t
THE ' SUNDAY CREGOXTAN. PORTLAND, - APRIL 11,- 191S.
AUTO MEN REPORT
N CREASED SALES
fieo Sales Make 100 Per Cent
Gain and Portland Agent
Leads United States.
COLUMBIA HIGHWAY DRAWS
XraTdcrs Say All Motorists of East
Are. 'Hopeful of ; Slaking Trip
Through Oregon Dealers Are
to Work for ISoad Bonds.
; BY CHESTER A. MOORES.
No less than seven factory repre
sentatives of large automobile manu
facturers were in Portland last week
' it haH been raining steadily for several
days. The rains had made the condition
of the roads something awful but the
Kins carried them -through as the first
car of the year to make the trip. It
required eight hours to cover the 141
miles registered on the speedometer. On
parts of the trip they could make be
tween 35 and 40 miles an hour but in
some places they were forced to plow
through deep mud.
Henry H. Hower. sales manager of
the F. B. Stearns Company, manufac
turers of the Steams-Knight, was in
Portland less than a day last week, but
in that course of time he received sev
eral propositions from parties who want
to tak the agency for the Stearns. It
is possible that he may place an agency
on his return trip in the near future.
Joseph H. McDuffie, one of the real
pioneers of the automobile business and
one of its most popular personalities, is
now in Portland for a fortnight. Always
before "Joe" has come as the Tepresent
ative of the F. B. Stearns Company but
now he represents John Willys, the
Overland manufacturer. The writer is
aware what McDuffie has up his sleeve
but he also knows the brand of Irish he
carries back of muscle, and therefore
refrains from sneezing the secret right
out loud.
F. J. Finger, district representative
for' the Grant Motor Car Company was
in Portland, after trtp over Oregon. He
has already placed agencies for the
Grant Six, a low-priced car. at Albany,
Corvallis, The Dalles. Eugene and Van
couver, Wash., and is now negotiating
for the closing of an agency contract
in Portland.
Feu appreciate how much the auto-
GIANT TRUCK IE
m MAQKCT
tu.f in mnimu
First Makes Appearance on
Streets and at Once Is .
Center of Crowd. ,
COST . OF EACH IS $300
New Design Put Out by Goodyear
Company Said to Save on Big
Loads and Reduce Most of
Vibration Troubles
BY CHESTER A. MOORES.
Puzzle: How long would it take Old
Doc Tak, with an ordinary hand pump,
to innate a pneumatic automobile tire
LARGEST PNEUMATIC TIRE IN WORLD IS SHOWN IN PORTLAND.
hi in ii ... . -iua-naV . ,rTOiry?-"-y-- iimj-jiwi'w w " I
r : ;j k .j 3 :; - Si X" - .Sterol -
FROM LEFT TO RIRHT-R. A. MBHRTF.NS, C. H. WH.MAMS AM) .4. E. PATTERSON. LOCAL OOOmEAR I
WOI1KKHS ILLlSTRATI.Xb COMPARATIVE SIZE OF .MAMMOTH TIRE.
and each of them had a tale of optim
ism and good cheer.
H. C. Harris, who covers all territory
west of the Mississippi River for the
Keo Motor Car Company, brought the
news that the Columbia Highway is
fixedly on the map in the East and that
the local firm of C. Lt Boss & Co. is
the larsest dealer in Reo trucks in' the
entire United States.
"I have heard frequently in the East
that the Columbia Highway is the most
ecenic highway in the United States,"
said Mr. Harris yesterday. "And I have
made my friends here promise me that
they will drive me over it before I
leave Portland. The reputation of the
Highway is traveling fast, particularly
among automobile men.
Pacific Coast Attracts.
"Everyone in the East is talking
about touring to the Pacific Coast this
year. It seems that all who can leave
their business and muster the price of
running a car this far will be along
this way this Summer. Most of them
planning to pass through Oregon in
dicate that they will come home this
waj-.
"Our figures at the factory in Lan
sing, Mioii., show that Mr. Boss sold
more Keo trucks last year than any
other agent in the country. The Boston
agent came second in the number of
trucks handled. '
"And 1 am glad to note in the sta
tistical figures just prepared by M. O.
"Wilkins, publisher of the Automobile
Record, that Mr. Boss and Mr. Suitor
are maintaining their record this year.
According to those figures Mr. Boss
has sold more trucks- than all other
dealers of all makes in the state com
bined. If all of our agents were as
successful as Mr. Boss we would have
to increase our factory ten times in
size.
"Considering the sale of both pleas
ure cars and trucks we rank Oregon
as one of our best territories. In pro
portion to population I believe we sell
more cars in Oregon and Washington
than in any other part of the country.
"For each month cf the present year
our output has been 100 per cent great
er than the corresponding month of
last year. That hardly looks like hard
times, docs it?"
Mr. Harris arrived in Portland Thurs
day for a week's stay with C. L. Boss &
Co.. and --ith the Northwest Auto Com
pany, dcaiers in Reo pleasure cars.
B. O. Wlllebr.mds. Western repre
sentative of the Studebakcr Corporation
of America, believes the Pacific Coast
will see a wonderful influx of settlers
as the result of the European war.
"The climatic conditions in this Coast
country are about the same as in the
countries being devastated by the war
in Evrope." says Mr. Willebrands. "It
is but natural, therefore, that dissat
isfied Europeans should come to the
Pacific Coast, especially since the
Panama Canal oers cheap transpor
tion and iand is cheap in this country.
' Many Farmers Ik tars.
"A thins I have noticed on my pres
ent trip to Oregon has been the large
number of cars used by farmers. On
awou.-t of this tendency we are doing
moi-. business in Oregon than in Cali
fornia and elsewhere. No lonser do we
hcve to create the demand among
farmers for motor cars. The demand is
-ilready there. 'Our problem -is to make
our factory big enough to get a suf
ficient number of cars to satisfy the
demand coming from dealers from all
over the country."
Charles S. Howard, of San Francisco,
owner of the Howard Automobile Com
pany, who has the selling rights of the
Buick automobile for the entire Tacific
Coast, stopped in Portland last" week
long enough to visit with his father.
R. S. Howard, a New Tork piano manu
facturer, who was in Portland on busi
ness, and to tell Mel .G. Johnson, the
local sponsor for the Bulck, that he
was thinking about spending a part of
the coming Summer in Portland. He
Is arranging to buy a cruiser that is
large enough to take him to sea.
Ask E. G. Bern thai. Western repre
sentative of the King Motor Car Com
pany, how he likes the roads m South
ern Oregon. He returned the other day
from a Southern Oergon trip taken
with Fred W. West, of the Gerlinger
Motor Car Company.
' - They shippe-1 a King Eight to Med
for J ard drove thence to Roseburg after
mobile dealers of Portland are doing
unselfishly to advertise Oregon and its
beauties to the people in the East who
mav travel overland to the Pacific
Coast this year. Nearly all of the prom
inent agents have sent pictures ana
articles neralding the praises of the Co
lombia Highway and other scenic wond
ers and many of these are being pub
lished in the house organs of the auto
mobile concerns and mailed to all corn
ers of the country.
H. J. Banta, president of the Portland
Automobile Trade Association, an
nounced at last Thursday's meeting of
that is bigger and taller than many a
man arid that weighs as much as the
average-sized husky, on an athletic
club's football team?
There is just such a tire in Portland,
and it is not a freak creation, either.
It has been tried out by the Goodyear
Tire & Rubber Company for two years
and is now being sold to the trade as
the largest pneumatic truck tire in the
world.
The mammoth tire, which reached
Portland last week, is the first to come
to the Pacific Coast. Another is now
en route to San Francisco by freight.
of the
tho nKsn.-mtinn that his factory, tne DUl u. n. vv imams, manager
Pierce-Arrow Sales Company, had ad-1 Portland branch of the tire company,
him that ihv worn thankful to had his tire come forward by express,
get the publicity matter on Oregon I and smiled good-naturedly as he paid
which he had sent in and that it would
be published at an early date.
T.ik renorts were made by w . v.
Albright. Portland manager of the
Goodrich Tire and Rubber Company;
Frank C. Riggs, the Packard agent: ana
C. H. Williams, the Goodyear manager
for this territory.
Mr. Albright reported that the May
issue of "Goodrich" will contain pictures
of the Columbia Highway, ait. noon,
and Crater Lake.' While in the East
where recently there was not a sign
that Spring was ever coming, and not a
blade of grass to be seen. Mr. Riggs
confessed that he grew poetic as the
thought of Oregon and its beauty, and
struck off some descriptive literature
that may make him internationally fa
mous. ,
Magazines Advertise Hlichway.
. It was also announced at the meeting
that the Sunset Magazine would publish
an early article on the Columbia High
way and that the Western Motor Car.
a Seattle magazine, would devote an
early issue to Oregon.
H. J. Banta, after passing around a
box of cigars in celebration of the birth
of his first child, explained that he
had received between 400 and 500 let
ters from Portland school children, who
have written letters urging Easterners
to come to Oregon. The writers of the
letters that are declared to be the best
in the group will receive cash prizes
and the model letters duplicated and
sent broadcast.
The automobile men have declared a
holiday for next Monday or Tuesday
when they will put their entire forces
at work for the support of the proposed
road bond issue. Each dealer seems
to have his heart and soul in the road
bond campaign.
It has been suggested that the dealers
hold a picnic on the banks of the Sandy
River next month to raise funds to help
send the Police Band on the proposed
Eastern tour. When the picnic occurs
it is said some old broken-down auto
mobile will be thrown into the river
to furnish fun for those who will try
to pull it out.
Those who want to see what hap
pened in the recent Vanderbilt cup race
at San Francisco will have an oppor
tunity to view thrilling moving pictures
of the event at the Majestic Theater be
ginning today The pictures represent
the impressions of 12 separate cameras
and show the five most startling acci
dents which occurred along the race
course The fact that the Exposition
race course contained several right
angle turns made the Vanderbilt "great
stuff" for the movie men.
COCXTRY IS FIRST WITH RACER
Goui Regrets Inability to Enter In
ternational Race Again.
INDIANAPOLIS. Ind.. April 10. (Spe
cial.) The stuff racing drivers are
made of was never more clearly shown
than in a letter to the Indianapolis
Speedway management fiom Jules Goux,
winner of the 1913 500-mile race.
Goux says: "It would be a great
pleasure for me to compete in the in
ternational 500-mile race this year, as
I did in 1913 and 1914, but the position
I hold on the German frontier is im
portant and I simply haven't the heart
to ask my release under any pretext
while France is at war. France must
come first always. I know you will
readily comprehend it is only reasons
of the most urgent sort which prevent
me from being among you for your
most attractive 500-mile excursion on
3l&y 30, but so it roust be. Meanwhile
give my best regrards to all the boys."
the express charges, $18.35.
Ttre Costs $300.
The new tire is 48 by 12 inches,
weighs 188 pounds and has a carrying
capacity of 7500 pounds. How much
does it cost? Perhaps this may be tell
ing secrets out of school, but each of
the new tires costs considerably more
than $300, .and the' inner-tubes nearly
another $u0.
Grab a pencil and figure out how
much of a fortune it requires to equip
four wheels with four sets of outer and
inner tubes and to buy a "couple or six"
spares to carry along for ballast. Even
so, the Goodyear officials refuse to con
tradict the hint that these big tires are
a saving in the long run when applied
to heavy-duty trucks and' motor buses.
If you doubt the fact that the 48-inch
tire is a self-advertiser just try follow
ing it around the city for a few blocks.
Crowd Gathers to Watch.
The other day, while The Oregonian
photographer was aiming his camera
at the tire, as it rested on Mr. Williams'
"mongrel" automobile, in the. small open
square west of the Postoffice building,
every thousandth man and every hun
dredth small boy in Portland crowded
around.
People must have imagined the Post-
office was being robbed, that a hobble
skirt had parachuted or some other im
possible thing happened. And yet they
were not disappointed necessarily. For
there was the 48 by 12-Inch tire slapped
alongside Mr. Williams' vest-pocket
edition automobile and dwarfing all
other tires into insignificance.
Even Mr. Williams and his two city
salesmen, A. E. Patterson and R. A.
Mehrtens, appeared like mere pigmies.
To prove his might, Mr. Patterson, the
smallest of the trio, undertook to lift
'- '- r- F.O.B-,- TOLEDO
' I
This Six H
as Every Advantage
ANY popular priced Sixes have
but one or two gooa teatures.
At every other point they
are not only commonplace, and ordi
nary, but way below par.
So that one good feature is
picked widely exploited, talked
about and advertised. The theory
of this method of selling being that
if the public can be thoroughly
saturated and incidentally blinded
by the alleged superiority of this
one point it will finally come to
regard the whole car as something
rare and unusual.
But, unfortunately, for this
scheme the public do their own
thinking.
They want to know all about the
whole car.
The Overland Six has every
advantage.
The en bloc 45 horsepower motor
is an advantage.
The high tension magneto igni
tion is an advantage.
The bright French finish, long
grain hand buffed leather upholstery,
is an advantage.
The 125-inch' wheel base is an
advantage.
The 35" x 4A " tires are an advan-
tage. '
The non-skid tires on the rear
are an advantage.
It comfortably seats seven adults.
Yet the price is only $1475 1
If you want a Six that is good at
every point get an Overland. You
will get a far better car and save
money as well.
Deliveries can be made imme
diately. Order yours today.
Wt fMVITXTlOW
MCMfiCK or-'
Consequently, when the public
start to ask a variety of questions
and make comparisons it is mighty
embarrassing for him who is trying
to sell the 'one-feature Six.'
J. W. LEAVITT & COMPANY, Distributors
529 Washington St., Portland, Oregon
Phones, Marshall 3535, A 2444
Made in U. S. A.V
The Willys-Overland Company, Toledo, Ohio
Other models $795 to $1600. All prices f. o. b. Toledo.
i
I. u
the tire and place it on the machine.
The first attempt resulted in a slip, a
smashed toe and a dash of Innocent
slang, but ne finally succeeded, thereby
becoming the guest of Mr. Williams at
luncheon.
"No other company in the world
makes a tire that has a width greater
than six inches," said Mr. Williams yes
terday. "We are now marketing not
only the 12-inch tire, but others seven,
eight and nine inches wide.
Savins Is Predicted.
'Before my -company put them on
ed in six different cities, and to show
how practical they are, three Portland
motor bus companies have already in
vestigated tne tire and placed orders.
They will be used on runs to at. Helens
and the Columbia Highway.
"On rough city pavements where
breakable loads are carried, these spe
cial tires offer economy even at low
SP"InSactual use they have cut down
truck repair bills as, much as 70 per
cent That is because vibration, the
great enemy to the life of a truck. Is
deadened.
' V' ; tt "Then too, , they allow higher speeds
sale last month the big tires were test- Then. .
T17'
One of the largest manufacturers of motor trucks in the United
States wants a reliable, energetic agent for Portland territory.
Line of trucks is complete, embracing six models, that range In
' price up to $4750.00 with capacity up to 6i2 tons. Standard
parts used throughout. Sizes up to 3i2 tons being equipped
with Timken-David Brown Worm Drive Axles.
Not a new, untried make, but mechanically correct in every,
detail and doing profitable work in cities, towns and country.
Over 1500 now in use on Pacific Coast and giving reliable, effi
cient service.
Splendid proposition for party financially able to handle entire
Oregon field. In writing, state, financial rating and references,
with territory desired. Address AV 75, Oregonian.
1 -
to be maintained without increased
wear and tear on truck and load.
"And these big pneumatic tires are
immensely durable. The treads of
tough, white rubber, are double thick
they make all ordinary punctures Im
possible. The side walls, too, have ex
tra piles of strong, hi'svy fnhrlr."
Suppose
Vou try a IMnmuud Tire next time.
Polish SqueeKee Treads wear loniirr
and cost less. Hole net fur the
Master Carburetor, tiiiarnstred snv
lns on Gasoline, IS to Hold
JO days' trial.
ARCHER & WIGGINS
OAK fSTRKET, COHNKR 8I.XT1I.
Uverythlna; In Anlnmobile and Sport
ing (.ooils ef (iunllty.
"Do You Ever Break a Spring?"
VULCAN SPRINGS "GUARANTEED"
Carried in Stock for These Cars:
BUICK FEDERAL HUP OVERLAND
CADILLAC FORD MAXWELL REO
CHALMERS HUDSON OAKLAND STUDEBAKER
BALLOU & WRIGHT
Seattle, Wash. Broadway at Oak St., Portland. Or
BOWSER
GASOLINE and OIL TANKS
TOR ICR SVSTKMS FOR PI'IU.IC AM PHI.
VAIU GARAGKS. . D. Moddsrd. UUlrlcl tupl
kales, si 3 Corlwtt Hid. Main I47.
DIAMOND TIRES
Vulcanizing and Retreading R. E. BLODGETT, i
.-tl-.il orlk lh. p
ourh. I'hone Msin Tim.,