Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 34, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 December 1901 — A Long Automobile Trip. [ARTICLE]

A Long Automobile Trip.

The biggest automobile, and on the most interesting trip of any that ever passed through Rensselaer, went through here Sunday afternoon. It was as large as a hotel hack, had three seats eaoh amply large for three persons, and was all shut in by heavy oil cloth covers and curtains. There were only four persons in it, however, namely Mr. and Mrs, W. L. Swan and their son, Harry Swan and wife. The Swans, like the feathered flying kind, were flying southward for the winter. Their home is at Hillsdale, Mich., but they left there several weeks ago and have spent the intervening time in Chicago. They are going to Charleston, S. C., to spend the winter. They stopped at Shelby Saturday night and had made comparatively slow time here, on account <|f the difficult roads. They rather expected to make Lafayette by night, but the three miles through Jordan may have detained them too much for that.

Their auto weighs two tons, is propelled by a gasoline motor of 20 horse power capacity, and can easily knock off 20 miles an hour, on good roads. It was made by the Chicago Motor Vehicle Co., of Harvey, 111. Its cost was stated to have been $2,500. The elder Swan says their greatest trouble is from the recklessness of people with teams, in driving right past the auto, whereat their horses are likely to take fright and run away. Mr. Swan asks that newspapers warn people to be more careful until their horses become accustomed to automobiles on the country roads.