CYCLING AND MOTOR NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2722, 16 May 1906, Page 55

CYCLING AND MOTOR NOTES.

BY DEMON.

Dr Fulton made a run out to Henley in his 8 h.p. Rover car on Sunday. The doctor had the "unusual experience of getting a puncture in one of 'his tyres — ■ the fust, I believe, since he has had leather treads put on his pneumatics.

Mr J. Roberts was out with a party t> Henley on Saturday in his Cadillac. Owing to sorrething going wrong with the machinery of the ear, the party had to come back to town per train. Shortly after they had left Henley, Mr S. R. Stedman came along, and soon put things to right again on the Cadillac, and tho ear was brought into town from Henley by Mr Roberts en Sunday.

Mr S. R. Stedman had a good run on Saturday afternoon on his 3 h.p. Triumph. Leaving town at a quarter to 4, he made Milton, travelling quietly, at a quarter past 5. Leaving Milton for Henley shortly after, on arrival at the latter place he fixed up iMr Roberts'a Cadillac, bad tea, starting for home at about half-past 8, made a non-stop run to Dunedin where he arrived at a quarter to 10. A good afternoon's performance. 1 (says the Canterbury correspondent of the New Zealand Motor and Cycle Journal) stepped into one of the auction looms a few days ago, and saw really highgrade- machines selling for £8 10s. They were well equipped, and, after paying auctioneer's fees and advertising accounts, there would not be much left for the owners. At Gamage's, sale prices for good me chines ranged from £8 10s to £9 15s, while second-hands went down to £2. And yet nearly 50 cycle dealers in Chrietchurcb and suburbs manage to make headway. Mr A. E. G. Rhodes, who was in Dunedin some months back with hia Daimler car, which is the biggest in New Zealand, contemplates making another trip to England shortly. Mr Rhodes on his last visit Home made an extensive car four through England, with Chauffeur Ganderton at the wheel, Mr Ganderton afterwards coming to New Zealand and acting in a like capacity on the Daimler car out here. The Christchurch Exhibition authorities have asked the Canterbury Automobile A^ocigtioa tQ. carry out a mfitor gyrnjk^nfc.

at the Exhibition grounds. There is every ' probability of the association acceding to- . the .request. What is said to be the most powerful and fastest car in New Zealand tos just been landed at Napier to the order of Mr A. S. G. Carlyon, Gwvas. It is a 30-40 h.p. Darracq, and is capable cf running up to 50 miles an hour. The

engine is fitted with low-tension magneto ignition, and by a special departure on tho part of Messrs Darracq and Co., all four wheels, are fitted with steel rims, and the wooden felloe done away with. Mr Carlyon is undoubtedly one of the most erthusiastic sportsmen in New Zealand, as not only is he in possession of two motor cars (the new 30-40 h p. Darracq and an 8 h.p., also a Darracq), but ho has lately expended over £1200 in building no less than four bridges to enable ears to negotiate the difficult country in the vicinity of his home.

The Ameiican ridei Floyd MacFarland has, won £350 during the past Australian racing season, from 15 firsts, j0 seconds, and four thirds. Included in his wins was the Eight-hour Wheel Race, of £100, in which he established his world's ipeord of 3min 59 4-ssoe foi the two miles.

Mr E. Tine, until lately -with the wcund-up Anglo Cvole Company, is row acting as tra\eller foi- Messrs W A. Scott and C«

— —The Victorian riders Pye and Cla/k have left with MaoFarland for America, where they have an engagement to ride at Salt Lake City. The third annual Swift Road Race, run at Christchuich on Saturday, May 5, over a distant of about. 38 miles, attracted 46 starters. The prizes offered were sufficiently largo to attract riders from as far afield as Timaru in one direction and Palmerston North in the other : £25 was offered as. first prize, ,a £20 Swift cycle ?s second, and the following prizes were £10, £5, and £3 respectively. The race was won by an old-timei m D. J. Byrne, of Christchurch ;20min), whose riding time was lhr 44min. Withey, a Palmerston South rider, with 14min start, secured fourth place

According to . that well - known authority on motor's and bicycles, Mi H. H. Griffin, England stands supreme in the making of motor trade vans, and the recont show of these at the Agricultural Hall, Islington, is said to have been the mo-?t up-to-date and most varied yet seen in the Old Country A feature but little seen at other shows was. the coming motor char-a-banc, otherwise the cheap trippers' stagecoach. A tremendous vehicle was shown by Duham, Churchill, and Co., Grimosthorpe. Sheffield. It carries 28 passengers on the sloping-floor plan ; each seat (for six) is higher than the one in front. When filled with a hoiiday crowd— "banked up," as it were — it will cause a sensation a'.onp; the country-side. It will need all its 30 h.p. to get up a hill with such a cargo. The spring seats on this arc one of the best things in the show; they give a hammock seat, spring back, and fold up inro a watertight position— the best seat of tie kind I have seen.

— — This country (says the Sketch) has done more towards the evolution of tbe email car — voiturclfce, it you prefer so ro term it — than either France oi Germany, I and more reliable small cars can be purchased in England to-day than elsewhere. One of the latest developments of automobile traffic is an ice motor, invented by Mr C E. S. Burch, of Minneapolis The invention ha 6 arisen through the necessity of cheaper methods of transit in Alaska, where the usual method of carriage by dog sledge costs from £20 to £200 a ton. Tb© ie» motor is worked by steam engines, and can be driven backwards or forwards, or at any angle. It is made watertight, so that if it were to break through the ice it would float on the waterMr Burch proposes to use alcohol in his boilere instead of water, on account of the low temperatures to which the motor may be exposed. The vapours of the spirit will be condensed and used again. Wood, coal, or oil may be used as fuel. As to the value of the automobile in time of war Germany eecms quite aroused. Recently an order was issued to all owners of motor cars in Munich, commanding their appearance before the Minister of War for mobilisation purposes. The cars were required to be in the hands of good and efficient drivers, to be in proper running condition, and be furnished with sufficient eupplies for a journey of 100 miles. France, it ie understood, has. long since perfected arrangements for the rapid mobilisation of motor cycles and ears, which is possibly the cause of Germany's activity in this direction. What may be termed the inherent sources of noise in a motor while running aro errors in design, whether as regards the requisite area at the combination head for the compression pressure intended, constricted passages about the v 4 r es, incorrect profiling of the cams, and disproportion between bore and stroke lelative to the speed at whioh it is intended to run the engine. Noise may also be caused by defects in the mechanism — in the carburetter, the lift of inlet valves when, the automatic type is used, too early ignition, defect in the ignition timing gear, and by a choked muffler or silencer. — ' — The hour record for the motor cycle was altered twice on the one day — March 11 last— on the Pare les Princes track, Paris. The record stood at 55 miles 1520 yards, and Rene Thomas raised it to 56 miles 1685

yards, and covered the 100 kiloms (just over 62 miles) in lhr smin 27 l-ssec. Shortly after, another Frenchman, Pcrnette byname, attacked both records on a machine weighing but 1101b, and covered 59 miles 801 yards in the hour — a world's record — and the 100 kiloms in lhr 3min 52seo. A third attempt was made by Auzani, on a heavy motor cycle, but he- fell. Although moving at upwards of 50 miles an hour at the time, he was practically uninjured. If petrol is used to remove grease from a motor cycle belt, it should be very sparingly, and rubbed dry immediately after. In fact, a beltmaker " that petrol be applied only in dire emergencies, as it is an enemy to leather, and tends to ruin it. Kerosene is little, if any, better. if fcho durability and not -the cleanliness of the belt is at stake. v Because they run over too. many* hens, 75 per cent, of the citizens *of Edear. a village in Maine (U.S.A.), have decided that motor cars shall not \ise tho streets !

I 1 (says a writer in a Home "paper) | recently had a talk with a well-known ! French motorist, who told me. among other ; things, that the practice of baptising ears w on the increase on the Continent/ Women, especially like to bestow higli-'o'inding ; names on their favourite "cars. -- * *-Hese names are sometimes emboioe* 1 Vlate \ affixed to the boniiet of the r: .. "-aps , the idea will find its way to i?H: Vp,- ' don, and certainly a few days cj-o I mat . a large car in Bond street whioh bore^ | before it in a bold device the word "Brune- • hild." lam afraid that if this ox-ample. 'of goinff to Gernmr opera for insp\n»*ior is followed, we shall have pcoolp )ct'in^+— ; that the majority of cars and mcf--- '".' are far too Wafmerian already! . X r*- ■ fcarp, wfio won tho-i*-" Championship on a 90 horse-powef. Nap. -, car, stated after his return to England from his recent racing trip to Florida Beach (Ormond-Dayrona) that, although extraordinary speeds were obtained on the wet sand! at Florida Beach, he was of opinion that hard macadam road is at least five miles per hour faster than the wet sand track. Earp also expressed the opinion that hard wood tyres could be used to advantage on the beach at Ormond-Daytona. as tl'ere was practically no vibration travelling along fhe hard, smooth sand. ! — The beginner too otten falh into the mistake of thinking tha* to drive a car well is~a very simple matter, and before he has found out his mistake he may have caused injury through faulty manipulation, and perhaps have met with more or less serious accident. He should take as his motto "Eestina I/cnte." and should not conclude that because he can steer straight on a clear road it is therefore safe to travel fast. Nothing but experience will teach him to act instinctively in an emergency, and until ha :an so act he is in constant and imminent danger if ho attempts to drive fast. He must bear in mind also that a motor ear requires almost as much symnathy as a horse if the best results are to be obtained.

it not infrequently happens that riders of belt-driven motor bicycles find considerable difficulty in getting the belt to run true in- the' grooves. Wher sucl» m the case, the remedy must lie in one o£ two directions. Either the, belt itself is at fault through not having the proper ten-, sion, or because the fastening is not properly made, or else th© pulleys are at fault — which is much more likely to be the caee. If the grooves ar© not true in their faces, are not centred, or even if the sides have not the same amount of slope, the belt is' quite likely to be forced off or turned over, while if they are not perfectly in line there is certain to be trouble from the jumping of the belt. When there is any doubt about the truth of the pulleys, the best thing to do is' to get a piece of string and etretoh it between them. By sighting along it from one to the other it is possible to tell in an instant whether they are in line or not ; and by turning them partly over and repeating the process a very good idea of their uniformity can be gainecl. , . . ' , Owners of cars should beai m mind that before they can now obtain the special •insurance policy foi accidents against a third person, issued by the South Britisn Insurance Company, it is necessary to obtain a driver's certificate from the club of which they are members. The sports ground at the Interualicnal ExhibiHor ia being laid out, and when -ompleted will be equal to anything in NewZealand. Cycle-racing by electric light ought tc nrove a feature of the amusements at the Exhibition.

"GAPPING THE GAP."

Dr Carver is astonishine tha natives ai Los Angeles, Cal., with his startling feat of gapping the gap in a Cadillac runabout, a i-aoond-hand machine which h« bought recently after it had" seen some service on the road. The feat consists of a run down an incline, which terminates in an abrupt upward curve in the segment of a cirple. then a leap of 30ft to a platform. A photograph shows tho car hanging in mid-air over / the 'gap, with Dr Carver at the wheel. "1 am afraid there will be a "gap" in Dr Carver's family circle if his cat fails one of these days to strike the platform on the further side of the 30ft opening.

.-HE MOTOR OMNIBUS.

The Thames Iron Works, builders of many a fine man-of-war, have seriouslj taken up motor building, and have produced an original vehicle of the highest e'ass. It is a combination, open in th« front portion and closed behind ; sumptuously finished, it is a public vehicle of the very highest class. A roof extends over the whole; it carries 25 passengers; a striking- feature is the height, 52in, of the rear wheels — this is. done for steadiness. The horse-power is the highest ever applied to a vehicle of the kind — 40 to 50; but when it \s intended that a fleet of these land launches is to be put on the road to make daily trips to Hastings, Folkestone, and similar places at third-class rail fares, it will be understood why the power is required. Each omnibus will cost £1000.

THE HORSE VERSUS THE MOTOR.

The comparative expense of doing ordinary country house work by horses or motors is exercising the minds of many at the present time. The question haa been raised by a correspondent, who keeps . three horses, grows has own oats, hay;, *, and straw, and desires to know ' whether a car would cost more to do the same ,

work under these circumstances. The ex- - perience of country doctors is, perhaps, as useful as any, and on the whole it appears to he slightly in favour of horses as regards actual expense only, when everything •"• taken into account. On the other har.jjf

-" they find that with a moto t - they can greatly increase their daily mileage, and 6ave time and personal fatigue as well. The car is always ready day and night, and can be started up in lass than a minute without assistance, un'ess of the eteam type. The question of distance is a, very important item. Long journeys of 100 miles or more arc nothing for a motor ; I its mileage being limited only by the endurance of the driver, and the supply of feel and oil carried. ' Roughly, the running cost is threa-nalf-j^ence per mile for a two-seated light car, 3d for a medium-sized four-seater, and 6d for a powerful touring car with heavy closed body. Umil designs become more * fixed, the " question of depreciation must remain the most serious item, and next to that is the uncertainty of the pneumatic "- iyre, which is unquestionably the weakest - point in the automobile o ! to-day. The hopes of many are centred on a combination of some form of spring wheel and a solid tyre, but so far the tests have not . been encouraging. In the recent Automobile Club trial a 24 h.p. F.I.A.T. car was run with Pradeau spring" wheels, but after two rear axles had broken it was ■wisely withdrawn. This car is one of excellent repute in every way, and is of the chain-driven type with the usual heavy-fixed axle, which very rarely breaks on any car when the wheels are shod with pneumatics- of suitable size. It is also found that motor omnibus chassis are suffering severely from the vibration transmitted through solid tyres, and therefore , pneumatics of special size and •trength are about to bs tried.

HYDRAULIC PRESSURE DRIVEN MOTOR VEHICLES.

A company to be known as the Newman Hydraulic Motor Car Co. (Limited) is to - be formed in Sydney, with a capital of 610,000 in £1 shares, to purchase the rights of an Australian invention for propelling by hydrauHc pressure motor vehicles of every description, from the very small oar to the traction waggon, including motor buses and fcraans, with the object of selliirig or otherwisa deal'ng with such rights in 1 .London, or some other la.rge manufactuTi.il g "oentte. Applications for patents have been lodged in Great Britain, the United States of America, France, Germany, and elsewhere. Tha invention, is said to entirely do away with the present inefficient transmission mechanism, comprising the clutch, shafts, and cbang? spswd gears, with their complicated attachments, and substitute a hydraulic piston oca*- of extreme simplicity, wiiioh. Mr Henry Deaoe, M. Inst. C.E., - Sydney, the well-known engineer, states in - his report on the invention hae considerable 'advantages over the present system, stalling being particularly oaiy, and any change of speed from zero to tha maximum obtainable, forward or reverse, being effected without jerk. Should the invention be all that it is claimed to be, there will be a tremendous future for it. but the best test •would be to soe a oar fitted with the new driving mechanism travel 1000 miles — say, over {ihe Sydney-Melbourne Road — and then allow the new hydraulic piston gear to be examined. Further particulars of the Newman gear will be awaited with interest by all motorists.

MOTOR CYCLING IN A .THUNDERSTORM.

Electricity in the atmosphere will occasionally cause pre-ignition and upset the firing of a machine fitted with coil and "accumulator ignition. I (says a writer in ,the Motor Cycle) know a rider of ex|>erience who was recently caught in a bad thunderstorm on stn open moor. He put on full spead ahead to run for shelter, and simultaneously with nearly every flash of Jigthitning the engine back-fired badly, skidding the driving" wheel ; this so scared the rider that he dismounted and huddled in a ditch until the worst had passed by. This was an extreme ease, tha storm being right over the rider, and I can only presume the electrical tension of the air acted cot 'the mile or so of wire in the induction coil i: t^.e same way ;-t; -t affects a telephone circuit when the bell is rung "without moving the magneto handle. Self-iynition can seldom be detected ontil one att«jmT?t« t<-- c^t/* off md finds the engiize going on merrily. This baa ban- ,

pened to me on several occasions, fortunately without any serious consequences such as befell a novice of my acquaintance on almost his first ride He was unlucky enough to plough his way through a band of socialists. The harmonium eventually pulled him up, but not before he hail floored the orator and his tub and, accord- , ing to the police evidence, some ei"-ht of 1 the crowd. He got off as we all thought lightly— £3 and costs.