Life, 1914-05-07 · page 35 of 52
Life — May 7, 1914 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **purely an advertisement**, not satire or political content. Gray & Davis, Inc. (Boston) is marketing their automobile electrical system to potential car buyers around 1910-1920. The page argues for their "Two-Unit System"—separate starter motor and generator—versus competitors' "Single-Unit" designs that combined both functions. The three images show the two components side-by-side. The sales pitch emphasizes: - **Specialization works better**: Like "two-man teams of specialists," separate units each do one job well - **Reliability**: If one fails, the other still functions (critical when starting cars was difficult) - **Proof**: Six years of real-world use on various vehicles For modern readers: this reflects early automotive technology debates, when electric starters were still relatively new and manufacturers competed on system design. The "emergency" section illustrates genuine concerns—a car breakdown meant being stranded without modern roadside assistance. The advertisement targets showroom visitors who would actually evaluate such technical specifications before purchase.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Why two Units are better than one HEN you call at automobile show-rooms, much of the salesman’s discussion will nat- urally be about the starting-lighting system. You will find two general methods of generating current and cranking the engine. In one type of system, the dynamo or generator and the starting motor are combined in a Single Unit. In the Gray & Davis Starting-Lighting System, these units are separate and work independently. With a few simple facts before you, you will soon decide in favor of the Two-Unit system. The Single-Unit system is a good all ‘round device, but because of the design must divide its efforts between two widely different tasks. The combination of generator, starting motor, and in some instances an ignition system, requires more or less compromise. The Two-Unit Gray & Davis System may be compared to a two-man team of specialists, each having a separate task. Together these separate units are naturally in a position to give better service than a single unit having two, or perhaps three duties. How Both Systems Work In the Single-Unit system the starting motor arma- ture constantly revolves. In the Gray & Davis System, this armature works only when called upon to crank the car. On the average auto- mobile this work amounts to about 50 hours a year. Dur- ing the same length of time, a car equipped with a Single- Unit system running 4 hours a day, forces its starting motor armature to revolve 1460 hours, In the Two-Unit System there is absolutely no need of mechanical compromise because each separate unit has but one function to perform. The dynamo is a sturdy, reliable generator. The starting motor is simplified to a point where it uses no more power than is absolutely necessary. What happens in Emergencies Suppose, in a Single-Unit system an accident disables the generating function. The entire system will be affected. Should the starting function give trouble, the chances arc that the entire system will be put out of commission. With two distinct units, as in the Gray & Davis System, accident may impair the starting motor but the dynamo still continues to generate. The lighting efficiency is in no way impaired. Should the Gray & Davis dynamo be temporarily out of commission, the starting motor continues to crank the en- gine as long as there is a charge in the battery. Six years of proof We have manufactured automobile equipment for 15 years. During the past 6 years we have specialized in electric starting-lighting equipment. This work has been under the personal direction of one of the world's greatest experts in dynamo and motor con- struction. The Gray & Davis dynamo has been in service six years. The starting motor has been in use over two years on all types of pleasure cars and on several motor and fire department trucks. Road service has proved beyond doubt the absolute soundness of the Two-Unit System. You will find the Gray & Davis Starting-Lighting Sys- tem on leading cars in every price class. When an automobile salesman says, “ Yes, this car has complete Gray & Davis equipment,” you may count upon unvarying efficiency and reliability. , All the facts about starting-lighting systems are told in our latest catalog. A copy will be sent you on re- ques! GRAY & DAVIS, Inc, BOSTON, MASS, . Le Vy}