Life, 1920-10-07 · page 12 of 56
Life — October 7, 1920 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **WEED Tire Chains advertisement**, not political satire. It targets pedestrians with a safety message about motor vehicle accidents. The visual shows a dramatic scene: a car has struck a pedestrian on a wet street while other vehicles and people look on. The ad's premise is that drivers without tire chains cannot stop quickly on slippery surfaces, making accidents inevitable. The copy warns pedestrians to "look out for cars without WEED Tire Chains," arguing that when drivers equip their vehicles with these chains, accidents "will practically cease to happen." This reflects early automotive-era concerns about traffic safety and the emerging market for tire traction devices. The ad positions WEED chains as a public safety necessity, not merely a commercial product. American Chain Company, based in Bridgeport, Connecticut, manufactured these products.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Mr and Mrs Pedestrian! Look out for ears without-— WEED Tire Chains E VERY CAREFUL whenever you cross a slip- pery street in front of oncoming motor cars. Pedestrians take it for granted that all drivers have their motor cars under perfect control and can make quick stops whenever necessary and under all circumstances. The speed of a vehicle moving toward you is very deceiving. If the driver happens to be one of those careless fellows who so often take chances without Weed Tire Chains, you are likely to be run down. Such a type of driver is powerless to stop in anemergency. He can apply the brakes—yes—but the car will continue its forward momentum or skid over into the curb—one never knows just where it’s going to land. When you consider that motor car accidents occut even on dry streets, you must appreciate how extreme the danger of crossing before cars operating on wet and slippery streets without Weed Tire Chains. Suppose you slipped on the greasy pavement of stumbled in front of one of those chainless cars. In such event the chances are a hundred to one that the most skillful driver would not be able to save you. When ALL motor vehicle drivers “Put on Weed Tire Chains whenever it rains” and use discretion in the manip- ulation of clutch, brakes and steering wheel to assist in meeting the uncertain surface conditions, then accidents under such conditions will practically cease to happen. American Chain Company, Incorporated BRIDGEPORT \@/ CONNECTICUT In Canada: Dominion Chain Company, Limited, Niagara Falls, Ontario Largest Chain Manufacturers in the World ‘The Complete Chain Line—AUl Types, All Sizes, All Finishes—From Plumbers’ Safety Chainto Ships’ Anchor Chain GENERAL SALES OFFICE: Grand Central Terminal, New York City DISTRICT SALES OFFICES: Chicago Philadelphia Pittsburg Portland, Ore. San Francisco comicbooks.comli