The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current, February 11, 1912, SECTION FOUR, Page 5, Image 51

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    3
FEBRUARY 11, 1912. -
SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND,
; FARMER HAS GAY
HI WITH AUTO
Novice Loses Instruction Book
and Is Forced to Run Car
Until 'Gas' Is Gone.
FIRST TRIP IS 220 MILES
w Motor Car Ownfr Startler Res
ident of Home Town by Qneer
Antic Paring Mis Int.
itlal Drive.
The story of the man who hltehrd
MrimK to an ox and then aalloped
threuch town, vainly bwncMn every
body o "stop u. or -head as e.(t." flnd
an up-to-date parallel In the case of
John Hick, of Wolf Ijikc. In-U who re
cently purchased a Flanders -:." Tha
torr was a-nlna tr rounns 01 mr r
M.-F offices when I- II. R-. the Stu
debaker Northwest representative. wa
East a short tlma sea. ana no tens i"
i. fitMAvtnr mjinner:
-Tha ear n delivered at Mr. Hicks
him farm. Karly tha nest mornlnsj ha
essayed his first drive. Mis inr.cuun
book was his teacher and. step by step,
ha followed Its orders, starting his mo
tor and rollln first on low gear and
then on Intermediate, to the esrellent
ararel road which passes his home.
Hera ha end the high speed and
hammed blithely on his way. Tha In
struction book slipped from his hands
sad a srust of wind blew It off ths
seat. But Mr. Hicks failed to nota tha
loss. In tha pleasure of tha smooth way
his car wss runnlnsT. Orer hills and
dales, throuch tha rolling country to
town, the car slipped alonit. Mr. Hicks
wasn't -heating It": about 1 miles an
hour was the rate, which seemed to suit
tlie sdlustments.
-Wolf Lake was reached and tha post
afflca. whara Mr. Hicks Intended to stop,
waa bains; rapidly approached. Hera a
new problem arose. What was tha
formula for a full stop?
"Mr. Hicks grabbed for the Instruc
tion book. It wasn't there. Ha stole a
iclanee from tha roadway. Tha book
had plainly disappeared. A knot of
friends on a corner waved eoncratula
tlona on the stylish appearanca of his
purchase. Mr. Hicks kept on right
through town, ayea to tha front, at
rata of 1 miles an hour.
Prablesa KeauUaa I lT
rWell Into tha country on tha oppo
atra side. Mr. Hicks took stock or tha
situation. H mada sundry experiments,
nona of which seamed to develop hesl
. tancy In tha ear. In tha meanwhile, ha
found his hands full evading teams In
tha road. From time to tlm ha waa
compelled to pass horsa-drawn vehicles
In narrow spots. But his trait never
varied. Fire miles from town thera waa
a fine. Ions; hllL Hicks hoped that this
would stop the ear. Ha went up It at
Wis rate of 1 miles an hour.
-Something- must bo done. Mr. Hicks
determined. At one side of tha rosd.
with no ditch or fenea In tha way. lay a
freebly plowed field. Mr. Hicks turned
Into that. Tha ear alowed perceptibly
but kept moving. Then It described a
majestic circle and came back to tha
road. When Mr. Hicks squared away
aaraln. ha found himself on tha return
trip. After a few feet of the rood go
1ns;. tha car aaraln picked up Its former
era It of 1 miles sn hour. In dua time
Mr. Hicks found himself again bowling
through Wolf Lake. There were more
salutations from the sidewalk, nona of
which ha felt justified In returning.
-'It beats all how stuck up some fel
lers get when they buy an ottarmoblle."
remarked Cyrus Hasklns. whose farm
adjoins the Hicks place. Hicks waa al
ready out of town, on his homeward
path.
Wife Is Igaared.
"At the Hicks farm. Mrs. Hicks was
waiting to take a prominent part In
the day's motoring festivities. She saw
with surprise that her husband appar
ently had no Intention of stopping. As
he whirled by at a rata of l miles an
hour she called to him. Without look
ing up from the wheel. Hicks shouted
a reply, tha tenor of which she failed
to catch.
Ry this time. Hicks worked out a
definite plan of campaign. Two miles
beyond his plsce there was a famous
bed of sand that had been a scandal to
tha advocates of good roads In the coun
try for years. Into tha deepest part of
this Hicks sent his machine.
-Tha car slowed down to about nina
miles an hour and. In tha hands of tha
unskilled pilot, yawed several times,
but kept going and emerged in due Umt
on the hard road on tha other side.
"Hicks wss In despair. There seemed
ta ba nothing to do but to Jump, wreck
tha car or continue. He unhesitatingly
chose the last course. By an Ingenious
usa of his knowledge of the country ha
was able to get his car around ifquart
and back on tie main road.
H eager la Barrier.
"Past his own homo again he came,
through Wolf Lake to the plowed Held
and back again. He learned the usa of
his horn and tooted It at frequent In
tervals. When sudden danger appeared,
he held to the wheel and emitted a
raucous yell. Human beings along his
routs learned to gtve him a wide berth,
believing that the Intoxication of mo
tor travel had turned his brain.
-Passing his home on tha fifth lap, ha
heard the dinner bell summoning the
hands from tha fields. He was hungry,
but there waa no lack of determination
In his fsce. as he sat at the wheeL
"The afternoon passed and Mrs. Hicks
lost her pique in fear that her husband
ha : become demented. I'nder her di
rection tha hired men stretched a ropa
acrosa tha highway. Into this bowled
Hicks on his next trip. The ropa parted
In tha middle. Hicks continued at a
speed of II miles ai hour.
Uic Vlarll Flaally F.aded.
-The day waned. The moon rose.
Hicks found his path beset with fewer
obstacles. As he returned on tha I2d
trip over his personal speedway, be
noted that the car seemed to ba slow
ing down. Finally, less than a mile
from the line fence that marked tha bo.
ginning of his own broad acres, the
car came to a stop. Be had run out of
gasoline.
ACTO IS EQUALIZING FACTOR
(orrrnmrnt Statistician Gives In-
terestlng: Theory About Cars.
The automobile Is an equalising fac
tor in tha financial and political wel
fare of the country. It makes the
Lulled States less subject to a fluctuat
ing market or a change of Administra
tion." . Purh Is the authentic statement re
ceived from Government statistics at
-He offices of the Regal Motor Car
Company In Detroit,
1 find." writes tha Federal official,
-that m accord with the popular opin
ion to tha ssme effect, there has been
a. dec reciaUon in the number of people
found in country homes and tilling
me soiu
"My conclusion as to the cause of this
Is that tha youth has found greater
attractions, and tha possibilities of a
happier life, in settled communities,
the result being that he has chosen to
live in the city rather than on a farm.
"But tha automobile. In my opinion,
is going to be the means of rectifying
these conditions. It Is already proving
Itself the savior of tha country home.
It has long since been an accepted fact
that the betterment of our general com
monweslth rests with the farmer and
not with tha Interests on Wall street.
The farmer Is the backbone of the
Nation. If he succeeds. It can mean
nothing more nor less than success
to our country. Such being the case.
It Is logical to believe that the auto
mobile is going toprov the means of
making us a far more stable nation.
lss subject to depressions due to a
fluctuating market or a change of Ad
ministration." NEW AGENCY PLACED HERE
Hoot to Handle Llppard-Stetrt
Light neliverr Cars. I
One of the latest cars to enter thp
Oregon field is the Llppard-Stewart
light delivery wagon, manufactured by
the Llppard-Ptewart Motor Car Com
pany, of Buffalo. X. T. C. P. H. Root.
I
I i
r'
i
Rata Ma I ford's OeMra Smile
thews Aftltade ea A ate Rae
lag. manager of the Michigan Motora Com
pany, made the announcement last
week of closing for tha Northwest
agency for thla machine.
Only ens chassis la manufactured by
tha Lippard-Stewart Company. It has
a capaoity of ISO pounds. On this
chassis ts furnished many different
types of bodies to suit the needs of
purchasers.
In selecting thla make. Mr. Root
held to the Idea of having something
of tha high class character of the tour
ing car he is handling the Havers
"Slx-44." He expects to place a large
number of the machine's throughout his
territory. He will center most of his
activity on Portland, because of the
rapidity with which business men of
this city are supplanting the horse
with motor power as a means of
transportation.
HAVERS "SIX-C HERE
NEW AUTO AUGMENTS FTELT OP
SIX-CYLINDER CARS.
Er of "Sixes Has Dawned, De
clares C. P. H. Root, Manager of
New Portland Company.
Slowly, but none the less surely, slx
eyllnder motor cars are coming Into
popular demand. This fact Is evidenced
by the gradual Increase In the number
of "sixes" turned out each year. WTille
the total does not come anywhere near
the mark set by the "fours. the gain
has been steady, and this In defiance
of the persistent assertion that cars of
this type would be confined strictly to
the high-priced field. There are sev
veral popular-priced six-cylinder ma
chines now on the market.
"Once a man has operated a 'six' he
will never go back to the 'four. "
says C. P. H. Root, manager of the
Michigan Motora Company. "The day
of tha six-cylinder car Is here. If you
hiva any lingering doubt, a ride behind
tha powerful silent-running motor of
the Havers -Slx-44' will .convince you
that this statement la strictly one of
fact. It Is significant that tha owner
of a six-cylinder car Is never content
to go bsck to a four-cylinder machine.
There arnjio backsliders. There Is a
fascination In riding behind a six-cylinder
car that la Irresistible a satis
faction that la complete. The differ
ence between a slx-cyllnder machine
and a four Is about like the difference
between a thoroughbred and a selling
plater."
The first of the self-starting Havers
"8lx-44" arrived last week. Tha
Havers Motor Car Company, of Port
Huron. Mich., was the pioneer In the
field of popular-priced six-cylinder au
tomobiles. It hss never produced any
thing but stx-cyllnder cars.
One of the pronounced features ef
the Havers "Slx-44" Is Its apparent
lightness. It does not weigh aa much
as many four-cylinder cars and claims
of economy are put forward for It that
outdo Its smaller competitor The
Havers Is the only car of its particular
class In the Northwest field.
The Michigan Motors Company has
the Northwest distribution for tha
Havers, Its territory including Idaho.
Oregon. Washington and British Colum
bia. C. P. H. Root, the manager, was
formerly the Western representative of
the Abbott-Detroit Motor Car Company.
STEEL TRUCK BODIES IN USE
Automatic Dumping Device Features
New Power Wagons.
Two Improved typea of coal dumping
bodies are being shown thla year by
tha American Locomotive Company at
Aleo exhlblta in motor truck shows. A
feature of these bodies, as well as af
other Alco types. Is that, like the new
est railroad coaches, they are con
structed entirely of steel.
One of the models Is equipped with an
automatic dumping service, controlled
by the power of the motor. The other
body has an arrangement for depositing
the load by the force of gravity. An
easily adjusted door governs the speed
with which the coal or other material
pours through the chute.
A SVs-ton chassis, the type that re
cently established a new world'a non
stop record of J hours. Is another
feature of the various Alco exhibits.
On the analosy of the houseboat, a Man
cheater Inventor has rievUed a flylns ma
chine that can be converted into a two-story
cnitas and mad to serve the uses of a
home for the aviator.
RAGING SPOILS BIG
Mulford Accumulates $17,000
in Less Than Two Years.
PILOT MAKES $500 AN HOUR
Earning of Other Sporting Celebri
ties Overshadowed by Those
of Famons Automo
bile Driver.
Somewhere between $17,000 and 18.
000 lies the exsrt amount of "Smiling"
Ralph Mul ford s share of automobile
prlxe money for the 15 months follow
ing his victory In the Elgin race of
August. 1510. Pretty fair returns for
less than a year and a half's work, tha
aversge man will agree. It Is more by
some thoussnds of dollars than Tyrus
Rsymond Cobb, rsnked ss the brightest
little glimmer In balldom's milky way.
receives for his services in the same
period. It Is more than the United
States pays Its Vice-President snd Sen
ators, and few holders of fat political
Jobs are drawing in excess of this fig
ure. When the fact Is considered that rar
ing is practically a side issue with Mul
ford. and that in addition to receiving
all the prise money won by his Losler
car. he is psid a substantial salary by
the Loxier Company, one Is constrslned
to wonder what his receipts would be
were he to devote his entire attention
to automobile Interests. Owing to the
policy of the Losier Compsny In taking
part In only the Important events of
the racing schedule. Mulford receives
only three or four chances at cash
prises In a season. The amount named
above was accumulated In only six
rsces. three In 1)10 and the same num
ber In 11I.
Fabalona Sana Karsed.
Calculating the running time of the
races where Mulford drew down cssh
prises as actual working hours, the
modest sum of 1500 per hour Is found
to be the rewsrd for a winning driver.
The SOO-mlle race at Indianapolis last
May. In which "Smiling Ralph" finished
second, proved one of the Losier driver'
big breadwinners. This rsce occupied
seven hours In the running. Mulford s
share amounted to about 17000. or pay
ment at the rate of $1000 an hour. His
victories In the two Kalrmount Park
events also brought large returns, ss
did the Vanderbllt cup race In Novem
ber at Savannah. Ga. In almost every
case the prises offered by the tire con
cerns and the accessory manufacturers
brought tha total up to respectable
proportions.
As In other branches of sport where
large purses are at stake, having once
obtained the money, the more serious
question of how to hang onto it pre
sents Itself to the driver whom fortune
has favored.
Driver Ready to Retire.
Mulford never had to solve the latter
problem. His bad habits do not In
clude alcohol or tobacco In any form,
and consequently the wine supper and
ita attendant features are an unknown
quantity in his celebration of racing
victories. In fact, all a Mulford cele
bration consists of Is the donating of
a small share of the prise money to
Mechanician -Bill" Chandler, and a re
turn trrp to the simple life with Mrs.
Mulford. By applying themselves to
the task of living within salary limits,
the Mulford family has been enabled to
bank or Invest the major portion of
every cash prize won by the head of
the household.
Ralph Mulford has been in the rac
ing game long enough to realize that
It Is not without its attendant danger,
and he Intends to quit Just as soon as
the bank account can get along with
out his assistance. At the present time
he is making arrangements for enter
ing the big SOO-mlle International
sweepstakes at Indianapolis next
Memorial Day. Should he be successful
In annexing part of the $50,000 prizes
offered by the promoters. It Is very
probable this race will mark his per
manent retirement from motorcar speed
carnivals.
Kelso Lines. May Consolidate.
KELSO. Wash.. Feb. 10. (Special.)
A resolution passed by the City Coun
cil at its meeting this week, practically
assures the consolidation of the tele
phone companies of that city. The
Council resolved that it does not at
this time desire to protest against the
consolidation scheme or the proposed
Increase In telephone rentals, but re
served the right to protest at any time
In the future, providing the rates do
not prove satisfactory. The filing of
this resolution with the Public Service
Commission will remove the" only ob
stacle which stands at present to pre
vent the consummation of the deal.
From Coast to Coast
with
Ml
Saorer Motor Oorapaoy.
New York.
"TBe Saurer Motor Truck, which
baa Just finished the ran between
San Francisco and New York, used
Poierioe Oil and Polarino Tsanamks
ston Lubricants.
New cK during thai most tryinr
trip waa the engine overheated or the
lubricating anything but perfect-
Inspection of tha cylinder and
wires on completion of the trip,
showed them to be entirely free)
from carbon.
The gear case. In which we used
Polarino Transmission Lubricants,
was also found to be In perfect con
dition." (Signed) H. D.Watso.
POLARINB it best for alt
makes of motors. It will gtve
you better service from yours.
WHtwtorourbooUmt.mfolarHte
Mmmra." tram. post-paid.
Standard Oil Company
The Substantial
UWI .1 1 -U 5 - " - . . " ...iJJuji.-ajiJIiMJM
Covey
Motor
taaTssTaTsasTaTaTaTsataTaTaTaTSBBlBTaTaTaTaTM
CarCo
13
Cadillac
Distributers
I.
M
Washington
Street
. at
Twenty-First
11
H Portland
Both
rnones
COUNTRY TRADE BRISK
.MICHIGAN' MAX HAVING HARD
TIME FILLING ORDERS.
Small Town Dealers Kicking Be
cause They Cannot Get
Enough Cars.
Those dealers who have the distribu
tion for the entire Northwest for their
respective machines will be fortunate
indeed if the remaining months of the
J912 season develop the same propor
tion of trade that has been done since
July. And, according; to W. A. Wlld
rlck. Northwest representative of the
Michigan Auto & Buggy Company,
there is every resson to believe that
the prosperous conditions will continue.
It is not so much the big- cities, out
side of Portland, but in the country
districts that the Northwest dealers
are getting the "easy" business. Here
tofore the country trade has not re
ceived much attention from the big
city automobile men, but since the
small-town territories have developed
After breaking all
records for the ship
ment of Automobiles
to the Pacific Coast
by shipping a special
train of fifty carloads
of Buick Automobiles
from Flint, Michigan,
January 26, 1912, the
Ilo-svard Automobile
Co., Pacific Coast dis
tributers, has ordered
HOWARD AUTOMOBILE COMPANY
MFT G. JOHNSON, MANAGER
Phones: Main 4555, A 2550. Seventh and Couch Streets, Portland, Or.
0. Electrically Lighted J
, -imrrr MMiynwiHinm rawi)imijiw!winnwuimwi'iH'"Jfcm'ii,a irW3ir'PWPeTSwaa5evvl
Is adjudged by the verdict of
public opinion backed by
years of unfailing service
The car
which
I , -i- un. ,..!. mm u I I ,,,,...- in. .mi mnmm H in intt'fwv 1
'wwii WyiM'inewwiiMI"W!r.''1' .lla.saaHiiasiilMiismaasi'r-"-iiial II i lfiatililiilinamr 1
jjAaaii iimuUMi,m,MinMkmMU"H mnaaahaaananin iaiaianiawaianaiiiayMiiimi.imiiiMai. m..u-
such a wonderful amount of trade, the
dealers are watching them closely.
Wildrick's supply of 1912 models of
the Michigan is exhausted. He is
patiently awaiting the shipment which
is en route and until it reaches Port
land he will have a hard time quieting
the kicks from several country dealers
who have no cars to sell.
"Portland, of course. Is the best au
tomobile field in the Northwest, but the
interior of Oregon and Washington and
part of British Columbia have been
productive of a great number of sales
in the past six months." said Mr. Wild
rick. "It is hard for me to keep apace with
the orders that are pouring in from the
Northwest. It is impossible to get the
number of cars I want, for the East
ern branches are consuming pretty
nearly all the machines the company
can turn out. My local business has
been brisk and this, coupled with the
heavy country trade, makes it rather
hard to satisfy everybody in delivering
machines on time.
"Spring delivery sales are heavy all
through the Northwest, with Oregon
showing a good lead." v
Everybody knew Dickens. He could not
dine in public without attracting: attention.
When he left the dinins-room his admirers
would descend upon hl table and carry off
eshelli. orange pels and other things that
remained behind, to that they might have
memorials of this great and much loved
wrltr. Muney".
A SECOND
SPECIAL TRAIN OF
Worth
14'
I
with a self-cranking device
is 100 per cent efficient
LANDY BACK FROM EAST
GARFORD AGENT IMPRESSED
BY BIG BUSINESS.
Show Crowds Display More Knowl
edge of Motor Cars Than
Ever Before.
Carl Landv, Oregon agent for Garford
pleasure cars and trucks, ts home again
after a long Eastern trip. He visited
several shows and spent a few days at
the Garford factory at Elyria.
"There is more interest in motor cars
this year than ever before." said Landy
on his return. "For. the past 10 years
it has been a march of progress, but
this year the Garford Is coming into
its own in great shape. It is better
than ever. At the shows we have our
best models on display, and it is an ex
hibit that factory officials have a right
to be proud of.
"The Garford position in the New
York show was great. Wewere at
the head of the stairs leading to the
AUTOMOBILES
Wtigu,IHHW!''ii'lW''''",''-J"'111''
.j.Mriiiaii4.1mlll!iiA llmuS-'
Tcmring
Car
Phaeton
Roadster
Torpedo
Coupe
Limousine
ii
II
balcony and attracted as much atten
tion as any other exhibit there.
"One thing that Impressed me at the
Detroit shaw was the lack of knowl
edge on the part of the salesmen. It
was impossible to get any real infor
mation out of them concerning their
respective machines. Those standing
near the cut out chassis were unable
to explain in any detail the various
parts of the machine.
"Never before has the public shown
such knowledge of a motor car. The
intricate parts were discussed by visit
ors as if they had come direct from
the factory. There were many critical
audiences.
"While there are no radical changes.
I found that many Improvements In de
tail are shown this year. The Garford
line offers a great variety and has
come in for much commendation at the
various shows."
Special Speedwell Being Built.
The Red Cross Ambulance Company
soon will increase their facilities, hav
ing ordered a Speedwell chassis es
pecially designed for such work. The
machine, when completed, will contain
all the latest Improvements designed
for invalid cars.
Six trains containing 8000 passengers for
the continent left one London station in a
single dav just before the holidays.
and containing fifty addi-
tional carloads. ' The sec
ond trainload for the sea
son of 1912 will be almost
a -duplicate of the first
special train which con
tained 225 Buick Automo
biles of a total value of
$337,000. The freight
charges on each train will
be about $18.000. There's
a reason for such enor
mous shipments of Buick
Automobiles. ' Investigate!
I