Untitled Document

Remember when...?

From July 1956:

“Reminiscence” by Sam Johnson, Chief Locating Engineer, Idaho Dept. of Highways

Remember back when the horse and buggy was the surest way of going from place to place? The end of that came with the invention of the horseless carriage, now called the automobile. With that change came the rapid development of transportation and the many changes associated with it.

The horseless carriage was helpless when the weather changed the road to a sea of mud. The automobile required better roads and service to keep the machine running and to supply it with the necessary gas, oil, air, and water.

It has been established that the first service station came into being in Seattle in 1907. Here a garage owner, in trying to please his customers, set a barrel high in the air, attached a garden hose to it and made a gasoline pump. While this was an improvement over the older method of funnel and can, it caused some question as to the customer getting full measure. This prompted the installation of a float and gauge in the barrel, calibrated to show the amount delivered.

Soon gas gauges began appearing on the tanks of the cars, and then the gauge on the dash panel. It was interesting to note the advance of the service station age. Among the first methods of serving the customers was a barrel pump, where each turn of the pump crank delivered one gallon of gas.

Later the same crank was set over a submerged tank of 500 to 1,000 gallon capacity, and the cranking went on.

Soon the glass-top containers began to appear. These containers were marked on the side to show the gallons delivered. Now we have the pumps, which show everything, even how much the bill will be.

The first service stations had no compressed air for tires, so you paid for muscle to pump up your tire or repair one. Soon the "Free Air" signs began to appear as compressors became available, until now you don't hardly find stations without free air no more.

Water was also in cans, or you pumped it out of a well. No antifreeze was available, so you drained your car each night when there was danger of freezing. If you went to a movie or any affair where your car had to stand out for several hours, you had a heavy blanket to throw over the radiator and motor.

Those who used their car to any extent carried a full kit of supplies. This included a gallon of oil, two gallons of gas, some extra water, a spare tire, and several tubes, air pump, oil can, grease gun, fuses, and light bulbs, as well as a full set of tools.

All cars were hand-cranked and it was usually a two-man job to get started. One would do the cranking, while the other would retard the spark to eliminate kicking and ultimate broken arms. As soon as the motor snorted, the fellow at the controls advanced the spark and gas to keep her running. It usually took several attempts before "she" really got going. It was a common sight to see one car towing the other to get it started. Most service stations had a car or small truck in readiness for this purpose.

Rest rooms were the old "chick sales" type, with a good supply of catalogs and a few magazines for relaxed reading.

Soon after World War 1, the motor vehicle came into use as a necessary part of our life and the horse and buggy began to disappear. Thus, the service station became a necessary part of the motor age, and the source of much employment for our people.

Along with the service station and the use of automobiles came the gas tax, probably the fairest tax in use to operate our government.