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Truck and Tractor Show Offers Public Opportunity to Study Modern Machines c.t Close Panae
HARRISBURG TELEGRAPH M
SIK SJtoc-Independent.
TRUCK NUMBER. HARRISBURG, PA. SATURDAY EVENING, MARCH 22, 1919. AUTOMOBILE SUPPLEMENT.
FIRST ALL TRUCK AND TRACTOR EXHIBIT
OPENS IN HARRISBURG MONDAY MORNING
INTEREST NOW TURNS
FROM PLEASURE CARS
TO THE BIG TRUCKS
Show Opens in Overland Warerooms
Monday Morning at 10 A. M. for
Benefit of Work-a-day Folk
IMPROVEMENTS ARE SHOWN IN
THE MANY NEW WORKING CARS
"Out with the pleasure cars, and in with the tractors
and trucks" was the sharp order at the tip of J. Clyde
Myton's tongue, hinged, as usual light, to make the
announcement carry all over the huge Overland plant
this evening after the passenger car show was an event
of history. Hundreds of extra help were notified to-day
to be on the job, for the whole caravan of sedans, limou-j
sines and roadsters had to be moved to give way to the;
first tractor-truck exhibition ever staged in Harrisburg. j
It will run through three days of next week and. while I
the passenger car week beat all records it is believed that j
agricultural and industrial Pennsylvania will go after |
this, as Mr. Myton so aptly puts it. "like a Great Dane;
eating cream-putts." Do not asked whether this or that'
make is on view. The man who cannot be satisfied with ,
this display never will shake the clods from his feet.
New and Up-to-date
Everything about the machines is new and up-to-date. Here
are some of the improved features as manifested by a dozen ex-!
liihits of _tractors; enclosure of friction parts: weight not over j
4.?00 to e.OOO pounds; drop-forged or rolled-steel gears; accessi
bility of parts; price of 51.500 to 52.000 for three-plow machine;!
lifting of tractor to local conditions; anti-friction bearings and:
vast application of automobile knowledge.
Everybody interested in this, the lirst show of its precise kind j
here, realizes that transporation and distribution in the future j
will be largely by automobile service, thus relieving the short j
and long-haul passenger and freight business from tbe railroads.'
The motor is no longer an experiment as Uncle Sam evidently !
believes, for he intends to distribute $200,000,000 in the next three i
years, in addition to the $66.000,0C0 alreadv provided, among the
several States engaged in road building. Each State is to be re-!
warded in proportion to its own expenditure on highways.
Recognize Need of Good Roads
Arc the local dealers aware of this? You bet. and if the Gov- I
ernor and legislators responsible for passing the $50,000,000 roads
bond were to appear at the show arena they would get an im
petuous reception. "Help yourself and I'll help you." says Uncle
Sam, who will probably appoint a 1-ederal Commission to insure
a high standard of road building and repair everywhere.
Contemplating this, the truck dealers are confident of a great
demand, perhaps not immediately, but within this year, and
factories should be working night and day. In the recent year
or so, many producing companies, showing here now, were" on '
50 to 50 per cent Government work, and they sav that the com
pleting of these orders will not at all interfere with* the resumption
of normal production.
Work to Take on New Life
"Contracting of all kinds, soon as the weather settles," declared
one manufacturer." will again take new life and here will be a big
field for those whb have models Httcd fur this work. But good
roads may do more than all, indicating a sure demand for trucks i
of all sizes." ■,
Taken for granted that the auto
truck is firmly and for ever with us,
vast interest in the tractor is appar
ent at the Overland establishment.
Not a stone is being left unturned
to accommodate the purchaser,
whether farmer or truckman. Diree
t'ons to dealers of this wonderful
implement remind them they should
select a tractor of right design for
handling; get a profit-paying dis
count; decide to become educators;
educate the farmer in care and
operation; give prompt service; get
pay for service; and lastly, have
backbone and common sense."
The Old and the New
The enterprising squad of sales
men at the show appear to have all
kinds of common sense, one appeal
ing to the purchaser by showing the
difference between the old and the
new, and the latter do not vary
much. They are pretty nearly as
uniform in outside appearance as
the new model motor truck.
Most of the now types have
four wheels.
They have vertical four-cyl
inder engines in front.
They have an enclosed cone
or disk clutch.
They have a gearset that is a
unit with the back axle with
every gear enclosed.
The rear wheels arc driven
through a live axle shaft just
as in a truck or motor car.
It Is true in not a few cases
the gearscts are pretty heavy
and the gearbox housing the
gears Is very bulky, but It is a
great tractor improvement to
see the gears all housed and
oiled as in a motor truck and
to And the uliufts carried on
roller or liall bearings.
The unparalleled record for sales
right off the bat in the passenger
ear show is taken as sure indication
bv tlie Harrisburg dealers that the
same will take place at the three
days exhibition beginning Monday
morning, with trucks and tractors,]
to its farewell Friend Horse.
RECORD MADE BY
ARMLEDER TRUCK
Ruh 21 Months With Less
Than Fifty Dollars Re
pair Bill
One of the best records made in
truck operation in this vicinity re
cently was that made by an Arm
ieder Truck and reported to the
local distributors for Armleder
trucks. The Harrisburg Welding and
Machine Company at 98 South
Cameron rtreet.
The particular truck in question
was purchased from the Harrisburg
Welding and Machine Oompanv
twenty-one months ago and has
been in constant operation since
covering a distance of more than
eighteen thousand miles. It is an
express truck and is used in haul
ing practically all kinds of materials
and in talking to Mr. Hay-ward, the
manager of the Harrisburg Welding
and Brazing Company he says, "This
truck usual 1 hauls considerable
overload. Recently it made a trip
to Phiadelphia and return in one
day and on the road home there
was 8,400 pounds which is consider
able of an overload. The actual
repair work on tills truck has been
less than fifty dollars since we sold
it and it is in splendid condition to
day." '
Armleder trucks are built in two
different sizes the two-ton and the
three and a half ton models by the
Armleder Motor Truck Company of
Cincinnati. Ohio. The local dis
tributors have been handling these
trucks for a couple of years and
are enjoying an increasing business
One of their specialties is the dump
models used in hauling river coal
and sand. Several of these trucks
are now in operation nnd are prov
ing highly satisfactory.
The Show Committee That Put Harrisburg on the Automobile Map
J CLYDE MYTON*. Mgr.
ElgjH ■
j |Q
m &&&&&&* ji is
X I-'HI
ay MM ; I
GEORGE G. McFARLAND H. J. WILLIAMS, Treats.
ANDREW REDMOND
THE DAY OF THE
OLD GRAY MARE
IS GONE FOR GOOD
Enter the Horseless Wagon
and the Mighty Truck in
Industrial Fields
'■O the old grey mare
She kicked against the whiffle-tree!
"Yes, sir. the old gray mare was
a-plenty in those days, some 20 years
1 ago," narrated Andrew Redmond. Har
risburg distributor of the Chandler ear
and the Vim truck, a pioneer agent for
horse-less wagons, as he cocked up a
foot inside one of his dossy touring cars
at the big show. "And you may give
credit _ for the fact that this city now
has a' matter of 700 motor trucks to
the men who were formerly in the
carriage, harness and bicycle business.
I We were the fellows who had the vision.
I the faith and persistency. Why. I re
i member attending the national conven
l tion at Terrace Garden in New York,
j carriage men. 53 per cent., and all but
I two of us were afraid to mention the
| word 'automobile.' Orders were given
not to print it in the trade journals
| for fear the carriage builders would
j be offended, also that advertising would
j collapse. Upon taking a vote only three
j of us opinioned that the motor would
1 replace Dobbin and the old grey mare.
I take some pride in recalling that the
Harrisburg representative had enough
un-horse sense to declare before the
assembly: "Figure as you will, gentle
men the auto Is coming to stay, and the
carriage man. witli his establishment,
ids paint, tools, furnace, likewise the
bicycle man and the hardware stores,
they are the people to handle this new
American activity.'
"Filled with this determination I came
back home, but met with little en
couragement. starting out with a piano
box Waverly electric, which I converted
'into a truck and which attracted the
attention of Herman Astrich. who was
finally persuaded to use it for carting
millinery. About the same time Harry
Dodge embarked in one and we used to
stand at Third and Relly to see if he
could negotiate it as far as Sixth street.
"I did not bother with gas at this
time for the explosions were not satis
factory and I waited for some standard
system to heave in view. Harrisburg
simply would not have a heart in the
novelty. I put on a one-ton flat bot
tomed" electric truck to haul the horse
vehicles from freight trains which once
unloaded here plentifully; bolted the
machine right on to the vehicles, erected
a paid of skids and you should have
heard the kidding; 'Bats In the belfry,
he's got' they yelled, 'selling carriages
and hauling them with an auto."
"Nevertheless, the wise ones began to
take notice and as gas became usable.
Quite a few made trucks out of their
passenger cars and I believe that the
first one I accommodated was Mr. Aber
[Continued on l'nge B.]
THE TRUCK SHOW AT A GLANCE
Allspices—Harrishurg Motor Dealers Association.
Manager—J. Clyde My ton.
Dates—March 24-25-26.
Hours—Monday, Opens 7 I*. M.; Tuesday and Wednesday 10.00
A. M. to 10.00 I\ M.
Place—Overland-Harrisbnrg Company Wareroonis, 20tli and Derry
Streets.
Accessory Exhibits Included.
Music—Municipal Orchestra.
Special Exhibits—Army Tank, Aeroplanes, Liberty and Kotary
Motors.
Admission, 50 cents which includes war tax.
Any Paxtang or Hununelstown Car takes you to 26tli and Derry
Streets.
GENERAL USE FOUND
FOR BIG TRACTORS
Clod Busters Have It on the Cloud Busters For Bringing in
Returns on Investment
1 1 Talk about cloud-busters, those
I nervy lads who flip and flop up in
the air ten thousand feet, well, they
are exciting, but have you ever seen
; Shirley B. Watts at his steady job
iof clod-busting, busting the placid
t earth'with a tractor, the animal which
I Is going to make America the gar
' den spot of the world! An humble
j employe of the llarrisburg Automo
; bile Company, at Third and Kelker
J streets, Mr. Watts took it upon him-
I self only one year ago, so young a
monster is the tractor in these parts,
to become closely acquainted with
this demon of the soil and last
Spring saw him ploughing up war
gardens for the citizens. It was
I only a teaser. The tractor will be
a cynosure for thousands at the auto
show, beginning Monday at 10 a. ni.
Those long wide spaces will be given
up to myriad styles of trucks and
tractors which have proven their
value and only wait now to be gath
j ered in by the ambitious public.
Armed with Cleveland and Bee
| man tractors, Demonstrator Watts
! will have plenty of company, for all
i the big manufacturers are on ex
; hibit at the show, but it is Harris
| burg judgment that he will hold his
I own, having drummed through the
i Susquehanna and surmounted the coal
• pile of the Harrisburg Power and
Bight plant. What tractors mean is
a big topic and the best way for an
amateur to learn something Is by
concentrating on one person who
knows the facts.
I Mr. Watts does not mind telling
' that he is but an amateur; the first
I companies to inject the tractor in
■ this section were the Frlck Com
pany. Huber and International. The
beginning saw big clumsy four
wheeled affairs and builders soon
! discovered they must produce some
thing smaller and more economical.
| Only about two years ago Rollin
1 White discovered the animal which
• met all requirements, and thus we
I have a Cleveland caterpillar. S feet
I by 4 V", capable of turning on a ten
| cent piece, or thereabout.
"What can these tractors do?"
grinned Mr. Watts. "Why, plough,
harrow, cultivate, plant, haul; any
thing and everything. On ordinary
soil they will average 5 acres a day;
on some soil 10 acres. The con
sumption of gasoline is ten gallons,
the oil. two quarts. It costs $3.20
to plough five acres, and the -best
team of horses that ever kicked can
not do more than two acres per day.
"What's that, harrowing and seed
ing? Why, those demons can cover
35 acres in 10 hours on eleven gallons
of gas and two quarts of oil. It
takes a mighty good pair of horses
to ('.arrow 7 acres in 10 hours. Three
teams could barely equal the tractor
in ploughing and five in harrowing."
"How about home folks, the man
with a couple acres?"
"Gee whiz! Nothing but cats for
this country. Garden tractors have
only been with us a year and they've
made the greatest hit of any tnoto*
machine. We are sending thetji out
by the dozen and there are hundreds
of inquiries. This Beeman tractor
will do as much cultivating in ten
hours as two horses; the West got
onto this long before the Bast, but
she's there now with both feet. The
first time we showed these garden
tractors here folks called them a
toy. 'Too small; too foolish look
ing' they criticised. Pretty soon the
truck men at Penbrook, Binglestown.
Enola and Sniremanstown and all
about began to take an interest, espe
cially when they were assured that
a gallon of gas will run one of these
clod-busters for S hours. Buying
one for a group is getting common,
and the man with 10 or 15 acres
finds that he can prepare and culti
[Continued on Page 7.} ' I
PRODUCTION OF
AUTO TRUCKS IS
ON THE INCREASE
1919 Will Be Banner Year ol
Ever-Growing Industry
Now on Peace Basis
By Windsor T. White, Chairman
Motor Truck Committee, National
Autoinob.lo Chamber of Com
merce.
So great was the demand for mo
tor trucks during 1918, that the
annual production of American
makers increased from almost 45
per cent over the previous year,
making 56,410 for the war and more
than 175,000 for civilian use as
against 160,190, including 16,293 for
the war during 1917.
While the War Industries Board,
to conserve iron and steel required
for shipbuilding, railroad work,
guns, munitions, etc., required truck
manufacturers not to exceed during
j the last half of 1918 one-third of
their individual production during
j 1917 and the first half of 1918 for
; essential civilian uses, the aggregate
1 output for all of last year was large
[ ly in excess of that for the preceding
j year. This was due principally to
the great increase that had occur
| red in the first six months. How
j large this increase was is indicated
by the fact that from January 1 to
June 30. 1918, there were produced
for civilian purposes 90,917 com
mercial vehicles as compared with
109,865 during the twelve preceding
months—more than 80 per cent as
many in one-half the time.
Insistent Demand
Production in the last half of last
year was, because of the limita
tions set by the Board and the in
ability of manufacturers to secure,
parts and materials, just about the
same as during the first six months,
the total output of civilian trucks
for the year being very close to
175,000.
This does not, however, represent
the sum total of activity of the
industry. In the twenty months
from the entrance of the United
States in the war to the signing
of the armistice, the truck manu
facturers accepted contracts for the
production of 204,760 military
trucks. During 1917 they delivered
16,293 and in 1918 completed 56,-
410 on war contracts up to Decem
ber 1.
There was an insistent demand for
many more civilian trucks than
could be supplied last year and
there was ample capacity to build
them had the materials been avail
able. Many of the leading manu
facturers were devoting all their
facilities to war work, so that they
were unable to fill even the urgent
demands of city street cleaning de
partments, public service companies,
[Continued oil Page B.]
WAR TRANSPORTATION
PROBLEMS SOLVED BY
MOTOR TRUCK CORPS
Delivered Men and Supplies to Gen.
Pershing a Critical Times With
x No Delay and at All Times
BATTLES WON ON A WAVE OF
OIL, BRITISH CABINET TOLD
By GEORGE M. GRAHAM
Clinirmun, National Motor Truck Committee of National Automobile
Chamber of Commerce
The story of the motor truck in the war could best be told
by someone in the Motor Transport Corps in France. Numerous
reports of the work of the trucks abroad have appeared in the
newspapers as cabled or written by American correspondents at
tached to the armies, but the complete story is yet to appear and
doubtless will have to be in the form of a book, as it will be too
extensive for publication in newspapers.
On this side of tlie walcr wo know 1
1 what lias been done by the Govern
ment and the manufacturers to
meet the huge requirements of the
American Expeditionary Forces for
I motor trucks for army transport, but
lack intimate knowledge of the tre
mendous service rendered by the I
thousands of trucks shipped over
seas, the varied character of the]
work performed by them, the man- !
ner in which they met great emer
gencies, the success of the system
organized by the Motor Transport
Corps for handling them and making
! repairs in short, all the details from
j lirst-hand knowledge of the actual
I performance of the military trans
] port service in the fighting area.
Depended on Traeks
We know, of course, that for the
first time in history practically all
the supplies of food, clothing and
ammunition required by the fighting
forces were hauled in motor trucks
front the supply depots on the rail
roads to the front line, that troops
were frequently shifted in trains of
motor trucks as the most expeditious
method, that American reinforce
ments reached Chateau Thierry In
! motor trucks at the most critical
j period of the advance on the Huns
j last July and turned the tide of
] battle that in less than four months
i resulted in victory for the Allies and
I the United States.
Earl Curzon, of the British War
j Cabinet, recently remarked in an
j address in London that "thp Allies
I tloated to victory on a wave of oil
j and the war could not have been
j won if it had not been for the great
i fleets of motor trucks." This is high
tribute to the motor truck and was
Ino doubt justified.
I The Allies and tlie Central Pow-
I ers, of course, used many thousand
j motor trucks before the United
States entered the war. A large
proportion of those used by the En
tent came from this country. The
exact number has not been reported
officially, but is reflected in the fig
ures of exports published by the
Bureau of Foreign and Domestic
Commerce. The total for the four
years of the war was 53,175, of an
aggregate wholesale value of $152,-
| 669,988. It is evident that nearly
all of these were bought on order
lof the Allied governments for mili-
I tary use. since the imports of these
j countries from the United States
during the two fiscal years preced
ing the war aggregated only 400
trucks, valued at $224,309, and also
because England and France pro
hibited the importation of motor ve
hicles for civilian use. During the
war there was also a notable in
•>ase of shipments of trucks to
Canada, Scotlund, Greece, Japan,
Australia, New .Zealand and British
India, and while this increase was
due in large part to tho inability of
England, France and Italy to ex
port trucks to these countries, there
is no doubt that some of the trucks
exported to them from this country
found their way into the war area
while many more were used directly
and indirectly in war work in the
countries to which they were ship
ped.
Big Orders Placed
From the time the United States
I entered the conflict—April 6, 1917
;to the cessation of hostilities. No
jvember 11, 1918, the War and Navy.
Departments placed contracts and
orders for 204.760 rtiotor trucks, of I
which 90,727 had been produced to
December 1, 1918 and 36.227 were I
still due on orders that had not been
cancelled. A statement by the sta-'
tlstics branch of the general staff
shows that by November 11 there |
had been produced on War Depart- i
ment contracts a total of 83,330 ]
motor trucks, including 55,563 two- 1
wheel drive trucks, 16,934 four-1
wheel-drive trucks, and 10.893 am-!
bulances. Of these there had been]
shipped overseas 30,417 two-wheel-'
drive and 9,4 20 four-wheel-drive
trucks and 6,981 ambulances, a total !
of 46,818. A considerable number
huve been shipped overseas since.
the middle of November.
In the neighborhood of 9.000 or!
10,000 trucks are in use by the mill- !
tary establishment in this country, at
camps, cantonments, forts and so on.
Remarkable Growth
What the motor truck industry
undertook and actually accomplish
ed for the army will be better under
stood and appreciated when it is re
called that the whole production of
commercial motor vehicles in 1914
the last ante-bellum year—was re
ported by the Bureau of the Census
as only 25,375, valued at $45,098,464,
or less than half the production of
war trucks alone during the year
just closed—s6,4lo.
But trucks for the army and navy
were not the only contribution of
the industry to war activities. In
addition to the military trucks there
were' produced last year, .162.646
commercial VeMeles., /essential
civilian use, the majority required
by plants engaged on war orders; by
farmers, commission merchants,
wholesale grocers and others for
hauling farm produce and manu
factured foods; by textile mills and
clothing factories; by contractors
and innumerable other industrial
and commercial enterprises neces
sary to successful conduct of the
war or welfare of the people.
Thus, in four years the industrv
increased its output eight fold to
meet the demands of war time ac
tivities of the nation. It is impos
sible to place any estimate on the
value of this contribution to the
winning of the war. From every
quarter came demands to speed up
production of foodstuffs, munitions,
I clothing and the thousand and one
necessaries of military and naval
! operations and civilian support, heal
iand comfort. At the same time the
man power of the country was great
,ly depleted through the draft, sus
i pension of immigration and the ex
lodus of many thousand naturalized
citizens and aliens to fight for the
countries of their birth. To a con
siderable extent the employment of
.motor truck compensated for this
loss of man power and relieved the
railroads of the congestion of freight.
| along their lines and at terminals
which became highly critical last
winter.
The motor truck also enabled
manufacturers and merchants lo
make shipments often to distances
of 100 miles or more at times when
embargoes had been declared
against freight and express ship
ments by rail or when there was
no certainty how long such ship
ments would be en route. Not in
frequently a hurry shipment by
motor truck obviated the necessity
of a temporary suspension of some
department of a big factory.
Back to Business
All restrictions on new construc
tion were removed by the War
Board by the end of "the year and
the industry is now free to proceed
without any governmental control,
A careful canvass of the plans for
1919 show a scheduled output of
about 350,000 commercial motor
vehicles. Some companies are still
working to complete army contracts
but the ending of the war releases
a production capacity of about 76,-
000 trucks a year that was devoted
last year to manufacture of mili
tary trucks.
With the war over, the industry
is now turning its back on thoughts
of its war efforts and devoting all
its stimulated activity to getting
back on a peace basis, with everv
prospect of being among the first
of the big industries of the country
to recover.
HAKRISBURG TO. ALTOONA,
VIA NKWPOHT
0.0 HARBISBURG ....140.0
8.4 Dauphin
14. Clarks Ferry
26.4 Newport
32.0 Millerstown 108.0
37.0.... Thompsontown ....103.0
47.0 Mifflintown 93.0
58. Lewlstown 81.3
64.4 Reedsville 75 6
73.0 Belleville 67.0
79.7 Allensvllle 60.3
95.3 Huntingdon 44.7
103. Alexandria 36.5
106.3 Water Street 33.7
116.7 Birmingham 23.3
122.2 Tyrone 17.8
124. Graalerville 15.2
130.0 Beilwood 10.0
133,0 l'lnecroft 7.0
136. Juniata 3 1
140.0 ALTOONA 0.0