Life, 1916-05-11 · page 3 of 48
Life — May 11, 1916 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **product advertisement** for Weed Chains—tire chains for automobiles—rather than political satire. The page argues that chains should be installed on **all four tires**, not just rear wheels as was common practice. The advertisement compares front-wheel skidding to train wheel problems, warning that front-wheel skids caused many automobile accidents. It positions chains as safety equipment comparable to bicycle riders' need for wheel control. The imagery shows a locomotive (left) and an early automobile (right), contrasting established rail technology with newer automotive safety needs. The manufacturer—American Chain Co., Bridgeport, Connecticut—uses this editorial-style argument (attributed to *Scientific American*) to promote their product as essential for accident prevention.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Front Wheel Control Weed Chains on front tires of motor cars are as necessary as flanges on front wheels of locomotives. The front wheel skid is the greatest cause of the many automobile accidents which keep the newspaper columns sprinkled with harrowing accounts. Appreciating this fact The Scientific American in the following editorial advocates the use of Tire Chains on the front as well as rear wheels: “The majority of automobile owners fit chains to the rear wheels only, and appear to consider this ample insurance against accidents from skidding, but this practice is a doubt- ful economy, for, although the rear wheels, thus armed, may hold the road fairly well, the really bad accidents too often result from the inability of the driver to control the course of his machine. Any old bicycle rider knows that he can retain the control of his machine and maintain his balance when the rear wheel skids badly as long as the front wheel holds its grip on the road, but that he becomes helpless whenever the front wheel slides. The same conditions are true in the case of the automobile, but in an exaggerated degree, for its weight and the average speed both tend to make the grip of the front wheels on the road precarious, and a skidding front wheel is not much different from a broken steering gear in the possibilities of disaster. Recognizing these facts, it is apparent that chains are fully as necessary on the front wheels as on the rear.” To use Weed Chains only on rear tires means to have your car only half protected. Put Weed Chains on all four tires at the first indication of slippery going and you will have quadruple protection against injury, death, car damage and law suits. Weed Chains Are Sold for All Tires by Dealers Everywhere AMERICAN CHAIN CO. Inc.. BRIDGEPORT, CONN. Sole Manufacturers of Weed Anti-Skid Chains th “3 acs In Canada—DOMINION CHAIN CO., Ltd., Niagara Falls, Ontario. comicbooks.com