Life, 1901-07-04 · page 2 of 20
Life — July 4, 1901 — page 2: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Electric Launches Advertisement This page is **not a cartoon or satire** — it's a straightforward advertisement for The Electric Launch Company of Bayonne, New Jersey. The ad promotes two boat types: electric launches powered by storage batteries, and gasoline-powered cabin cruising launches using "Globe" engines. The electric boats are marketed with appeals to safety ("can't explode"), cleanliness (no heat, smoke, or smell), and economy (less than 3 cents per mile). Two photographs show the launches in use as family recreational boats. The ad reflects early-20th-century competition between electric and gasoline technologies for small vessels, positioning electric power as the safer, cleaner alternative — a pitch that ironically echoes modern electric vehicle marketing over a century later.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
se Electric Launches ©". Storage Battery Power. CAN’T EXPLODE. All Motive Power below Flooring and Water-line. Will run 50 to 75 miles on one charge, at an expense of less than 2 cents per mile. They can be used everywhere with our Independent Charging Plants, but Charging Stations in large numbers are rapidly being developed in all parts of the country. ALSO CABIN CRUISING LAUNCHES eanipped with the well-known “GLOBE” GASOLINE ENGINE {Under an arrangement just concluded with the Pennsylvania Iron Works Co., of Phila., Pa.] Write for FOR LONG-DISTANCE SERVICE Catalogues thus supplying, beyond all question, the finest type of gasoline powered vessels. The Electric Launch Co., 173 Ave. A, ro PAYONNE CITY, No J. AN IDEAL FAMILY LAUNCH. COPYRIGHT FOR GREAT BRITAIN BY JAMES HENDERSON UNDER THE ACT OF 1801. comicbooks.com