I was hoping someone could help me with insight about the likely nature of the automobile described in a passage from the journals of Alfred Doten, dated April 10, 1902, Carson City, Nevada:
A locomobile from Reno, the first, belonging to O J Smith, or in his charge came to Carson this PM, via Virginia [City] – Created quite a sensation, being first ever seen here, at VA, or in Reno. Punctured a tire and had to lay up in front of Raycraft’s stable for repairs – Horseless carriage puts up at a horse stable – Returns to Reno tomorrow by direct route ...
Any insights about the possibilities in 1902 in the American West would be appreciated.
Sorry for the delayed response on this one too!
Locomobile was an automaker founded in 1899 by the editor of Cosmopolitan Magazine, John Walker, and a local asphalt magnate, Amzi Barber. The two had purchased the Watertown, MA auto making business of the Stanley brothers (who would immediately start a new business in Newton, MA making the well-known Stanley Steam cars). The first Locomobile models were basically identical to the early Stanleys - a “runabout” powered by a two-cylinder, double-acting steam engine. They were steered via tiller, rather than a steering wheel, and their thirsty boilers would empty the water tank every 20 miles or so. A more refined version with a more efficient motor and a steering wheel was introduced in 1902, and was sold alongside the original until 1904 when Locomobile switched their business to gas cars. For a number of years between 1899-1903 (I don’t remember exactly) Locomobile was the largest volume manufacturer in the US. Locomobiles seem to have been particularly popular in the western states, and the very first car to visit the Grand Canyon was a Locomobile steamer.
It’s not clear from the text which Locomobile it was (the two different base models also came in different body styles, including runabouts - the most common by far - but also touring cars and surreys), but regardless, there are some things that may help paint a picture of the first car in Carson City.
First, the steam drive mechanism would have been much quieter than contemporary gas engines, and (slightly) less smelly - they ran on kerosene, which smells worse than gasoline but burns cleaner. In addition, diminutive as it was, the Locomobile was likely the largest vehicle Carson Citizens would have seen on pneumatic tires. Widespread as a result of the bicycle craze of the 1890s, pneumatic tires are the time relied on an inner-tube construction with minimal internal structure, made with weak natural rubber. Pneumatic tires were pushing their technological limit with the small steam runabouts, but their high speed made it necessary to use pneus to provide a reasonably smooth ride (slow-moving horsedrawn carriages could make do with solid rubber tires). Tire repairs would come to represent the single-largest expense of most motorists by the end of the decade.
Hope that’s helpful!