A FAST CHARIOT.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17748, 27 April 1923, Page 7

A FAST CHARIOT.

HARD BRONZE METAL USED IN WHEELS., The sensational find of a number of richly ornamented, gold-tired chariot ! wheels in the tomb of King Tutankha- | men at Luxor, has sharply rei rived scientific interest in the origin and development of wheels of modern type, says a correspondent of the "San Francisco Chronicle." Expert scrutiny | reveals remarkably up-to-date design and construction in the wheels that carried Egypt's pharaohs in battle and procession 3500 years ago. The hub, spoke, and rim construction of the wheels used by King Tutankhamen show surprising grace of outline,-, combined with extraordinary strength. . Built for the violent exigencies of warfare, they had to be extremely light for spaed, as well as trezMftdousir strong, to withstand the ehosk of collision and manoeuvring over rough terrain. Notable also is the excessive length of the hubs and thair narrow diameter, perhaps calculated to reduce friction and to enable the holding of proper alignment. In the bronze used for spindles and bearings the Egyptian possessed a bearing metal that modern metallurgy has never been able to duplicate. The unique process that gave this metal its marvellous hardness and wearing quality ranks with the lost arts, perhapa never to be rediscovered. Equally as amazing as the structural soundness of the wheels unearthed at Luxor is the richness of their ornamentation. Imagine the wealth of a dynastv that enabled the use of solid gold for tires. Even so. King Tutankhamen would have found a journey in a modern motor-car much more to his liking. ! Springs were unknown in those days, as were pneumatic tyres, disc wheels, shock absorbers, and other accessories in common use bv millions of Americans to-day. For cushioning rough roads, sole reliance was placed upon tightly drawn skins that composed the chariot floor. This may have been satisfactory for limited distances that a chariot had to cover, but ■ what a wail it would I bring from the owner of a modern motor-car 1 With all tho pride we take in our own civilisation, however, and its mari vellous accomplishments, transcendent recognition seems due the ancient Egyptians for the high state to which they advanced the mechanical arts, thousands of years in advance of our time. Hfad this development, proceeded uninterruptedly, instead of heing swept awav and buried by famine, war. and pestilence, our present scientific attainments would probably have reached heights to-day that even • our current sensational rate of progress will not j have achieved centuries-hence.