October i, 1902.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



13 



decrease. Lately the Sherman Cycle Co. and the Manson 

 Cycle Co., both of Chicago, have been amalgamated with Great 

 Western Manufacturing Co., of Laporte, Indiana, where all the 

 manufacturing of the three companies will be consolidated. 

 The Great Western company was formed some years ago by 

 the combination of the bicycle plants of David Bradley and 

 the Adams- Westlake Co., of Chicago, and the Crown Bicycle 

 Works, of Laporte. The Great Western company now have 

 the largest bicycle business in the country, next to the Ameri- 

 can Bicycle Co. 



AMERICAN CYCLE MANUFACTURING CO. 

 This company, the principal subsidiary concern under the 

 American Bicycle Co., was placed in the hands of receivers on 

 September 17, by order of Judge Jenkins, of the United States 

 circuit court at Milwaukee, on the application of Attorney 

 Henry S. Towle, who explained that the company had lost 

 credit through the appointment of receivers for the parent com- 

 pany. He stated that the company is solvent, but the cash on 



hand is small. The receivers named are the same as for the 

 American Bicycle Co. — R. L. Coleman, A. A. Pope, and J. A. 

 Miller. The same persons were appointed as ancillary re- 

 ceivers in the state of Massachusetts, by the United States 

 court at Boston. The American Cycle Manufacturing Co. was 

 incorporated in New Jersey, December 20, 1901, with $8,000,000 

 capital paid in, all but 10 shares of which are said to be held by 

 Messrs. Coleman, Pope, and Miller. The appointment of re- 

 ceivers has been applied for in six other states. 



The following is a record of trading in American Bicycle 

 shares on the New York Stock Exchange: 



THE AMERICAN AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY. 



A WRITER in the New York Sun (September 21) esti- 

 mates that prior to 1900 about 5000 automobiles had 

 been produced in the United States, mostly electric 

 and steam vehicles. About 10,000 were manufactured 

 during i90i,at the end of which year probably 12,000 of the 

 total number produced were still in use, many of the earlier 

 ones having been consigned to the scrap heap — partly from 

 wear and tear and partly because electric cabs had been with- 

 drawn from service in most of the cities where they had been 

 introduced. The present year has witnessed a great increase 

 in the number of automobile factories and in the extension of 

 the older plants, until now 300 manufacturers are reported to 

 be actually building complete vehicles in the United States, 

 and about 2000 manufacturers, in addition to their other busi- 

 ness, making component parts and accessories for automobiles. 

 Only 86 automobile factories, however, have produced ten or 

 more vehicles this year, and the number of makers of accesso- 

 ries promises to be reduced gradually by a natural weeding 

 process, leaving only those who will study the automobile 

 situation assiduously now for the sake of the profits to be made 

 in following years. 



Based upon the operations of the first eight months of 1902, 

 and the work then in progress, the estimated product of the 

 86 factories referred to is stated in the Si4H as follows : 



TviES. Factories. Vehicles. Selling Value. 



Gasolene 50 10,040 $10,431,250 



Steam 27 6,260 6,565,500 



Electrical 13 1,835 2,262,500 



Total go 18,135 $19,259,250 



The total of 90 in the table results from counting some of the 

 factories twice, because of their producing more than one type 

 of vehicle. Including the production of the smaller factories, 

 the total estimate for 1902 is 19,000 vehicles, of a value exceed- 

 ing $20,000,000. The distribution Df production by states of 

 the 18,135 vehicles is. approximately, as follows : 



Connecticut.... 2,100 

 Massachusetts.. 1,475 



Indiana 1,175 



New Jersey ) *>■*'" Pennsylvania... S25 

 The distribution by types is thus estimated : 



Gasolene. Steam. Electric. TotaL 



10,020 6,285 1.830 18,135 



The following data regarding the selling prices of automo 



Michigan .... 5,060 



Ohio 4.395 



New York ) „ . 

 2,420 



Illinois 550 



Missouri 100 



California 35 



biles are compiled from the article in the Sun, Several groups 

 of figures respecting gasolene vehicles give these average 

 values : 



Produced in — Vehicles. Av. Value. Produced in — Vehicles. Av. Value. 



Cleveland 1320 |i8oo Massachusetts.... 705 $1060 



St. Louis 100 1800 New York 245 872 



Indiana 225 1555 Illinois.. 450 811 



New York 465 1462 Michigan 5060 700 



Pennsylvania . . . 725 1432 



Massachusetts reports 770 steam vehicles of the average 

 value of $932, including a few heavy trucks at $3000 and too 

 diminutive runabouts at $500. Fifty heavy steam delivery 

 wagons made near New York city averaged $2000, and iioo 

 large pleasure vehicles average $1200. Ohio reports 500 steam 

 vehicles averaging $1000. New York reports also 100 electric 

 omnibuses at $1500 and 200 electric trucks and delivery wagons 

 worth $2500. Indiana reports 950 electric vehicles averaging 

 $987. Gasolene vehicles as high as $4000 are reported from 

 Massachusetts. It will thus be seen that a wide range of prices 

 prevails, since the number of styles of vehicles is almost beyond 

 counting. 



According to these figures, there should be in the United 

 States, by the end of the year, not less than 30,000 automobiles 

 of domestic production, each of which has called for a set of 

 four rubber tires, to say nothing of inevitable replacements. 

 The business which the automobile industry has afforded for 

 the rubber manufacturersalready represents a neat sum, and the 

 field promises to expand for some time yet. The bicycle pro- 

 duction above referred to would call for at least 20,000 sets of 

 four rubber tires, which, at an average of only $50 per set, 

 would represent $1,000,000 in value. How much higher the 

 actual cost may have been, the rubber manufacturers are best 

 qualified to estimate. 



A feature of interest in connection with the manufacture of 

 automobiles in the United States is the volume already attained 

 ,n the export trade. During the last fiscal year the value of 

 such exports amounted to $948,528, as follows: 

 July, 1901. . .$72,402 Nov., 1901 . .$39,383 March, 1902.$ 88,350 



August 56,306 December 65,451 April 151,199 



September... 78,100 Jan., 1902. .. 27,311 May 148,647 



October 55.735 February 34.500 June 131,150 



The exports for July, 1902, reached $133,073, making a total 

 of over $1,000,000 for the twelve months ending with July. 

 These exports have been widely distributed — to Europe, South 



