,THE OREGON SUNDAY JOURNAL, - PORTLAND, SUNDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 30 0 V;.ERS OF ELECTRICS III FORTLAND LOUD IN PRAISE OF THESE CARS .f 4 - Three Standard Machines Are Represented in City, Total of 83 Cars in State. While.' Portland rank-very low In tha standard of electric 4 automobile cities, till, those who own either the ." electric: pleasure car or the commercial . : car are sincere and loud In their praise x, v of the electric vehicle. The Journal on this page will endeavor to rive its v v reader a ' review of the- eletrlo auto mobile Industry as represented In thla ;':pltyJpljAj-i; ';. ;t, v . " ' There are only three standard make electric - pleasure vehicles, represented . In Portland at the present time, Franlr . R haa the Detroit; J. C Braly -. has the Ohio, and H. U Keats has the Ranch & Lang. Several of the eastern electric shows have just been held and . The Journal Is giving Its readers the , benefit of first hand examinations of the cars represented ia the local field. , Eleclrle, passenger -'vehicles fori the ' hew season ar characterized by a hum ber of features which make for. greater comfort, in . driving and aviso- for a :. greater radios of action without neces V sltatina recharging of the battery. A TStudv of the productions of the differ ent electric car makers for -. 191 will v show a particularly strong trend to ' ward control arrangements which per C rnlt the car to be driven from either the front seat or the rear seat . ' ateasos tot Dual, Control. The -reason for this dual control, as It has come to be , known, Is the en deavor- to ' provide the safety of the i front drive which Is demanded by the ordinances: of some municipalities with that companionability which can only be ' .obtained by the rear drive when but two - persona ,- are occupying ; four or five passenger car. ' Legal . restrictions in . some cities and states prohibit any pas tsenger riding in front of the driver. 'This until recently has been the usual 'arrangement where three or more pas ,'sengers were to be carried In the In Iclosed vehicles. , - ' Dual control must be looked upon as . 'one. of the biggest talking' points In the new line.,. ' Where, the dual control Is listed It Is generally confined to one model or - two ' at the most, and these , -models are Invariably -, five, passenger broughams, limousine types or desig nated in some cue French -coach de signs, with those listing dual drive the "sentiment Is general that it will greatly - Increase In the next few years due' to stringent police regulations forbidding passengers sitting in front of the oper ator. The dual system ia an- easy so lution of this problem, -. , . Frcductioa for Past Tear. :v. "Production of electric vehicles this 'year approaches 8400, i Of thla number 6006 have been passenger; vehicles, and about 8400 commercial types. Statisti cian a placed the total number of elec trics In use in America at the first of the year at 10,000, a generous estimate, so that today the grand total reaches 38,000, a good,, round number when it - is remembered that At the beginning of this year the -total number of cars In Germany was but 60,000, there being today more thaw one-half-a many eleo tries In this country as the entire Ger- ' man total-t ': The growth, of the electrio over much , of the country 'has been rapid during the past year. . -, It . haa not' been, of the boom nature, 'rather a conservative In crease, an increase measured by the ca pacity : of ' the producers. Electric ve hicles, considering passenger and com mercials as a. unit, have, grown "Over 45 ' per cent, in New York : city during the last two years; Chicago estimates lta Increase In el ec trio trucks at 400 , per cent during that time: St Loula has in the laat year had a heavy Increase, per baps over SO per cent. . In Boston the electric Uuck lias grown : remarkably, ' showing a gain of 6S per cent during tue last year. - Orowtb ater Smalle. Portland has not grown as rapidly In the Uectrle field aa some of the other ciues or its sise, still there baa been healthy increase. ; From information gathered from the different electric . dealers it is estimated that there have been sold in Oregon this year U.elec ; trio pleasure cars from the Rlgga, Braly, Keats establishments, and about lour vehicle have , come into the territory that wer purchased from firms not represented In this territory. On No rem ber J. there hajrbeea registered in Oregon 73 pleasure electric Automobiles and XI commercial cars. This gives roruand ana Oregon a fair represents- tion as an electric oommunlty. GENERAL' SCHEME OF 1914 MODELS OF ELECTRIC CARS ' WINDOW " ' ' ' ' ' 1 1 I. i r ,t j,' V "" ' iONTRXUB . M MOT Ok DRIVE t Type of electric ca,r for 1914. lllustraUng the - most popalar v features foun4 In the new models. It is A five passenger broughan with lever steer, rain vision glass front, sashleeB windows and 34x4 inch cush ion tires. All pasaengerB face forward, The specifications of this, car include: An I-beam front axle full ' floating rear axle ;wlth a pressed steel hoqslng, a 40-cell lad battery, half In front and half in the rear, and motor suspended Amidships with double . reduction shaft drive. . The wbeelbase-Is 100, inches.: The general Scheme -the average electric car for 1914 1 shown in the above Illustration. DETROIT CAR IMPROVED SiaclJnes Ar Roomier and Battery - Capacity Materially Increased, f Following is a summary "of the dlf , ferent electric cars represented In Port " land taken from Motor Age, one of the For 1014 there are six models of De troit passenger electrics which cover . the entire field of these vehicles from the palatial five passenger brougham with its . duplex ...drive to the roadster type, the gamut Including victorias in ' addition to th various brougham styles. Improved reticle as compared with the v lflS. yet la listed at considerably re duced prices over those prevailing dur ing the present season, the price range extending from $2S00 to 13000. ' It can be stated generally that on all models the wheelbase Is longer, the ad ditional .apace gained thereby giving mora room to the bodies. Tires gener ally are- larger, an example being that . , model fitted with S2X4 Inch tires this year carries 34x4 inch next year. In addition to larger tires there is an in crease in battery capacity all along the .line. ' .. As heretofore 40 cells of lead type are aianoara in u moaeis but instead of 11 plates per cell the number has been Increased to IS. This mean ralalnr th ampere-hour capacity from 140 to 162. To accomplish this result thinner grids are used, these resulting In -a greater mileage per battery charge. Another ad vantage that' may be added is that' s higher voltage la maintained with a thin plain cell, which gives more power on bill ad aid in acceleration, . '.' A moat conspicuous feature of Detroit electrics is that three models for next yar will be fitted with womvdMve, the Ianchester . type of t Worm mounted be neath the axle being used. The models ao fitted are the duplex drive, five pas senjrer brougham, and the roadster. Th. Lanchekter worm Is of the hour glass. rypt-, i no teevn Being so lormed as to purtially embrace the circumference Of worm -Wheel which l ltted to the differential, the teeth of this worm wheel being also concave to adapt them aelvea to the worm. Three teeth of .the worm always , are meshing, . simultane ously and share the driving load Mounting tho worm beneath' the worm rcnnlta of, lta constantly running la bath of oil. On the other three Detroit models, namely, victoria, four passen ger -. brougham and . five passenger brougham, bevel driven axles are -em ployed, s ' . , ' i " Not to be overlooked In Detroit eiec tries for next year Is the duplex drive used on one model officially known as model 48. in this model all passengers face forward, the two front paesengers occupying Individual . armchair type seat. The duplex drive consists In two steering tillers, two controller handles; in ' short, two complete- driving units, one for. the front seat passenger, the other for the rear. When the front seat drive la being uaed the rear seat con trol parts fold against" the wall, and vice versa,:; This permits Jthe driver to sit in the rear when only one passenger Is carried or at the front when there la more than one passenger. ; FEW CHANGES IN OHIO CARS Dual Drive Continues' Among Fea- ' tares t Improvement In Bodies. Ohio electrlcts. In three models, prac tically enter the 1914. selling, year with no appreciable change, r The: chassis are known as the models 0,AI and T and are' practically the same - throughout The three chassis have a wheelbase of 98 Vi Inches and standard tread. Two of the types, namely, models . M. and Y, have v the double-drive f feature which was used by the Ohio company this year. "Model O is a single drive " ear, Its front Beats being pivoted so as to turn in any de&lred direction, same as usea in tns otner two cars.. . f. - , , In the bodies the most noticeable dif ference . is in the use- of cashless win dows Instead , of the framed variety fitted to the cars in 1913. - The alaaa plays In feltllned grooves In the win dow casings. . The bodies as a whole are very -beautiful in finish and upholater ing and Conform to. the general trend of design for thla class of vehicle. - Sheet a,umlnum la used in the mak ing of the Ohio bodies,' the roof being a single -sheet , Besides the usual long list of equipment within the luxurious bodies, the new Ohio models are fur nished With electric heaters for the win ter 'time. These heaters, one of which lg placed' In. eachiof the front seat. ped eotaJs In the new cara Instead of being placed along, the , front In : tube form as heretofore, are of the resistance type. ; ' The . chassis ' embodies an overhung cold rolled preaaed steel frame of chan nel: section suspended on half-alllptlo front . and three-quarter " elliptic rear springs. : The front axle is a drop-center I-beam, while 'tlw rear axle la of the floating construction, with the weight carried on the housing. Hess-Brlght ball bearings are used throughout the axle and wheels.--' .-? . v.. Comes with three different "controlling arrangements, one . driven from the front another from the i rear ; and the third a selective dual control. The con trolling wheels has resulted only la the ueo ot a Heavier motor. The high Speed motor with worm drive, therefore, gives a light motor with single reduction. The worm is five thread with reduction ratio or s.s to 1. The worm shaft ; la, carried on large annular ball bearlnga and end thrust Is provided tor by a double thrust bearing at one end of the shaft " Tbia arrangement for the thrust at one end instead of both makes for ease of adjustment. ; ' The control aystem affords two start ing speeds and four running speeds for ward as well as four reverse speeds. A system of rods and cranks connects the two control levers to the controller proper. The latter Is located on the rear seats and the various . speeds are obtained by cutting out and inserting resistances - and - also by the use of a ' so called bucking coll la the field of th motor. ' " ' .vv-(; , ."r ;-' On first speed the motor fields are In series and realatanoe Is Inserted in the circuit J Second ' apeed usea the Isame field connections but some of the resist ance is cut out " Third speed cuts out all the resistance and "uses a aeries field connection. On fourth speed the resistance Is cut out still but the fields Of the motor are connected In .Parallel. ttf th" sMHnnnr;.tiii ; f ewtr jtf "partner ana snuntea ana , no resistance -in the line. On high; or sixth speed a bucking eon is used witn tne neids shunted and connected in parallel. , All . Rauch A Lang electrics use six speeds and the above 'method of controlling theee speeds. It is claimed that this tvoa af ford the proper gradual rise from low to high without excessive drain on the patterles. , . - All ordinary fast running can b ilone on fifth speed, but If the sixth is used on the level a speed of over 20 miles per hour can be obtained, j An electric brake forma part of the control. This braking action Is accomplished bv run ning the motor . aa a generator on-- the downward grade and . consuming the power generated In a speeirJ resistance, This brake alone Is aald to be caoable of holding the car on an eight or 10 per i--A lock that can be closed only when the handle Is In a : neutral position Is fitted to the control arm. Although this prevents any notion or, the electrical part of the. control system-the braka 1 unaffected and can be applied whether the look 1 closed .or open;- Expanding snee DraK.cs are employed on the rear wheels and another brake - la fitted. ;to the front send of the motor, 4 The total weight of the double drive coach ' is about -1500 pounds: annroxl. Riately 7S miles can be run per charge. The coach has a wheelbase of 16 Inches, wane mat or tne otner moaeis is 92H and OS inches. . - : Upholstery has been looked to In the matter of comfort The front seats are provided with' well cushioned backs and are mounted on tubular pedestals upon which they turn. All wiring and levers from the control arm on the left chair are carried down to the chassis inside of the pedestal. leaving a clear external finish. ; The interlocking mechanism in the double control machine Is also con tained in the upper portion of the seat CUSHION TIRES SA!ff TO BE BEST FOR USE ELECTRIC pUlar, X, Do i Not Overcharge Batterieev -Overcharging reduces the density of the storage battery solution to a greater degree than the normal charge, as more sulphur trioxlde Is taken from the elec trolyte.".,;'.".,;. , v v ,,1 e Declared "More Econom- leal: of -Power .Than .Solid '"and No Danger of Blowouts, . . In. nerfectlns- an 'Ideal tire for eleo-l tries, two fundamental qualities must! be incorporated in order to make a de-l pendable 1 tire,'' says' ,T.. H. McOiehan, Ice president, The " Mota Tire com pany. -'These properties are resiliency I and durability, and .naturally they are I both ; dependent upon many variables I such as compounds, shape of tread, and! method or fastening. . ' j "The most .Important ia th general I construction of the tire. The tire must be designed so , that the minimum amount of energy la consumed In pro pelling the vehicle.v ,' Conservation of power is the one most Important factor in the maintenance of an electric car. , Therefore, the resilient and durable electrio tire that covers more miles per battery charge Is the -only tire for elec trics. . Every Um a eolld Ur strike roaa obstruction. It takes added power I to list the ear over, but when the tlret absorb the shock all the power Is used in carrying the ear- !nan onward In stead of an upward direction.. . i- "Not only are cushion tires far 'eu- perior to eolid tires 1n saving fuel eon sumption. . but they are also an Inroort- ant factor in prolonging the life of the mechanical;- parts of the machine.' h In thla comparison ' the , pneumatlo V tire oomeg m for an equal' amount of credit! When you consider that the electric pleasure vehicle Is the most popular carl ror women because of its ease of manip ulation, then you can readily realise why ( praoucauy ' g per cent or , tne electrio vehicle manufacturers specified Mots Urea for' their 1011 equipment Women cannot and should not be expected to re-j pair a blowout or puncture any. morel than they should be expected to crank a motor. It was essential that the manu facturers, equip their machines with self Starters. Naturally . the woman buyer t i-.-v- - " . . A .... ... ' ' , : . 'flJ'.-B.-i ti - mi- . .- , - i- .n,,,.,, u.rjl I I"' ' " 1 1 i i v ,-. j , i i77t'ii m Demonstrated Superiority in the Four Vital Points V ' Control: Magnetic a small Iisc taking the place of the usual umbersome control lever. Braking: Magnetic, operating: apoa pressure "of i button. The car cannot skid when this Is 'applied. JFoot-brake has automatic power cut ' out. .The brakes are external, and will no i ....i .i. . -.1 ... r ". , Drive: Double drive from both front and .' rear seat - $ f V ' v ' T ' Principle: 'CljainessVdirect shaft drive with-4 , , ; out universal jointsA Consequently,, maximum , , ; efficiency' per, unit of power. , ,1, These. four features are patented and exelu- ;' A? Jsive to the Ohio Electric .They are only a few of tnanv. - ; j , , " wtx-N - t , ' ' - ; J. CtBrAlyAiito Co.V 19th" and ' Washington ' Sts., Portland, Oreg-on . t (Continued on Following Page) A special "featura of the Ohio chassis construction la the' suspension of the motor bg a ball and socket Joint amid ships of the frame. The torque tube In closing, the driveshaft fastens rigidly to ino end plate or this motor through a yoke, At the rear end this torque tube bolts to the rear axle housing through a flange. Thus the rear axle, drive shaft and " Its housing and the1 motor form one rigid unit There are no uni versal joints in the driveshaft In this construction, the motor's balj and sock et mounting allowing It to align, with the rear'axle' at all-tlmw 'WitttlhiB direct shaft construction the reduction between- motor and rear wheels Is four to one. The motor Is a slow speed, ser ies-wound type of exceptionally large size. ,: ,:'?ft:;i A';.. : ;-v v , Battery eautoment on the new Ohlos hows no change over the present cars. The standard battery., equipment is 40 cells of 13-plate Kxlde. . Non-wash Jars are used, making it unnecessary to wash tnem out during the life of the nlatea When specified, Edison battery Is fur-, nl3hed at an additional cost The bat tery is carried In the usual comnart- monta iront and rear. Double external contracting brakes act on the rear wheel drums, AH models are equipped with an automatic current cut-out on the emergency brake. When the pedal Is pushed downward to apply the brake this . operation automatically- cuts out the current to the motor from the bat tery. After the brake is released the power Is not automatically turned on again, however. The car remains still until the controller is brought back to neutral,, alter, which it operates usual. This Is a safety feature of much note. - ,' The control Of the Ohio cara Is unlaue in tnat a smaii nara rubber-disk re places a control lever. Thla disk Is mounted on the end of the controller and is turned lm either direction -from a neutral point to give forward and re verse speeds. Besides the eoeed-regu latlng disk, the control head embodies within it integrally a bell button ' for warning signal, the controller lock but ton, and magnetle brake button. - All of these sre so close together on tne control bead that their operation by the left hand Is a Simple matter. leaving tne right hand free for , oper ating the horizontal steering lever. ; In the double drive models this control and steering lever, are in duplicate as well aa the pedala The steering lever when not in use swings . down against the body and out of the way. - The steering post is carried on ball , bearings, i mak ing lta operation possible with the min imum of effort. , - ' i ' WORM DRIVE TO' BE-. USED Ranch A Lang Can Also. Have Three .Different .Control Arrangements. ,' ' Electric pleasure ears of the Rauch & Lang Carriage company, Cleveland, Ohio, are characterised by a change vfrom bevel drive in the tear to worm drive. This feature obtains m the roadster,, the club roadster and'. the deml-brougbam models, while the town car wilt remain bevel gear driven.' The prices of. these care will remain the same as last year With the exception of the brougham. '5 . , ne coacn type, model la offered tui contanuy; running, in in, fiv. -passenger; form. The latter s-i r . . . C: popularity contest, expressed in motor car registration, on the - Pacific Coast, ; in cluding Electrics " represented in Portland Detroit Hectric Detroit Electric vv ; Galifornia :-: J ' .-'v;'.' Nearest Competitor J99 Registration September1. 1-10 to September; 1-13 Washington ' - ..; Nearest Competitor Second Nearest Competitor 177 IIS "M Second Nearest Competitor 2 ' Seattle alone -104 Detroit Hec'tricsr22 alf other makes Detroit Electric 20 ;on Nearest Competitor TOTWLS , ' " "'t r , Detroit Electric . v 566 Nearest Competitor ; y 221 Second Nearest Competitor ... v. 184 Second Nearest Competitor ! I t .-.. v(-.4---. - , j . r. . . "I v ' ' " ' ' ' ' I m6recars ' v.- ' ' y x MEAN,' - ' - ; BETTER SERVICE! TOAPIC C. RIGGS ;GOMPANV DETOOIT ELECTRIC CARRIAGES AND TRUCKS . '- V- this" r.wvir O ' ELECTRIC I.' e The Edison Storage Battery ' ' ' . -For EIeccyehicies;.V;;;;;:V;:r ears Ma. w ' ' - ' lU 1 V mV'VVC Built Like a Watch, But as Rugged as a Battleship'! COSTS MORE, .BUT H f LASTS. F0URTIMESjr-T7V4-J?-3l AS LONG THE MOST WONDERFUL4 CONVENIENCE FOR ELEC TOR VEHICLES YET IN- :r its; sVented" w One good point about the Edison Alkaline Nickef-Iron Storage Battery is that the con-1 tainer, grids,; poles, etc.; are all made of nickel-plated steel.1 Collisions, falls or con tinued service bumps' of -the hardest kind don't harm it.- WE ARE SOLE AGENTS ' FOR OREGON, AND .WOULD LIKE TO FIGURE WITH YOU ON STORAGE r BATTERY, EQUIPMENT. INVESTIGATE OUR SERVICE PRICES. ' . GIBSON STORAGE : BATTERY CO: 548 Alder Street The Only Exclusive Electric Garage in Oregon I J1 "W Hoom Bm r '. ' ' -- for Our . j T-t 1 - V 'n " " " i it-'-,' .,:v J - Hundreds Are Caning to Seethe Nev r J 1 "y ji 1 t 1 hf Rauch & Lang .l.ll'l ! : ' ... . ' . " S 4 n T fa t 9 t j I ; o" annotracement; smce . wq have- been, In business hss ' . created such -wide-spread- interest, as our advertisemeat;'o! the nevr.Rnuch & Lang worm driVe. , v -, . v V Hondxeds ,of .persons Jhave seen these new electrics, and a orders jare fast coming in. " -, t i , No other electric offers the choice of such a drive. ' j I, . Come see it today Bring ant engineer-with. yon.." Wa 'i take pride in showing it -to those Jwho know the beauty of ; mechanics. VW'i '.l-1 - ' i, - 4 x Thousands of motor cars abroad are .: being ,bnilt with -t worm;drives. , t :" ; ; I , r' -. r,. - v', . ; 1 7 'V ni',;1 s1 -The Drive Sensation '' Vt ; i'Vp r if tha Electric Vehicle worlds the Rauch & Lang Straight Typa Worm' J. ' Drire. The Ranch 8t Lang light-weight high speed motor is especially ; - adaptable for use with a straight type worm drive. The combination -' means that power travels the shortest possible route from the motor to V the wheels- no waste motion no waste energy but uninterrupted, r direct aoDllcation. I This combination nrofluceS low uokeen cost, is .. quiet and smooth in operation ellminatea making adjustments is : compact, simple, eicient, powerful. Comprehensive and severe tests ' for the past five years .have demonstrated the excellence of the itraisrht '()-type worm drive. ' In purchasing a Ranch & Lang Worm Drive car :' ! 'you secure the most perfect, electric car manutactured. r Nothing to "equal it 'has been offered, the public..-' yit-ykrMWl-?:U-.v f-'i -v-'-'i' Passengers face forward.''; Revolving seats. V.' 'ftJr4-X, Vli-''-iS t Three types of control: . 1st Driven from front seat. - 2nd Drives i - from rear seat. ' 3rd Combination, driven from front and raarsnac : - - laiatwMSM now lor 4tmmmmmy(git i i V',"-.jJ ; ' , , Vv'V EROADWAY AT BURNSIDE WfHM