The Sunday Oregonian., October 25, 1914, SECTION FOUR, Page 6, Image 56

THE STJXTAT- OIlEGONIAX,-tpORTLA?fD,r.OCTOBEBv.2o. ,1914.
TRUCKS BATTLE FOR
TRADE OF RAILWAY
THE ELECTRIC RAILWAYS' HEW ENEMY "WAGING A DEADLY WAR IN AND ABOUT PORTLAND.
HIGH GEAR STRAINS
ARE YOU GOOD AT FIGURES?
COMPARE THIS DIAMOND SO.IEEGKR TREAD TIRE
A.1 ST 1 1 II UTUbH Jl.lK.KS.
F. W. Vogler Says Hills Should
Be Taken on Low.
Snwrt
TUP
Slse
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...,55b FOR
,ulsoij si2.;5
nrc-.SO x ZH S17.00
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22 J 37.1oLESS
Interurban Service Slowly Ex
tending Radius of Opera-,
tions in Rural Districts.
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ARCHER AND WIGGINS
CUSTOM HURTS INDUSTRY
OAK STREET. CORNER SIXTH.
ROAD BUSINESS HARD HIT
Public Stamp Xew Transit Cars With
Approval and Two Sections Sow
See XJsc Growing Operation
Forces Freight Stations Out.
The auto-truck or the electric rail
Way? The battle for supremacy in the in
terurban freight and passenger busi
ness la now on in and 'around Port
land. In every direction auto-trucks
now are carrying freight and bringing
to Portland the products of the farm.
In two directions the motor vehicles
have started to take away the passen
ger business of the electric railways.
This battle has been going on for
some time. Two years ago, when the
first scattered trucks made their oc
casional trips to the suburbs, the elec
tric railways paid no particular atten
tion to the matter. But today well,
the case is best illustrated by an actual
occurrence in the executive department
-of a railroad operating out of Port
land. The traffic manager sent in his re
port. The stockholders in the East
looked over the report and saw a fall
ing off in the freight business to points
as far removed as 40 miles, while the
business outside that zone was con
stantly increasing.
Road's Business Falls Off Fast.
The traffic manager was requested
to map the district and after a con
sultation with the traffic manager of
the Reo Interurban Truck Service, he
o in in u leyvri in men l L was
plainly brought out that the business
was falling off because of the fact that
the one company alone was operating
nearly 20 trucks, making scheduled
trips to the farming centers around
Portland.
This particular railway still Is fight
ing for the business, but the trucks are
coming dally to the city loaded with
produce, picked up from the farmer's
door. They leave Portland equally heav
ily loaded with consignments to the
farmers.
Just how many trucks are actually
engaged in this business is not known,
but O. L. Boss, local Reo truck dealer,
has kept track of his sales, and 27
such trucks have been placed in busi
ness In the past six months.
Each of the 27 is running on a daily
schedule and the companies operating
them are constantly increasing their
numbers.
Autos Gather Tualatin Produce.
To the south, the interurban company
operates almost half its cars. The
trucks go as far as Oregon City on
that side of the river. On the West
Side they cover the Tualatin Valley
from one end to the other. ,
In the morning the farmer leaves his
produce at the front gate and the truck
picks it up. His freight from the city
likewise is left. The haul from the rail
way depot is eliminated and the serv
ice, being direct from the producer to
the consumer, insures dispatch, which
means fresh farm products, delivered in
the city on the day that they are re
moved from the farm.
So strenuous has been their opposi
tion that one of the railways has closed
its freight stations within the limits
of the 25-mile zone .covered.
The passenger business is yet in Its
Infancy, but the lines now In operation
are making money, according to the
operators. The latest venture is that
of the Interstate Passenger Service, op
erating two Keos on a railway sched
ule with the Vancouver Ferry at Hay
den Island. The autos take practically
the same route as the Vancouver cars.
Public Approves Track Transit.
The public approves of them and the
trucks have made a big cut in the
streetcar travel. The fact that no car
line goes down the Vancouver road.
from Piedmont, also helps the trucks,
for many passengers are picked up
along that road.
These Reos had bus bodies built on
the stock trucks and are capable of
carrying 30 passengers in greater com
fort than the car. They have lateral
seats instead of the side wall benches.
This service will be extended to other
sections and probably is but the start
of a big business, which will flourish
when the interstate bridge is built.
HARD ROADS ARE BUILT
CLACKAMAS STARTS PROGRAMME
OP IMPROVEMENT WORK.
Three Highways Prepared for Winter
and Others Expected to Be Sur
faced in the Spring.
OREGON CITT, Or., Oct. 24. (Spe
cial.) The extensive road campaign
. pursued by the County Court through
out the Summer and brought to a halt
during the last few days, owing to the
advent of the Fall rains, has resulted
in approximately four and one-half
miles of better roads. The highways
are built of a combination of asphalt
and macadam, are 16 feet in width and
were built under the personal direction
of Road Engineer HobsorC
The roads reach three sections of the
county which are extensively traveled.
The first stretch to be completed was
tne strip running from Clackamas sta
tion toward Portland, about lhi, miles
' In length. This strip was finished a
few weeks ago.
The "south end" of Lazelle road, as
it is called, is not quite finished, but
lias oeen tnrown open to public travel
throughout the Winter. The rains
have prevented the final coating, but
1 mc maiauam ana oil already are
, packed down and the road can be used
with safety. The strip begins about
l?i miles out on the New Era road,
' and is one mile in length.
The River road, when completed, will
run from Meldrum to Oak 3rove and Is
. now finished as far as Jennings Lodge.
Between Jennings and Oak drove.
however, a small piece still is unfin
ished, and it is hoped that this sec
tion may be in a state to be thrown
open to the public within th nni
. week. The River road will be 2Vi miles
, In length.
Engineer Hobson estimates the cost
at about 6000 per mile. It is believed
tnat this is only the beginning of i
extensive campaign for permanent
roaas in me county.
- Grand Kapids Has Regulation.
r. Throughout the downtown section
- -of Urartd Rapid a. white line painted
. along the streets, six feet away . from
f xno running ooarcin or trolley. i-jars.
. Will nftrcfll tr KAn mntnriHta W ,n
v- f -J " ' - Din X " w J '
' ' " ' ' 'I I - ill - "
r --dgg - w hi 'CI PI 4f 1 "
sf r - Qrs, . -
51 ' . t i . - - s .. i
"'V. - ... ' s
' ;
L v H Taj 4 -ir""1-
If'- ' ' 'tr&HSl T " i rj
t ; ,--$s . ' . - , t 1
Top The Reo pasnenKer tracks on the Vancouver ferry run.
In the same quarter-mile, In a round t rip of 16 ml lea. Middle
the modern prairie schooners.
fined, if a resolution submitted in the
City Council meets with favor.. The
plan also provides that another line.
running1 across the - streets 50 : feet
from any Intersection with another
street, shall warn motorists where to
stop when held up by traffic regula
tions. . -.
CUBA IS BUYIXG -AUTO TIRES
Export Trade Comes Unsolicited to
Xew York. firm.
NEW YORK, Oct. 17. (Special.)
That the European war is giving1 Amer
ican industries new opportunities in
world trade is evidenced by the great
increase In the Ajax tire business in
Cuba. Early in August Senor Crespo,
of Saurez y Havana, came to New York
and placed large orders, for Ajax tires
and tubes. The whole -order was sold
before the ship docked and customers
stood in line to hurry the customs of
flcials in their work of clearing' the
shipment. . .
Only yesterday the . company got , a
cabled order for '300 Ajax tires and
tubes, wanted In a great hurry because
no European tires are coming1 Into ,the
Cuban market.
Heretofore the Ajax has made no can
vass for export business, since the
American home demand has always
been greater than the supply. The
company now fills some few such-orders
with the increased product real
ized from abandonment of the druggist
sundry field and Installation of new
machinery. -
Austria Buys Auto Tires.
The war department of Austria has
bought all the tires held by American
firms in Vienna.
t HOW A CORVALLIS FARMER HAS MADE HIS AUTO THE
I SOLUTION OF THE FARM TRANSPORTATION PROBLEM.
5
If
4
c at
GLEN C. KELLY'S CONVERTIBLE AUTOMOBILE. WHICH SERVES
AS CARRY-ALL. FARM MOTOR AND DELIVERY WAGON.
They stick so c
Loading up a
AUTOS DO FARM TASKS
IXVEXT1VE GROWERS MAKE FAM
ILY CAR AND TRUCK ONE,
Motors Used to Drive Silo Machinery,
Carry Goods to Market or Party -Out
for Tour.
OREGON AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.
Corvallis, Or.,. Oct. 24. (Special.) By
means of a convertible rear seat to his
automobile, Glenn C. Kelly, of Portland,
is able to transform his car into a
service vehicle in about four minutes.
Other producers In various parts of the
state are beginning1 to look out for the
type of machine that, by removal or
conversion of some of its parts, may be
changed into a carry-all for delivery
of perishable fruits and vegetables and
for general quick service about the
farm.
On a recent Sunday Mr. Kelly took
his family to the Mount Hood snow line,
brought the members home in the after
noon and converted his pleasure car
into the carry-all within five minutes
after they had stepped from the ma
chine. . Monday morning- it was per
forming its more plebian functions of
delivering: fresh vegetables.
There are at least three distinct ad
vantages in having: this type of car:
Three-fourths of the owner's delivery
time Is saved, the cream of- the early
morning' markets is skimmed and the
products reach the consumer in the best
possible condition. It is well known
that lettuce, celery and several other
kinds of produce begin to wilt almost
as soon as cut, but by means of this
J"
.i,r:.;.At
lose to schedule that they always pi
t the Vancouver ferry. BottomOne of
quick delivery they reach the market In
an attractive condition, having an ad
vantage . over the badly wilted truck
that arrives by team later in the day.
Mr. Kelly picks his blackberries in
the morning and delivers them before
noon, so that the housewife has them
fresh for dinner or safely in the fruit
Jars before the heat of the day. Know
ins this, his customers, are readily se
cured and easily held, making the mar
ket practically certain.
Similar use is made of his automobile
by a grower near Corvallis. By means
of this delivery system he invariably
is first to the market with his produce
and gets top prices. Word comes to
the college of a farmer 30 miles from
The Dalles who has the utility features
in his automobile. . Having experienced
a bad - breakdown in his harvest ma
chinery, he telegraphed to a Portland
supply house for the repairs, and took
his converted auto ' to meet the noon
train at The Dalles. He returned home
early in the afternoon and soon had
the repairs Installed and the large har
vest establishment at work.
Had he been forced to resort to the
team method of securing his repairs his
loss, in delay, surplus labor and feeding
bills would have been a large item in
his harvest account. Another enterpriS'
ing farmer, according to Professor Barr,
the Federal and college extension Held
dairyman, . uses his automobile engine
to- drive the cutter and blower of his
silo machinery. He Jacks up the rear
end of the machine and runs the drive
belt on one of .the rear wheels.
' Of course,' the disadvantages of wear
and tear of the machine are to be con
sldered, but whether the interest and
depreciation on three machines are not
greater than the Increased depreciation
on one, can be determined only by care'
ful investigation. The Interest, depre
ciation and storage expense on an $800
auto that serves as a pleasure carriage,
a hack-a-bout and a farm motor may
prove to be less than the same Items
on three pieces of machinery. And the
quick and ready service of the utility
pleasure machine is no small item.
At any rate, farmers are beginning
to put their automobiles to practical
uses, - and there is at least &- certain
satisfaction In harnessing the aristo
crat of city vehicles to the everyday
tasks of the farm.'
SEW ROAD WANTED IX CTTRRX
Citizens or Port Orford Section De
sire Highway to Railroad. .
MARSHFIELD, Or, Oct. 24. (Spe.
cial.) There is a movement in Curry
County to build a wagon road along
the Sixes River from the county bridge,
four miles above Port Orford, to Eck
ley. near, the terminus of .the Smith
Powers logging railroad, a distance of
nearly 30 miles. The object of the pro
moters is to furnish better facilities for
getting out of Curry County and to
improve the mail service.
The County Court will be asked to
donate $10,000 toward the- enterprise
and private citizens along the route
have signified a. willingness to do a
considerable part
grading. . . . .' .
of the necessar
Idea That Car Must Be Able to Make
Any Grade at Full Speed Called
Blow to Trade, Entailing Ixss
to Dealers and Owners.
BY Ft W. VOGI.BR,
President Northwest Auto Company.
Is it not time for the light of edu
cation to fall upon one very common
evil in the automobile world, that of
straining a car on high gear, simply
for the pleasure of remaining "In
high"?
If the evils of this were understood
more plainly by the average motorist
and the folly of it seen, we should have
less trouble, and the less the trouble
the better the dealer is pleased the
better the motorist is pleased, the bet
ter is everyone pleasd.
Qu.tion First One Asked.
Ask any salesman today what is one
of the invariable questions put to him
by a prospective purchaser, whether it
be for big cars or small. He will tell
you at once it is "How far will she
ollmb such and such a hill on high
gear?"
There are innumerable cases wnere
the sale is brought about simply by
the ability of a car to strain along just
a few yards further than any other par
ticular make of car. we have had
such cases as our salesmen will tell
you.
I come right out and say that tne
industry will be much better off if this
feature could be eliminated and I know
that in this I am supported by every
reputable dealer and distributor, not
only in Portland but in America.
Look at the matter sanely, r lrst o
all, some cars have four speeds for
ward; otners nave omy loree. Dome
have a top gear of three-to-one while
others have a gear ratio in high speed
of only fonr-to-one. Therefore it is
utterly absurd to ' compare the per
formances of cars with different gear
ratios.
Condition Are factor.
Then again, the test on one day may
be made under ideal conditions while
the test on another may be made under
adverse conditions.
Once more, some people do not even
seem to imagine that it makes any dif
ference whether there is one person in
the car or six.
Outside of all these reasons, though
ts far the most important one of tl
strain involved on the car.
"With a car straining along on high
gear, the wear on the bearings, the
crank shaft and connecting rods is
enormous; shifting to a lower gear re
duces the strain.
A car is much better off running at
comparatively high engine speed and
running easily than it is running along
very slowly and under great strain.
with loss of momentum, on high gear.
Some people do not like to effect a
change of gears on the hill because of
their inability to do so. They are
afraid they cannot make the change
well and consequently try to rush it
through fear of loss of momentum with
the inevitable rasping and clashing of
gears.
Watch a good driver. Before he has
reached any hill, he has mentally cal
culated the grarfle, the. power of his
car, his load and the road conditions.
These come to him automatically.' If he
thinks he can make the entire hill
easily on high gear without any
straining of the car and the engine.
he will do so.
Good Driver Chancres.
But, if not, nine times out of 10 he
will change into a lower gear before
he actually starts the ascent. In so
doing he gains time and saves his en
gine, while it is a very douDtrui tning
whether he uses any more gasoline In
so doing.
It is not degrading to climb a bill on
low gear or on intermediate, but unfor
tunately that seems to be an idea im
bedded strongly in the minds ot tne
average prospect. The ability of a car
to climb a hill on high should not be
the one and only test of a car s ability
It is Just as Important for a car to be
able to throttle down at very slow
speed without jerking and crabbing,
to handle well in traffic.
In Europe and England they build
their small cars as well, as large cars
with four speeds forward and they
hardly ever attempt to make a long
hill on high even though beautifully
graded, simply because they realize the
functions of the intermediate gears.
Such a realization in this country
would be of inestimable benefit to the
industry.
FORD OFFERS NEW GARS
COMPANY HAS TWO MODELS TO BE
OS LOCAL MARKET.
Graceful Lines and Comfort Are Kent-
. ski of Conpelet nnd Sedan
Announced.
In January the Ford Motor Company
announced the amazing 110,000,000
profit-sharing plan for Ford employes.
In August came the announcement of a
further extension of that profit-shar
ing to Ford retail purchasers, provid
ing 300,000 Fords are sold between
August 1. 1914. and August 1, 1915.
Now comes still another significan
announcement from the Ford Motor
Company the th'rd within a period of
nine months. This is the announcement
of the Ford "Coupelet" and the new
Ford "Sedan."
Both these new bodies are built, of
course, upon the world-famous Ford
chassis which already la serving 600,000
Ford owners. Both "Coupelet and
"Sedan" are cars de luxe.
The top of the "Coupelet" is of genu
ine hand-buffed leather and it has
beautiful lines, graceful curves and
well-balanced proportions. The seat is
broad and wide and the deep upholstery
and splendid balance of the car make
"Coupelet riding must luxurious, 'ine
price of the "Coupelet," fully equipped
on the cars at Detroit. Is 1750.
The new Ford "Sedan" is an elegant
five-passenger car. This sumptuous
body, too. Is built on the famous Ford
standard chassis. The right-hand front
seat folds back out of the way when
not in use. The windshield of triple
ventilating type is especially designed
to protect the driver against the ele
ments and still gives perfect ventila
tion. It is claimed that for all-around
luxury, strength, family comfort, dura
bility and economy of operation this
new Ford "Sedan" has no equal. Th-:
price of the "6edan" is 975.
The buyers of the "Coupelet" and
the "Sedan," too. will participate in
the profit-sharing provided the Ford
Motor Company sells 300.000 cars at re
tail between August. 1914, and August,
1915. This Is virtually an accomplished
fact, so tremendous have been Ford
sales since the August announcement
of the new prices.
NO ACHING BACKS
NO PALPITATION OF THE HEART
When You Use the New Stewart Tire
Pump Complete
$15
BALL0U & WRIGHT
Marshall 5860, A 6638
BOWSER i
STORAGE
Sales. 415
DIAMOND TIRES
VtlcaniziiigSRelreadiiis R. L ELODGETT, MJ1 JJj ?SSjc"1'
NORTHWEST AUTO CO.
Factory Distributors of
Cole, Lozier, Reo Cars
BROADWAY AT COUCH STREET
Main 8887 A 4959
The 1915 Buick Model C 55
"The Buick Six"
With Valve-in-Head Motor
A new car of full capacity seven-passenger that
will fulfill every requirement of its owner.
A high-powered car for
city pavement or country
road. Refined in appear
ance, and yielding the
highest possible service at
a minimum of cost in fuel
and upkeep.
Price $1800 Portland
Howard Automobile Co.
Fourteenth and Davis Streets, Portland.
MEL G. JOHNSON, Manager.
Auto Tops, Bodies. Wheels
and Painting
Make your old car look like new. Largest shop
of the kind in Portland. Service by experts. Rea
sonable charges.
OREGON TOP COMPANY
The AUTO PAINTING CO., Inc.
THE AUTO BODY AND WHEEL
WORKS
N. W. Cor. 14th and Couch Sts.
Phone Main 1844.
HERCULES TIRES
( Non-Skid "l
I ' 1 Until ' j
Worn Out rj J
4T
BROADWAY
AT OAK
GASOLINE and OIL TANKS
SYSTEMS FOR PUBLIC AND PR1.
r ATE GARAGES. . D. Stoddard. District Sunt.
Corbett Bids. Alain 1470.
The Tire That Stole the Skid
From the Automobile.
Sea Island Fiber on ede,
placed at acute angles with
road, interwoven with high
grade rubber, prevents cuts,
punctures, skidding and in
sures 5000 miles.
F.K. SHERMAN, Gen. AgL
335 Bums:d, Nr. Broadway
hone Iilain 500
VALVE-IN-HEAD 1?)
( MOTOR CARS