Whether we’re talking about human nature
and our tendency to be creatures of habit or the fact that comparable ideas are
sometimes reborn in different packages, history does indeed have a way of
repeating itself. A few years ago, I
wrote about the twin axle steering system that was offered in some Chevy
trucks. The basic idea is one that had
been around for quite a while. In fact,
the wood-wheeled wagon industry had generated multiple patents on the concept at
least 140 years ago.
Similarly, the use of aluminum in work
vehicles is not a new notion. With that
in mind, most readers are likely aware that the 2015 Ford F150 trucks have
received a lot of press for using an aluminum-alloy versus steel in the new
truck bodies. While the switchover left
many with reservations, this 21st century announcement is far from
the first time a well-known vehicle brand engaged the properties of aluminum instead
of relying on heavier metalwork. In 1893,
the legendary Studebaker Bros. Manufacturing Company demonstrated a level of
superior craftsmanship as well as innovative thinking by creating a first-of-its-kind
wagon utilizing aluminum in place of all of the vehicle metal – except for the
steel tires. The wagon was initially
unveiled at the Columbian Exposition (Chicago World’s Fair) that year.
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This 1893 wagon was especially built with aluminum hardware and structural supports to showcase Studebaker craftsmanship and innovation. |
Eleven years later, Studebaker again
displayed the well-known aluminum wagon at the 1904 World’s Fair in St.
Louis. At this huge, internationally
recognized event, Studebaker had one of the largest carriage and wagon displays
with 75 different vehicles exhibited.
Among those pieces were exquisite broughams, victorias, depot wagons,
coupe rockaways, extension and canopy top surreys, phaetons, top buggies,
runabouts, road wagons, farm wagons, coal wagons, express and truck wagons,
sheep camp wagons, mountain wagons, and electric as well as gasoline powered
autos.
Perhaps the most extraordinary vehicle
in the group was the “Aluminum Wagon.”
At the time, this precious metal was quite expensive and working it
required exceptional skill levels. The
August 1904 issue of “The Carriage Monthly” carried a detailed description of
the wagon...
“This metal is
adaptable to mechanical and manufacturing purposes by reason of its extreme
lightness, great malleability, tensile strength, beauty, and freedom from
oxidation or loss of luster by exposure to the weather.
It required 149
pounds and 2 ounces of the new metal to fit up the wagon, whereas if iron had
been used the quantity required would have been three times as great or 447
pounds. All the metal comprising bolts,
nuts, screws, rods, clips, braces, chains, nails, etc. are made from solid
aluminum. Steel tires are burnished and
plated and glisten like a mirror. The
feat of using aluminum has never been attempted before, and has not been
imitated since the wagon has been built.
The accomplishment of such a work as the Studebaker Bros. Mfg. Co., will
be appreciated by mechanical experts as an achievement of no ordinary
character. The aggregate labor in making
and finishing the wagon represented an expenditure of four hundred and
twenty-four and one-half days, at a total cost for the wagon of $2,110.68.
The box or body
has a remarkable history. It is made of
rosewood, inlaid with a border of holly, and the 35 medals awarded to the
company since 1852. The inscription of
the box is in raised gold letters. The
rosewood log weighed 1,505 pounds and cost $230.80. It had to be large enough to cut out box,
sides, and ends to suit. This log was
cut in the province of Belmonte, Brazil and was brought down the Belmonte River
for a long distance in huge canoes, thence by barge to Bahia, Brazil and thence
to New York by steamer. The Astoria Veneer
Mills, of New York, the importing firm, state that it was by the greatest good
fortune that the log was secured, and the probabilities are that years will
elapse before another one like it will appear in the market. It required the services of a woodworker
three months to prepare the wood for the finisher, and 36 different processes
were gone through to bring it to its present state of finish and polish.
The usual
striping and corner scrolls are imitated with white holly, all inlaid into
mahogany, and the name of the firm is in solid gold raised letters, in the shape
of a graceful ribbon pattern placed in the center of the side panels of the
box.”
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These additional photos of the Studebaker ‘Aluminum Wagon’ show some of the exceptional detail of the vehicle. It remains a showpiece today and is on display at the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, Indiana. |
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