Romance of the Automobile

I am no conspiracy buff but the amount of information that wickipedia can link you with is astounding. There were a few more pictures of the overpass, like the one from the old book, confirming that it is the same bridge.







Nice car, Mr. President.

Went to Wikipedia and looked at their virtual map of Dealey Plaza. Here's my best guess:

Kennedy was shot ON THE OTHER SIDE of this overpass, which his car then sped through on the way to the hospital (would have been passing you if you were the photographer). In the back you can see on the bridge, from L to R: ELM, MAIN, and COMMERCE. From this angle the TSBD would have three rows of windows from left to right; the large building in this photo has more than that.

I have too much time on my hands.

Thats what the view looked like to me, does the third building to the rear look like the depository? Was the road offpass Elm? Do any one of the buildings in the rear look familiar? Was the area to the left the future "Grassy Knoll"? There was dirt backfill around the rail overpass to build parking? Its fun to speculate when finding an old image.

Study And Think
Before one goes out on the road as a driver, he must carefully study the automobile and thr relation of the parts to the whole. He must appreciate the problem the driver has in traffic. He must know about obsticles and pedestrians. He must further consider the relation of the individual to society and know the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of each. Unless he has considered the whole problem, it is dangerious for him to drive. Unless he has studied carefully the subject of speed, light, vision, strength, reaction time, fatigue, the possibility of mechanical defects, human weaknesses,and dangers of the road, he is not prepared to venture out at the wheel of an automobile. A careful driver is thoughtful.

Looks a lot like Dealey Plaza but from the wrong angle (Kennedy's car would have been driving away from you--it went under the overpass on the way to Parkland Hospital). I don't think that's the schoolbook depository, which had and has semi-circular windows along the next to last floor. This one doesn't.

The Automobile has been one of the greatest factors in the development of this country. In the days of the horse and buggy, distances were measured in miles; today, because of the automobile, they are literally measured in minutes. We all know the value, benifits, and efficency of the automobile. Few of us consider the dangers. Since the automobile may be as deadly as a machine gun when placed in the hands of a person who is unfamiliar with it, a simple, brief explanation of its operation follows.

The text goes on to explain the engine, the lubrication system, the clutch, the steering system, and brakes. There are many old illustrations, this was magic at this time!

Many drawings of modern highways are pictured, early cloverleafs and divided highways, all look like they would be safe at speeds lower than 55mph.
There was one interesting photo of an overpass in Dallas that looked like the location of an event that shook America 27 years later. Am I correct is this a 1930's picture of the school book depository?

this is the best closeup I could scan

Speed and Control
Most cities have a speed limit of from 10 to 20 miles per hour in congested districts. In residential districts, the limit is generally 5 or 10 miles greater; in the suburbs, 30 to 35 miles per hour is about the average. These limits are merely yardsticks of measurement for top speed. A good driver observes these limits.

This is a quote from a chapter, speed, written by James Fitzgerald, Ph. D in the year 1937. As you open the volume, in the first pages they use a prototype Cord with inboard headlights as an example of modern automobile progress compaired to the 1897 Oldsmobile.

Speed And Tire Wear
Driving at a high rate of speed is hard on tires. Automobile companies and others have made extensive tests with regard to the increased costs of operation when cars go at various speeds. Figure 27 shows the decrease in the life of the tire as speed is increased. One of the main functions of the tires is to give good traction so that the main power of the engine can drive the car and so the car will not scid. If tires are abused, a blow-out or a skid may cause an accident.
If an engine develops 30 horsepower at 30 miles per hour, at 60miles per hour the engine must theoretically produce four times as much power, or 120 horsepower. This power is being transmitted to the road through the rear tires.<or front for Cord?> While the distance covered is only twice as great in the same time,the wear on the tire is about four times as great. The tire life will be greatly reduced at high speed. The tire life will also be further reduced by the excessive heat generated by the fast speed. If the tires do not have good traction, the power is transformed into heat between the tire and the road. Every time the tire goes over a bump, a depression in the road, or piece of rock, it is depressed, causing the layers of cord to slide on one another; thus additional heat is generated. The tires are a saftety device if used properly, a source of danger if misused.
Tires
Proper inflation of the tires is very important. Get information on the recommended pressure for your tires, then check them twice a week. When a tire is run with to little air, it overheats, weakens , and is likely to blow out.Too much air is also bad, especially on a long trip. When the tires carry, say thirty-five pounds normal pressure, and they are inflated in the morning before a long trip on a hot sunny day, the pressure may increase as much as seventy-five pounds by the middle of the day.A blowout may be the result of excessive pressure. So it is a good policy to check tire pressure after an hour or two of driving.

What these old paragraphs seem to say is tire tech was limited to the bias natural fibre materials and very low speed roads of the time. From the old photos I have seen riding on bald tires was not unusual and there were many retreads. The reproduction tires and balancing we have today is a far cry from what was used in the thirties.

Closeup scan of Cord in Beverly Hills?


Dedication

To the Young Driver:

May he realize his responsibility and
attain sanity in driving his automobile
on the highways of our country


That was written 70 years ago and still has merit