sold the past two years
shows that the auto trucks and auto
delivery wagons filled a long-felt want.
Today there is not a concern in Port
land, which Is In business that requires
the use of delivery wagons, that does
not see the practical side of this ve
hicle, and all who have not already
purchased these cars will do so sooner
or later.
'In the congested district of the city
the auto delivery or truck car has ev
ery advantage over the horse. Fur
thermore, the use of the vehicle should
be encouraged from a humanitarian
standpoint, as the sooner the horse Is
removed entirely from the heavy traf
fic of the business district, the better
will it be for the dumb brute. The time
I. coming when the auto drays will be
the only mean, of delivery In the large
cities."
Demonstrating the power of the I
ONE ot the foremost questions oc
cupying the center of the stage In
Insurance circles 1: "What I. the effect
of automoblling on health.'" The
answer, to this have been both favora
ble and in favorable, the favorable,
however, holding the majority. This
subject, first Instigated by the Insur
ance companies, has been taken up at
considerable length by individual doc
tors. The general verdict of these In
dividuals seem, to be much in the af
firmative. When person, are affected with cer
tain kinds of ailments the use of the
automobile Is recommended. Dr. James
Tyson, a well-known physician of
Philadelphia, recently submitted a re
port of his Investigations. It was gen
erally favorable. He expressed his be
lief that In many cases of heart fail
ure the patient would be materially
benefited by automoblling. It gent
ly stimulates the circulation, affords
fresh air, a moderate amount of exer
cise and a large amount of mental di
version, things that, he says, have an
excellent influence In these cases.
In a recent number of the Medical
Record Dr. D. Bryson Delavan, of New
York city, discusses the matter from
another standpoint, that of affecting
the upper air passages. He admits the
subject should be given Just consid
eration. He came to the conclusion that
properly used in certain cases, the au
tomobile Is an agent for good. In acut;
catarrhal cases, he says, motoring
would seem to be a bad thing. In many
subacute and chronic catarrhal cases,
however, it would apparently be very
advantageous.
Autoraobillsts having once obtained
a whiff of fresh air are now building
open-air sleeping porches that they
might revel in It all the time. Portland
medicos, from time to time, have dis
coursed along the same lines as the
eminent Eastern doctors. It is very ap
parent from the glow In one's cheeks
and the twinkle in his eyes, after a
spin in" a car, that It not unbeneficlal
to health. Portland autolsts have appar
ently suffered no 111 effects of out-door
life in a motor car. The fatalities among
them have not been large.
L Henry Wemme, Leader of
Good Roads Movement
Greater Part of Time Given to For-tberlna-
Fine Highway..
EVERT man has a hobby. E. Henry
Wemme is a little different. He
goes the other fellow one better. He
has an avocation beside, a hobby and
he is so busy with that sort of thing
sometimes that It is the most Impor
tant business he engages in. What
ever It Is called, the fact remains that
E. Henry Wemme is one of the most
active good roads advocates who ever
attempted to drive an automobile on the
public highways of Oregon.
When Mr. Wemme first broke into
local fame by being the first man in
Portland to own an automobile, little
did he think Jthat the use of a motor
car would be the means of starting a
bee to hum In his bonnet for-building
a boulevard between Portland and
Mount Hood. For over a year that good '
THERE'S A DIFFERENCE
N AUTOMOBILES
This difference is prominent, both in the price and in the
quality of the various makes of machines. Automobiles are
divided into two classes. First, those machines which are
N honestly made, thoroughly tested before being offered for
sale and then sold at a reasonable profit, and second, those
machines which are built solely to sell and receive no con
sideration as to the materials used, or to those qualities which
, stand for low cost of up-keep or endurance. Of these two
classes, the
THE QUALITY CAR..
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Touring Cars
stand prominently at ihe front of the first. The White Car
is justly called "The Quality Car," for it embodies in its con
struction all of the features advertised by other high-grade
makes, aside from a number of advantages peculiarly its own.
The White way is the best way of automobiling, for it is the
surest wa"'. . " . .
Under every test, whether of speed, endurance or cost of up
keep, the White Car stands foremost. It has set a standard
in automobiles by which other makes are judged, and its
extremely low cost of up-keep commends it to all users. More
endurance trips, have been successfully made in-.White cars
than in any other makes.
The wise purchaser of an automobile asks for a demonstra
tion. In demonstrating the superior qualities of the White
Car oyer any other makes no special car is used. We make
our demonstration with any car in the establishment.
If you are in the market for an automobile, whether for
pleasure or for business purposes, we want to impress on you
the advisability of inspecting the White Car. No person,
whether acquainted with automobiles or not, can fail to see
the many advantages of the White Car over other makes.
The White Car is not in a competitive class. There are but
few cars at the price none of the quality. For those in the
class for quality, their prices are considerably higher,
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Toy Tonneaus Torpedoes Trucks
"Willie MAi? Cai Cow
C-A-Easlm'an Gexul. Mr
G S Brckett .S.ecr etar y
6 th. Mtvdison Sts:
Northwest Distributors
roads bee has been singing its little
song and gathering honey in the shape
of ready money to pay for the Improv
ing of the roadway. Mr. Wemme's pet
bee has been working overtime and it
is safe to say that nearly every tax
payer in Multnomah County has been
approached to help swell the road
funds.. Fully $10,000 was gathered in.
In this manner, but Mr. Wemme says
that amount is only a drop in the pro
verbial bucket compared with what will
be necessary to raise to complete the
work. But, he Is not dismayed. The
funds are exhausted and Mr. Wemme is
digging up" out of his own pocket to I
keep his bee alive, and incidentally to
pay off the force of men employed on
the road.
Mr. Wemme promises that no one is
going to get stung on this road propo
sition; he had extracted the stinger
from his bee, and is going to light on
every person in the county for only a
small amount to help the good cause
along. He figures that if he can get
$1 per capita during the next 12
months, he will have enough of a work
ing fund to build a large part of the
boulevard In such a way that there will
be no trouble in raising all the money
needed to complete the work.
Mr. Wemme Is wrapped up In the
general movement for good roads, and
has probably devoted more time and
money to the cause than any one man
In the county. He declares that he does
not own a single acre In the county
where the roads pass which he hopes to.
see Improved in the modern way, and
hence there Is no selfish motive attached
to his work In stimulating Interest
among the citizens and property own
ers of the city and county for the best
improved highways. The success of
his efforts Is a fitting tribute to what
one man can do for autoing and good
roads.
NO SMOKE NUISANCE
Laws against cars that emit clouds of smoke pay a high compliment to the smokeless
WINTON
You will never be barred from parks or cities for "smoke nuisance" if you own a Winton Six, for this
car has a superb,, automatic lubrication system that not only avoids smoke, but that also lubricates the
motor perfectly, and never gives the owner a moment's worry. The ideal lubrication of the Winton
Six is just one of the points of superiority in this self-cranking, sweet-running, six-cylinder car.
ifINTN
Our 1911 Catalogue Is Ready
Portland Motor Gar Company
Phone Main 2583, A 4944
G. B. MINERS, Manager
16th and Alder' Streets
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