My "gasoline buggy"
was the first and for a long time the only
automobile in Detroit. It was
considered to be something of a nuisance,
for it made a racket and it
scared horses. Also it blocked traffic. For
if I stopped my machine
anywhere in town a crowd was around it before I
could start up again. If I
left it alone even for a minute some
inquisitive person always
tried to run it. Finally, I had to carry a
chain and chain it to a lamp
post whenever I left it anywhere.
And then
there was trouble with the
police. I do not know quite why, for my
impression is that there were
no speed-limit laws in those days. Anyway,
I had to get a special permit
from the mayor and thus for a time enjoyed
the distinction of being the
only licensed chauffeur in America. I ran
that machine about one
thousand miles through 1895 and 1896 and then
sold it to Charles Ainsley of
Detroit for two hundred dollars. That was
my first sale. I had built the
car not to sell but only to experiment
with. I wanted to start
another car. Ainsley wanted to buy. I could use
the money and we had no
trouble in agreeing upon a price.