Greg O’s Garage: The first Automobile Publication; The Horseless Age Part 3
Part Three of a new series of posts examining the first American automotive publication, The Horseless Age.
Starting in 1895, The Horseless Age was created and started publishing monthly issues about the burgeoning automotive industry.
In this third of a series of posts we'll look at Volume 1, issues 4 & 5 of the first 12 issues contained in Volume 1 of the bound collection of 30 volumes.
Being this is from the earliest stages of motor carriage development in 1895, the amount of innovation and 'firsts' is staggering in the first volume alone.
Greg O.
The Age of Noise
At the time of this February 1896 issue, it was thought then that the dawning of the new motor age would bring more peace to the city streets. The 1890's were considered the loudest of any other time on city streets. Sure, the 'clickity-clack' of horse's metal shoes on cobblestone, steel tires, and even ball-bearingless axles all contributed to the chaotic noise of most cities, but this viewpoint was a bit short sighted as history has shown us. Rubber tires on the road and quiet ball bearing axles did little to quiet the coming sounds of the future decades when louder cars, horns, trolleys, buses, elevated subways and endless jack hammers overcame any noise a few horseshoes and steel wheels could produce.
World's First Outboard Boat Motor
Motorizing the newly invented bicycle or carriages weren't the only modes of transportation being revolutionized in 1896. How about attaching a motor to a boat?
Revolutionary in 1896, A clever inventor at the American Motor Company located in the Havemeyer Building in NYC devised a way to adapt and add a 50 pound, 1 1/2 hp motor to a boat's transom.
With the motor attached in 5 minutes, by their estimate, a boat up to 16 feet in length could be propelled up to 6-8 mph costing approximately one cent per hour.
Impacts of Cars on Land Value and Population Distribution
In 1896, there was no shortness of speculation as to how the automobile would be a positive impact on society, land values and where people could live. Advancements in transportation, such as the newly invented bicycle, trolleys and the coming motor carriages meant that more people could move farther away from the city centers. Far out from the cities, the land values would increase and there would be a better quality of life from the congested urban centers. All seemed rosey back then.
However, today, and starting in the 1950's, we are well aware of the impact of the car on land value and even noticing the negative impacts of population distribution and the environment. The modern, less positive term is urban sprawl, peaking towards the mid-century by the automobile and help from early planners and developers like Robert Moses.
Daimler Hits a Milestone
In March 1896, the Daimler Works in Germany celebrated their big milestone of 1000 motors produced and felt it important enough to commemorate it in front of the factory.
The Circus Comes to Town
The newness and excitement of the horseless carriage even grabbed Barnum and Bailey in 1896.
Recently winning one of the first automobile contests in the country in Chicago, Barnum and Bailey thought an exact copy of the winning Duryea would be a wonderful way to lead their parades of lions, tigers and elephants when the circus came to town.
The curiosity that was the new automobile was an even greater draw than the circus animals and acrobats of the day and was even promoted as such on their advertising posters.
Upcoming Part 4 will look at USPS deciding to use horseless carriages, 1st city speed limits and maybe finally the official coinage of the word 'automobile'.
Comments
Interesting info, Greg. Your comment regarding Robert Moses is applicable to the last paragraph in that article next to it. One of the deficiencies in Moses’ plans was his position not to give public transportation the same emphasis as the automobile - as stated in the last paragraph those that needed transportation the most were neglected as highways and expressways were being developed for the automobile.
WOW!~ seeing these excerpts reminded me how Pietro Tesio was on the cutting edge of all that and how his fascination for technology shaped his vision of the world. Thanks for posting, Howard!