Life, 1913-01-09 · page 21 of 100
Life — January 9, 1913 — page 21: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **commercial advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. The Gramm Motor Truck Company uses practical argumentation to persuade horse-dependent businesses to switch to motorized trucks. The page contrasts winter horse-hauling difficulties (accidents, slower speeds, damaged equipment, veterinary costs) against the truck's all-weather reliability. The small inset cartoon shows an old horse-drawn cart struggling in snow, implicitly mocking outdated transportation while the main illustration depicts the modern Gramm truck confidently navigating urban streets. The pitch targets business logic: one truck replaces three to five teams year-round, and performs equally in zero-degree weather or summer heat. This addresses real industrial-era concerns—winter was genuinely costly for delivery services reliant on horses. The tone is earnest problem-solving rather than humorous. It represents the automobile industry's early efforts to convince skeptical business owners that motorization was economically rational, not merely fashionable.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
GRAMM TRUCKS: Anticipate and prepare WHEN the temperature goes down your horse-hauling expense goes up. The first flurry of snow forces your horses to work slower than ever. The first ice coated pavements are responsible for the thousands of accidents, falling horses, maimed horses, and horses that have to be shot. The piling up of snow in the streets means fewer deliveries per mile, smaller delivery radius, and more out of patience customers. The huge snow drifts that form in the outlying and suburban districts, which your horses are absolutely unable to buck, mean a transportation expense, which, in the eyes of ordinary business judgment, is a rank extravagance. The cost of hauling mer- chandise (by horse) in the winter has, in some instances, been found to be greater than the profits on the goods delivered. Winter, to the horse-hauling man, means perishing horses, damaged equipment, costly veterinary bills, and big losses due to dis- satisfied customers. Those merchants and manufacturers who still stick to the horse, lose hundreds of thousands of dollars every single winter, which can be saved. As you cannot change or control the weather the solution lies in changing your equipment, The Gramm truck is as efficient in zero weather as it is in June. And in June one Gramm truck can do the work of at least three first- class teams. In some cases one Gramm truck can accomplish as much as four and even five teams, but this varies, according to the nature of your business. Gramm trucks will plow clean through big snow drifts, without a bit of effort; will not be affected by a gale or a blizzard; cannot slip, slide or fall; operate as easily over icy pavements as over asphalt; do thirty miles of work at 10° below zero as readily as at 70° above; in short, will make as many delivery stops in the teeth of a terrific snow storm as on the Fourth of July. The rapid approach of winter is something every transportation man must face. Anticipate a little this winter. Think now, not after the season is too far advanced. Prepare for what you know is bound to happen. Be ready for the most costly hauling period of the year. The Gramm truck has been in use for over ten years. It is built by practical truck builders in the largest individual truck plant in America. It is the most highly developed and practical truck built. We have studied transportation requirements and problems for years. What you are up against we can solve. We will be glad to send our nearest representative or maybe you would prefer to call. Gramm transportation plans, equipment, facts and figures are worth your most careful consideration. All advice and information gratis. (Please address Dept. 10) The Gramm Motor Truck Company, Lima, Ohio ES SE comicbooks.com