From Our Montreal Correspondent.
Page 14
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The ordering of three motor trucks by the Montreal City Council from the W. E. Seagrave Co., at a cost of $20,650, for the use of the fire brigade, marks another advance in the general using of motoit cars in the city. Chief Tremblay, of the fire brigade, is a very strong advocate of the motor in brigade work, and if he had his way would entirely do away with the horses. While it costs the city $35,000 a year to keep the horses of the fire brigade, the Chief states that if all the horses were replaced with moi ors the cost would be reduced to $1.0.00o a year. As Chief Tremblay generally gets his way in the end. it is certain that before long the horse will be extinct so far as brigade work is concerned. One of the cars ordered is a hose wagon double elie size of the or dinary wagons in use ; it will contain 2,000 ft. of hose instead of 1,000 ft. The wagon will have a special feature in a tut-yet tower, which can be connected with the fire-engines for fighting heavy fires in lower stories of buildings. The other two trucks are for hitching ahead of an ordinary fire-engine, and of an
extension ladder. It would be well for British
makers of fire cars to watch the tenders of the City Council closely, for now that Chief Tremblay has got these three cars through he will not be long before he gets others. It is explained that the Seagrave Cu. got the order because it is a regular manufacturer of fine apparatus. This reason would apply equally favourably to several makers in the Old Country. Two years ago there were at the most only three motor trucks in the streets of Montreal. To-day, there are at least 50, irrespective of numerous light delivery motorvans and those in public service, and local agents of various car manufacturers have found it extremely difficult this summer to cope with the demand. This has induced a leading local firm of carriage and wagon builders, who are also agents for motor trucks, to put down a plant for the construction of motor trucks to carry from 1,500 lb. to seven tons. .A well-known dry goods establishment in the city used two motorvans this summer, one of two tons and the other of three tons capacity ; they say that for long-distance journeys they are indispensable. They can deliver comfortably round the Island of Montreal—a distance of about 60 miles— between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. in half the time taken by horses. The transfer people are also taking to motor trucks, and one company, which has a three-tonner, speaks in the highest terms of its usefulness. Brewery and mineral water companies are also using motor trucks. As an instance of hill-climbing powers, a three-ton trucik had a full load of 9,000 lb. of goods placed on iL, carrying besides the helpers totalling six men, and it negotiated one of the most-difficult hills in the eity with the greatest of ease. The comparative costs of operating such a three-ton truck and a horsedrawn wagon are estimated here to be as follow, ineluding drivers, per month: three-ton truck, costing i41,:135, total cost per month $266 93c. ; 2/F horse! rucks of three tons capacity, making 16 miles per day each, costing $2,175, total per month $326 58e. The receipts at the offices of the Provincial Revenue authorities point to the tremendous increase in the
ember of motors of all kinds in Montreal and district.