Life, 1920-01-22 · page 6 of 36
Life — January 22, 1920 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is **primarily an advertisement**, not editorial satire. It promotes Weed Anti-Skid Chains for automobile tires. The ad uses a cautionary approach: it shows a car skidding and emphasizes financial waste from tire damage during skids. The quoted "Chief Engineer of the International Motor Company" warns that skidding causes severe tire wear—like money literally vanishing into a street cleaner's scraper. The message is straightforward safety marketing: wet or slippery roads make skidding inevitable unless tires have anti-skid chains. The visual metaphor of money pouring out reinforces the economic argument for purchasing the product. This reflects early 20th-century automotive concerns about winter driving safety and the expense of tire replacement before modern tread designs existed.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
here your" tire money goes. when you skid- Every time you skid you wear off miles and miles of tire service. It’s like so many dollars being thrown in front of the street cleaner’s scraper. Loss of traction always means loss of tire money. Chief Engineer of the International Motor Company, A. F. Masury, says: “Sliding the wheels of railroad cars causes flat wheels. If sliding a hardened steel tire over a smooth steel rail for afew seconds can so abrade the wheel that its pounding will crack 150-Ib. rails, fancy the damage toa rubber tire in skidding or sliding over a stone or concrete road. “No matter how carefully and skillfully you drive when roads are wet and slippery, it is next to impossible to avoid skidding unless your tires are equipped with Anti-Skid Chains— auch as Weed Chains."" Weed Anti-Skid Chains For Protection and Preservation 4 ains insure safety, economy and tire protection put them on “At the First Drop of Rain” AMERICAN CHAIN COMPANY, INC. BRIDGEPORT \o/ CONNECTICUT In Canada: Dominion Chain Company, Limited, Niagara Falls, Ontario Largest Chain Manufacturers in the World The Complete Chain Line—.i!t Types, All Sizes, All Finishes—From Plumbers’ Safety Chain to Ships’ Anchor Chain GENERAL SALES OFFICE: Grand Central Terminal, New York City DISTRICT SALES OFFICES: Boston Philadelphia Chicago — Pittsburg = New York Portland, Ore. San Francisco comicbooks.com