9
AUTO CLUBS MERGE
NEWS CAMERA ROUTS DARING
EX-TAR, OLDEST TAXI-DRIVER
Thomas George Benjamin Mitchell, Who Has Piloted Fares Over Portland
Streets for Nearly 40 Years, Submits Only When Made Captive.
I 1 n
Portland Association Is to
Extend Its Activities.
DANCE PLANNED DEC. 6
T RUCK.
Outside Motorists Arc to Bo In
vited to Become Members and
Highways Are to Be Marked.
Election Is Called.
frOZJFRAL.Oi PAVEMENT
THE SUNDAY OREGOMAN, PORTLAND, NOVEMBER 26. 191 6.
TO)
J O)
The proposed Oregon Statewide Auto
Asaociation. died a natural death last
Wednesday when the directors of the
Portland Automobile Club decided to
alter their by-laws to permit them to
branch out to embrace the statewide
programme suggested by the organiz
ers of the tentative association, vir
tually all of whom were already mem
bers of the Portland Automobile Club.
At last Wednesday's meeting a nomi
nating committee composed of Emery
Olmstead, chairman, W. B. Fechheimer.
Phil Metschan, Jr., John E. Cronan and
John E. Kelly, was appointed to report
at a general meeting to be held at the
clubhouse on the banks of the Sandy
River on the evening of December 6.
This meeting will be held at 8 o'clock
following dinner, and dancing will In
turn follow the election of directors
and adoption of a new set of by-laws
now being framed by a committee
headed by Julius L. Meier, who was
temporary chairman of the proposed
new association.
Highways to Be Marked.
It Is understood that 15 directors of
the reorganized club, which will prob
ably be known as the Oregon State
Motor Association, will be elected from
Portland and that a number of motor
ists living in various cities and towns
of the state will also be added to the
directorate.
A committee is to be appointed by the
president to supervise the marking of
all Oregon highways, the completion of
etrip maps and various other plans
suggested recently by the proposed
new association which passed out of
existence by reason of its merger with
the Portland Automobile Club. The
etatewide association will invite mem
berships among motorists in all parts
of the state and will probably exert a
strong influence in highway matters
generally. The officers of the new as
sociation will be chosen soon after the
election of directors at the meeting on
December 6.
Club to Give Dnnce.
Those present at the merger meeting
last week were C. C. Overmire, presi
dent of the Portland Automobile Club:
George M. Chambers, assistant secre
tary of the same organization: Julius
JU Meier, w. B. Doan. Howard M
covey. W. B. Fechheimer, A. J. Blitz.
John E. Cronan, Phil Metschan. Jr., A.
M. Smith, John E. Kelly. Emery Olm
etead. C. F. Wright and W. J. Clemens.
The last social affair of the Portland
Automobile Club before its reorganiza
tion and change of name will be held
at the clubhouse on the night of De
cember 2. when a dance is to be staged
under the direction of Thomas Swivel,
ohairman of the entertainment committee.
AUTO REPLACES WAGON
WALT MAS9.V RECALLS LONG A.D
TEDIOUS TRIP TO MARKET.
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Tasks That Once AVere Burden Are
Made Easy by Motor, lie Saya,
and Speed Is Attained.
"When I was young the old farm
wagon was all the chariot we had; the
(sides were bent, the seat was sa'jjgin",
the wheels wore always feeling bad,
writes Walt Mason.
"On Saturday we'd hear dad saying,
I cuess we'll have to go to town and
eli the eggs the hens are laying, and
cet your ma a gingham gown. We'll
liave to travel mighty slowly, to save
-the horses for the field.' We climbed
nboard the craft unholy, and all its
brtltc. JtnH flxtnrA. mion tt
"And then along the road' we Jolted
'twas seven weary miles to town, and
my sad soul in vain revolted at how
ilad held the horses down. 'We mustn't
Jet them scratch the gravel,'' he'd say,
when I was showing pique: 'It hurts
them more to town to travel than plow
ing hurts them in a week.'
"And so the snails went whizzing by
t's the way they passed us was a
phame; and what dad said was scarcely
Tious, when Jim, the sorrel horse, went
lame. It took all day to go the dis
tance: when we got home, with sigh
and groan, I went to bed, with dad's
assistance I was too sore to go alone.
"How times have changed! I now ara
fcosslng the farm my father used to
run: and now and then you see me
tossing into the bank a roll of mon.
And when I find it necessary to go to
town tosell some chicks, the trip is
brief and Klad and merry; I travel in
my big 'Light Six.' My time's too
precious to be wasted; I rush and get
my business through: when speed the
modern man has tasted he knows the
old way will not do.
"And when it comes to recreation, I
take the wife and all the folks.
"And thus the motor car makes farm
ing which used to be a weary grind
in occupation glad and charming the
old slow methods left behind."
BY CHESTER A. MOORES
BECAUSE Thomas George Benjamin
Mitchell is modest and bashful
above all else it will not be pos
sible to tell his -complete life-history
here, but one thing is certain, whe
ther he confirms it o not, Mr. Mitchell
is by long odds the oldest taxlcab dri
ver in Portland, and this would prob
ably apply even if the drivers of the
so-called "Jitney taxis" were Included
under the general appellation.
"Uncle George," as he is called by
his fellow watchers of the taxt meters,
will be 67 years old his next birthday.
He first took his position at the wheel
of a taxi when William H. Warrens
established the Oregon Taxicab Com
pany, nearly a decade back, and he has
spent most of his time during all the
intervening years at the helm of his
brown cab.
Cab Driven 37 Years.
joui -uncae ueorge' Mitchell was
driving the fashionable lads and lassies
off to the church to be married and
here and there to parties and dances
long before the motor carriage was
dreamed of. On the sly the other day
when he didn't know there was a re
porter about, he remarked that he had
driven horse cabs and carriages 27
years, giving him one year of service
for almost every one of the. 28 let
ters in his four-barreled name.
Along about 40 years ago Mr. Mit
chell came to Portland as first mate
on the English ship "Neversing," and
he took such a liking to this port that
he tossed off his bundle of clothes and
became a Portlander. never again to
follow the aeaa aa he had done for
many years.
Eventful though his career has been
on sea and street the activities of
"Uncle" George have -not been con
fined to the helm of a ship and the
business end of an automobile. He
served as deputy constable under
"Johnny" Betz, and as master of the
County Jail under Sheriffs William
jjrazurr and Robert Stevens, and was
once Deputy Sheriff for a time,
Camera Causes Fur.
After his experiences with tough
sailors. Jail inhabitants and taxi users
of all sizes and dispositions, you would
think Mr. Mitchell wouldn t be afraid
of anything short of a British "tank"
on the firing line. But heisn't such
a daring fellow after all because he
is afraid of all cameras aimed in his
direction.
Time after time Photographer Mc
Monagle. of The Oregonian staff, tried
to persuade "Uncle George to pose,
but every time the Jolly old veteran
would run. The other afternoon when
Mr. McMonagle chanced to be in the
vicinity of the Portland Hotel, where
Uncle George makes his stand. he
caught sight of the camera-dodger be
fore Uncle George was aware of the
impending predicament. He did, how
ever, manage to duck away from the
camera on its first click, but later.
after hiding for a few moments be
hind a big touring car to bide his time,
the veteran was finally caught un
awares. Even then, however, he was
snapped only with the -eid of two
other taxi pilots, who held his arms,
Son's Pleadings Are In Vain.
Later this photo was displayed to
Uncle George with the request that
he pose for a more natural picture In
view of the fact that his photograph
was to be run anyhow, but his answer
to this request had not been favor
able up to the time this report was
written.
Mr. Mitchell's son, George A. Mit
chell, known to all patrons of the Im
perlal Hotel cigar store, has tried
without success to convert his father
from his dread of the camera and
when The Oregonian arrives at the
Mitchell household this morning Thom
as George Benjamin Mitchell is due for
a line of "Joshing" that will embarrass
him more than could a carload of
cameras.
GAR MARKET IS LIQUID
POSSIBILITY OP PLACING 7,000,000
MORE IX STATES NOTED.
IClsselKar Representative Points to
Improvement In That Machine
Increasing Demand.
Something likd 3,000,000 automobiles
are running in the United States and
there Is still an estimated domestic
market for 7.000.000 more among those
who have never bought one.
These figures at first glance indicate
that the present wonderful activity in
car manufacture has a time limit, but
there are other considerations which
modify that Impression quite a bit.
In a motor "bee" the other day A. S.
Robinson, of the KipselKar branch,
stated some pertinent facta in point:
"While I have, never seen any re
liable , statistics on the subject." he
he said. "I have heard It said, and I think
fairly, that fully 40 per cent of car
buyers have owned cars previously.
"The man who has driven an old
fashioned, heavy car wants a lighter
one. He who has driven a small, low
priced car wants something bigger and
better as soon as he becomes accus
tomed to the 'feel' of the road. Wives
and daughters insist upon keeping
abreast of the styles in cars as well
as clothes.
"As perfect as we believe the car of
today, there is no barrier to American
Invention and Ingenuity. Who can say
that the car of 10 years from now will
not show improvements as great . as
those developed In the last 10 years?
"Kissel's invention, the all-year car,
came out a little more than two year
ago. The Idea of motoring In all sea,
sons is spreading fast and it will no
be long before a car without a Winter
top will be in the 'has-been class.
"The same is true of other radica
and practical improvements. Buyer
will have the up-to-date thing, and
that is why so many purchasers are
'repeaters.
A ml.ilature automobile horn blown y
prtssing an eieciric button Has bfen In
vfnted to replace doorbells.
STUDEBAKER OF 1917 SERIES HAS SPECIAL BODY AND VICTORIA TOP
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The
est i ruck Buv in Portland
And We Can Prove It!
We want everyone in Portland and the surrounding territory who is at all
interested in motor trucks to visit our showrooms this week and see the
Denby. Let us put it to the hardest tests you can think of judge for your
self what wonderful efficiency and economy, what remarkable value it
offers you. j
Four Denby Models
Each a Leader in Its Class
Denby Trucks have achieved country-wide success because
Denby engineers have led the inarch of truck development, not
followed it
In no other truck, for example, can you find such plentiful power
on so small an expenditure of fuel. You won't believe, until
you've actually tried it out, how far a Denby Truck will haul its
full rated load and more on a gallon of gas.
, Denby Trucks are noted, too, for an extra strength that means
maximum service and minimum upkeep. Yet it is achieved with
out the addition of a pound of excess weight. And because of
this fact the Denby does your work with less than normal tire
wear for the tires are not used up by the weight of the truck
itself.
Denby has set new standard of price as well as quality. Never
before have you been able to get a real 1-ton truck with all the
inbuilt sturdiness that has made Denby Trucks famous, at near
the Denby price.
And the prices of the heavier-duty Denby Trucks are equally
unprecedented for Denby quality.
Body and Chassis Modification
Makes the Denby Fit Any Business
One of the four Denby models, thanks to Denby engineering
skill, can be made to fit exactly the needs of any business.
, Bulk loads or heavy loads or both the Denby carries them
with the same steady day-in and day-out sureness.
And the Denby development of the internal-gear drive shows
to its best advantage where hills or bad roads offer a real test of
efficiency.
We have looked over the field thoroughly; we have satisfied
ourselves that the Denby today stands in a class of its own in the
motor-truck world; and wre are glad to add to the Denby guaranty
our own complete assurance of your satisfaction and service.
Come in and examine the Denby. Let us prove to you that motor haulage will be efficient and eco
nomical in your own business and Denby haulage most economical and efficient of all.
"Oregon Motor Car Company Policy."
PRICES
F. O. B. Portland
1- ton $1250
(with express body)
1-ton $1800
2- ton $1950
2Mj-ton $2250
The Oregon Motor Car Co
Park and Davis Streets Broadway 6l6
1
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! iiiiiiiaii mm
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NEW MODELS OFFERED
TWO
SPECIALTIES PUT OUT
OVERLAND COMPANY.
BV
Four-Cyllndrr Car for 795 and Slz
Cyllnder Car for 925 Have
aiany Fine Features.
The attention of motorists has been
directed recently to the two latest de
velopments of the Overland products
a four-cylnder car at $795 and a elx
selling: for $925, both of which are
known as Model 85.
"The two new cars contain every-
hlna- which goes to make up the mod
ern high-das automobile," says H. U.
Elinfr. manager of the Portland branch
of the Overland Pacific Company.
"Every practical improvement that the
ever-alert automobile genius has de
vised has been included in their con
struction. "Numbered among these Is the plac
ing; of the gasoline tank with gauge tn
the rear. By means of a vacuum sys
tem an ven frow of gas is delivered
to the Carburetor at all times, this
supply being steady and uniform re
gardless of whether the car is travel
ing down grade or up the steepest in
cline. The Tillotson carburetor, with
hot-air attachment is located high up
on the motor.
"Another improvement that adds
greatly to the riding comfort of these
cars is the cantilever rear springs with
which they are equipped. The advan
tage of the cantilever type lies in the
fact that it 1s joined to the axle at the
rear end of the spring instead of in
the middle, and the shock'is practically
all absorbed In the spring before It
reaches the body of the car, he front
springs are semi-elliptic
"Both cars were designed and built
for riding comfort. An exceptionally
long wheelbase of 118 inches for the
Four and 116 inches for the Six pro
vides for large, comfortable bodies with
ample room for seating five people
without cramping or crowding. The
length of the wheelbase also adds
greatly to the appearance and charac
ter of the models."
ALFRED REEVES TO OPEN SHOW
General Manager of Xational Cham
ber to Be at San Francisco. '
SAN FRANCISCO. Nov. 26. Alfred
Reeves, general manager of the Na
tional Automobile Chamber of Com
merce, probably will formally open the
racing Automobile fedow at the xpo
sltion Auditorium February 10 to 18,
Manager G. A. Wahlgreen announced
last week. Mr. Reeves has been In
vited to perform this ceremony, and
has tentatively accepted. In his letter
to Manager Wahlgreen ha ali be
would come West directly after tha
Chicago show, and will be one of the
party aboard the Chicago-San Fran
cisco how Special.
Interest in the show Is keen through
out the Kast. according to Paclfi
Coast motorcar men who have recently
returned from visits to the Eastera
factories. It Is the first time la the
history of the industry that the Pa
cific Coast, has offered a representa
tive show, and the fact that a special
train will be run from Chicago to Los
Angeles is adding to the expectancy
of big things among the Eastern deal-era.
A Iflclal flowers eaa be restored ar -rlns
held la aieaaa.