The End of the Horse-Drawn Era?

If the experiments which are now being made in several of the large factories should result as successfully as is anticipated, it will be but a short time before the horse will entirely disappear from the streets of our cities. These experiments are in the perfecting of practicable motor carriages. It is reported that the Pope company and the Victor company are each working on the problem and expect within a year or so to be putting self-propelling carriages on the market. The recent visit of President Overman, of the latter company, abroad, it is asserted, has been principally for the purpose of seeing the annual motor vehicle race which takes place in Paris this month, with a view of getting hints for this experiment. The carriage, however, is but the first step. The inventors propose to experiment with the construction of heavy trucks next, and think that they will have a much less difficult problem to deal with in that direction than they have already solved, and that when their machines are completed and once in use, they will rapidly take the place of all wagons drawn by horses, so far, at least, as the cities are concerned. Certainly the improvement of the condition of the streets which would follow from the general use of motor vehicles and the consequent disappearance of horses, are instantly apparent. The work of keeping the streets clean would be much lighter, for one thing, and the paving problem would also be much easier of solution.