Life, 1913-01-23 · page 29 of 40
Life — January 23, 1913 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not satire or a political cartoon**—it's a straightforward advertisement for Alco Motor Trucks, published in *Life* magazine circa 1910s-1920s. The page promotes trucks as replacements for horse-drawn transportation across 103 industries. Each section provides specific business examples: a coal company saves 20 cents per ton, a dairy replaces 9 horses with one truck, an ice company cuts costs 66%, etc. The accompanying illustration shows an Alco truck delivering goods while horses pull an old-fashioned wagon—a visual comparison emphasizing progress. The point is commercial persuasion: trucks are faster, cheaper, and more efficient than horses. For modern readers, this reflects a pivotal moment in industrial history when motorized transport was displacing animal labor. The ad's tone—listing concrete savings and company names—targets business owners considering mechanization during America's transition from horse to motor power.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Hundreds of Big Firms Save Money by Alco Trucks One Alco truck is placing six horses; another eight; another ten; another eighteen; another twenty. One saves 66 per cent; another saves 20 cents a ton; another delivers 150 miles a day. Alco trucks are saving in 103 different lines of business. Below are specific instances: Coal 20 Cents Earned Per Ton The Seaconnet Coal Company of Providence, R. 1., save 20 cents a . One Alco owned by the God- frey Coal Company of Milton, Mass., displaces four horses. Contractors Ox One Trip Hanks 18 Teas Carlson & Torell of Hartford, Conn., make 80 miles a day now— horses did well to make ten. John Quinlan of Montreal has four trail- ers attached to his Alco, and hauls on each trip 18 tons. Palmers Bros, ruction Company of San Diego, Cal. move houses with their Alco: Dairies Supplant 9 Horves by Alco One Alco in service of the South Lincotn Dairy Supply Company of Boston, displaces 9 horses. ‘The Alco ttuck owned by Levy Dairy Company of New York replaces & horses. Dry Goods Save 3345 Per Cent on Delivery Costs Lord & Taylor of New York City use their Alco day or night. The Spokane Dry Goods Company is saving 33's per cent. Express $290,000 their Alco lavestmeat Over $290,000 is invested in Alco trucks by express companies. One company has over $136,000 in Alcos ‘The American Express, Company ‘operates 28, the Long Island Ex- press 20, Westcott Express Com: pany 12, Wells Fargo 6. Furniture Save Over $100 Per Meath G. C. Flint & Company of New York now accomplish with one Alco in‘a single day's work what horses required two days. The Kennedy Furniture Company of Chicago have tripled their radius of delivery and save $400 per month. Farmers Increase Profits $22 « Trip Alfred P. Griffith of Azusa, Cal., ‘saves $30'a month in salaries alone his Alco. Charles Siedler of faxville, Mo., profits $22 per trip. Grocers 6 Alcee Replace 36 Horses Each of six Alcos owned by T. C. Jenkins of Pittsburgh displaces siz res, Ice Save 66% Per Cent Over Horses The Hygienic Ice Company of © — Chicago "have done away with three teams at a saving Of 66% per cent over horses. Leather Does Work of 20 Horves The Alco owned by the Wagner Leather Company of Briceland, Cal, displaces 20 horses; five Two Alcos in the service of the Newburg Motor Transportation Company of Los Angeles, displace six 2horse teams. Each ‘loads up in two minutes, Watson & Pittinger of Brooklyn, load lumber on their in two minutes by a special device. Miners Replace 18 Horses ia Alaska Qne Alco owned by the Alaska— Gastineau M: Movers Deliver 150 Miles a Day ‘The Liberty Storage and Ware- house Company of New York have fed_goods in one day formerly three by horses. Bos- 703. of Chicago often de- liver furniture 150 miles. Invest $187,850 in Alcos Refiners have invested $187,850 in Alco trucks. The Gulf Refinin: Company has 17 Alcos,, Standard Qil Company 11, the "Union Oil Company 9. Packers Save by Alco 47 Per Ceat Nearly all the big packers own Alcos—Morris & Company, Swift & Sompany, Armour & Company, and soon. Morris hasten. Roberts & Oake of Chicago have two Al- cos, which together pay a dividend of a7 per cents Motor Trucks 614 ton 5S ton 3'4ton 2 ton Pianos Havl 1,113 Pianes in a Mosth 1,113 pianos moved 2,005 miles in a’ single month is the record of three Alcos owned by Kohler & Campbell of New York. Shoes Costs Cut in Half by Alcos Rice & Hutchins of New En; have cut down their shoe di cost 50 per cent, Soaps Made Longest Delivery oa Record Chas. W. Young & Company of Philadelphia, delivered by Alco three tons of soap across the con- Unent, 4,145 miles—the longest mo- tor truck delivery on record. Textiles Never Lost a Working Day The U.S. Worsted Company's Alco did not lose a single day last winter. Truckmen $8 Saved Every Trip Holzhausen & Duncan of Los Angeles earn $8 a load. The Cart- wright Draying Company, of San Prancisco use a trailer which gives them 8 tons to a trip. If Alco trucks save money in these lines of business, they may save money for you in your line of business. Write today for data about Alco trucks in your own business— contained in the new 112-page book on the Alco. Sent gratis, Address: AMERICAN LOCOMOTIVE COMPANY, 1886 Broadway, NEW YORK Builders of Alco Motor Trucks, Alco Motor Cars and Alco Taxicabs Movers of the World’s Goods since 1835 Division L-2 Capital, $50,000,000 comicbooks.com