1879 GM's Companion:
Electric cars enjoy more popularity than the new alcohol-filled booze-wagons partly due to noise. The electric car makes a happy buzzing sound as it whirs past, while the internal combustion engine sounds like a Vickers gun, frightening horses and disturbing the peace. Steam cars and buses likewise are quieter, and a familiar sound from the trains that have long been with us, and the drivers know better than to blow their whistle near a horse. That’s what the bell is for.
Electric cars enjoy more popularity than the new alcohol-filled booze-wagons partly due to noise. The electric car makes a happy buzzing sound as it whirs past, while the internal combustion engine sounds like a Vickers gun, frightening horses and disturbing the peace. Steam cars and buses likewise are quieter, and a familiar sound from the trains that have long been with us, and the drivers know better than to blow their whistle near a horse. That’s what the bell is for.