Automatic Age

November, 1931
A u t o m a t ic A g e
14
m akes th e c o m m u n ity a c tiv ity possible. H e
req uire s o nly 16 by 24 fe et o f g ro u n d space.
is a m a n
I t is 108 fe et h ig h , the e q u iv a le n t o f a ten-
o f th e ty pe th e
c o u n try needs,
th e in d e p e n d e n t b usiness m a n w h o c o ntro ls
s to ry
his o w n in s titu tio n a n d depends u p o n
o w n reso urce fuln e ss to m a k e i t a success.
space fo r tw e n ty - fo u r cars.
The firs t o f
th e p a r k in g “ m a c h in e s ” to be b u ilt in C h i­
H is m e th o d s m a y n o t a lw a y s be th e best,
cago w ill be a d ou ble u n it, a c c o m m o d a tin g
but
th e y
are
his
and
not
th ose
his
w h ic h
b u ild in g ,
and
fo rty - e ig h t cars, a n d
it
provides
p a r k in g
o c cu p y in g 32 b y 24
som eb o dy else h a s h a n d e d to h im ; a n d th a t
feet, a c c o rd in g to F re d T. W h it in g , n o r th ­
is w o rth c o nsid e rin g .
I f b y e xch ang e o f
w est d is tr ic t m a n a g e r o f th e W e s tin g h o u s e
ideas
can
co m p a n y .
w ith
others
he
im p ro v e
th e m
t h a t is a re a l g a in , b u t even if he fa lls
s h o rt o f p e rfe c tio n a fte r re c e iv in g a ll po s­
sible assistance, he is s till a v a lu a b le asset
to th e c o u n try because he m u s t be a m a n
w ho stan ds o n his o w n fe et, th in k s w ith
his o w n b ra in s , ta c k le s h is o w n p ro ble m s
an d m a in ta in s a n in d e pe n de n ce w h ic h is
The m a c h in e w h ic h w a s developed b y W .
o . R u g g , vice-president o f W e s tin g h o u s e ,
a n d H . D. Ja m e s , engineers, offers a p la u s i­
ble so lu tio n o f the p a r k in g pro ble m .
Th(
e q u ip m e n t has been term ed a “ m a c h in e ”
r a th e r th a n a b u ild in g by th e le g a l d e p a r t­
m e n t o f th e city , w h ic h ha s g iv e n a n o p in io n
im po ssible to m o s t o f those w h o m a y be
tu rn e d a d r ift a t a n y tim e b y th e a c tio n
t h a t th e c ity ha s a m p le a u th o r ity to use
o f som eb o dy else.
citize ns
of th a t
T he c o u n try needs m ore
ty p e a t th is
tim e , w h e n
b e w ild e rm e n t is th e p r e v a ilin g c o n d itio n
a n d m a n y o f th e people are lo o k in g to
C o n g i’ess o r to g re a t business le ad e rs or
le arn ed e con o m ists to sho w th e m a rea d y ­
such p o rtio n s o f c ity streets a n d alley s as
w ill n o t in te rfe re w ith th e o rd in a r y h a n d ­
lin g o f c ity traffic fo r p a r k in g e q u ip m e n t.
The m a c h in e provides a n in d e p e n d e n t re ­
ceptacle or c ra d le fo r each a uto m o b ile ,
m a d e ro a d o u t o f th e w ilde rn e ss, w h ic h
th e y can s a fe ly fo llo w lik e sheep t r a ilin g
w h ic h re m a in s in the crad le u n t il delivered.
W it h th is m e th od a c a r is delivered in one
m in u te ’s tim e , a n d no h a n d s h a ,re a t a n y
tim e touched th e car. There are th re e g e n ­
a fte r the b e llw e th e r. W h a te v e r citize n s o f
th is ty p e can do b y c o o p e ratio n in the
an a ly s is o f th e ir c o m m o n p ro b le m s an d
e ra l m e thods fo r o p e ra tin g th e p a r k in g m a ­
c hin e ,a ll o f w h ic h are s u b s ta n tia lly the
sam e co ntro l. I t o perates by u s in g d iffe r ­
la y in g o u t a n d fo llo w in g a s ou nd p ro b le m
w ill m a k e f o r th e ir g re a te r in d iv id u a l effi­
e n t m a s te r sw itches, co ntro lled e ith e r by a
ciency a n d th e q u ic k e r r e tu r n
c o u n try to b e tte r co n d itio n s.
of
th e
W o r l d ’s L a r g e s t
V e n d in g M a c h in e
N o w comes news o f the w o rld ’s la rg e s t
v e n d in g m a c h in e in w h ich a coin co ntro l
system d e liv ers y o u r a u to m o b ile to you
w h en yo u come fr o m th e show or fr o m
sh o p p in g .
S o m e th in g u n iq u e in the b u ild in g lin e —
a s kyscrap er g a ra g e t h a t is n o t a b u ild in g
b u t a m a c h in e — is to be erected in C h ic a ­
go ’s d o w n to w n d is tr ic t. The device, a pro d ­
uc t o f W e s tin g h o u s e E le c tric a n d M a n u fa c ­
t u r in g C o m p an y , p ro b a b ly w ill be erected
on one o f th e v a c a n t lots in th e d o w n to w n
d is tr ic t now b e in g used fo r open-air p a r k ­
in g .
The p a r k in g m a c h in e , w h ic h operates on
the p r in c ip le o f th e endless b e lt conveyor,
© International Arcade Museum
key system , a series o f p u sh b u tto n s o r a
coin slot device.
The m a c h in e in c o rp o ra te s com plete sa fe ­
ty devices. I t c a n n o t be ope rate d a u to m a tic ­
a lly w h en the doors are open or i f a n y pe r­
son is in side th e inclo sure . T he c o ntro l can
be tr a n s fe r re d fr o m a u to m a tic to m a n u a l
o nly by a n a u th o riz e d person u s in g a key
fo r o p e ra tin g th e tr a n s fe r sw itch. A n ex­
p e r im e n ta l
s ta tio n
at
East
P itts b u r g h ,
h a n d lin g 1 4 4 cars, ha s been in successful
o p e ra tio n fo r m ore th a n a y e a r .— C h i c a g o
D a ily
N ew s.
P e n n y Id e a s o n S c a le s
A m a n u f a c tu r e r suggests t h a t m e rch a n ts
accept scales fr o m - perators on a f a i r com ­
m issio n basis d u r in g these tim es, r a th e r
th a n tr y to b u y th e scale o u tr ig h t.
It m ay
be a good tim e fo r ope rato rs to b u ild u p a
route o f scales w hen m e rc h a n ts w a n t a 1!
the incom e th ey can g et w ith o u t a n y a c tu a l
o u tla y on th e ir own p a r t.
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