|
|
Duryea automobile now on display in Springfield |
|
|
| |
This 1903 Stevens-Duryea automobile is currently on display at the Lyman & Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History. It was manufactured in Chicopee.
Reminder Publications photo by G. Michael Dobbs
|
June 18, 2012
By G. Michael Dobbs
news@thereminder.com
SPRINGFIELD — A vital artifact of the technological history of the Pioneer Valley is currently on exhibit at the Lyman & Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History: a 1903 Stevens-Duryea automobile.
One hundred years ago, there was a thriving auto industry in Hampden County.
Guy McLain, director of the museum, said the addition of the new car, which will be on loan for the next year by its owners, adds an essential step in the automotive timeline established by the museum's other vehicles.
The 1903 model sits next to the museum's reproduction of the first Duryea car, made and test driven in Springfield in 1893 the first successful American gasoline-powered car.
Around the corner sits an 1899 Knox, a 1901 Crestmobile, a 1904 Knox and a 1910 Atlas. All of the vehicles, with the exception of the Crestmobile, were made locally.
McLain said that comparing the 1893 and 1903 models show the advances made by Frank Duryea. Although the vehicle still had design attributes of a carriage, it now had more car-like features. The two-cylinder engine was in the back of the car. Water-cooled, there was now an exposed radiator in the front and screens over the engine compartment rather than a solid covering to further cool the engine.
The headlights were fueled by kerosene and to fill the gas tank, the seats had to be removed, McLain noted.
The front of the car folded out, not to reveal a storage area, but another seat. This car had fenders, but they were made of leather.
The driver sat on the left side, but there was still no steering wheel. Duryea still used a tiller with a crank to control the front wheels. There was an accelerator on the floor and a foot-activated horn the driver stepped on the rubber bulb to alert others of his coming. The car's transmission was controlled by another stick.
McLain explained that to seek additional capital, Duryea had sought a partnership with the owners of the J. Stevens Arms Company in Chicopee. From 1901 to 1915, the company made what was regarded as one of the best American cars, McLain said.
The success of the first Duryea spurred a burst of automobile manufacturing activity, he noted. Two other companies were started, Knox and Atlas, producing cars. Knox lasted until the 1920s and was more known for its fire trucks than cars. Atlas also fell by the wayside.
The reason for the decline in the local automotive industry was the introduction of Henry Ford's Model T, McLain said.
"Springfield car makers used to joke about how bad the Model T's were but they were so much cheaper," McLain said.
The 1903 Stevens-Duryea cost between $4,000 and $5,000, McLain said, about what many people paid for a home. The 1909 Model T cost $850.
Although the Model T may not have been as well made as cars in Springfield, the much lower price was the death knell of the auto industry here. McLain said the selection of Springfield as the location of the only Rolls Royce assembling facility outside of Great Britain revived the industry, but that was over by 1930 when the Depression decreased the demand for the luxury cars in the United States.
The 1903 Stevens-Duryea still runs and McLain said it would take a spin as part of the museum's annual car show, which is scheduled for Sept. 22.
|
Comments From Our Readers:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
