,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