594 AUTOMOBILE RACES. 



taken advantage of the experiments and experiences of those who had 

 preceded them. 



The greatest change which I believe will be made in your cities by 

 the perfect automobile will be in the wagon service. The old horse 

 and wagon and horse and cart will have to go; the automobile is so 

 much hotter, quicker, surer, cheaper. This will make a great differ- 

 ence, as it will just about abolish all stables throughout the city, and 

 by clearing horses off the streets will at once render them much 

 cleaner. It will also make imperative the extension of smooth paving 

 like the asphalt, which in certain weather is unfavorable for horses, 

 but always good for the automobiles. 



In addition to this the new machines will greatly increase the wagon 

 capacity of city streets, because the}' are so much shorter than a horse 

 and wagon, and travel so much more swiftly. With the horse ban- 

 ished and complete auto service throughout the city the capacity of 

 the streets would be at least quadrupled, which would do away with 

 the blockades that now are so frequent on some of the narrow water 

 front streets. 



Then, of course, for conveyance to and from business and for coach-; 

 ing and pleasure riding the automobile is far superior to the old car- 

 riage, coach, or cab. It is not necessary that anyone should travel at 

 the rate of 70 miles an hour. He need not race unless he so desires 

 and the time and place are proper for racing. Twenty miles an hour 

 is a good pace, although : afer with the automobile than going 8 miles 

 an hour behind a horse. And it is delightful to travel in an automo- 

 bile going 20 miles an hour. The sensation is most exhilarating — like 

 that of flying, as I imagine — and there are no ill effects. 



Twenty miles an hour behind an automobile is safer than 8 miles 

 behind a horse, because the auto is so very much shorter, so powerful, 

 and so easily controlled. I can teach anyone to manage an automobile 

 in half an hour, and though it is going at high speed, one can stop the 

 machine on its own length. Anybody can manage it, and it turns, 

 twists, and dodges about so easily that accidents are avoided which 

 would be disastrous if you were sitting behind a horse. During all 

 the time that I have been driving these machines I have only had one 

 accident. That was the collision with the train of the Long Island 

 Railroad Company which occurred several weeks ago. I have never 

 yet been hurt, though constantly racing, which, I think, goes to show 

 that there is comparatively little hazard about running an auto. 



For conveyance of people on short journeys or pleasure jaunts the 

 automobile in this country has a great mission to fulfill, and this will 

 be constantly extended as the good roads which the machines demand 

 are given. 



Some people anticipate that the automobile will drive out the elec- 

 tric car and so rid our streets of the tracks and the overhead wires. 



