November 25, 1915. 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



19 



Vehicles 



The vehicle industry produces articles of many kinds, including 

 those drawn by horses, operated by steam, electricity and gasoline, 

 and some made for man power, such as factory trucks and bicycles. 

 Statistics do not show automobiles as separate items, and it is not 

 known how they compare with horse-drawn vehicles in yearly de- 

 mand for wood. Vehicles made in the state include various styles 

 of automobiles and motor trucks, drays, dump wagons, mail wagons, 

 wagons for hauling pupils to and from school, delivery wagons of 

 probably twenty different kinds, and wagons for road hauling and 

 for farms. The light cart, buggy, and carriage represent a pretty 

 large class of vehicles. Another class of vehicles lacks wheels, such 

 as sleds and sleighs. Many a fanner in Indiana, as well as other 

 states, makes his own sleds, and the material thus used never finds 

 its way into statistics and does not appear in totals. The same 

 observation applies in part to wagons. Some are made and many 

 are repaired in small shops and villages or at country cross roads, 

 and no report is made. Most wagons, however, are the output of 

 factories in large towns and cities. 



More wood is demanded for the construction and repair of vehicles 

 in Indiana than in any other state. Circumstances combine to make 

 it a center in this industry. It is a hardwood region, and woods 

 most valued for vehicles are abundant in the state and in con- 

 tiguous territory. Vehicle markets lie on all sides, and the popu- 

 lation of Indiana and adjoining states is dense, and the people be- 

 ing generally well to do, are liberal purchasers. One-eighth of all 

 the wood reported by vehicle manufacturers in the United States 

 is credited to Indiana, and the purchasers pay nearly $4,000,000 a 

 year for it. The output is not all consumed in the United States, 

 for wagons have long been a regular commodity for export, and have 

 gone to practically every civilized country in the world. 



Twenty-seven woods are used by vehicle makers in the state, but 

 hickory and oak constitute approximately two-thirds of the total. 

 More than three feet of white oak are used for one of red oak, 

 and the former costs about $14 a thousand feet more than the 

 latter. There is practically no part of the wood work of a heavy 

 wagon that may not be made of oak. Oak is usually found in wheels, 

 constituting every part but the irons. Axles, bands, sandboards, 

 bolsters, reaches, poles, and even the singletrees and the bottoms of 

 the wagon beds are frequently oak. White oak is generally pre- 

 ferred, though for some parts of wagons red oak is its equal. 



Hickory is the best vehicle wood in the world, where it is de- 

 sirable to have a combination of strength, toughness, and elasticity. 

 The wood's superiority is seen especially in light vehicles; and it is 

 largely due to hickory that American sulkies, buggies, and light 

 carriages are the best in the world. It forms hubs, spokes, rims, 

 shafts or poles, running gear, and often parts of the body and the 

 bows on which the tops are stretched. In quantity it leads all other 

 Indiana vehicle woods, but rather less than one-fourth of the hickory 

 is cut in the state. Arkansas sends large quantities to Indiana and 

 to other states of the Ohio valley. 



Certain woods are suitable for wagon box boards. Such boards 

 are usually from thirteen to seventeen inches wide, and are meant 

 for the sides and ends of the bed. They must be reasonably light, 

 not disposed to warp and split, must take a smooth finish and hold 

 paint well, and only small defects are allowed. The best woods 

 for such boards are yellow poplar, Cottonwood, red gum, buckeye, and 

 basswood. A wood to be satisfactory for wagon beds must have 

 good seasoning qualities. That for the bottoms of the beds need 

 not meet requirements so exacting. Southern yellow pine is much 

 used for this, and many other species will answer. 



Most hubs are of white oak, elm, or locust. The last is preferred 

 for light hubs, oak for the very heavy, and cork, or rock elm for 

 medium; but any of these woods, if large enough, is suitable for 

 hubs of any size. 



A large part of frame material is needed in this industry. The 

 upper part, or body, of the automobile, the delivery wagon, and the 

 buggy and carriage, must possess adequate strength with relative 

 lightness. Material must be selected to that end, and the woods in 

 most favor are maple, ash, elm, beech, birch, oak, and hickory. The 



frame or skeleton is usually covered with either wood or metal, de- 

 pending upon the class of vehicle. Carriage and automobile panels 

 and trimmings call for high grades of choice wood. Among such are 

 yellow poplar, cottonwood, red gum, birch, mahogany, cherry, and 

 black walnut. The top of the delivery wagons, witli its shelves and 

 compartments, may be of the foregoing woods, but others are em- 

 ployed also, among them being longleaf and shortleaf pine, silver 

 or soft maple, beech, basswood, cypress, buckeye, sycamore, black 

 gum, and white pine. 



Vehicle manufacturers in Indiana pay a pretty round price for the 

 wood they use. The average for all is $43.86 per thousand feet. 

 Mahogany at $125.19 is the most expensive, and beech at $19.92 is 

 cheapest. The total cost of a year's supply is $3,975,640. About 

 one-fourth of this is paid for material grown in the state, and 

 three-fourths for that grown outside. None of the red gmn, longleaf 

 pine, shortleaf pine, cypress, buckeye, locust, mahogany, and black 

 walnut reported by the industry was state grown, but white pine, 

 black gum, sycamore, and cherry 'were cut in Indiana forests. 



TABLE 36 — VEHICLES AND VEHICLE PARTS 

 Av. cost Total cost 



per 

 1,000 ft. 



Quantity used 

 annually. 



Kind of wood. Feet b. m. 



Hickory 32,525.500 



White oak 20.373,022 



Red oak 6,874.500 



Cottonwood 5.307,900 



Red ^um 4.972,.'i00 



Sugar maple 4.596,808 



Yellow poplar 3,027,718 



Longleaf pine 2,714,000 



White ash 2,464,100 



Birch 1,620,500 



Cork elm 1,490,000 



Shortleaf pine. 

 White elm .... 



Black ash 



Silver maple. . . 



Beech 



Basswood 



Cypress 



Buckeye 



Black locust. . . 

 Mahogany .... 



Cherry 



Sycamore 



Black walnut . 



Black gum 



White pine 



3.").88 $43.89 

 22.48 55.03 



7.58 



5.95 



5.49 



5.07 



3.34 



2.99 



2.72 



1.68 



1.64 



1.62 



1.19 



1.10 



.38 



.25 



.23 



.22 



.07 



.06 



41.07 

 42.30 

 26.75 

 38.61 

 55.04 

 27.14 

 39.39 

 44 98 

 36.43 

 28.32 

 27.20 

 41.81 

 25.78 

 19.92 

 22.07 

 43.00 

 22.29 

 20.00 

 03 125.19 

 02 36.67 

 .01 25.00 



• 65.00 



• 25.00 



• 28.00 



t.o.b. 



factory. 



$1,427,669 



1,121,035 



282,316 



228,310 



133.036 



177.463 



166,648 



73,659 



97.068 



68.385 



54,274 



41,595 



29,240 



41,500 



8.874 



4,525 



4,673 



8.600 



1,414 



1,000 



3,380 



550 



125 



195 



50 



Grown 

 in Ind. 

 Feet b. m.; 

 7.704.000 

 7.742,036 

 2.214,500 

 770,100 



1,356,868 

 578,718 



i,'i'36,e66 



500 

 458,000 



" 550.666 



432.700 



224.630 



13B.00O 



73,700 



Total 



1.469.000 



1,075,000 



992.700 



344,260 



227,100 



211.700 



200.000 



63,419 



50.000 



27,000 



15,000 



5.000 



3.000 



2,000 



2,000 



90.643,787 100.00 $43.86 $3,975,640 23,401,292 67,242,496 



15.000 

 5,000 



2,000 

 2,000 



Grown 

 out of Ind. 

 Feet b. m. 

 24,821.600 

 12.630.986 

 4,600,000 

 4,627.800 

 4,972.500 

 3.240.000 

 2.449,000 

 2.714.000 

 1,327.500 

 1,520,000 

 1,032,000 

 1,469.000 

 625,000 

 560.000 

 119.630 

 92.160 

 138.000 

 200.000 

 63.419 

 50,000 

 27,000 



3,000 



• Less than 1/100 of one per cent. 



Mandtactdrers of Vehicles and Vehicle Parts 



Samuel Rhoads, Anderson. 



Duncan Buchanan, Attica. 



A. F. Carlson & Son. Attica. 



Leif Buggy Co., Attica. 



Auburn Mfg. Co., Auburn. 



W. H. Mclntyre Co., Auburn. 



Royer Wheel Co.. Aurora. 



.John J. Wright. Est., Bremen. 



Garman Mfg. Co., Bristol. 



.7. W. Cunningham, Brownstown. 



Butler Co., Butler. 



Fehring Carriage Co., Columbus. 



Jackson Buggv Works, Columbus. 



Central Mfg. Co., Connersville. 



Connersville Buggy Co., Conners- 

 ville. 



MeFarlan Auto Co., Connersville. 



Res Buggv Co., Connersville. 



Keller Mfg. Co.. Corydon. 



Delphi Wagon Works. Delphi. 



Rice-Fenn Hub Co.. Delphi. 



George Mever Co., Dubois. 



("row Motor Car Co., Elkhart. 



Elkhart Carriage & Harness Mfg. 

 Co.. Elkbart. 



Babcock Carriage Co., Evansville. 



Becker Wagon Works. Evansville. 



Evansville Carriage Works, Evans- 

 ville. 



Hercules Body Mfg. Co., Evansville. 



Hercules Wheel Co., Evansville.' 



Karges Wagon Co., Evansville. 



Lannert Mfg. Co., Evansville. 



Pennington & Schneider, Evansville. 



Theo. E. Rechtin, Evansville. 



Single Center Buggy Co.. Evansville. 



City Carriage Works. Fort Wayne. 



Charles Ehrman, Fort Wayne. 



Louis Rastetter & Son. Fort Wayne. 



Wavne Spoke & Bending Co., Fort 

 Wavne. 



L. C. Zollinger, Fort Wayne. 



G. A. Dwigglns, Fountain City. 



Banta Furniture Co., Goshen. 



Mutschler Co., Goshen. 



H. G. Werremeyer, Holland. 



S. Neligh, Hope. 



Huntlngburg Wagon Works, Hnnt- 

 ingburg. 



Star City Carriage Co., Hunting- 

 burg. 



.American Motors Co., Indianapolis. 



Jeffer- 



J. W. Buchanan, Indianapolis. 

 Fred Dietz Co., Indianapolis. 



C. H. Gillette, Indianapolis. 

 Guedelhoefer Wagon Co.. Indian- 

 apolis. 



Parry Mfg. Co., Indianapolis. 

 Robb'ins Co., Indianapolis. 

 Felix Lampert, Jasper. 

 George P. Wagner, Jasper. 

 George H. Holzbog & Bro.. 



sonville. 

 Apperson Bros. Auto Co., Kokomo. 



D. F. Reitr, Kokomo. 

 Peter Anderson, Lafayette. 

 Indiana Wagon Co.. Lafayette. 

 Laporte Carriage Co., Laporte. 

 Niles & Scott Co., Laporte. 



James & Meyer Buggy Co., Law- 



renceburg. 

 Mier Carriage & Buggy Co., 



Ligonier. 

 Thomas Graham & Co., Madison. 

 Klauss Carriage Works, Marlon. 

 National Sweeper Co., Marion. 

 Welsh Bros., Marlon. 

 W. K. Bartlo. Muncie. 

 Bell Bros. Piano Co., Muncie. 

 Glasscock Bros. Mfg. Co., Muncie. 

 C. F. Heckenhauer, Muncie. 

 Fred Klopter, Muncie. 

 J. A. Meeks, Muncie. 

 Muncie Wheel Co., Muncie. 

 Nappanee Carriage Co.. Nappanee. 

 J. H. Meyer & Sons, New Albany. 

 James Madison, New Palestine. 

 J. A. Browne & Co., Inc., North 



Manchester. 

 Cone & Stearns, North Vernon. 

 H. H. DeWitt Co., Oakland Cit.y. 

 Corvdon Hub Factory, Palmyra. 

 W. H. Williams & Son, Parker. 

 Sullivan & Eagle, Peru. 

 Bimel Spoke & Hub Co.. Portland. 

 Journav Mfg. Co., Portland. 

 C. W. White Lumber Co., Princeton. 

 Wavne Works, Richmond. 

 Whitacre & Hampton, Riley. 

 Charles B. Francis Co., Rnshyllle. 

 T. A. Smith. Salem. 

 Sevmour Mfg. Co., Seymour. 

 Frechtling & Morner, Shelbyvllle. 

 Bennett Buggy Co., Sheridan. 



