SAE R-127-1993 Carriages Without Horses J Frank Duryea and the Birth of the American Automobile Industry (To Purchase Call 1-800-854-7179 USA Canada or 303-397-7956 Worldwide).pdf

1、Carriages Without Horses J. Frank Duryea and the Birth of the American Automobile Industry Richard P. ScharchburgCarriages Without Horses J. Frank Duryea and the Birth of the American Automobile Industry Richard P. Scharchburg Published by: Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc. 400 Commonwealth Driv

2、e Warrendale, PA 15096-0001 U.S.A. Phone: (412) 776-4841 Fax: (412) 776-5760 Copyright 1993 Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc. eISBN: 978-0-7680-3569-8Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Scharchburg, Richard P. Carriages without horses : J. Frank Duryea and the birth of the America

3、n automobile industry/Richard P. Scharchburg. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 1-56091-380-0 : $29.00 1. Duryea, J. Frank (James Frank), 1869-1967. 2. Duryea, Charles E., 1861-1938. 3. Automobile engineers-Biography. 4. Duryea automobile-History. 5. Stevens-Duryea Company-History. 6. Automobile industry

4、and trade-United States. I. Title. TL140.D83S33 1993 338.76292220973-dc20 93-2370 CIP Copyright 1993 Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc. ISBN 1-56091-380-0 All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Permission to photocopy for internal or personal use, or the internal or persona

5、l use of specific clients, is granted by SAE for libraries and other users registered with the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC), provided the base fee of $.50 per page is paid directly to CCC, 27 Congress St., Salem, MA 01970. Special requests should be addressed to the SAE Publications Group. 1-560

6、91-380-0/93 $.50 SAE Order No. R-127Carriages without horses shall go, And accidents fill the world with woe. “Mother“ Ursula Shipton Self-proclaimed witch 15th CenturyTable of Contents Preface iii Chapter I - What or Whos on First 1 Chapter II - Growing Up on an Illinois Farm, 1869-1889 37 Chapter

7、III - The Young Machinist, 1889-1891 47 Chapter IV - Planning the First Duryea Car, 1891-1892 .57 Chapter V - Completing the First Duryea Car, 1893-1894 69 Chapter VI - A New Car and A New Company 89 Chapter VII - The Chicago Times-Herald Motocycle Race, 1895 101 Chapter VIII - Other Early Automobil

8、e Races and Contests 119 Chapter IX - The Birth of the American Automobile Industry: The Duryea Motor Wagon Company, 1896-1898 141 Chapter X - Charles Duryea and His Unusual Vehicles 161 Chapter XI - The Stevens-Duryea Company, 1902-1927 177 Chapter XII - The Charles-Frank Controversy .203 Epilogue

9、221 iPreface Years ago a very good friend of mine, the late Clarence Young, showed me a manuscript copy of a biography of auto pioneer J. Frank Duryea. It had been sent to him by W. Everett Miller for his review. Clarences unfortunate death preceded his perusal of the manuscript. Later, while prepar

10、ing to teach a course at GMI focusing on The People Who Shaped American Business and Industry, I began a search of available sources for scholarly and definitive material on the Duryea horseless carriage and the beginnings of our great automotive industry. From the point of view of automotive histor

11、y, the Duryea priority, although generally acknowledged, was a little hazy and lacking in detail. So the case for the Duryea contribution remained indefinite until the publication in 1973 of George W. Mays biography of Charles E. Duryea. Although the May work gives fair credit to J. Frank Duryea, th

12、e focus is nonetheless on the older brother, Charles. Continued search of available resources clearly revealed that Charles E. Duryea had been accorded the larger credit and, as far as I could determine, the first Duryea vehicle was in fact the joint effort of the two brothers. Often they were coupl

13、ed in discussions as “the Duryeas“ or the “Duryea brothers,“ but no very thorough attempt had been made by any disinterested party to disentangle the separate contributions of the two men. It was clear, from the record, that the younger brother, J. Frank Duryea, drove the winning car in the famous C

14、hicago Times-Herald race of Thanksgiving Day, 1895, the next two auto races in the U.S. the following year, and the Emancipation Day run from London to Brighton, England, in 1896. Charles Duryea throughout his life objected to bracketing him with his brother, Frank, under the customary title of “the

15、 Duryeas.“ For purposes of accurate automobile history he asserted that there was only one Duryea and that was himself. The elder brother felt he deserved all the credit for con- ceiving, financing, and building the first Duryea car. He even insisted that it iiiwas the first gasoline-powered car in

16、America. As for Frank, he was de- scribed by Charles as merely a good mechanic carrying out orders, following the lead and directions thought through in detail by Charles. In a 1933 conversation with Charles Duryea, historian Arthur Pound noted that Charles “was a compelling personality, and the aur

17、a of achievement which hung around him added to his powers of persuasion. So convincing was he that, for the time being, I was ready to admit that he had been done an injustice not only by myself but also by a callous world which had denied to the founder of our greatest industry any considerable pa

18、rt of the enormous profits earned by that business.“ Likewise, from my initial reading of the available literature, I shared Dr. Pounds impression. However, further reading of the recollections and researches of the Automo- bile Old Timers Association, and the recollections and records of Charles Br

19、ady King, David Beecroft and other pioneers, I began to develop a differ- ent view and a whole host of questions. Over several years, as time permit- ted, I returned to the subject and studied the testimony of court procedures in the Selden Patent litigations and the material published by J. Frank D

20、uryea in the 1940s. The more I read the more the conviction grew that the party wronged at the bar of public opinion was not the attention-claiming elder brother but the quiet, self-effacing, almost forgotten younger brother. I eventually learned that this conclusion corresponded with the settled op

21、inion of the Automobile Old Timers Association arrived at after its representatives had discussed the case with both of the Messrs. Duryea, and had checked their statements against the existing evidence as extant in the records avail- able at the time. If the issue were merely a struggle for precede

22、nce between brothers, and nothing else, it would not have continued to interest me. But in addition to the prospect of doing substantial justice to an almost forgotten man whose industrial contributions have reached tremendous proportions, this study is a fascinating subject for one interested in th

23、e romance of the American auto- mobile industry over the last 100 years. Here in this volume is the story of Americas first automobile company taking shape, from the idea straight through the difficulties of pioneer manufacturing to successful road trials, racing victories, general recognition and,

24、finally, over thirteen years of successful manufacture of one of the premier automobiles produced in the United States. The story is presented as begun by Dr. Arthur Pound and used by permission of his daughter Madelon. Further I have made extensive use of J. Frank ivDuryeas unpublished autobiograph

25、y in the W. Everett Miller Archival Collection in the Behring Auto Museum in Danville, California. Extensive references to court records, contemporary newspapers and periodicals, legal documents, family correspondence and recollections, have been checked wherever possible. This seems an especially s

26、ignificant time to relate, more precisely than it ever has been told, the story of how Americas first automobile company came into being. It is now over one hundred years since the elder Duryea brother conceived the idea of constructing a horseless carriage, and the younger one began the long and pa

27、tient labors which in 1893 brought a partial, but nevertheless stimulating, success. For yet another reason, present publication is opportune. The immense automotive industry having proceeded from such slight beginnings to its present volume and prestige, is today facing challenges as formidable as

28、those faced by the Duryeas in the last decade of the 1890s. The impact of worldwide production and competition will require the same outpouring of determination that sustained J. Frank Duryea in the establishment of the first auto plant in Springfield, Massachusetts, so long ago. And from the aspect

29、 of ordinary lifestyles, that pioneer Duryea automobile activity at Springfield over 100 years ago ushered in the modern, motorized age characterized by a civilization of such rapid and easy movement that nearly all the material aspects of existence have since undergone decided change. History is al

30、ways the result of multiple causes, instead of any single cause. Yet of all the myriad influences which have made our civilization what it is today, the automobilefor everyday use by everybodyis surely the most dynamic, compelling force on any list of artifacts that have altered our way of life. The

31、 automobile took up where the canals, the railroad, and the steamship left off, and has carried steel, machines, and motors into new fields and higher standards. What the future holds for this gigantic industry is still partly hidden; but one can at least be sure that the future of our civili- zatio

32、n will, like the past, include the automobile. Therefore, whatever can be added to the store of automotive history will be prized later on, perhaps centuries hence, by historians and sociologists. This is the basic reason underlying this story of a man who was first a good mechanic, and second, a be

33、tter-than-average business manJ. Frank Duryea, builder of the first Duryea motor wagon and founder of two automobile companies: the Duryea Motor Wagon Company (1895) and the Stevens- Duryea Motor Company (1902). VIn this five-year effort to research and write the story of the first Duryea motor wago

34、n, a tremendous debt of gratitude for invaluable encouragement and help is owed to many people. Three essential people and/or groups deserve special recognition. First to the family of J. Frank Duryeahis grandson, George, his great-grandson, James, and his granddaughter Anne Astmannfor their willing

35、ness to make avail- able scores of significant documents, notes, photographs, and personal recollections. Their contribution to the research phase of this biography has been fundamental. Second, to Edward J. Preville, Humanities and Social Science Department Head at GMI Engineering and Management In

36、stitute, for recognizing and accommodating my position, and to Frances Willson Thompson, Professor of Industrial History, for his generous scheduling of teaching responsibilities to allow time for research and writing. And last, but by no means least, to my wife, Nancy, for her patient support and r

37、esearch assistance on the many trips to libraries, museums, and private collections. Several of our “vacations“ were consumed with research expeditions. With- out her understanding this volume would not have been possible. Equally important, but not as personal, is a far larger group whose names and

38、 affiliations I can only list: Jack Hess, E. Longmeadow, MA, who generously shared his personal collection of Stevens-Duryea material, as well as his considerable knowledge of the subject; Madelon Pound, who made her fathers completed Duryea chapters and research notes available to me; Kim Miller, A

39、ACA Library; L. Scott Bailey, automotive historian, who read two chapters of my book and provided cogent comments on those chapters as well as the whole project; Ron Grantz, NAHC at the Detroit Public Library; Neal VanDoren, Herb Jorgensen, Dan Dunn, Thomas Behring, and Chip Marketti at the Behring

40、Auto Museum in Danville, CA; Bill Bailey, Auto- foto; Richard Stevens, Springfield, MA; Steve Jendrysik, Chicopee, MA; Roger White, Division of Transportation, National Museum of American History, Washington, D.C. (Smithsonian); Lee Kollins, Ford Foundation; Jim Wren, MVMA; Charles Hulse, auto histo

41、rian; Mike Kollins, retired engineer; Harold Mermel, Reese car owner and historian; Paul Scupholm, Friends of the Detroit Public Library; Jerry Jones, Charles Black car owner and histo- rian; Dick Garvey, Springfield Union News; Warwick Eastwood, Stevens- Duryea Collector and historian; Edward Hollo

42、way, docent Behring Auto Museum, Danville, CA; Mel Moffet, Peoria Public Library; David Kozlow, Iowa Falls, IA; Jim Hoggatt, Jr., Indianapolis Motor Speedway Foundation; Richard Burnham, New Preston, CT, collector; Tom Reese, Stevens-Duryea owner; James Hastings, Chicopee, MA; Randy Mason, car colle

43、ctor and viautomotive historian; Guy A. McLean, Head of Library and Archives Collec- tions, Connecticut Valley Historical Museum, Springfield, MA; Beverly Rae Kimes, automotive historian for her advice and help with locating material on 19th Century automobiles; Annette F. Dulude, reference libraria

44、n, Chicopee Public Library; and probably some others that my records have not revealedplease accept my sincere apology for omissions. Richard P. Scharchburg November 16, 1992 viiCHAPTER I What or Whos on First? The development of the self-propelled vehicle progressed through a number of phases begin

45、ning with prophecy. It proceeded through experiments with motive power and development of major components like carburation, steering, ignition, power transmission, and drive train; and then around the late 1880s or early 1890s, with most of the systems necessary for the modern automobile in place,

46、inventors completed the final steps necessary in the pre- production era. Equally important as the evolution of the motor car was a system of production capable of assembling the complex apparatus present in the automobile. Writing in 1950, automotive historian Rudolph Anderson observed, “The automo

47、bile was born in the supernatural and bred in the spectacular. Its supernatural beginnings are found in mythology and biblical prophecy which foretold self-moving vehicles of strange design and stranger purpose. Out of these shadowy visions there grew in the minds of men the idea of the auto- mobile

48、 which showmanship and pageantry made the sleek reality of today.“ 1 Long before automotive technology had developed, a wide variety of people predicted the coming “carriages without horses.“ Old Testament prophets Nahum and Ezekiel trumpeted the coming of the automobile. Nahum (2:iii) spoke of “.ch

49、ariots shall rage in the streets, they shall jostle against one another in the broad ways; they shall seem like torches, they shall run like the lightnings.“ Later Ezekiel spoke of a vehicle with wheels, wings, human faces, and features of animals and birds; a mechanical monster snorting with speed and action. 2 Written about the 9th Century B.C., Homers Iliad depicts the god Hephaestus to be “sweating in toil and busy about his bellows, for he was forging tripods twenty in all.and beneath the base of each he had set golden wheels, that of their own motion they