Chapter II: Part 2

Toward the latter part of the following week, Frank was ready to give the product of his labors its first road trial. On September 21 the completed carriage was rolled onto the elevator at Russell's shop. Seeing that the running gear was too long for the elevator, they raised the front of the machine, resting the entire weight of 750 pounds on the rear wheels. Once outside the building, they pushed it into an area between the Russell and Stacy buildings. After dark, "so no one will see," Will Bemis, Mr. Markham's son-in-law, brought a horse and they pulled the phaeton out to his barn on Spruce Street.[28] There, on Spruce and Florence Streets the first tests were made. The next day Frank wrote his brother saying, "Have tried it (the carriage) finally and thoroughly and quit trying until some changes are made. Belt transmission very bad.[29] Engine all right." He did admit the engine seemed to be well loaded most of the time. He also had an idea in mind to replace the poor transmission, explaining the plan to Charles: "The three gears[30] on secondary shaft have friction clutches, the two bevel gears on same shaft are controlled by a clutch which frees one and clutches the other at will. This provides a reverse."

=PRIMARY SPARK COILS.

FOR ELECTRIC GAS LIGHTING.

Cat. No. 48304. 8 inch Price, each, $3 20
" 50304. 10 " " 3 70
" 52304. 12 " " 4 30
" 54304. Detached Gas Lighting Relays " 2 75

For Spark Coils with Relay Attachment, add $2.50 to price for Spark Coil.=

The _Springfield Evening Union_ of September 22 carried a notice of the trial. This report, too, commented on the faulty transmission and the plan already in Frank's mind for the new transmission.

... The friction belt allowed of the speed being steadily increased
or diminished at the will of the driver and caused no sudden
forward motion of the carriage, but while this arrangement has many
advantages it uses up the power so that the two-horse power
furnished by the motor [somewhat less than the rating Frank gave
the engine] was reduced to less than three-fourths horse power on
reaching the main shaft. This would not be sufficient to propel the
carriage up steep grades but would be sufficient to run the
carriage on level road.

The inventors will do away with this belt in favor of a clamp gear
and will make the drum wheel smaller. By this means there will be
very little power lost in transmission to the shaft and by a
patented arrangement the carriage may be started gradually but the
speed must be increased by shifting the clamp gear to a succession
of gears on the driving wheel of the motor. The speed of the
carriage will be fixed permanently according to the size of the
gear that the smaller one is shifted to. The test of the machine
with the gear arrangement will be made soon.

In October Frank decided on another vacation and went to Chicago to see the Columbian Exposition. Charles had come up from Peoria to see the fair and the two talked over the progress on their motor wagon, and discussed the transmission problem. They gave particular attention to everything relating to engines and motor carriages, and Frank recalls seeing a Daimler quadricycle that impressed him with its performance.[31] Just what decisions the two might have made there are unknown, yet it is likely that they agreed to give the old transmission one more chance to prove itself.

Returning to Springfield, probably in the first week of November, Frank gave the friction drive its final test, this time substituting a leather belt for the rubber one first used.[32] Mr. Markham, though intensely interested in the experiments, apparently was dubious concerning the safety of the carriage. It had no brakes, and fearing failure of the transmission on a downgrade, he was reluctant to ride in the machine. On November 9 he asked Will Bemis to try it for him. The following day the _Springfield Morning Union_ gave a description of the run:

Residents in the vicinity of Florence street flocked to the windows
yesterday afternoon astonished to see gliding by in the roadway a
common top carriage with no shafts and no horse attached. The
vehicle is operated by gasoline and is the invention of Erwin
Markham and J. F. Duryea. It has been previously described in The
Union and the trial yesterday was simply to ascertain the practical
value of a leather friction surface which has been substituted for
the rubber one previously used. The vehicle, which was operated by
Mr. Bemis, started from the corner of Hancock avenue and Spruce
street and went up the avenue, up Hancock street and started down
Florence street, working finely, but when about half-way down the
latter street it stopped short, refusing to move. Investigation
showed that the bearing had been worn smooth by the friction and a
little water sprinkled upon it put it in running condition again.
The rest of the trip was made down Florence and down Spruce street,
to the residence of the inventors. They hope to have the vehicle in
good working condition soon.

The same evening, the late edition ran a brief paragraph stating that "the test was made to determine the value of a leather friction surface for propelling the wagon, that had been substituted in place of the rubber surface, used in the former test." Bemis, according to Frank Duryea's recollection, was not impressed with the performance of the machine, saying "the thing is absolutely useless," and for a time it appeared that further support from Markham would not be forthcoming. Frank, believing eventual success to be near, drew up plans showing his geared transmission, and with these managed to gain Markham's partial support. Money for material and use of the shop was to continue, but Frank was to complete the work on his own time.

Now receiving no salary, Frank worked hurriedly on the transmission throughout late November, December, and the first two weeks of January. First discarding the old friction drum and shaft, and the shipper-fork carriage, he bolted a rawhide bevel gear to the lower surface of the flywheel. This turns two bevel gears, in opposite directions, on a countershaft directly underneath, approximately in the position of the old jackshaft. The right bevel gear is secured to the main countershaft on which two clutches are mounted, one on each side of the crankshaft. On a sleeve turning freely around the countershaft is mounted the reverse bevel gear and clutch. Three free-running clutch drums, the right one carrying the high-speed gear, the two on the left carrying the combination low speed and reverse gear between them, complete the countershaft assembly. The clutch assemblies are of Frank Duryea's design, having internal arms, expanding outward to press leather-faced shoes against the inner surface of the drum, thus securing the drum and its gear to the shaft. Behind this machinery is the jackshaft with its small differential on the right, two laminated rawhide gears[33] meshing with the iron gears of the countershaft, and the internal-gear sprockets hanging on the small pinions at either end. A sliding cam bar, mounted nearly in the position of the former shipper-fork carriage, is operated by the vertical movement of the tiller handle to engage any one of the three clutches. With the tiller depressed, the vehicle is in reverse. Elevating it slightly puts it into low gear, and raising it still higher runs the machine at its highest speed.

= UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. DURYEA, OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS.

ROAD-VEHICLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 540,648, dated
June 11, 1895.

Application filed April 30, 1894. Serial No. 509,466. (No model.)

_To all whom it may concern_:

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. DURYEA, a
citizen of the United States, residing at Peoria,
in the county of Peoria and State of Illinois,
have invented new and useful Improvements 5
in Road-Vehicles, of which the following is a
specification.

The object of this invention is to produce a
road vehicle which shall be self-propelled, not
unduly heavy, simple and easy of control and 10
comparatively inexpensive, together with
such minor objects as will become hereinafter
apparent.

The invention more particularly relates to
the construction and arrangement of parts for 15
constituting the driving gearing and to the
means for controlling the action thereof; to
an improved manner of mounting the front,
or steering, wheels upon the front axle, and
of mounting the said axle relative to the running 20
gear frame, and to the means for effecting
the steering; to the appliances for the support
of the motor and driving mechanism in
an advantageous and efficient manner, and,
generally, to improved and simplified details 25
of construction throughout the vehicle, all as
will hereinafter be rendered more apparent,
and the invention consists in constructions
and combinations of parts, all substantially
as will hereinafter fully appear and be set 30
forth in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying
drawings, in which--

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation from front
to rear of the improved road-vehicle. Fig. 2 is 35
a plan view of the running and driving gear,
the vehicle-body being understood as removed.
Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the vehicle. Fig.
4 is a perspective view of the support and suspension
devices for the driving mechanism. 40
Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view, longitudinally,
through the shiftable driving-gear, the
controlling devices employed in conjunction
with this mechanism being seen in side elevation.
Figs. 6 and 7 show the above-mentioned 45
controlling devices as in operative relations
differing the one from the other and
also from that of Fig. 5.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding
parts in all of the views. 50

The parts will now be described in detail
with reference to said drawings, and A represents
the body which is spring supported
on the frame, B, of the running gear. This
frame, as shown, is rectangular, and has the 55
body-supporting springs, B{2}, similar to those
found in common carriages. This frame has,
affixed thereto, at its rear ends, sleeves, _a_, _a_,
which loosely embrace the rear wheel axle, D,
which is the driven axle of the vehicle. The 60
axle, E, for the front wheels is centrally secured
to the running gear frame, B, by the
horizontal king-bolt, _b_, whereby such axle
may have a swinging movement relative to
the frame in a vertical plane, but it has no 65
swinging movement horizontally, the wheels
being swivel-mounted on the ends of this axle
peculiarly, as will shortly hereinafter be set
forth.

The body, as shown, is in the form of an 70
inverted box, the motor, H, and driving gear
being accommodated within the downwardly
opening inclosure constituted thereby, and
the body also has the upwardly open box-like
forward extension, or pit, A{2}, for the accommodation 75
of the feet of the rider, the rider's
seat being constituted by the top forward portion
of the box body. Some other suitable
design of body may, of course, be used in lieu
of this one shown. 80

The front wheels, _d_, _d_, are hung to the front
axle, E, so that the center of each wheel base
is in a line coincident with the axis of the pivotal
connection which is provided between the
journals for the wheels and the axle, which 85
arrangement practically destroys any tendency
to deflection from the course that might
otherwise arise from striking an obstacle,
and so renders the steering easier. In order
to effect this the axle is formed with yoked 90
ends, the yoke members, _f_, _f_, being above and
below the longitudinal line of the axle. The
short journal, _g_, shown for each wheel, has at
its inner end an upwardly and downwardly
extended arm, _h_, which is return-bent to be 95
loosely embraced by the axle yoke, _f_, _f_. The
cone pointed screws, _c_, passed through the
yoke members, _f_, and into sockets therefor in
the arms, _h_, of the journals, _g_, constitute the
means for the swivel connection between said 100
parts. The lock-nuts, _c_{2}, manifestly, are employed
with utility in this connection.

It will be perceived that inasmuch as in the
arrangement shown, the pivotal connections=

= (No Model.) 4 Sheets--Sheet 2.

C. E. DURYEA.
ROAD VEHICLE.

No. 540,648. Patented June 11, 1895.

_Fig. 2._

_Witnesses_:
J. D. Garfield
K. I. Clemons

_Inventor_,
Chas. E. Duryea
by Chaprictlo Attys.=

As the work moved nearer completion Frank realized that the final tests would have to be conducted on roads made icy by falling snows. He had considerable doubt whether the narrow iron tires would have enough traction to move the phaeton. Soon he devised an expedient for this situation, communicating to Charles on December 22 that he was "having Jack Swaine [a local blacksmith] make a couple of clutch rims so we can get over this snow and ice.... Our detachable rims referred to will be of 1/8 iron 1-3/4 wide and drawn together at one point by two screws, one on either side of felloe. It will be studded with calks in two rows."[34]

January 18, 1894, was a day of triumph for Frank Duryea. Writing Charles about his success the next day he said, "Took out carriage again last night and gave it another test about 9 o'clock." The only difficulty he mentioned was a slight irregularity in the engine, caused by the tiny leather pad in the exhaust-valve mechanism falling out.[35] Speaking of this trip, Frank recalled in 1956:

When I got this car ready to run one night, I took it out and I had
a young fellow with me; I thought I might need him to help push in
case the car didn't work.... We ran from the area of the shop where
it was built down on Taylor Street. We started out and ran up
Worthington Street hill,[36] on top of what you might call "the
Bluff" in Springfield. Then we drove along over level roads from
there to the home of Mr. Markham who lived with his son-in-law,
Will Bemis, and there we refilled this tank with water. [At this
point he was asked if it was pretty well emptied by then.] Yes, I
said in my account of it that when we got up there the water was
boiling furiously. Well, no doubt it was. We refilled it and then
we turned it back and drove down along the Central Street hill and
along Maple, crossed into State Street, dropped down to Dwight,
went west along Dwight to the vicinity where we had a shed that we
could put the car in for the night. During that trip we had run, I
think, just about six miles, maybe a little bit more. That was the
first trip with this vehicle. It was the first trip of anything
more than a few hundred yards that the car had ever made.

= DURYEA AUTOMOBILE
BUILT BY J. F. AND C. E. DURYEA
1893
U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM CAT. #307,199
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
SEPT. 1960 A. A. BALUNEK=

Now Frank could give demonstration rides with the motor carriage, hoping to encourage more investors to back future work. Cautious Mr. Markham finally got his ride, though Frank had to assure him that the engine of the brakeless vehicle would hold them back on any hill they would descend. The carriage on which he had spent so many hours was to see little use after that. Its total mileage is probably less than a hundred miles. Little additional work is known to have been performed on the carriage after January 1894; there is, however, a letter[37] Frank sent his brother on January 19 which tells of contemplated muffler improvements. Another message was dispatched to Charles on March 22, mentioning the good performance of the phaeton on Harrison Avenue hill.[38] This was possibly the last run of the machine, for no further references have been discovered.

Frank spent the months of February and March in preparing drawings, some of which accompanied their first patent application,[39] while others were to be used in the construction of an improved, 2-cylinder carriage. Work on the new machine started in April. The old phaeton, in the absence of used-car lots, was put into storage in the Bemis barn.[40] Later, on the formation of the Duryea Motor Wagon Company in 1895, it was removed to the barn of D. A. Reed, treasurer of the company.[41] There it remained until 1920, when it was obtained by Inglis M. Uppercu and presented to the U.S. National Museum.

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1967

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402--Price 30 cents

Footnotes:

[1] S. H. OLIVER, _Automobiles and Motorcycles in the U.S. National Museum_ (U.S. National Museum Bulletin 213, Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1957), p. 24.

[2] G. R. DOYLE, _The World's Automobiles_ (London: Temple Press Limited, 1959), p. 67.

[3] Recorded interview with Frank Duryea in the U.S. National Museum, November 9, 1956.

[4] Charles Duryea's statement to _Springfield Daily Republican_, April 14, 1937.

[5] FRANK DURYEA, _America's First Automobile_ (Springfield, Mass.: Donald Macaulay, 1942), p. 4.

[6] Letter from Charles Duryea to Alfred Reeves, March 25, 1920; copy in Museum files.

[7] History notes dictated by Charles E. Duryea in the office of David Beecroft, editor of _Automobile Trade Journal_, on January 10, 1925. Copy in Museum files. Hereinafter, these notes are referred to as "history."

[8] Frank Duryea in statement made to the Senate Committee on Public Administration of Massachusetts, February 9, 1952.

[9] DURYEA, op. cit. (footnote 5), p. 6.

[10] Copy of contract in Museum files.

[11] Affidavit of William Rattman, March 19, 1943, states that the Russell ledgers give that date.

[12] Recorded interview with Frank Duryea in U.S. National Museum, November 6, 1957.

[13] Letter from Frank Duryea to David Beecroft, November 15, 1924; copy in Museum files.

[14] Letter from Charles Duryea to C. W. Mitman, March 21, 1922; copy in Museum files.

[15] See "history" (footnote 7), p. 6.

[16] DURYEA, op. cit. (footnote 5), p. 8.

[17] Copy of letter in Museum files.

[18] DURYEA, op. cit. (footnote 5), p. 12.

[19] Letter from Frank Duryea to Charles Duryea, November 3, 1893, states that the engine could be run at 700 as well as 500 rpm. Copy in Museum files.

[20] DURYEA, op. cit. (footnote 5), p. 14. Also in letter from Charles Duryea to C. W. Mitman, January 11, 1922; copy in Museum files.

[21] Letter from Charles Duryea to C. W. Mitman, January 11, 1922; also letter from Frank Duryea to David Beecroft, November 15, 1924. Copies in Museum files.

[22] Letter from Charles Duryea to F. A. Taylor, December 5, 1936, says he "thought" they had five teeth. Copy in Museum files.

[23] Frank later wrote his brother, January 1894, that he fixed the tank so it would not draw sediment from the bottom. Copy of letter in Museum files.

[24] The number of mufflers Frank Duryea constructed is not known. He wrote Charles, December 22, 1893, that he "will try a new muffler also."

[25] Selden Patent Evidence, vol. 9, p. 110.

[26] See "history" (footnote 7), p. 2. Charles wrote, "Some parts of these [referring to the batteries], like the jars, I had on hand for six or eight years, and did not need to buy."

[27] Ibid., p. 15.

[28] Ibid., p. 15

[29] Frank stated in this letter that the friction drum originally had two belts, forward and reverse, but since they tended to foul each other, he removed the reverse belt and left the other to serve for both directions. How the shipper fork might have handled two belts is not understood.

[30] As actually constructed there are only two gears on the secondary shaft. He obviously discovered that one gear secured to two clutches would serve for both forward and reverse. Space was also limited.

[31] Recorded interview with Frank Duryea in U.S. National Museum, November 9, 1956.

[32] Letter from Frank Duryea to Charles Duryea, November 8, 1893. Copy in Museum files.

[33] Frank Duryea, in a recorded interview in the U.S. National Museum on November 6, 1957, said that he believed these had been purchased from Rochester Rawhide Company.

[34] Letter from Frank Duryea to Charles Duryea, December 22, 1893. Also letter from Frank Duryea to David Beecroft, November 15, 1924. Copies in Museum files.

[35] Telling of the first use of the car in later days, Frank Duryea mentions the many noises and vibrations that accompanied the trip: the vibrating tiller, the tinny sounding muffler, the clattering chains. He later reported speeds of 3 mph in low gear and 8 mph in high gear.

[36] Letter from Frank Duryea to Charles Duryea, Jan. 19, 1894, says they went up hill via Summer and Armor Streets, then out Walnut to Bemis' at Central Street School.

[37] The letter read: "I have designed a new muffler and we will proceed to make it before long, in a day or two. Instead of one shell 1/8-inch thick I shall put a shell 1/16-inch thick inside another of equal thickness, but about 1 inch greater diameter i.e., one chamber within another so as to cause sound to turn corners to get out. Still another shell will be added if it prove insufficient, making it turn about again--taking care in each case to give ample room for expansion--outer one need not be more than 1/32 inch possibly. Will let two threaded rods with nuts hold heads on both or on three cases, if the 3d be essential."

[38] This letter gives further proof that the car never had a brake. Frank said the car came back down the hill with no brake, but that the engine held the vehicle back.

[39] DURYEA, op. cit. (footnote 5), p. 37.

[40] It is possible that a few parts were removed at this time to be used on the two-cylinder car. The muffler may have been one of these, and even more likely, the governor parts. Charles Duryea wrote to C. W. Mitman December 27, 1921, stating that his younger brother Otho and a Henry Wells had put in a battery and gasoline in 1897 and started the engine. Because the chains were not on the car they could not attempt to operate it; but the engine ran too fast, and finally something broke, probably the engine frame, found to be broken during the recent restoration. Charles thought the engine ran too fast because some of the governor parts were already missing.

[41] Recorded interview with Frank Duryea in the U.S. National Museum, November 9, 1956. On the formation of the Duryea Motor Wagon Company, Mr. Markham was rewarded for his part of the venture. He had invested nearly $3000 in the work, and sold out his rights in the company for approximately a $2000 profit.

Transcriber's Notes:

Passages in italics are indicated by _underscore_.

The text contained in several of the illustrations, which has been
transcribed for this text file, is indicated by =text=.

Superscript characters are enclosed in brackets {x}.

Additional spacing after some of the quotes is intentional to indicate
both the end of a quotation and the beginning of a new paragraph as
presented in the original text.

Letters printed upside down were corrected silently.

Misprint " he" corrected to "the" (page 8).