The Fifth Avenue Coach Company Story, continued from page 1

June 30, 1917 New York Times:

“HARLEM GETS NEW FACTORY; Fifth Avenue Coach Company to Build $1,000,000 Structure.

“According to officials of the Harlem Board of Commerce, President R.W. Meade of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company yesterday authorized them to announce that the company would erect a new million-dollar factory in the near future on the upper west side. A statement quoting Mr. Meade, given out by the Board of Commerce, says:

“‘After earnest consideration of several sites offered our company for the erection of our new plant, we selected thirty-three lots in the plot between Broadway and Twelfth Avenue, and 132d and 133d Streets. Our factory will consist of a four-story building which, with the cost of the grounds, will involves the outlay of considerable more than $1,000,000. We were offered other sites on Manhattan Island, Long Island City, and in New Jersey, but the study of the Survey of Harlem conducted by the Harlem Board of Commerce showed us the housing conditions for the class of help employed by is to be better in Harlem than elsewhere.’

“Officers of the Harlem Board of Commerce expressed themselves as very much elated by the action of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company. This is the first large factory obtained as a result of the survey conducted by the board, which is to launch an extended campaign for the purpose of demonstrating to manufacturers the opportunities to be opened to them if they locate in Harlem.”

July 17, 1917 New York Times:

“BUS COMPANY TAKES TITLE

“Title was recorded yesterday to the Fifth Avenue Coach Company from the Consolidated Gas Company to the middle portion of the block bounded by Broadway, Riverside Drive, 132d and 133d Street, the parcel fronting 400 feet on 132d Street and 425 on 133d Street, 100 feet west of Broadway. The new owners gave back a mortgage of $175,000. The property will be used for a large garage and other buildings, rendered necessary from the uptown extensions of the omnibus service.”

July 1917 issue of The Hub:

“Fifth Avenue Coach to Build Its Trucks

“The Fifth Avenue Coach Co., New York, has been forced to manufacture its own trucks on account of war conditions. It has acquired property at 132d street and Broadway for the erection of a four-story plant for the manufacture of motor buses. The plant is estimated to cost, about $1,000,000.

“The company has already assembled about 60 of its new trucks, and is planning to produce 200 in all, under its own specifications. The Moline-Knight engine will be continued with certain modifications.

“Before the war started the company imported hundreds of buses from France, the majority of them being De Dions. Since then it has designed its own trucks.”

According to the Fifth Avenue Coach Company's 1917 Annual Report:

“Officers. - President and General Manager, Richard W. Meade; Vice-President, Herbert H. Vreeland; Secretary and Auditor, Samuel E. Morrow; Treasurer and Assistant Secretary, George L. Willems; Claim Agent, George Carson; Chief Engineer, G. A. Green.

“Directors. - Edward J. Berwind, Philip T. Dodge, Horace M. Fisher, Richard W. Meade, W. Leon Pepperman, Henry Sanderson, Theodore P. Shonts, Herbert H. Vreeland, Edmond E. Wise.

“Main Business Office. - 10 East 102d street, New York City.

“Report verified by Richard W. Meade, President and General Manager, September, 28, 1917.”

August 29, 1918 The Automobile:

“Entz Magnetic Transmission on Fifth Avenue Bus

“SOME eight months ago the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, New York, installed an Entz magnetic transmission on one of its standard Model A buses, and placed the machine in regular service. Each of the buses operated by the company carries about 300 passengers per day, and as an average of four stops are made per passenger, it is readily realized that the strains on the clutch, brakes and transmission are very severe. With the Entz magnetic transmission no friction clutch is required, nor are there any clashing gears, and if this transmission could be properly developed for this particular use, a material saving might be effected.

“The Installation of the transmission was made by the Entz Motor Patents Corporation of New York, and was completed on November 28, 1917. The bus with Entz transmission complete weighed 10,180 lbs., of which 3,810 lbs. was on the front axle and 6,370 lbs. on the rear axle. This weight is made up of the chassis weight of 6,466 lbs., of which 3,150 lbs. is on the front axle and 3,316 lbs. on the rear axle, and of the body weight of 3,714 lbs., of which 660 lbs. is on the front axle and 3,054 lbs. on the rear axle. The bus with the Owen magnetic transmission is 890 lbs. heavier than the regular type A bus of the company.

“During one month's service, ending January 6, 1918, the Owen magnetic equipped bus showed a fuel consumption of 1 gal. per 4.3 miles, as compared with 1 gal. per 5.4 miles for the standard type bus. This showing, however, was materially improved later on.

“From December 6, 1917, to January 26, 1918, the bus ran 4,605 miles. Between December 6, 1917, and January 19, 1918, it showed an oil consumption of one gallon per 244 miles. During the period from December 30, 1917, to January 26, 1918, the fuel consumption was at the rate of one gallon to 5.7 miles.

“During the month of March the bus ran 2,495 miles. Between March 3 and March 31, 1918, the oil consumption was at the rate of 1 gal. per 279 miles, which was 64 per cent better than the showing of the standard A type bus, and the gas consumption was at the rate of 1 gal. per 5.6 miles, which was 12½ per cent worse than the standard type A bus.

“During April and May the bus ran 4,887 miles and consumed gasoline at exactly the same rate as the standard type A bus and 33 per cent less oil than the standard type A. Between December 6, 1917, and May 31, 1918, the bus ran altogether 14,968 miles.

“The troubles experienced during the period of observation were chiefly of a minor character, except that once the clutch and motor armature burned out, which was due to defective insulation. The driving shaft keys sheared off twice, and necessitated the installation of a new shaft and flange.

“The engineers of the Fifth Avenue Bus Company consider the experiment with Owen magnetic very successful, but since the company has already committed itself to the straight gasoline bus, to the extent of 300 vehicles, no more magnetic equipped machines will be placed in regular service at the present time. For later orders the system will receive favorable consideration.”

September 15, 1918, New York Times:

“NEW TYPE BUS IN SERVICE.; Has Root Over Outside Seats to Protect Riders on Top.

“A new type of motor bus appeared in Fifth Avenue yesterday. It was put in commission by the Fifth Avenue Coach Company after a run with several officials and guests. It has a roof over the top seats, with windows at the sides, and is the first motor bus built in this country to protect passengers on the upper seats from inclement weather. It is painted a steel gray.

“The men have named it the ‘Yankee Tram’. The enclosed top gives the bus an additional height of barely one foot over the regulation coaches, as the chassis is swung so low to the street, with a wide base. The passenger capacity is 51 persons, 22 inside and 29 on top, an increase of seven passengers over the green buses. It weighs only 300 pounds more, and President John A Ritchie said that in the experimental runs no more gasoline was used that is required for ordinary buses. Several of the new buses will be put into service in the next few months.

“The number of ‘aces’ in the Fifth Avenue Coach Company’s fuel economy campaign, who are selected each week for the highest mileage in proportion to fuel used, has been increased to eighteen. The drivers so honored are allowed to carry the green flag with the yellow diamond in the centre for one week. A new high record was made last week by John McGrath, who averaged 12.4 miles per gallon of gasoline. The general average has been raised to 6.82 miles (per gallon).”

December 5, 1918 The Automobile:

“Fifth Avenue Bus Earnings

“NEW YORK, Dec. 3—In its annual report, the Fifth Avenue Coach Co. shows total revenue of $2,654,457 for the year ending July 30, 1918. This is an increase of $410,640 over the preceding year. Net income amounts to $399,147 after deduction of expenses and taxes, and the surplus for the year is $191,794.”

July 13, 1919 Billings Gazette:

“FIFTH AVENUE, ONCE SACRED TO RICH, HUMS WITH TRAFFIC

“‘Fifth Avenues’ belongs not only in New York City but to the entire United States. The story is told that in the early days of the ‘millionaire exclusiveness’ of this famous boulevard, all public vehicular traffic was forbidden and stringent restrictions in property leases did everything possible to keep the public away from the ‘quiet avenue of homes.’ It was a great concession, made only after many years of discussion, that one passenger-carrying omnibus system was permitted so that the rich man's servants might go to and from church.

“These omnibuses were permitted to run only a very limited distance, from Washington Square to Central Park, during certain restricted hours, and under no other circumstances. Nor was any other omnibus line ever to be permitted to intrude. Tradesmen's vehicles could not use Fifth Avenue after 10 o'clock in the morning.

“So recent was this state of affairs that it is well within the memory of men ‘still in their 40s.’  In fact, this was the Fifth Avenue of 1895, when the Fifth Avenue Transportation company limited, became bankrupt and its entire stock was sold for $10,500 to Ward Campbell, who became one of the Incorporators and directors of the new company and transferred all his rights for $40,000 in cash and shares to the Fifth Avenue Coach company now running all the Fifth Avenue busses.

“Company Prospers.

“Today this company is one of the biggest dividend-paying organizations in existence anywhere; that is, for those original stockholders who were given shares in the new company. Its assets now amount to nearly $3,000,000 and its revenue for the year totals a like amount, while its ‘passenger-carrying monopoly of Fifth Avenue, New York,’ is a sinecure beyond price.

“Fifth Avenue is the most unique thoroughfare in the world, with traffic continuously busy day and night throughout the year.

“The company commenced to grow and be successful from the moment it gave up the horse-drawn omnibuses and adopted motor busses of the double-deck type as used in London.

“Its first motor bus was used July 2, 1906. By 1910 the company had grown so that it was operating over 85 motor busses daily over its various routes. Each motor bus then averaged 88 miles per day, total for the year being nearly 5,000,000 miles (4,901,499). In 1916 these busses carried 16,250,000 passengers, and the fares at 10 cents each, amounted to $1,622,304.20.

“Gross Revenue Large.

“For the year ending June 30, 1918, the gross revenue was $2,654,467.47, of which $43,098.87 was for ‘private bus’ hire and advertising privileges. The total number of omnibus miles for the same period was 7,740,826, an increase in the year of 1,807,774 miles.

“Now, in the spring of 1919, the phenomenal growth is still continuing day by day. Although 35,000,000 passengers were carried in 1918 (the total number of motor busses varies daily as new ones are put into operation and old ones scrapped, the fleet of 123 busses was crowded daily to utmost capacity.

“There are few corners anywhere along Fifth Avenue or Riverside Drive that have not crowds waiting for a ride. In fact, the busses do not meet one-third of the public demand on week days and are hopelessly crowded in week-ends and holidays.

“Fifth Avenue is not only ‘the Avenue of Fashion,’ with its beautiful show windows of America's best stores, with its palatial homes of multimillionaires and its Central Park with all the natural beauty and freshness of the country, but it also teems with ever-changing human interest and pleasure.

“Fifth Avenue is no longer the exclusive avenue of the rich, to be used only by them, but it is the most popular avenue in the world, full of romantic and historical interest.

“There is a saying; ‘What Fifth Avenue does today the rest of the world copies tomorrow,’ and the phenomenal success of the motor bus for public pleasure and practical service is attracting the attention of other cities and localities in the United States and elsewhere, about which further interesting stories will follow.

“Buses Weigh Six Tons.

“Each motor omnibus used by Fifth Avenue Coach company weighs, when fully loaded, about six tons, and has magneto ignition, as nothing else could enable the engine to develop the reliable power and be so dependable under continuous running of the engines find the heavy strains of starting and stopping. The total mileage for 1919, will, it is estimated, exceed 10,000,000 bus miles.

“Under such conditions no other ignition system could ‘stand up’ or do the work; the troubles, break-downs and repairs would render the busses valueless for public use. Yet the wonderful little magneto, producing about 6,000 intense sparks every mile, never gives any trouble, and enables the engine, the source of all power that propels the six-ton loaded omnibus, to develop every ounce of its energy. It willingly works all the time and it never refuses or grows tired.

“Many parts of the omnibuses wear out, and cause expense and delay, but the magneto on each omnibus - that small, compact, scientifically constructed instrument that generates the electric spark without which the engines could not run at all, and with it can develop their greatest power at all times - rarely ever goes wrong or causes any worry whatever. It doesn't even require attention except a drop or so of oil in every thousand miles.

“One of the greatest fields of operation of the motor bus will be regular and special trips in the country - at present this can only be done by hiring a motor bus by the day, but regular service is a development of the near future.”

Fifth Avenue became a one-way street following a successful test which was conducted in early 1920. The February 6, 1920 New York Times reported:

“5TH AV. TRAFFIC TO GO SOUTH FROM TO 5; Dr. Harries Explains Details of "One-Way" Experiment to Begin Feb. 16. 30-DAY TRIAL IS ORDERED Police Department Issues Instructions Covering All Points--Northbound Vehicles in Park Av.

“Beginning Feb. 16, Fifth Avenue, between Fifty-seventh and Thirty-fourth Streets, from 10 A.M. to 5 P.M., will be a "one-way street" for southbound vehicular traffic, while Park Avenue between these cross-streets will be reserved exclusively for northbound travel during the same hours….”

December 9, 1920 New York Times:

“ONE DEAD, 16 HURT IN 5TH AV. BUS CRASH; Passengers Assert Big Car Overturned, but Official of Company Denies It. SWERVED TO AVOID TRUCK Home Turned Into Emergency Hospital When Victims, Mostly Women, Are Rescued.

“Frank Cullen, the chauffeur of a southbound Fifth Avenue bus, turned his car sharply east into Seventy-ninth Street yesterday at 8:55 A.M. to avoid a five-ton auto coal truck which came out of Central Park at Seventy-ninth Street. Cullen was jammed against a police box and killed, while the conductor and fifteen passengers were painfully injured.

“The bus overturned, according to passengers and the police record, although this was denied by the company. Twelve or thirteen persons were flung from the top of the bus to the sidewalk, according to passengers, but this was also denied by the company.

“The inside of the bus was filled, according to the passengers, most of whom were young women. They say they were tumbled two or three deep on the windows of the bus, which lay upon its side. They wriggled and crawled through the door, and then squeezed their way to safety through the crammed space under the winding stairs, which were in a horizontal position.

“Passers-by Help Injured

“By the time those nearest the rear on the inside had crawled through the door, a dozen automobiles had stopped and the chauffeurs and occupants were helping the injured passengers. Meyer Kasdan, 30 years old, of 635 West 170th Street, was one of those who told of the bus overturning. A man who was inside the bus said:

‘“If the company officials say the bus was not overturned, it is probably due to the fact that their reports com from persons who were not on the scene until about fifteen minutes later, when the bus had been righted.’

‘“The motorman was pinned directly under the bus, with its weight on him. It was impossible to drag him out, and a large number of men, including passengers like myself, policemen and men from the crowd, used our combined strength to lift the bus. Cullen, the motorman, was unconscious all this time.’

‘“On the inside of the bus we had a fraction of a second or so of warning before it fell over, and every one made a desperate effort to catch hold of something and keep right side up. The women screamed, but were quiet in a second, when most of them found they were not much hurt. Te get toward the door it was necessary to move on all fours or crawl frontwards or sidewise, according to the position in which you found yourself.’

“Turns Home Into A Hospital

“Mrs. J.F. Feder, who lives at 973 Fifth Avenue, near Seventy-ninth Street, turned her home into an emergency hospital. Her servants, aided by policemen and men from the crowd, carried the badly injured ones into her house, and many of those slightly hurt walked in for first aid. Calls were sent out from her house and from the police box, and ambulances and surgeons soon arrived from Flower, Mt. Sinai, Lenox Hill and other hospitals.

“Cullen was taken in an automobile to Lenox Hill Hospital, where he died in a few minutes. Fred Rothenhauser, 26 years-old, of 602 East Eighty-third Street, was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital in critical condition from fractures of his right arm and left leg and internal injuries. The others injured were: Rose Calldank, 26, 128 West 112th Street, possible skull fracture; Anna Castram, 24, contusion of right shoulder; Florence Fleck, 31, 551 West 170th Street, contusion of spine; Nathan Frank, 20, 235 Washington Avenue, laceration of left wrist; Mary Harity, 28, 501 West 171st Street, shock; Myra Harris, 24, 220 West 111th Street, possible internal injuries; Helen Herzman, 22, 101 west 113th Street, possible fracture right forearm; Meyer Kasden, 30, 635 West 170th Street, shock; David Lieberman, 43, 700 West 170th Street, shock; Miss Ray Lubowitz, 24, 1854 Seventh Avenue, injury to left wrist; Helen McDermott, 24, 563 West 173d Street, shock; Catherine McElliott, 29, 507 West 175th Street, possible fracture of skull; Annie Rubin, 22, 500 West 176th Street, contusion of right hip; Mary c. Russell, 42, 559 West 169th Street, contusion of chest and abdomen; Florence Wolf, 452 West 163d Street, shock.

“Truck Owner Held in $2,500.

“The driver and owner of the coal truck was Andrew Meyer of Jersey City. He was held in $2,500 bail on a charge of homicide, although William O’Shaughnessy, Assistant District Attorney, told the Court a preliminary inquiry indicated that the driver of the bus was at fault, as witnesses said he had been making twenty miles an hour. John A. Ritchie, President of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, ascribed the accident to lack of knowledge on the part of Meyer of New York traffic laws.

‘“Meyer told two witnesses,’ said Mr. Ritchie, ‘that he had the right of way. He comes from New Jersey. The rule there is that traffic approaching a boulevard has the right of way over traffic on the boulevard. He applied that theory here, where it was just contrary to law.’

‘“The bus did not turn over. There never has been an accident in which one of the Fifth Avenue buses turned over. We have reports from a large number of sources, which shows that idea is a mistake. No one was thrown off the top, according to our reports. I am positive that they are correct.’

“Had the two cars reached this corner five minutes later there would have been no accident, because a traffic policeman would have been on duty to stop one or the other. Traffic Policeman ziegler was only three blocks away, walking towards his post, when the accident occurred. He goes on duty at 9 o’clock.”

May 22, 1921 Fort Wayne Journal Gazette:

“A LITTLE CONCERN DOING BIG BUSINESS IN N.Y. by John A. Ritchie. President, Fifth Avenue Coach Co.

“The Fifth Avenue Coach Co., operating the double-deck 'buses that are the boon of every sightseer in New York, is seeking to instill kindness into the coldness of the greatest city in the world. How it is doing this is told in this story by the president of the company.

“A public utility corporation, especially one engaged in transportation, must have the good will of those it serves or it cannot progress. To obtain this good will it must convince its patrons not only that it is giving the best and most economical service of which it is capable, but that it is constantly striving to better that service.

“In creating a favorable frame of mind on the part of the public the men employed by a corporation play a very material part. They are a company's direct contact with its patrons, and a corporation is very likely to be judged by its personnel. Therefore in our public relations we have two main objectives. One is complete candor with the public concerning our operations and our service; the other the constant building up of a personal interest in their work on the part of our employees. To obtain this interest in the fullest degree we have educated our men in the truism that our welfare is their welfare, that as we prosper, they prosper.

“The Fifth Avenue Coach Co. is relatively a very small corporation engaged in a very big enterprise. With only 300 'buses in operation it transports an average of 150,000 people on week days and as many as a quarter of a million passengers on Sundays. Our conductors have to deal with a wide range of temperament and eccentricity. "We allow no passenger inside or atop of a ‘bus unless there is a seat for that passenger. We insist on conductors helping elderly and infirm people, or passengers with children or bundles on and off the ‘buses, although we frequently encounter fussy persons who resent this assistance.

“In building up a sense of loyalty the company and its ideals we have conducted numerous contests. We have had a courtesy contest, a baby contest for the children of our men a square deal contest, a contest for conductors in which they gave their views of the public, and one for the public in which we got the benefit of seeing ourselves as outsiders see us.

“We have issued a number of booklets dealing with these contests and given them wide circulation. We receive thousands of letters monthly from patrons, most of them commending our service and the men. We have found that politeness pays, whether it is politeness by the company to its employees, or politeness from the employees to the public.”

August 31, 1921 Winnipeg Free Press:

“Passenger Motor Busses To Be Tried At Toronto

“Toronto, Aug. 30, 1921 —The Toronto Transportation Commission proposes to experiment with passenger motor busses in Toronto and samples have been ordered from different makers in the United States and England. The first one, a double-decker, with capacity for 48 people, built by the Fifth Avenue Coach Co. of New York, arrived today and will be shown at the exhibition. Seven different busses will be tried out.”

In 1915 the Fifth Avenue Coach Company adopted R & V Knight (or Moline-Knight as they were then known) engines for its bus power plant and it has continued since that time to use this company's Knight engine exclusively in its bus service.

January 1922 Bus Transportation:

“The net income of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, New York, N. Y., for the year ended June 30, 1921, was $1,117,725. This is an increase over the previous year of $332,943. During the year the company operated 289 buses and carried at a 10-cent fare 51,091,365 passengers, an increase over the previous year of 8,538,656. The detailed figures of operation of the company are shown in the accompanying statement filed with the New York Transit Commission.”

February 1922 Bus Transportation:

“The Detroit Motorbus Company today operates three routes and owns seventy buses, all of which are maintained at this garage. There are two types of double-deck vehicles, both of which were built by the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, New York. Most of these are known as Type L. There are but twenty of the Type A model.

“Only recently the company ordered ten single-deck, low-floor, twenty-five passenger buses to supplement its double-deck fleet. These vehicles are to be used on the Lafayette Boulevard route in the interest of economy where the traffic is such that double-deckers are not warranted.”

February 1922 Bus Transportation:

“51,091,365 Passengers Handled by Bus Line In New York

“John A. Ritchie and George A. Green Head the Operating Organization Which Accomplished This Feat Last Year. Both Men Have Had Interesting Yet Dissimilar Careers.

“FIGURES are a passion with John A. Ritchie. He has worked with them in one way or another ever since he entered business. This fact explains very largely why the organization of which he is the head, the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, operating the buses on Fifth Avenue, New York, was able to establish the record last year of transporting 51,091,365 passengers in 289 vehicles.

“But figures are merely the means to the end with Mr. Ritchie. They are not the end. If they had been then it is more than likely that Mr. Ritchie would not have progressed beyond the position of operating statistician to the subway, elevated and surface lines of New York.

“No disparagement is intended of the man who deals with figures, but it is the man who can see beyond the figures that becomes the leader. This Mr. Ritchie was able to do. And this his superiors were convinced he could do when Mr. Ritchie was advanced in April, 1918, to the position he now holds. He has translated figures into terms of service, with the result that the Fifth Avenue Coach Company ranks probably first as a model transportation agency. This is true in spite of the fact that the conditions under which the buses are operated are about as trying as could be found anywhere. It was a broad background of railroad and business experience that Mr. Ritchie brought with him to the Fifth Avenue Coach Company. Moreover, he is only forty-two years old, and was only thirty-eight when the responsibility was made his of heading the coach company. There is romance here, too, for Mr. Ritchie went to work when he was only fourteen years old. His first job was that of office boy with the Stover Manufacturing Company at Freeport, Ill. His next venture was with a manufacturer of hardware novelties, in the position of stock clerk and shipping clerk. It was in this job that he first felt the lure of the transportation business, since the shipping and routing of freight brought him in direct contact with the members of the railroad fraternity.

“Mr. Ritchie A Railroad Man

“It was just twenty-five years ago that he started pushing freight for the Illinois Central at Freeport. He rapidly worked up through various positions from truckman to warehouse foreman, freight received clerk, freight forwarded clerk, billing clerk, cashier, night ticket agent, and finally general night agent and yardmaster at Freeport.

“Meanwhile he had been studying the practical side of the roadway and track maintenance, and at night took up a course in stenography and accounting. This soon led him into division headquarters as division accountant, having charge of all of the payrolls and material distribution of the division. He was then appointed chief clerk to the roadmaster and finally chief clerk to the superintendent of the Freeport division.

“A Train Expert

“At this time the extension of the Illinois Central from Fort Dodge, Ia., to Council Bluffs, Ia.—a stretch of 140 miles—was nearing completion. Mr. Ritchie had shown ability as an organizer and was selected jointly by the vice-president in charge of operation, and the comptroller, to take over the accounts from the construction department and assist in the organization of that part of the line for the operating, mechanical and roadway departments.

“Here he came to the notice of John F. Wallace, then vice-president of the Illinois Central. Mr. Wallace took Mr. Ritchie into his own office, where he carried out specialized studies and investigations of operating and maintenance problems having to do chiefly with evolving a scientific system of accounts which would enable practical analysis to be made of all expenditures on the basis of definite units of service. This also led Mr. Ritchie into rather extensive studies and plans looking toward more scientific train handling and more methodical yard and station operation, at that time a departure in railroad management.

“In 1908 he joined Theodore P. Shonts as operating statistician of the various railroads of which Mr. Shonts was president, viz., Chicago & Alton; Iowa Central; Minneapolis & St. Louis; Toledo, St. Louis & Western. Subsequently, when Mr. Shonts relinquished his railroad interests in order to devote all of his time to traction matters in New York, Mr. Ritchie took the position of operating statistician to the subway, elevated and surface lines of which Mr. Shonts was president. The briefly is the record of the broad background of railroad and railway experience with which Mr. Ritchie assumed the presidency of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company.

“Mr. Green An Australian

“If Mr. Ritchie is the Damon of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, then George A. Green is his Pythias. If you recall your classics you will remember that Damon staked his life on Pythias to make good, as they say in more modern English, and that Pythias did make good. This is what Mr. Ritchie counts on Mr. Green, his chief engineer and general manager, to do, and in this case George does it. Although the United States has sent some mighty fine transportation men to England, notably Albert H. Stanley and Henry Worth Thornton, the one now a lord and the other a knight, it remained for Mr. Green to prove that the rule works both ways. The chief engineer and general manager of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company was born in far off Australia in 1881. In his youth he studied engineering at some of the best technical schools in Australia and apprenticed himself to a leading engineering firm on that island. Then after trying marine engineering for a few years and shipbuilding in England, he became interested in the manufacture of gasoline-propelled vehicles of various kinds which were being developed by Thornycroft & Company of England.

“This naturally led him into the field of bus transportation which developed earlier in England than here and he went through the early struggles of the bus companies in London. He was sent as Thornycroft's representative to the Vanguard Motor Bus Company and was soon transferred to the staff of that company and was placed in charge of experimental development work, later becoming manager. Two years later the London General Omnibus Company, a longer-established and better equipped concern, secured his services and with this company he advanced through various offices of the company until he became works manager and chief assistant engineer.

“1,500,000 Bus Miles A Month

“This company at that time was operating 1,500,000 bus-miles per week. In 1910 he took a hand in the development of bus transportation in Belgium, but conditions in that country were unsatisfactory and he became interested in the future of the bus in the United States.

“The Fifth Avenue Coach Company of New York recognizing the unusual value of this young man's experience in England and on the Continent, made him chief engineer and superintendent. When the outbreak of the European War stopped the importation of the French motor buses used by this company, Mr. Green set about developing a standard ail-American double-deck bus. His success in this direction is attested by the hundreds of fine vehicles now operating on Fifth Avenue, New York.

“During the years 1917 and 1918, Mr. Green saw active service in France with the British colors, returning with the rank of Colonel in the British Tank Corps.

“Outside of bus transportation, Mr. Green's chief hobby is yachting. Almost any fine Saturday afternoon in summer, you may see a streak of white tearing up Long Island Sound, and waterfront habitues will tell you that it is the good ship June, with George A. Green, owner, at the wheel.”

February 14, 1922 New York Times:

“BUS LINE STARTS SPOONERS' PARADISE; New Type of Coach With Glass Inclosed Top Operated in Fifth Avenue.; TO SHIELD WARM HEARTS.; Young Women Crack Bottles of ‘Real Old Stuff’ on Wheels of New Vehicle.

“Inspired by Cupid, and not cupidity, so the press agent said, the Fifth Avenue Coach Company yesterday put into operation the first of a new type of bus - the "Spooners' Paradise," they called it. The press agent leaned against Washington Arch at noon and remarked:

‘“The company has never looked with kindly eyes upon the young hearts that dins such tender thrills on the bus tops on Summer nights. And it has ever been a source of regret that cruel Winter winds have forced these happy couples to endure the odors of cooking cabbage and the old man’s pipe. Hence the chief aim in life of the new bus – the ‘Spooners Paradise’ is the official title – is to keep chill winds off warm hearts.’

“Then four young ladies, who are in the chorus of a show, stepped up to the bunting-draped bus. Each held a bottle of champagne and, believe it or not, cracked a bottle against each wheel. The liquid poured down the spokes to the pavement, and in tiny pools were little bubbles and fizz. ‘Glory, glory,’ sighed the press agent, ‘it is the real old stuff.’

“The new bus looks below the top like the old ones. The top, however, is entirely glass enclosed and there’s a roof. In the Summer – and there are electric lights in the ceiling of the roof – the glass windows can be dropped down. In the Winter the windows are up and the winds are out.

“And, although no such commercial idea could enter the poetic mind of the press agent, the new bus has the added merit of being able to carry passengers on the top in rain as well as sunshine.”

March 1922 Bus Transportation:

“How It's Done on Fifth Avenue

“Real Organization the Foundation of the Success of New York City's Bus Company—Schedules, Courtesy, Engineering, Proper Personnel Training and, Above All, Attention to Detail Have Their Place in the Company's Operations.

“HERE they come up Fifth Avenue past Fifty-ninth Street. During the rush hours motor bus after motor bus, loaded with fifty-one seated passengers, travels at a twelve-mile rate of speed, a traffic stream of twelve hundred and twenty-five vehicles per hour, each driver alert and ready with perfectly coordinated eyes, feet and hands ready to apply the emergency brake, dart ahead of another motor car or shift gears and steering his course with unequaled skill in and out of the traffic stream, dodging bad spots in the pavement, ‘flivvers,’ touring cars, taxicabs, and other traffic whirlpools or eddies that may obstruct his progress. ‘I take off my hat to those drivers. They were born, not trained. Every time I come to New York I watch them navigate with envy and admiration," was the remark of an experienced railway manager.

“And those conductors, dressed in their war-famed khaki and perched gracefully on the swaying rear platforms, they also are a trim, alert and courteous group of men who are always on the job — no fans escape them and no signal is too obscure for their interpretation. They can say "low bridge, keep your seats" in many courteous and sometimes unintelligible ways; they can gracefully indicate the vacant seat upstairs or downstairs to the prospective bus rider; they are uniformly obliging whether helping the baby to embark or disembark, holding and opening the umbrella for passengers in bad weather, loaning a dime to the fair passenger who has mislaid her pocketpook or silently enduring the abusive tirade of the always-with-us traffic ‘grouch.’

“These platform men have a reputation and the public would find, if the opportunity would present itself, that all employees are specially selected men with an esprit de corps that is one of the most valuable assets of the organization. Someone in the Fifth Avenue Coach Company has a remarkable ability as a manager of men and someone else has a gift for training drivers that commands the admiration of all automobilists.

“THE FIFTH AVENUE COACH COMPANY is a large concern. It now operates daily about 300 motor buses which cover an annual mileage of more than 9,000,000, which use 1,500,000 gal. of gasoline, and which transport more than 52,000,000 passengers. But size alone does not make a successful company, and an attempt has been made to find out the other elements that lie back of the success of this long-established and prominent motor bus company.

“Success Based On Experience

“Primarily the success of the company is due to the intelligent management and a coordinated organization. The management weighs the three main factors in the company's business, the technical and engineering features of the equipment, the traffic and transportation features of operation and the psychology and human engineering elements in connection with both the employees and the public. The management maintains an alert and competent organization to carry its ideas into practice and to follow the constantly changing tides of city transportation.

“The company has years of transportation experience back of it. There are the fifteen years of experience with motor-bus transportation alone in this country, preceded by many years of experience in the bus business abroad; years of development, invention, changes and tests with equipment and organization details; years of education in transportation and traffic; years of financial failure and success; the experience which all these years have given has evolved the existing system, has afforded data which shape and mold the present policy, organization and operation.

“In the second place success is due to unique local traffic conditions. The buses operate on the show boulevard of the world: wonderful Fifth Avenue, the residential and business artery of New York; beautiful Riverside Drive with its view of the teeming Hudson and the green Jersey hills and Palisades in the background. The buses connect the palatial residential and elite apartment house district of New York with the smart shopping district and afford a deluxe yet plebeian service to the social lion or lioness, the business man, the banker, the wealthy or admiring tourist and the youthful and at times flush curb broker.

“Advantages of Bus Riding

“The casual visitor, including the thrifty Yankee and the ‘thriftier’ Jew, can see the wonderful avenue and the beautiful drive for only one dime; the tired business man can smoke his cigar, conserve his corns, read his paper and breathe pure air as he rides to and from work on top of the bus, while in the evening the loving couples and lounge lizards can mount the bus and dream, sleep or flirt in the moonlight or arclight as the bus wends its swift, bouncing, swaying way along the cool boulevard above the twinkling Hudson. Of course this applies in the good old summer time when it's always fair weather—there are times, sad but true, when only snow or rain make merry on the vacant upper seats.

Able management, years of experience and favorable local transportation conditions are foundations of the success of the company, with organization as the cornerstone of the structure. The company has considered its operating and traffic conditions, studied its problems, striven for picked men and welded them together in a co-operative and competent effort to carry on. Years of labor have perfected a personnel with every man alert to increase the prestige of the company by adding to the speed, economy, comfort, civility and excellence of the service rendered.

“Department Organization Followed

“A department organization composed of departments of finance, auditing, purchasing, claims, publicity, welfare, law, engineering, mechanical and transportation is the basic method of operation.

“These departments are administered, coordinated and controlled by the officers of the company. John A. Ritchie, president; S. E. Morrow, vice-president; G. A. Green, general manager; H. C. Moser, superintendent of transportation; Edward Wotton, superintendent of equipment, and R. E. Fielder, in charge of the engineering department, are able and active executives who direct the departmental operations. The company is controlled by the New York Transportation Company.

“What the General Manager Has To Do

“The three most interesting and unconventional departments are those pertaining to the engineering, mechanical and transportation work; they all function under the direct supervision of the able general manager.

“The engineering department is concerned with construction, design and research work in connection with the development of equipment and its operation. The mechanical department maintains, repairs and constructs the transportation and manufacturing equipment and is responsible for the basic operating efficiency of the motor buses. The transportation department deals with traffic studies, operating personnel, schedule, time-tables, and other items connected with transportation as such.

“This type of organization was developed because of the transportation experiences of the company and is very satisfactory for existing conditions. The vital factor in such an organization is the allocation of duties to the different departments and the co-ordination of the departments to secure results as a whole. That this company secures such coordination is due to the managerial ability of its leaders.

“Where New Ideas And Methods Are Developed

“The research department is a separate and distinct division of the engineering department engaged in the reduction of costs of operation and in the improvement and development of equipment and methods. It is a vital factor in operating efficiency as it submits ideas as to methods of operation, investigates new inventions and developments in equipment, conducts experiments on the operating equipment, tests and develops fuels, oils and methods for using them. The general manager needs only to intimate a line of investigation, and very quickly the research department submits a complete report showing all conditions and test data with recommendations for action. It has eliminated 94 per cent of the gasoline evaporation by the introduction of an improved tank valve and has also greatly reduced the gasoline consumption by determining the proper idling speed for the motors on the buses. In the design and testing of new materials or apparatus, such as tires, wheels, carburetors, clutches, engines, brakes, etc., it is an invaluable asset.

“A welfare organization is a useful agency for maintaining esprit de corps. A well-equipped barber shop at each headquarters offers a shave for 15 cents, a hair cut for 20 cents, and the inevitable hair tonic for 5 cents—only employees are eligible, so don't crowd. A restaurant affords good and wholesome food at each headquarters, the company furnishing space, equipment, light and heat, and supervises the quality of food and the service afforded by the restaurant contractor. Well-equipped lounging rooms with magazines, billiard and pool tables are located in each garage for the benefit of the men during their lunch hours and those waiting for special duty or on layovers between runs. A tailor shop is an added feature which keeps the platform men well "pressed," and emergency beds are available for those who cannot get home on account of unavoidable incidents connected with operation.

“All these welfare projects, together with a company paper, ‘Bus Lines’, a hospital department, an employees' disability association, sunshine committee, pension fund, athletic teams, gymnasium, handball courts, etc., receive the hearty support of the management and employees and bind the two by closer ties.

“The Evolution of The Fifth Avenue Bus

“The motor bus now used is a company product and represents the result of years of development in design and operation not only in New York but a study of motor bus operation the world over. As such it is not an outgrowth of the street car or automobile but represents an independent development of a transportation vehicle with distinctive and individual materials, design problems and auxiliary operating devices.

“The standard motor bus of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company is not the universal motor bus but the one that suits the operating conditions on the routes in New York. It is a double-deck, open-top, fifty-one-seat vehicle that weighs about 17,000 lb. loaded and 10,000 lb. unloaded. The front and rear wheels are the same size and are of the hollow steel spoke and rim type and were developed by the company. The vehicle uses solid tires, a single 36 x 4 in. on the front and a double 36 x 5 in. on the rear wheels.

“The bus is equipped with a special sleeve valve, Knight, four cylinder (4 in. bore x 6 in. stroke) motor with a nominal rating of 25 hp. and capable of developing 40 hp. The radiator is the boiler tube type with ample capacity. A magneto ignition system is used, a special non-adjustable carburetor with (hot) stove attachment and a storage battery supply for lights. A unique 300-watt generator system for supply of all lights and signal bells has just been developed, and is quickly replacing the storage battery system. A conventional selective gear transmission is installed and the bus has four speeds forward and one reverse, with a worm-driven rear axle ratio 6.8 to 1. The most modern equipment in the automotive industry is a constant-drive chain transmission which has just been completed after eight years of development work by the Fifth Avenue Coach Company. This will be standard equipment on all buses.

“It is the final step for making the Fifth Avenue bus the quietest operating vehicle anywhere. There is silence from radiators to rear wheels with a silent sleeve engine, single plate clutch, chain transmission and worm-driven rear axle.

“The chassis frame is made of the best alloy steels with forging and bracing to obtain rigidity and special construction to obtain light weight. The springs, which are patented by the company, are a special assembly whereby more leaves become engaged as the bus load increases. Roller bearings, one piece forged axle housings and heat treated steel castings are used.

“The bus body is made from specially selected steel and seasoned ash. At certain points very thin sheet steel reinforcing flitch plates are employed. The total amount of steel used is extremely small. With the latest construction a special form of three-ply wood is replacing the aluminum or steel sheathing. The body follows a curved line design and has a cambered roof.

“A push-button signal system is a feature of the bus which adds to the convenience of the passengers. The emergency brake lever pushes forward when it is desired to apply the brakes, which is the reverse of ordinary motor car practice and purposely designed so that it may be more readily accessible.

“The standard vehicle is the result of a trial of over nineteen different types of chassis and twelve different types of bodies; of tests and trials of motors, axles, transmissions, tires, wheels, clutches, etc. It is the result of the combined effort of inventions, traffic trials, transportation demands and engineering skill. It is a vehicle suited to the specific needs and is manufactured by the company because experience has proved this to be the most economical process. G. A. Green, general manager of the company, states in his paper ‘Motor Bus Transportation,’ delivered in 1920 before the Society of Automotive Engineers, ‘In my opinion, the average truck chassis is unsuitable for passenger transportation because the weight is excessive, particularly the unsprung weight, the center of gravity is too high, the frames, springs and axle tracks are too narrow, the turning radius too wide, the steering too stiff, etc.’

“Light Weight the Goal in Design

“The design of the motor bus attempts to reconcile contradictory conditions – light weight and large carrying capacity demands are fixed by local traffic conditions, but the element of platform labor cost fixes the minimum profitable capacity. Light weight is necessary to conserve fuel and to obtain quick acceleration in order to maintain schedules, and is obtained by employing only high grade materials, expert workmanship and design principles. The use of aluminum and steel alloys, better forgings, hollow steel construction and hollow steel shafts, etc., offers prospects for a reduction in weight per passenger seat. The illustrations show some of the bus developments leading up to the present standard low level type.

“The motor bus is the essential element in the system. Each is a unit of transportation containing its own power plant and thus affords opportunity for the best engineering skill and invention in getting efficiency and economy from fuel to street under operating conditions. The engineering department constantly designs new parts, makes improvements and looks several years ahead in equipment developments. Although most of the buses in operation on Fifth Avenue were built about five years ago, yet the state of the art is so new that there is already evolved a better type, the difference primarily being in a lower center of gravity. While mechanical and transportation departments check and try out all the suggested improvements or apparatus under service conditions, at the same time the research department suggests new methods, investigates new developments, tests parts and apparatus, tests and invites specifications on fuels, apparatus and materials and is on the alert to reduce the cost of construction and of operation.

“Pneumatic tires have not replaced the solid tires on the buses because the company believes that they are more expensive, have higher maintenance, require more space in that they limit seating capacity on low hung vehicles, and raise the center of gravity. These considerations have prevented their use up to the present time under the local conditions. The solid tires average 18,000 miles in normal service on asphalt streets.

“The object of the company has been to turn out a standardized motor bus with interchangeable parts, of light weight, of low maintenance and of long life. Experience has shown that the ideal motor bus should be low hung, preferably with a one-step platform, and should have the number of gear shifts conform to local conditions, and gasoline economy requires a gear ratio suited to street and traffic conditions. Successful operation calls for a good brake and rigging, possible of adjustment without getting under the chassis, and a motor that is powerful enough to carry the load and to accelerate the bus rapidly. This motor must be built with but a few parts and must operate so as to give high gasoline and oil economy.

“The present standard Fifth Avenue motor bus is the result of these attempts and is designed to stand up under local service operations. It starts and stops about 1,000 times a day, averages about ten stops per mile, varies in speed from 2 to 20 m.p.h., with an average of about 8.0 m.p.h., uses on the average about 7 miles per gallon of gasoline, and works in heavy traffic where every move of the driver must be studied so that unnecessary control levers and attachments have been eliminated. It is designed to keep going under any and all conditions at a minimum expense commensurate with the service requirements considering both operating and maintenance costs. The bus thus developed occupies only 3.5 sq. ft. of roadway per passenger-seat, weighs about 190 lb. per passenger when loaded, can turn in a 48-ft. circle and yet every effort is constantly made to improve the design and operation.

“Within the past three years the Fifth Avenue Coach Company has also developed a modern low-level single-deck, one-man operated motor bus. It is in reality an enlarged limousine seating twenty-nine people on transverse seats.

“The buses are maintained at high service efficiencies. They are washed and inspected daily and are dismantled, thoroughly overhauled and painted once a year. The average percentage of buses in the shop for repairs has been reduced from 40 in 1909 to four in 1921. Traffic delays due to mechanical defects in the bus (of a period of five minutes or more) have been reduced from one per 500 bus-miles to one per 19,00 bus-miles.

“The centralized unit repair department is an essential feature of the company organization. This department makes major repairs after accidents, takes care of the yearly dismantling, repair and assembly of each motor bus, and supplies repair units to the operating departments. This centralization of repairs permits economies in the cost of repair work due to the use of standardized tools and methods and the use of unskilled labor.

“Unique Operating Organization

“A divisional organization is used for the bus operation. There are three divisions, each division having from sixty-five to 110 buses allotted to it. Each division is then responsible for the maintenance and operation of its allotted equipment.

“Each bus owned by the company receives a daily inspection and a more thorough and detailed ‘general overhaul’ after each 2,000 miles of service. Approximately 6 per cent of the company equipment is required for this ‘general overhaul.’ This overhaul must be finished each day by 4:30 p.m., which means that on week days the company operates about 92 per cent of its motor buses until 4:30 p.m. and after that time and on Saturdays and Sundays it operates about 98 per cent of its equipment; that is, when traffic demands this amount of service.

“The general overhauling of buses takes place at 132d Street garage. A general overhaul sheet or record is kept for each bus on which is recorded the daily accumulative mileage for each bus, and on the day previous to the overhaul the bus gets a thorough road inspection, after which the mechanism is thoroughly cleaned and the bus placed over an inspection pit.

“Special experts deal with the various units during the overhaul and the accompanying ‘General Overhaul Sheet’ gives a summary of the duties of each section of experts. The sheet is brought up to date daily by means of data obtained from the conductor's day card, the driver's report card, the division gas card and the last ‘general overhaul.’ This sheet shows the cumulative operating history and is the thumb print of the bus during its service life. Each sheet shows the performance between the general inspections or ‘general overhauls,’ which are made after 2,000 miles of operation, as noted above.

“This specialized method of inspection and repair works wonders. Major and minor repairs are made in the time allotted simply because all data are available. There is no time lost in diagnosis. Trained and specialized experts are used and standardized apparatus and methods are available. This operating department in the garage can turn out ninety-five "general overhauls" a week without being crowded, which is a wonderful development when it is considered that the mechanics are trained by the company to a large extent. They start in as general laborers, develop into helpers, then into general mechanics, and finally become specialists under the splendid system of supervision and training.

“Fuel Economy Essential

“The question of fuel economy is very important and every precaution is used to secure and maintain it at a maximum. It is a function of the driver, the service and the equipment and their co-ordination. The driving personnel of this company is not only properly trained, but also is interested and stimulated to maintain economy in the use of fuel. Contests and a personal sense of pride in results have secured remarkable co-operation from the employees of the company. A common remark among the drivers in the club rooms is: ‘What is your gas average this week?’

“High gasoline economy is primarily obtained by testing and adjusting each engine by means of a dynamometer test before the engine is actually installed in the bus so that it operates at the proper idling and running speed with the correct throttle and carburetor adjustments. A fuel expert and a special driver devote their attention to vehicles in service that are giving low averages and a daily record is kept of the gasoline consumption and mileage of each vehicle. Only the fuel experts are allowed to make carburetor adjustments and all jets are numbered so that records may be kept of changes in sizes or types.

“The Factory and ‘to Be Continued Garage’

“The company has a factory and headquarters building at 10 East 102d Street, which was completed in 1913, and also a garage and administration building at 132d Street, west of Broadway, which was first used in 1919.

“The building on 102d Street is now used to house extra buses and also a complete establishment for building and repairing buses, including an engineering drafting room, test room, machine shop, carpenter shop, paint shop and repair shop. The building is of concrete brick, steel and glass with three stories and a basement on a plot of ground 250 x 100 ft. and has a total floor space of 80,000 sq. ft. The ground floor has a total storage space for sixty-five buses. The second floor is used as a carpenter shop and paint shop. The third floor is for construction work and consists of a tool room, stock room, machine shop, body building room, repair room, blacksmith shop and engine test shop.

“On the ground floor there are two rows of pillars 33 ft. apart one way and 31 ft. apart the other way, and also seven inspection pits which are well ventilated, lined with white tile, drained and fitted with lights, electricity and compressed air. The steel folding doors are operated by electric motors. A large bus elevator 28 x 10 ft. connects from the ground to the third floor and is capable of carrying a 15,000 lb. load at the rate of 75 ft. per minute.

“The building is well lighted, heated by steam, and completely equipped with a sprinkler system for fire protection. The twelve steel gasoline tanks, each of 500 gal. capacity, are arranged in batteries of two each and embedded in concrete on the ground floor and basement. The gasoline is forced by water displacement to four distributing points which are equipped with automatic shut-off meters which register the individual and total gasoline extracted from the tanks.

“The sixty men employed can turn out four completed bus bodies a week in the carpenter shop and the total force can turn out about twenty completely assembled buses per month.

“The building was formerly used for both garage and factory, but the increase in equipment and other manufacturing and transportation features caused the company to erect the new garage at 132d Street, which takes care of all rolling stock and its routine service requirements.

“Flush Street Entrance on Three Floors

“The 132d Street garage is unique in that a 2 per cent north and south grade and a 6 per cent east and west grade permitted a design with flush street entrances on each three floors, which obviates the use of elevators or ramps. Each entrance is 33 ft. wide, which is sufficient space to permit three buses to enter or leave abreast so that over 200 buses leave the garage between the hours of 6 and 8 a.m. each day with little difficulty or time delay as compared to conditions that would exist in a single entrance elevator type garage.

“On the southeast corner of the plot a separate building or annex is located which houses the administration offices, the transportation department, the restaurant and the welfare rooms. The final plans for the garage call for the erection of a five-story building on the 200 x 400 ft. plot, but at present only two floors and a basement are completed, the third floor serving as a roof, with the main columns extending through it, ready for the construction of additional floors as needed.

“The garage is designed on the open panel arrangement, each panel having an area of 1,100 sq. ft. with one 18-in. enamel lighting fixture containing a 350-watt lamp in the center. The columns on the main floors are fitted with flush receptacles for attachment plugs and faucets for hot and cold water. A complete sprinkler system for fire protection is installed which can be supplied with water from a 100,000 gal. reservoir or from four taps to the city mains. Overhead washing devices are conveniently located in the panels, for washing the buses, and each panel is well drained and has both oil separators and oil salvage apparatus in the drainage outlet pipe. The basement has a capacity for 110 buses and the first floor for 200 buses.

“Work benches are located on each floor near the windows with tools on wall racks and in the stock room. Steel bins are used to hold all spare parts and hand tools. There are inspection pits just back of the work benches. Eleven pits are in the basement and seventeen on the main floor. These pits are well lighted and ventilated as they are open all along the bottom and are fitted on the top with a removable metal grating. A motor driven fan in each pit gives forced air circulation which adds to the comfort of the mechanics and carries away gas fumes. Each pit has inset lights, attachment plug receptacles and floor drains. The pits are used in connection with minor repairs and for ‘general overhaul,’ which is done at each garage. A forge shop is located in the basement for use in straightening axles or for doing other metal work.

“The gasoline is supplied from two columns at each entrance to the garage by means of six motor driven pumps and each outlet has a filling capacity of 25 gal. per minute. The gasoline reservoir consists of two batteries of six 8,000-gal. steel tanks, embedded in concrete below the basement. The tanks can be filled through street openings. Lubricating oil is kept in a single 2,000-gal. tank and in three 550-gal. tanks equipped with hand pumps.

“There are two battery charging rooms in the garage, one on each floor, which can charge 150 batteries at one time. An elevating truck sufficient to carry seven batteries eliminates lifting and permits a quick daily change in the batteries on the buses. The building is heated by two 150-hp. boilers connected to a 155-ft. stack and has a storage space of 1,600 tons of coal.

“This garage is purely for service operation and not for major repairs or manufacturing, and the adjacent office and administration building is also used in direct connection with the transportation operations of the company aside from the welfare and restaurant rooms.

“Snow Fighting Organization

“Yes, indeed, the company maintains a snow fighting organization which is very efficient. The company does this more out of civic pride than anything else. Its franchise does not compel it to clean its streets and the company would be in pocket if it left Its buses in the garage when it snows, awaiting the removal by the Street Cleaning Department. The snow fighting organization is arranged like a fire department with the chief in his office directing his companies, each of which has a captain in direct charge. The telephone secures cooperative effort and the lunch rooms afford opportunity for the toilers to obtain food. The snow plows are mobilized in fleets of varying sizes dependent on the size of the storm. The units are manned according to the storm's severity. Some plows are of the four wheel drive type, with two plow blades, one in front and one in the center of the plow; another class has only rear axle drive with center plow only.

“In operating each succeeding plow picks up the snow moved by the leader and pushes it toward the curb. The plow blade may be operated at right angles to the center line of the plow or at any one of five positions up to a maximum of 45 deg.

“From Nov. 1 to March 30 five sand cars are kept ready and filled with sand, gasoline, oil and water. These cars are used when necessary to sand the roads and each car has a definite route to cover.

“This apparatus and organization accomplishes good results in snow fighting and the company takes great pride in its snow fighting record. While service has been discontinued at times when street cars operated, at other times the buses operated while the street cars were unable to function. Inherently there seems to be no reason why adequate snow fighting equipment and methods can not be developed for nearly all conditions of bus operation as readily as street railway methods have been developed.

“Trained Platform Men

“The superintendent of transportation, H. C. Moser, has charge of all platform men. He supervises their training, administers discipline, promotes and discharges; he also has charge of the inspectors, the traffic statistics, the division foremen, the time tables and schedules. Under him the chief of the appointment bureau is responsible for the new men employed, by far the greater number of whom are recommended by the employees. The company favors mature men and particularly those with army or navy training and each applicant is subject to a searching moral, mental and physical examination before he is accepted and only about 20 per cent of the applicants have been able to qualify as conductors. After being accepted, the applicant for the job of conductor is placed under the chief conductor instructor and trained in the school room and on the road until competent.

“The drivers are nearly all ex-conductors, as it has been the experience of the company that previous experience in automobile driving is a handicap rather than an advantage, so distinctly special are the conditions under which a motorbus driver operates. The drivers are instructed in the school room and on the road until held competent by the chief driver instructor. Promotion from conductors to drivers, which involves a pay increase of 12 per cent, follows the seniority rule and also depends on the previous record of the employee.

“The company, through its very thorough investigation of applicants, precise record cards during employment, and splendid education system, has had great success in obtaining and maintaining a good operating personnel.

“The buses operate on nine separate routes over the streets shown on the map. A different number of buses are used on each route and the routes unite at certain places giving increased service. Between Thirty-second and Fifty-seventh Streets on Fifth Avenue all the buses operate, and this district is the place of greatest traffic congestion. Each route has a definite time table, and every effort is made to maintain the schedules. In order to maintain speed under different traffic conditions, eight running time tables have been devised based on the different average operating conditions. At different periods of the year these time tables are changed, and also any change in riding habits or schedules, such as the effect of daylight saving, or the opening of a new elevated or subway route, makes a schedule revision necessary. Frequent traffic counts are made at various points on the system in order to check the schedule against traffic conditions. During the year there are at least ten complete time table changes and many slight changes are also made.

“For the different periods of the day average operating conditions are represented in the following table by Mr. Green:

Period	Buses per Hour	Headway Sec.
Morning rush	183	19
Mid-day	106	34
Evening rush	173	21
Sunday	154	23

“These data are given for Fifth Avenue below Fifty-seventh Street, where eight of the nine routes unite. The following traffic data for fair weather conditions show the traffic conditions as determined by observations made recently at Forty-second Street and Fifth Avenue.

Date and Time	No. of buses		No. of Passengers
Dec. 14, 1921	Up	Down	Up	Down
2 p.m. to 3 p.m.	119	118	2,352	2,529
3 p.m. to 4 p.m.	106	126	2,418	2,720
4 p.m. to 5 p.m.	128	110	3,464	1,214

“The above table shows the uptown traffic increased in the evening rush hours. The number of buses uptown are increased as the peak load comes on by using turnbacks and a large number of special vehicles from the garages that have been released from general overhaul at 4:30 p.m. Between 5 and 6 p.m. 173 buses are used in uptown traffic during evening rush hour and only eighty-seven buses for downtown service.

“The following shows conditions for a period during a fair summer day on Riverside Drive at Eighty-first Street, where only two routes operate:

Date and Time	No. of buses		No. of Passengers
Aug 9, 1920	Up	Down	Up	Down
4 p.m. to 5 p.m.	52	54	1,798	928
5 p.m. to 6 p.m.	51	53	2,255	814

“Thirty-three foremen, inspectors, chief instructors and starters are employed to supervise operation. Also fifty men in plain clothes are scattered over the routes inspection conditions, making traffic counts and checking uniform operators. Starters are employed at all terminals of the routes to check fares and time and to enter other data on the day card. The inspectors make hourly reports of the schedule, report badly paved streets or traffic conditions, check the equipment, record the conductors; register readings and maintain discipline. Serious breaches of discipline are reported to the foreman, who reports the offender to the superintendent of transportation only after four offenses. In case of necessity a man can appeal to the general manager or even to the president.

“The crews are allowed ten minutes each morning to inspect the buses. The depot dispatcher is responsible for buses leaving the garages on schedule, but after the bus reaches its route terminal, it is under the jurisdiction of the starters and inspectors, who have with them the time tables for the bus operations. Layovers are reduced to a minimum, and a very flexible turnback system is in operation for handling traffic delays, parades and peak load traffic.

“The company gets all the money. Their records show that only one man has attempted to cheat, and he did it by obtaining, with great difficulty, a duplicate register. He is now serving a term in prison. The fares are collected by means of a Rooke register which is held in the hand of the conductor. The passenger inserts a dime, which is registered and then passes into the hand of the conductor. The conductor makes the proper change for the passengers but is not allowed to insert the coin in the register. Free transfers are given, if desired, when the fare is paid.

“Peak-Load Conditions

“The motor bus is a very uncomfortable vehicle when filled with standees, so that peak load handling becomes a question of increasing the number of buses and the number of routes. The flexibility of the bus helps greatly, so that buses may be rushed by side streets and short cuts to the congested district, may turn back at any point on a route and return to the congested district by short cuts. These methods are used by the Fifth Avenue Coach Company in order to handle peak loads, because the neck of the bottle route is now filled to capacity during rush hours, i.e., 300 buses are all that can be used between 32d Street and 57th Street on Fifth Avenue during rush hours. Keeping the number of buses at 300 per hour is the only method available for handling the rush hour traffic This is done by using turnbacks and an added number of buses.

“The Fifth Avenue Coach Company says that there is no reason as a general proposition why the motor bus cannot be used in handling rush hour traffic about as well as the street car, although no attempt has been made to do so. The use of bus trailers, a number of routes on parallel streets, flexible schedules, turnbacks and express routes, all would help, although at best in a city like New York both the motor bus and the street car can only be supplementary to the rapid transit facilities in handling peak loads.

“Conclusion

“To paraphrase the company paper, Bus Lines, ‘Kipling wrote the 'Seven Seas,' but the Fifth Avenue Coach Company also claims them: competency, courtesy, convenience, cheerfulness, comfort, co-operation and carefulness.’ Whatever may be the future place of the motor bus in transportation, it is through its development by such competent organizations as this company that that place will be attained.”

March 1922 Bus Transportation:

“Four-Wheel Drive Vehicle Clears New York Streets

“THE storm experienced in New York City on Jan. 28-29 thoroughly demonstrated the value of the four tractors built by the Walter Motor Truck Company of New York for the Fifth Avenue Coach Company. The Walter tractors were operated in pairs, each being fitted with two plows. The first plan was to follow the Walter tractor with a single plow pushed by an obsolete bus chassis, but this was abandoned when it was found that the bus chassis could not keep up with the tractors.

“Each tractor is equipped with two Champion plows; the front blade is 10 ft., and the center blade is 12 ft. wide. They can be set to push the snow to either side. The center blade is raised or lowered by the man standing above it, the while the front blade is controlled by a man standing on the right of driver of the tractor.

“In operation the front blade slices off and pushes away the top of the snow, and the center blade scrapes close to the pavement.

“In an ordinary snowfall the machine operates with both blades at 10 m.p.h. Chains have not been found necessary, as the notched tires provide sufficient traction.

“The drive system includes the Walter locking differential, a worm and gear construction, which is said to be responsible for the effectiveness of the tractor under the hardest pulling conditions. Power to the front and rear axles is taken from a center differential. The differential for each axle transmits the power through two shafts, connected by universal joints to gear pinions on the road wheels. The front axle differential is mounted in the transmission, while the rear differential, together with the bevel gear drive and brakes, is suspended in the rear end of the chassis.

“The drive to all four wheels has two advantages. It provides the pushing power required to advance the plows against the snow. It also overcomes any side thrust developed when the plows are set at an angle to the line of travel of the tractor.

“The tractor steers only on the front wheels, but because of the universal-joint construction it turns in a circle of 25 ft. radius, on the outside wheels. Power is provided at low speed, this coming from the 4½  x 6¼  in. engine, which develops a high torque at low speeds, and from the five-speed transmission. The transmission is unusual in that all five speeds are controlled by a single gearshift lever. It permits of an exceptionally wide range of speed, from 20 m.p.h. in high gear down to about 2 m.p.h. when the 80 to 1 total reduction is connected in low gear.

“This low gear ratio develops about 10,000 lb. drawbar pull, which is of course exceptionally useful in the severe service for which the tractor is used.

“The maker recommends the tractor for commercial uses where pulling power and traction are necessary, such as for hauling trailers, road construction, and uses on bad roads.”

March 1922 Bus Transportation:

“Changes Office Headquarters.—Offices of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company New York City, N.Y., are being moved to roomier quarters in the 132d Street building. The building at 102d Street will be used almost entirely for manufacturing purposes, only the purchasing agent and engineering department keeping offices there. In the new building will be, besides the administration offices, a restaurant and employees' club room.”

April 1922 Bus Transportation:

“Thirty More Buses for Baltimore

“The Baltimore (Md.) Transit Company, which has been operating a number of motor buses for a period of more than five years, has ordered thirty more. The Republic Truck Sales Corporation is furnishing twenty-six and the Fifth Avenue Coach Company four of its double-deck L-type.”

May 1922 Bus Transportation:

“Fuel Consumption of Toronto Double Deckers

“SOME interesting data on the performance of the double deckers now being operated by the Toronto Transportation Commission appeared in the April issue of 'Bus Lines',the monthly magazine the Fifth Avenue Coach Company publishes for its employees. For the months of January, February and March four of the new "L" type of Fifth Avenue bus averaged 7.43 miles per gallon of gasoline. For the same period the best that could be credited to the English-built buses was 4.74 miles per gallon. The Tilling Stevens gasoline-electric bus of English manufacture averaged only 4.09 miles per gallon for the three months. The Leyland made only 4.86 miles in March, as compared with 5.59 miles, the performance of the A.E.C. bus.

“The Fifth Avenue buses scored a high average of 9,000 miles of service to each involuntary stop. The nearest competitor among the three English buses averaged only 2,458 miles for each involuntary stop. Another British model averaged only 650 miles of service to each involuntary stop.

“The buses have been kept operating even through the heavy winter weather experienced in Toronto. In the first three months of the year there were twelve heavy falls of snow, the greatest of which was 7 in. deep. The routes were kept free of snow by a four-wheel drive plow, of the same type used by the Fifth Avenue Company in New York.”

June 1922 Bus Transportation:

“What Is Being Done with Buses in Baltimore

“For a period of some six months, the Republic Truck Company, Alma, Mich., has had what is known as the Republic Knight low-level bus operating practically in a break down test. As the result of the satisfactory performance of this machine over a period of five months, in very severe service, we have purchased twenty-six of these buses and expect to place them in regular service about July 1. In addition, four low level, double-deck buses of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company's manufacture, a number of which are operating on Fifth Avenue, New York, as well as in Toronto, Canada, and Detroit, Mich., have been purchased for test under Baltimore conditions to determine just what they will produce in our city. The White Company, Cleveland, has also developed a low level chassis, and we have purchased from it a single bus with the body built by the Brill Company, for further test.”

June 1922 Bus Transportation:

“Radio on the Bus

“Without erecting antennae or constructing a dragging ground wire, the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, New York, N. Y., experimented successfully in receiving messages on a swiftly moving motor bus. The metal roof served as an aerial. The ground wire of the radio set was attached to the rail of the bus stairway, effecting a counterpoise grounding. The set used was a Westinghouse Senior, with audion detector bulb and ear receivers. No interference was felt because of trees or speed of the bus. Radio sets and amplifiers have already been installed on one bus used regularly by the Fifth Avenue company.”

June 1922 Bus Transportation:

“Oust Numbered Badges

“Numbered badges for drivers and conductors of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, New York, N. Y., have been abolished. These men will wear, instead, an emblem bearing their names and the words, ‘Service, Civility, Loyalty.’

“The Fifth Avenue Coach Company announces this departure from the impersonal method of designating the employees by number, as an attempt to impress upon the public that transportation is a commodity and that both buyer and seller are human beings.

“The green, black and gold badge will act as an introduction to the salesman of the company—the conductor. It impresses upon the passenger that here is a personal representative of the company, ready to give good service for the fare paid, and to make this passenger a satisfied customer.

“President John A. Ritchie believes that by using names instead of numbers the interest of the uniformed employees in selling transportation will increase, and that their self-respect, their contentment, and so their happiness, will be more than doubled. He feels that the method of numbering is an outgrown relic of the age of industrial materialism.

The ‘personal introduction badge’ will be 2 1/8  in. deep. It will be worn on the left breast pocket.”

July 1922 Bus Transportation:

“Motor Bus Design and Operations*

“Construction of the Single-Deck and Double-Deck Vehicles Discussed—Factors Involved in Minimum Operating Cost—Maximum Accessibility Requires Separate Unit Form of Chassis Construction

“By G. A. Green, Vice-President and General Manager, Fifth Avenue Coach Company, New York City

(*Abstract of paper presented before the semi-annual meeting of the Society of Automotive Engineers. White Sulphur Springs, W. Va., June 20-24, 1922.)

“THE questions that builders and intending operators are asking today are, What constitutes a bus? and In what respects does a bus differ from other classes of automotive equipment? There seems to be a general agreement that a properly designed bus has special requirements; that it differs materially from equipment such as trucks and automobiles.

“I have been requested to give the Fifth Avenue Coach Company's views on this subject. It is, of course, possible to deal with only the broader phases. Not attempt will be made to discuss detailed design, but merely to establish the principles on which it is through such design should be based.

“Our policy is predicated on a seat for every passenger. At the inception of our business this was our slogan. We have never departed from it we never expect to do so. We are convinced that this policy has been, perhaps more than anything else, a factor in the building up of our enterprise.

“It is, of course, possible to carry a certain percentage of standees in a vehicle, the spring suspension of which has been correctly designed to carry properly a seated load. In our judgment, however, this figure should not exceed 30 per cent. But even this is unsatisfactory, for once standees are their limitation is most difficult.

“Before discussing the bus from a design standpoint, something may be gained by outlining the character of service that must be expected, for it is here that the average engineer underestimates the difficulties to be encountered. First, let us consider the cumulative result of a year's performance of the physical limitations that are primarily responsible for wear-and-tear. For the sake of argument it may be assumed that these data are applicable to any bus operated by any public utility. The figures are presented in the table.

DATA ON BUS OPERATION IN NEW YORK CITY:

Yearly mileage	30,000	to	60,000
Stops and starts	180,000	to	360,000
Change-speed applications	360,000	to	720,000
Clutch applications	360,000	to	720,000
Different drivers	1,460	to	2,920
Brake applications	200,000	to	400,000

“Assuming the same general plan of upkeep as employed by the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, each bus would be thoroughly inspected after every 2,000 miles of operation and rebuilt and repainted yearly. A vehicle would be expected to require no incidental repairs between inspectional periods and no major repairs between either inspections or yearly overhauls. The inspectional periods would occur approximately every fourteen days. The maximum inspectional allowance is eight hours. The allowance for yearly overhaul is seven days. Roughly, it may be said that under these conditions, each bus is scheduled for service 342 days out of 365.

The statistics quoted as to mileage, stops and starts, and the like, speak for themselves. Those who have never had control of a public utility operating buses cannot possibly picture the sum total of the abuse the average bus must suffer. More than anything else, frequent changes in drivers result in increased service difficulties. It may be safely said that if one could with a bus have the same driver daily, at least 50 per cent of the service troubles would disappear. This, however, is quite impractical, since the loss in earnings would many times offset the decreased service cost. Even with an operation of moderate size, the bus must of necessity lose its identity. It becomes merely a transportation unit. There must be changes in drivers daily, many of whom will feel scarcely any pride of ownership. All they are concerned with is being on schedule time. This means that the bus will be subject to extraordinary abuse. The mechanisms of the bus must be capable of treatment of the most brutal nature; otherwise constant failures will occur.

“Before one can proceed very far from a design standpoint, there must be some fairly clear conception of the vehicle life that is to be expected. In this connection it is necessary to lay stress on the fact that motorbus design is still in its initial stages. Five to seven years is about the maximum life of the most modern type. It is not a matter of wear and tear, for a vehicle may he so well cared for that there is no limit to its life. Obsolescence is the real issue. The ideal conception is to carry out the design so that the various units which when assembled comprise the complete structure have as nearly as possible an equal life.

“Controlling Design Factors

“In its broadest sense we believe the controlling design factors from the standpoint of the motorbus, in the order of their importance, are:

1. Safety.
2. Comfort and convenience of the public.
3. Minimum operating cost.

“The design of a motorbus from a safety standpoint includes certain basic features which must be incorporated in the general construction plan, and which provide the driver with a reasonable degree of comfort and convenience. These are:

1. Low Center of Gravity
2. Wide frame, track and spring centers and general dimensions.
3. Effective brakes.
4. Short turning radius.

“Beyond doubt, the future bus will be low hung. The inherent danger in connection with any other form of construction is the possibility of overturning. Under conditions of proper operation, the hazard may be non-existent, but we have always before us the possibility of human failure. Actually the danger is much more real than apparent. The controlling element governing overturning is centrifugal force. Vehicles seldom if ever overturn as a result of high speed and sudden impacts or brake applications. Overturns are almost invariably due to a combination of speed and turning radius. The only reliable guarantee against this class of accident is a low center of gravity.

“Entirely apart from the matter of safety, a low-hung vehicle has a more graceful appearance. There is less time lost in boarding and alighting, there are fewer boarding and alighting accidents, and the schedule speed can be faster. Lastly, assuming proper design, a low center of gravity results in improved riding properties.

“We have found that a safe and practical height of the frame from the ground for a single-deck bus is 25 in. and for a double-deck bus 18 in. The center of gravity of our type L double-deck vehicles, with a full complement of passengers on both decks, is 52 in. from the ground. With our type J single-deck bus this dimension is 38 in. It is interesting to note that when rounding corners, even at a high rate of speed, skidding will occur due to centrifugal force and overturning is scarcely possible. Furthermore, rolling or sideways is practically eliminated. The sectional views of our J and L type buses reproduced indicate clearly how this condition has been reached. With type L it will be seen that the frame and rear-axle construction is somewhat unconventional. The rear axle is of the internal-gear type. The spiral bevel gear and differential assembly is in unit form and can be entirely assembled and adjusted on the bench. The carrying member is a heat-treated forged job.

“From the sectional drawing the general construction of the type L axle will be clear. It will be seen that the ends of the carrying member are cranked, the wheel spindles being above the drive-shaft center-line. It is in this manner that the low-level feature has been accomplished.

To determine the influence of low center of gravity, one of our type L buses was tested some time ago with the following results:

Condition of Loading	Max. Tilt, Degrees
Full-deck load	36
Full-deck and inside load	37
Unloaded	40
Full inside load	50

“We do not employ this special form of axle construction for the type J bus. This class of vehicle will have a much wider use; therefore, the matter of road clearances must be taken into account. In many cases single-deck vehicles will be operated over very bad roads. The double-deck vehicle is essentially a city job where the streets are, generally speaking, in fair condition. Again, with, the single-deck vehicle, the floor-level requirements are not so exacting. There is no top deck to take care of, and the entrance

can therefore be located at the front end of the bus; but with the double-deck vehicle, conventional practice is to have the passengers enter at the rear, so in passing to the interior they are obliged to cross the rear axle, which must be of special design to have the floor level within easy stepping distance of the ground. In the case of the single-deck bus it is not desirable to have a step 18 in. high. Therefore, the best plan appears to be to employ an orthodox rear-axle design. Even assuming the use of our type L rear axle, it would not be practical to produce a stepless vehicle. The appearance would be completely spoiled and, as explained above, the ground clearance would be cut to a point where the vehicle would be unsuitable for use in many localities. Of course, a stepless single-deck vehicle can be produced, but its practical value for general utility purposes is debatable.

“Wide Frame, Track And Spring Centers

“These features are necessary to provide for adequate vehicular stability and, in conjunction with a low center of gravity, make for maximum safety. The necessity of providing proper stability applies equally to single and double-deck vehicles. It may be said that the added risk due to the top-deck load with the latter is more than equaled by the faster speed of the single-deck unit.

“Apart from the matter of safety, a wide frame is necessary in connection with the body construction. Obviously it is desirable to support the body as far out as possible, for in all cases the seating arrangement is such that the passengers are grouped about the outer edges. Then, the wide frame admits of the lightest possible form of body under-frame. The wide frame also is a factor from the standpoint of the passenger's comfort.

“We believe that the over-all length of a motor bus for city service should not exceed 26 ft., the total width, 7 ft. 6 in., and the over-all height for single-deck vehicle, 9 ft. With the double-deck bus, the last-named dimension should be such that a person standing on the top deck can clear a 14-ft. structure. With these dimensions we have found it possible to accommodate comfortably fifty-one seated passengers with our double-deck, and from twenty-five to twenty-nine with our single-deck vehicle.

“Next, there is the question of important dimensions other than those over all, such as the wheelbase, which naturally affects the axle load distribution, the turning-radius and the general comfort and balance of the vehicle. For the class of vehicle now under discussion, we believe that this dimension should not be less than 168 nor more than 180 in.

“The front track should be ample in width and not less than 65 in., for to turn a bus within the intersection of the average city street, it is necessary to move the front wheels through an angle of not less than 35 deg. This determines the distance between the front-axle pivots and the springs. The spacing of the front springs should not be less than 36 in., since they are responsible to a large extent for the stabilization of the vehicle when turning a corner.

“Regarding the rear track, we believe that the outer edge of the tires should closely correspond to the extreme overall width of the body and that the rear springs should be as close to the tires as is practical. For buses as above described, the rear track should not be less than 72 in. This will bring the distance between the springs to approximately 52 in. Having decided the approximate distance between the vehicle springs, it naturally follows that the best design is to arrange the frame dimensions so that they connect with the springs in the closest and most practical manner.

“Effective Brakes

“With the bus, the number of brake applications is vastly in excess of that of the average truck or automobile, and the brakes of a bus must be sufficiently powerful to lock the wheels at any moment. Yet the effort required for average application must be such that a driver may not become exhausted as a result of the work imposed.

“Particular attention must be paid to the location of hand-brake lever. It should be positioned so that it can be grasped firmly without moving the body out of the normal seated state. We believe the best practice is to have the lever arranged for a push and not a pull-on. Time can thus be saved, and a fraction of a second is often the determining factor from an accident-prevention standpoint.

“The brakes of a bus must be free from undue noises such as squeals or rattles. This means, among other matters, the use of special brake-drum material. The conventional soft pressed steel is practically useless. The best plan is to employ treated steel forgings, or, failing in this, steel castings with a high carbon content.

“The friction surfaces must have long life, and the adjustment be such that no tolls or special skill are necessary. We attach considerable importance to the matter of foolproof adjustment. The J system as illustrated shows our method. There are two vice-like levers, the outside controls the hand, the inside the foot brake. One turn is usually sufficient. If by any chance the levers are not returned to the vertical, they will automatically reach this position by force of gravity.

“In bus operation it is desirable from every point of view to cover the route as quickly as safety will permit. In this manner the maximum number of passengers can be carried daily. With a fixed maximum speed, this means fast deceleration and acceleration. Expressed in another way, the problem is to move from a stop in one location to a stop in another in the least time. In our own service this must be done without exceeding a speed of 15 m.p.h., or accelerating or decelerating faster than 2 m.p.h. per second. A still more rapid rate of deceleration is, of course, available for emergency, but it will be uncomfortable and unsafe, especially for standees.

“Short Turning Radius

“One of the great advantages of a bus over any other form of transportation unit is its flexibility. A bus can be switched around at any point, and it is highly desirable that it should be able to make a complete turn in the average thoroughfare without backing, for the latter practice if followed in congested areas merely adds to both confusion and congestion. There is also a marked possibility of increased number of accidents.

A short turning radius is dependent on the interference of the tires with the drag link, front springs or frame, when the wheels are turned at the maximum angle. The controlling elements are wheel-spring tracks and wheelbase. As the radius of the steering angle equals the wheelbase divided by the sine of the front-wheel lock, it can be seen that a wheelbase of reasonable length is important to secure a short turning radius.

“Easy Steering

“The steering of a bus should be at least as easy as that of the average automobile. To operate a stiff steering gear is a hardship that certainly should not be inflicted upon the driver of a public service vehicle. A driver's energy and effort must be concentrated on his regular duties, and if he becomes fatigued through the expenditure of unnecessary effort, faulty operation is bound to result. This means possible accidents. Tests have convinced us that the actual physical labor imposed on the driver of a bus in connection with the manipulation of a steering wheel represents by far the greater proportion of the sum total of his work.

“Ease of steering is controlled by the total ratios between the hand and road wheels. Naturally frictional losses in the steering gear box and steering knuckles are of importance. Minimum losses in these respects are dependent upon the use of properly lubricated anti-friction bearings. Another very important matter is that the pivot pins should lie in the vertical plane, otherwise there will always be a tendency to lift the front end of the bus when turning the steering-wheel. An angle in either the longitudinal or transverse plane will cause lifting at the expense of effort on the part of the driver.

“It is highly desirable that there should be an absence of shocks at the steering wheel. This is largely controlled by the total ratio, but also by the distance between the point of contact of the wheel and the road and the intersection of the knuckle center line and the road. Every effort should be made to keep this distance small. With the J type the length of the lever arm is about 23 in., and an increase of only 1 in. would decrease the total ratio some 36 per cent. This is the only point in the steering linkage where a change increasing the total reduction does not result in increased steering-wheel travel for a given lock. A short drag link or the incorrect alignment of the drag link with the front springs will also result in shocks at the steering wheel when passing over rough roads.

“Minimum steering-wheel travel is important as it makes a change of an examination of the diagram of steering leverages as illustrated in the accompanying figure.

“Clear Vision for Driver

“This very important feature can be accomplished only as a result of joint chassis and body design. The driver should be located close to the left-hand side. This permits him to observe and also to signal his intentions to oncoming traffic. There should be absolutely nothing obstructing his view. He should face clear glass. It should also be mentioned that with single-deck vehicles the placing of the driver well over on the left hand side provides for the very necessary boarding and alighting space for passengers and adequate room for the operation of the door.

“Briefly, a driver's vision should be such that when seated, even back of a closed windshield, he will have nothing on which he can readily concentrate, no vertical posts or obstructions of any kind. He should just naturally sense that he is in the open.

“Comfort And Convenience For Driver

“This is largely a question of seat formation in conjunction with the correct positions for brake, change-speed levers, pedals, accelerator, etc. Obviously, it is not a practical matter to give the driver of a bus as much room as with a touring car; therefore, much care and thought must be paid to the placement of pedals and levers. The conventional cowl as used in automobile practice is almost out of the question, for anything that tends to increase the over-all length of the vehicle is distinctly undesirable, particularly if such increases add nothing to the passengers' seat or pay-load space.

“The driver should be comfortably seated at all times. He should be able to reach his change-speed or brake levers without body movement. He should have ample leg room and not be obliged to cramp his limbs when his feet are either on or off the pedals. The value of the flat floor, from the standpoints of both passengers and driver, is apparent; also the side control without which there is of necessity a considerable loss of valuable space.

“Riding Ability

“The wide frame, track and spring centers bear materially upon this question, for the nearer the wheels are to the outer edge of the body, the less will be the movement to which passengers must be subject when obstacles are passed over. Again, with the wider track, many of the ruts and depressions created by vehicles of narrower gage, will be passed by. Incidentally, this is quite an important matter from the standpoint of road wear. The wide track also diminishes the wheel-pocket projection inside of body. The modern tendency is to employ cross seats, and with the narrow-gage vehicle the wheel pockets are a source of much discomfort to those seated upon the inside immediately over them. A rigid frame, correct axle-load distribution and minimum overhang are all factors that make for better riding performance.

The controlling factor from the standpoint of riding ability is, of course, the design of the suspension itself. Obviously, the difficulty is to obtain good riding under all conditions of load. Spring design is always a compromise; a spring must be able to withstand maximum load, yet vehicles are expected to ride reasonably well when light. As a matter of fact, they seldom, if ever, do so. In general, more damage is done to vehicles when running light than heavy because the riding properties under the circumstances are at their worst and the speed too often is high. Under conditions of heavy load, springs function best, and at the same time there is less likelihood of excess speed.

“We believe that the answer will be found largely in the employment of what we term the progressive spring as illustrated. This is split into two parts. The top half takes the weight of vehicle, body and a certain proportion of load. The bottom part or helper, comes into action progressively. The top part must make a rolling contact with the bottom. One of the great advantages of this system is the fact that for no additional cost or weight, a marked improvement in performance is possible.

“For our single-deck equipment we have standardized the Mack type of rubber shock insulator which is illustrated in the figure. This is by special arrangement with the International Motor Company. We are experimenting with this device for our double-deck vehicle, but as yet are not prepared to state the results. This arrangement, in conjunction with our progressive system, markedly improves the riding conditions. It also avoids the necessity for lubrication and for replacement of shackles, shackle-pins and bushes; also, no spring-eyes are required. Experience up to the present shows that we may expect a very satisfactory life from rubber blocks.

“Silence of Operation

“It is a problem to produce a silent vehicle. It is doubly a problem to retain this state throughout the life of the vehicle. Silence necessitates freedom from engine vibration, quiet transmission gears, evenly stepped gears, a quiet rear end, and generally the elimination of all rattles and squeaks from both body and chassis. To attain this, every detail of design must receive the most minute care. Silent operation is necessary in crowded thoroughfares, and certainly the people demand this condition in the residential areas, particularly at night when the streets are comparatively empty and noises become automatically emphasized. As a rule, noises are tolerated simply because such things are nearly always with us, but in the quiet of the evening sounds that ordinarily pass unnoticed become startlingly evident.

“From the standpoint of silence, our greatest difficulty has been and still is the matter of transmission gears. We employ a four-speed gear and three-speed chain transmission, as shown here, depending upon the class of service and general operating conditions. The shift rods, their bearings and the lock mechanism are of substantial proportions.

“The ratios of the four-speed transmission are almost exactly in geometrical progression. The three-speed transmission is not so satisfactory in this respect but here a compromise is of course necessary. This remark applies to all three-speed jobs. Where grades are severe, four speeds are highly desirable, to cut down ability losses to the minimum. But where roads are practically flat, the advantages of a four-speed transmission are not nearly so marked.

“The silent-chain transmission is particularly useful for city service where there are frequent stops and starts, and where the percentage of direct-gear operation is relatively small. Substantially it is similar to a constant-mesh gear transmission but chains are used in place of gears. The shift is extremely short and very easy to effect. Such transmissions remain quiet throughout their useful life, and from our observation one can expect at least a year's service from the chains, which are cheaper to replace than gears. Chain transmissions are standard practice for London bus service.

“Reliability

“The word ‘reliability’ with a bus attains an entirely new meaning. The entire design must be predicated on ability to give uninterrupted service between clearly defined periods, preferably based on mileage. The ability of a bus to fulfill this requirement with particular reference to the duration of these periods will determine the utility of the design. The public will not long tolerate an unreliable service. Failures with an automobile cause confusion enough, but the number of persons involved as compared with a bus is relatively insignificant.

“Smoothness of Starting and Stopping

“Smoothness of starting is primarily a clutch function, but of course the driver is a factor. Correct gear ratios, a satisfactorily performing engine and proper axle-load distribution are contributing influences. Quick starts and stops are highly dangerous from the viewpoint of possible accidents. Some of the heaviest claims for injuries and damages result in this manner. Apart from injuries to passengers, quick starts and stops do more toward causing damage to the chassis and the bodies than anything else. All driving members are subject to abnormal stresses with the former. With the latter, the fore-and-aft or lateral movement, which of necessity results, causes a loosening up of post joints, paneling, etc., and consequently a very high rate of depreciation.

“Of the various features that make for efficient and economical operation, the clutch is perhaps one of the most important. We employ exclusively a clutch of the single-disk type. The spring pressure is evenly distributed over the entire surface of the friction members by twenty small springs, the levers are balanced against centrifugal force and the disk is exceedingly light, thus simplifying the changing of gears. Incidentally, a clutch stop has been found unnecessary. The removal of the clutch body is an extremely simple operation, as is also the adjustment of the levers.

“Maximum Accessibility

“It is fundamentally necessary that the design of a motorbus be such that inspection and repairs can be carried out quickly and economically. We believe it is imperative that separate unitary construction be followed. For instance, engines, carburetors, all electrical equipment, fans, clutch couplings, transmissions, control levers, axles, wheels and propeller shafts should all be entities unto themselves, so that the repair of any one of these assemblies will not necessitate the removal of any other.

“As a practical illustration, take the orthodox unit power plant and assume it is necessary to renew the clutch friction linings. The propeller shaft, transmission and complete control system must first be taken down, possibly even the engine moved forward. In all probability the vehicle must lose a complete day's service. Compare this for a moment with the relatively simple operation where the separate-unit form of construction is employed, such as with our J or L types. Here we need only remove a few bolts from the clutch coupling and housing. The clutch can then be taken out as a complete unit and the linings replaced within a period of twenty or thirty minutes. To picture this condition, there is illustrated here our form of sub-frame mounting.

“The unitary system, if properly carried out, guarantees minimum loss of bus-hours, minimum operating cost and minimum difficulties from the standpoint of training employees. Obviously, less skill is required on the part of mechanics where they are constantly performing the same operation; here it is simply a question of specialization. But where the construction is such that multi-repair operations are required, the situation is much more complicated. Summing up, to be obliged to remove several units before a faulty unit can be inspected, repaired or replaced, is a condition not to be considered for a moment. Such practice would be ruinous from a public utility standpoint.

“Repairs and adjustments must be occasionally carried out at night, sometimes under most unfavorable conditions. Again, assuming the use of low-level equipment, the design should be such that inspections, repairs and renewals can in practically all instances be undertaken from the sides or underneath the vehicles. This means the use of pits. The practice of providing the trapdoors inside buses is not desirable. Trapdoors weaken the bodies, are a possible source of accidents, cannot be kept tight when in place, permit exhaust gases to leak through, and create undue noise. Experience has shown that it is highly unsatisfactory to carry out chassis repairs from the inside of the body. If this practice is indulged in, claims are bound to result from passengers due to their clothes coming into contact with grease or dirt. Mechanics are sometimes careless and this results in unnecessary damage to the interior fittings, particularly the seat cushions.

“Minimum Consumption of Labor and Material

“From a financial viewpoint, the success or failure of a utility operating buses depends upon the cumulative additions or subtractions of small amounts expended on either labor or material. Sometimes the items may appear insignificant but, taken as a whole and over lengthy periods, the story is entirely different. When working, a bus is a heavy consumer of both labor and material. The consumption is perhaps much greater than is generally supposed. The accompanying table represents the actual consumption by our company of some of the major elements. These figures are based on the average of all buses. A relatively small percentage of saving, if applied to any of the items and then multiplied by a large number of vehicles, must total a vast sum annually.

“Maximum Consumption of Fuel

“Aside from the human elements, the major issue, of course, is the engine. We employ exclusively the sleeve-valve type. From our viewpoint this type possesses certain basic advantages which make for economy of operation. First, taking the question of fuel, high gasoline-economy is possible due to:

1. Absence of valve pockets and the spherically shaped combustion chamber. Incidentally, this permits of high compression being; employed.
2. Positive action of valves at all speeds. With poppet-valve engines, valves at high speeds tend to float due to weak or broken springs.
3. Extraordinarily low friction horsepower.
4. Ideal location of the spark plug.

“Next, there is the question of service. In this respect we believe the sleeve-valve engine has the following advantages:

1. The performance remains reasonably constant throughout the useful life. It is not necessary to make adjustments constantly to permit of satisfactory and uniform behavior.
2. Throughout the useful life the performance tends to improve.
3. Practically no adjustments can be made since there is nothing to adjust. This alone represents a considerable saving in the garage force.
4. Throughout useful life there is little, if any, increase of noise due to wear.
5. Cost of repairs is small since there are very few operations requiring skill.
6. Cylinders never require re-boring. This obviates the necessity of carrying in stock second-standard pistons and rings.

“The performance of a correctly designed engine is largely a function of its carburetor; therefore, a wide variety of results is always obtainable with varied settings. From the graph showing fuel and power output reproduced here it will be noticed that the characteristics of the sleeve-valve engine are rather remarkable. The setting in question is considered as being particularly suitable for type J equipment.

“Expressing the results obtained in another manner, it is interesting to reflect on the fact that during 1921 our entire fleet of buses averaged 50.7 ton-miles per gallon. In connection with the rather remarkable performance which this type of engine delivers in our service, particularly from the standpoint of fuel economy, mention should be made of the carburetor which is of the Zenith type. From an accompanying illustration it will be seen that there is no exterior adjustment. The throttle spindle is A in. in diameter, hardened and ground. There is a total of 4 in. spindle bearing area. There is a gland with a suitable packing at the front end and a blank nut at the other. Conventional designs in many instances have throttle spindles closely resembling wire nails. With the bus there is an abnormal amount of throttle movement, and unless this factor is taken into consideration from the standpoint of design, rapid spindle and bearing wear will take place.

“Minimum Weight

“It seems scarcely necessary here to argue as to the desirability of light weight. These remarks particularly apply to the matter of unsprung weight. Assuming good design, obviously minimum weight means minimum fuel consumption, maximum acceleration and speed, and minimum costs for repairs and renewals.

“From our experience in operating twenty-one different types of buses in the past fourteen years, we believe that the weights and percentages of axle-load distribution given in the above table make for safe and efficient practice.

“Maximum Safe Speed and Tire Mileage

“During 1921 we spent in platform payment, for drivers' and conductors' wages, in round figures, $1,625,000. So, for each 1 per cent economy in speed there is a yearly potential saving of more than $16,000. Looking at the situation another way, the ratio of expenditure between our platform payment and all money expended in connection with repairs and renewals to chassis and bodies, is approximately 5 to 1.

“From this it is clear that, while there are always opportunities to effect a saving in connection with maintenance methods generally, the real solution is to employ the fastest possible safe speed and to drive the vehicles up to the limit of their endurance. This, of course, necessitates all that is best from the standpoint of design. Naturally, to maintain a high average rate of speed, rapid acceleration is essential. But nothing is gained and much lost if the engine power is in excess of actual requirements, for it is bound to be abused. A very real problem is to ascertain with each operation the amount of power required, then to adopt a standard carburetor setting for the purpose of securing its proper control.

“Maximum Tire Mileage

“In the earlier days of bus operation, the tire question was one of our chief anxieties. Today the situation is different, for wonderful improvements have been made in tire manufacturing methods. Of course, there is no sense in decreasing tire expenditures at the cost of the equipment generally. Resilient tires are essential and too great a wear must not be permitted. It is our regular practice to remove a tire immediately the rubber has worn to within 1 in. of the hard base.

“In 1911 our cost per mile for tires was 4.93 cents. From that date on, a steady reduction has been effected. The figure for 1921 was 0.87 cent per mile, and this, of course, includes the use of six tires. From our viewpoint the factors which have permitted this condition to be reached are, in the order of their importance:

1. Better tire manufacturing methods.
2. Improved vehicle design. This Includes decreased weight, particularly unsprung weight, the substitution of metal for wood wheels, etc.
3. Closer supervision from an operating standpoint.
4. Closer supervision from a maintenance standpoint.

“Conclusion

“As the result of long experience in connection with the design, construction and operation of buses, we are convinced more than ever that trucks or automobiles, modified or unmodified, are absolutely incapable of giving satisfactory and economical service if operated as buses. The tendency today is to employ trucks or automobile chassis as buses, or to attempt to modify their construction, then to re-christen them. This is a dangerous policy for both the builder and the user, and it must surely result in dissatisfaction and disillusionment.”

July 1922 Bus Transportation:

“George A. Green, chief engineer and general manager of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, New York, N. Y., has been made vice-president of the company. He will continue his work as general manager and engineer.”

August 1922 Bus Transportation:

“Baltimore Service Increased.; Transit Company Puts Twenty-Three Buses on Charles Street and Druid Hill Lines During July.

“On July 1, the Baltimore (Md.) Transit Company put in operation, on the Charles Street route eleven single-deck Republic Knight-motored buses, with bodies built by the Hoover Manufacturing Company, and four double-deck buses built by the Fifth Avenue Coach Company.

“This equipment replaces buses that had been in operation for six years. The old equipment seated sixteen; the new double-deck buses seat fifty-one, and the single-deck, twenty-five. The new vehicles are of improved design, with much more comfortable passenger facilities in the way of seats, aisle spacing, lights and height of bus floor from the ground.”

September 1922 Bus Transportation:

“Orange County Traction Company Prepares to Use New Permit

“The application made by the Orange County Traction Company, Newburgh, N. Y., to the City Council and the Public Service Commission, for permission to discontinue its north and south lateral lines and operate buses in lieu of the present trolley system, has been granted by both the City Council and the state commission. The company on Aug. 15 placed with the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, New York City, an order for seven of its J type coach. Three have already been delivered, and the others are due to be delivered to the railway before October.”

September 1922 Bus Transportation:

“Three Buffalo Routes Proposed.; Van Dyke Motor Bus Company Asks For Franchise for Extensive Service—R. W. Meade Heads Corporation.

“APPLICATION has been made to the City Council of Buffalo, N. Y., for permission to operate a bus line in Delaware Avenue between McKinley Square and the Buffalo-Kenmore city line. The application was made by the Van Dyke Motor Bus Company, Inc., which has been organized by Richard W. Meade of Mount Kisco, N. Y., who for thirteen years was president and general manager of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company of New York, and from 1919 to 1921 president and general manager of the Detroit (Mich.) Motor Bus Company.

“The new company is capitalized at $625,000 with Mr. Meade as president. The other offices of the company are members of the firm of the Van Dyke Taxicab Company, Inc., and the Van Dyke International Tours, Inc., operating daily bus service between Buffalo and Niagara Falls. Fred A. Van Dyke is vice-president; Franklin H. Brown is secretary, and Melville L. Van Dyke, treasurer. The general executive offices of the company are at 32 Edward Street, Buffalo.

“In its application, the Van Dyke Company asks for a franchise for twenty years, the city to have the right to acquire the system at a fair value plus an additional 15 per cent if acquired within five years, and 10 per cent if acquired after that period and within fifteen years after the commencement of service. The company would pay the city 3 per cent of its gross receipts for the rights contained in the franchise.

“It is proposed to charge a 10-cent fare with free transfers between ail connecting or intersecting lines. Service would be from 7 a.m. until midnight at intervals of twenty minutes or less, except the route proposed through Delaware Park. This would be operated only when traffic requires. Chauffeurs would be licensed by the state and city and all employees would wear uniforms. A bond of $5,000 would be deposited with the city as security for the faithful performance of all obligations under the contract. The company assumes all liabilities for its operation and will indemnify the city against all claims arising there-from. No advertising will appear on the exterior of the buses.

“Speaking of equipment, Mr. Meade explained that double-deck buses seating not more than sixty passengers and single-deck buses seating not more than twenty-five passengers' will be provided. The company proposes to use the latest type of low-level double-deck coaches designed and built by the Fifth Avenue Coach Company. These buses have the upper deck inclosed and seating fifty-one passengers.”

September 1922 Bus Transportation:

“Orange County Traction Company, Newburgh, N. Y., has placed an order with the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, New York City, for seven of its J Type coaches.”

October 11, 1922 New York Times:

“QUITS COACH COMPANY HERE; J.A. Ritchie to Become Head of Chicago Motor Bus Lines.

“The resignation of John A. Ritchie as President of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company was announced yesterday. Mr. Ritchie will go to Chicago to become head of the recently organized Chicago Motor Bus Company. Associated with him in the reorganized company will be John Hertz, President of the Yellow Taxi Company of Chicago; Charles McCullough, a Chicago banker, and William Wrigley Jr., the chewing gum manufacturer.

“Mr. Ritchie has been President of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company since April, 1918. Before that he was operating statistician for the Interborough subway, elevated and surface lines, having been brought by the late Theodore P. Shonts, when President of the Interborough, from the Illinois Central Railroad.”

George A. Green, Fifth Avenue's General Manager had recently delivered a detailed report of Fifth Avenue Coach Company's operations to the Society of Automotive Engineers. A transaction of the entire speech and ensuing discussion appeared in the 1922 edition of the Transactions of the Society of Automotive Engineers:

“MOTOR-BUS TRANSPORTATION

“By G.A. GREEN, M.S.A.E. - General manager and engineer, Fifth Avenue Coach Co., New York City.

“Since the Fifth Avenue Coach Co. of New York is the largest successful company operating motor-buses in this country, the author gives a rather comprehensive description of this company's systems and methods, stating the three main divisions as being the engineering, mechanical and transportation departments, and presenting an organization chart. Departments concerned with finance, auditing, purchasing, publicity, claims and the like, which follow conventional lines, are not considered.

“The engineering, research, mechanical, repair and operating departments are then described in considerable detail. Six specific duties and responsibilities of the research department are stated and six divisions of the general procedure in carrying out overhauls for the operating department are enumerated. Regarding fuel economy, high gasoline averages from the company's standpoint mean economy, well-designed and maintained equipment, and skilled and contented operatives. After elaborating this subject, six definite ways and means that were adopted to secure and maintain high gasoline averages are stated.

“The transportation department is then described and commented upon, the discussion then focusing upon the future possibilities of the motor-bus. In conclusion, the author comments upon the factors that have made this transportation system successful.

“In the design, manufacture, and operation of the motor bus, one must come into contact with practically every field of industry. This paper should be considered as an introduction, for the subject is so far-reaching that one can at best here only touch lightly upon some of the more interesting aspects. The motor-bus industry is of very recent growth. It is, however, rapidly establishing itself in popular favor. Unquestionably, the so-called "jitney" is merely a forerunner. It is, however, fulfilling a useful purpose since it is creating a desire for real bus service. Trackless transportation has unquestionably come to stay and it is confidently anticipated that in the very near future the automotive industry will give this branch of its family something more than a name.

“It is hoped that those who read this paper will not feel that too much space has been devoted to the Fifth Avenue Coach Co. I am expected to give my views on motor-bus operation, and since this company is the only successful one of any size in the United States, it necessarily follows that a rather lengthy description of the coach company's systems and methods must be given.

“The three main divisions of the Fifth Avenue Coach Co., are the engineering, mechanical and transportation departments as shown in the accompanying organization chart. There are, of course, departments concerned with finance, auditing, purchasing, publicity, claims, etc., but these follow conventional lines and no further reference will be made to them.

“Engineering Department

“At the head of the engineering department is the mechanical engineer. His duties and responsibilities are broadly outlined above. It is scarcely necessary to refer in detail to the duties of this department as it follows closely along conventional lines.

“In this paper, space will not permit the question of design to be discussed in detail. It is hoped, however, that in the near future an occasion will present itself to review this most interesting subject. A rather general impression prevails that the average truck chassis can be successfully employed for motor-bus operation. We do not hold this view. There certainly are many instances where modified truck and touring-car chassis have been profitably employed for buses, but in such cases had the right type of vehicle been used much more economical, satisfactory, safe, comfortable and convenient operation would have obtained. Furthermore, where financial failures have occurred, many of these could undoubtedly have been avoided, assuming, of course, the employment of the right kind of vehicle. In my opinion, the average truck chassis is unsuitable for passenger transport be cause the weight is excessive, particularly the unsprung weight, the center of gravity is too high, the gear ratios are unsuitable, the springs are too rigid, the frames, spring and axle tracks too narrow, the turning radius too wide, the steering too stiff, etc. I believe that an efficient bus corresponds very closely to an enlarged touring car. Briefly, it would be just as unsatisfactory to attempt to use a high-class twelve-cylinder touring car for general trucking purposes as it is to expect the average truck to give efficient and economical service when used to haul human freight.

“The development of a new type of vehicle is an exceedingly slow process. Apart from the matter of design, an immense amount of time is necessary to prove out the value of the product. Approximately 25,000 miles of operation is required to find out what is wrong after samples have been placed in operation. One hears of engineers who claim to have completed a design of chassis and put it into production straight from the paper. Our experience has not been so fortunate, although on our engineering staff we have some exceptionally high-grade men. We also avail ourselves of the opinions and advice of many of the best-known engineers holding prominent positions with the larger manufacturers. In spite of this, occasional mistakes do occur; for example, take the manufacturers of ball and roller bearings. They are always asked to approve our layouts but in some instances after approval failures are experienced. Naturally, this is a very serious matter for us since the major part of the losses, such as cost of dismantling assembly, loss of vehicle time, etc., must be borne by us while the bearing manufacturer has only to supply new bearings.

“We have since 1907 operated nineteen different types of chassis produced by domestic and foreign manufacturers ; also twelve different types of bodies; and we have tested nearly all suitable standard engines from four to eight cylinders; also many different types of radiators, clutches, transmissions, axles and chassis frames. In none of these instances did we meet with entire success. No doubt those who have control of the operation of heavy vehicle equipment will appreciate the many difficulties with which we were constantly confronted. Of course, our lack of standardization proved a severe handicap.

“On looking back one cannot escape the conclusion that the design and production of our own equipment was the logical procedure to follow, particularly when one considers the extremely valuable data at our command as a result of experimental and development work plus the known results obtained from the operation of many different types. We certainly were in a unique position because we were able to select the best points from the numerous different types of vehicles operated by ourselves. Furthermore, it was not necessary to take precedent into account, nor to cater to other people's views. Then, again, we had no selling problems. The net result of our effort was the production of complete buses that have to date covered more than 20,000,000 miles. The performance of these vehicles has more than justified our fondest hopes and their operation is so markedly superior to our previous models that no comparison is possible. The enormous saving in gasoline and mechanical maintenance has been sufficient to meet the ever rising costs of labor and material. It is reasonably safe to assume that had we not taken this step the company could never have reached its present position.

“It is difficult to say what the future type of bus will be. Clearly, different cities have different requirements. In all probability, any large operating company will require at least two distinct types, the double-deck for large loads and the single-deck for smaller loads, faster operation, express service, etc.

“Assuming good roads, wide thoroughfares, and reasonable freedom from overhead structures, the fifty to sixty-passenger, very low hung, double-deck vehicle capable of handling a trailer seems to have great possibilities. This class of vehicle jointly operated with the single-deck, one-man controlled, pneumatic-tired bus appears to me as being a logical scheme, especially where peak loads must be handled largely without surface car or subway aid. The development of either type presents immense, but not insurmountable, difficulties. We have been working to this end for several years and our sympathies are with those who may be undertaking a similar service.

“There is just one other point. There are those who believe that the trolley car propelled by a gasoline power unit may supersede the present arrangement. In my judgment this theory will not bear close analysis, for the greatest asset the trolley car has is cheap power. Take this away and the structure falls to pieces. A gasoline propelled trolley car is a bus, less nearly all the advantages of the latter. It is, of course, true that a much lighter and better design of trolley car could be produced and a gasoline power unit embodied in it. It is equally true that the cost of operation of such a vehicle might be less than that of existing types of trolley cars, but my contention is that if the same care and attention to design were applied to the conventional article, still better results would be achieved. The fact is the present trolley car design is more or less crude and out-of-date. They are as a whole built as strong as possible, not as weak as possible, which is a much more logical and economical procedure. To sum up, trolley car design has not marched with the times.

“Research Department

“This department coordinates the work of the design, repair and operating departments. Briefly, the duties and responsibilities of the research department are as follows:

(1) Analysis and recording of all breakages, failures, etc.
(2) Operation of the dynamometer
(3) Continual study of the fuel situation
(4) Testing of materials such as fuels, oils, etc.
(5) Perusal of all trade journals
(6) Standardization program

“As regards the analysis and recording of all breakages, failures, etc., we attach great importance to this matter. The data are tabulated in such a manner that accurate comparisons can be made. Standardized classification sheets are furnished departmental heads weekly. Operating and repair departments are required to forward all broken parts to the research department, where full and complete records are maintained.

“Among other apparatus the research department has a 150-hp. Sprague dynamometer. This is employed for the testing out of all engines, either new or repaired. Of course, it is also employed on work of other kinds.

“A large amount of research work is done in connection with the continual study of the fuel situation. Various kinds of mechanical and chemical gas-saving devices and compounds are constantly under test, as well as thermostatic controls for air and water, carburetor improvements, etc. Our dynamometer equipment permits us to determine the value of these devices speedily. Where merit is shown, further tests are continued on the road under actual service conditions.

“The testing of materials such as fuels, oils, etc., requires scarcely any comment. Obviously, it is necessary to assure ourselves from time to time that the materials delivered are in accordance with the specifications; for example, that the oils possess the required physical properties, that the gasoline is free from impurities, acidity, etc., that the range of boiling points is reasonably satisfactory, that our rubber tires possess the required resiliency, etc.

“The research department is the medium through which we keep posted in regard to all developments in the industry. All trade journals are carefully scanned with this in view. Frequently small tools, methods of doing work and improvements of one kind or another are found in this manner that might otherwise be missed.

“Where improvements are tested and show definite merit, it is the duty of the research department to make recommendations in regard to the embodying of these improvements in our equipment. This is done during the annual overhaul process. This department is also required to find remedies for defects which prevent our vehicles from operating their allotted mileage between general overhauls. Such improvements are also usually embodied during the annual overhaul process, although occasionally we standardize and apply certain minor features at other times.

“Our system of records is very complete. Comprehensive data are kept showing the results obtained from the use of practically every device of any consequence that we have ever built or tested. We make use of photographs wherever it is possible to do so; for example, we photograph our jigs, tools, patterns and our parts grouped under the various sections for use of both stores and mechanics. We obtain invaluable information from the data gathered in connection with service failures.

“Mechanical Department

“The superintendent of equipment has charge of all constructional work including repairs and renewals. He is responsible for the selection, training and discipline of all personnel concerned therewith. His duties and responsibilities are broadly outlined under the chart heading "Mechanical Department." In dealing with this department, I propose to describe in detail only the functions that are peculiar to the bus business.

“In general, the engineering and production problems in connection with the manufacture, maintenance and repair of bodies, chassis and spare parts are thoroughly understood by automotive engineers.

“In describing the transportation department, reference is made to the manner in which we deal with the human side of our business. Much stress is laid on the methods used in connection with the selection and training of our employes. The appointment bureau, association, sunshine work, restaurants, recreation rooms, etc., are also briefly described. Of course, all departments share these privileges and the same general principles obtain in connection with the handling of personnel throughout every department. We are convinced that our success is in no small measure due to the adoption of these principles.

“Practically all departments are dealt with under what we term "Personnel Establishments." These provide a definite number of men and hours for each class of work. Each week a detailed comparison is made up from the actual payrolls and copies are furnished departmental heads concerned. The establishments are very carefully prepared in the first place and from time to time they are revised. The point is that after having allotted a certain number of men and hours for each of the various sections we do not permit of variations either way, since additional hours must denote wasted effort; on the other hand, a decrease might be equally costly in the long run, for assuming our estimates are correct, any decreases must mean the omission of work which ought to be done and which being left undone must eventually result in deferred maintenance, which we know from experience is a very expensive matter. After establishments are approved, any shortages in personnel may be made up without special authority. We find this is particularly helpful, since under these circumstances there is at no time any question as to whether a man who has just been taken on is really wanted.

The Fifth Avenue Coach Story is continued on page 3

© 2004 Mark Theobald - Coachbuilt.com

 

<previous

continued | pg1 | pg2 | pg3

next>

© 2004-2012 Coachbuilt.com, Inc.|books|disclaimer|index|privacy