El primer carro construido
Publicado: 22 Ago 2006 12:44
The Duryea Brothers
Charles 1861--1938 Frank 1869--1967
Below is a first person narrative of Charles Duryea written as if it was spoken by the inventor himeself:
I, Charles Duryea, was born in Canton, Illinois on December 15, 1861. Later to come would be my brother Frank, born in Washborn, Illinois on October 8, 1869. My parents said I had a great mechanical mind. My brother had an eye for math and physics. When I was old enough, after working on the farm, my parents allowed me to attend mechanic school. In 1882, I set out to become a mechanic. After finishing mechanical school, I found a job in Washington D.C. in the growing bicycle business. I started in a shop which would later be called the Rouse-Duryea Cycle Company. While I was in Washington, my brother was finishing up high-school and had his graduation in 1888. He was elected class president all four years. In the summer of 1888, Frank met me in Washington. That summer we went on our first self -propelled ride. It was an electric trolley which ran between Washington and Baltimore. After that my brother and I set out to find ourselves a permanent home. We settled in Chicopee, Massachusetts. When I was at the Ohio State Fair, I saw a gas oline engine built by H.K. Sanks. I thought that this engine would be sufficiently compact to power a carriage. After a long talk with my brother Frank, I coaxed him into making me some plans. While I was still in Ohio, I received the plans and applied for a patent. On the night of September 22, 1893, after many hours of hard work, we pulled out of the shed for the first test run. As seen in picture No.1, this is what it looked like. It had a one-cylinder engine, three speed transmission, and a loose jacket ignition. People said it was no more than a simple wagon with a motor, but we were not discouraged. It could reach a top speed of five miles per hour. We cranked up engine, it choked, but kept going. The first time it went 25 feet. After some adjustments, it went over 200 feet! We came out with a more improved version which had a two cylinder engine, three speed belt transmission, and pneumatic tires. This was the first to have a throttle to control speed as shown in picture No.2. In the newspaper I saw an entry for the first self-propelled vehichle race. That night we mailed the entry form. We had to transport our car all the way to Chicago, Illinois in 1895! I heard that out of all the 89 entries, only six were going to race. Half the cars were German made. Frank was chosen to drive the car while I checked in at every check-point. It took us 17 hours to complete the Chicago to Evanston track, but we won. As seen in picture No.3, I am demonstrating the winning car. Later we invested some of our $2,000 cash prize in our new company. We named it the Duryea Motor Wagon Company. Even though we tried very hard, we were only able to make 13 cars. They had water-jacketed three-speed four cylinder engines with electric ignition. They had a tonneau cover, lights, trunk space, pneumatic tires, and windows. It could hold up to five people, depending on model. It costed between $1,000-$2,000. Because of low sales, we shut down in 1914. We called the cars " Motor Wagons."
After that my brother and I went our separate ways. I made only some prototypes as in picture No.4, that no one was interested in producing. My brother, on the other hand, joined with Mr. Stevens making the Stevens-Duryea Motor Company. The two were very sucessful and made some of the first six and eight cylindered cars.
When my brother and I got older and our careers ended, controversy arose regarding who really invented the car. Most people thought I was the one who invented it because my name was always on the patent. My brother said he was the inventor because he designed the plans. We finally dropped the argument and said we both did it. On September 28, 1938, I passed away at the age of 76. Twenty nine years later my brother passe away on February 16, 1967, at the ripe old age of 98. In the years to come, people will remember us as the pioneers to the automotive history.
Charles 1861--1938 Frank 1869--1967
Below is a first person narrative of Charles Duryea written as if it was spoken by the inventor himeself:
I, Charles Duryea, was born in Canton, Illinois on December 15, 1861. Later to come would be my brother Frank, born in Washborn, Illinois on October 8, 1869. My parents said I had a great mechanical mind. My brother had an eye for math and physics. When I was old enough, after working on the farm, my parents allowed me to attend mechanic school. In 1882, I set out to become a mechanic. After finishing mechanical school, I found a job in Washington D.C. in the growing bicycle business. I started in a shop which would later be called the Rouse-Duryea Cycle Company. While I was in Washington, my brother was finishing up high-school and had his graduation in 1888. He was elected class president all four years. In the summer of 1888, Frank met me in Washington. That summer we went on our first self -propelled ride. It was an electric trolley which ran between Washington and Baltimore. After that my brother and I set out to find ourselves a permanent home. We settled in Chicopee, Massachusetts. When I was at the Ohio State Fair, I saw a gas oline engine built by H.K. Sanks. I thought that this engine would be sufficiently compact to power a carriage. After a long talk with my brother Frank, I coaxed him into making me some plans. While I was still in Ohio, I received the plans and applied for a patent. On the night of September 22, 1893, after many hours of hard work, we pulled out of the shed for the first test run. As seen in picture No.1, this is what it looked like. It had a one-cylinder engine, three speed transmission, and a loose jacket ignition. People said it was no more than a simple wagon with a motor, but we were not discouraged. It could reach a top speed of five miles per hour. We cranked up engine, it choked, but kept going. The first time it went 25 feet. After some adjustments, it went over 200 feet! We came out with a more improved version which had a two cylinder engine, three speed belt transmission, and pneumatic tires. This was the first to have a throttle to control speed as shown in picture No.2. In the newspaper I saw an entry for the first self-propelled vehichle race. That night we mailed the entry form. We had to transport our car all the way to Chicago, Illinois in 1895! I heard that out of all the 89 entries, only six were going to race. Half the cars were German made. Frank was chosen to drive the car while I checked in at every check-point. It took us 17 hours to complete the Chicago to Evanston track, but we won. As seen in picture No.3, I am demonstrating the winning car. Later we invested some of our $2,000 cash prize in our new company. We named it the Duryea Motor Wagon Company. Even though we tried very hard, we were only able to make 13 cars. They had water-jacketed three-speed four cylinder engines with electric ignition. They had a tonneau cover, lights, trunk space, pneumatic tires, and windows. It could hold up to five people, depending on model. It costed between $1,000-$2,000. Because of low sales, we shut down in 1914. We called the cars " Motor Wagons."
After that my brother and I went our separate ways. I made only some prototypes as in picture No.4, that no one was interested in producing. My brother, on the other hand, joined with Mr. Stevens making the Stevens-Duryea Motor Company. The two were very sucessful and made some of the first six and eight cylindered cars.
When my brother and I got older and our careers ended, controversy arose regarding who really invented the car. Most people thought I was the one who invented it because my name was always on the patent. My brother said he was the inventor because he designed the plans. We finally dropped the argument and said we both did it. On September 28, 1938, I passed away at the age of 76. Twenty nine years later my brother passe away on February 16, 1967, at the ripe old age of 98. In the years to come, people will remember us as the pioneers to the automotive history.