A FINE PERFORMANCE

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume XLVI, Issue 3283, 21 December 1928, Page 3

A FINE PERFORMANCE

LIGHT CAR IN DESERT

BAGDAD TO BEIRUT.

The trip across the desert from Bagdad to Beirut, known by reputation to New Zealanders from the fact that it is the world famous run of the Nairn Brothers, was recently made by Major Kiernander in a four-cylinder English light car, 14 h.p. Temporary running board tanks to carry seventeen gallons were fitted and a two-gallon petrol can was used to carry drinking water. Maj6r Kiernander was accompanied by his daughter, who took-turns with him at the wheel.

The travellers set out from Bagdad ahead of * the regular Nairn convoy. They covered the 42 miles between Bagdad and Fellujah in an hour. Travelling at about 50 miles an hour the car hit a bad bump/ but came through without damage. Then followed the 33 miles to Ramadi which took another hour, owing to the condition of the track. Here they stopped for the night, the British Inspecting Officer of Police refusing to allow them to proceed until 9.30 the following morning/ by which time he expected the regular bi-weekly convoy from Bagdad to be entering Ramadi. On setting out again the first 75 miles going proved to be very bad. By 12.30 only 80 miles had been covered. The dust of the approaching Nairn conjioy being seen, lunch was hurriedly finished, and they joined in with its three six-cylinder cars. This meant continuous running at a steady speed of 45 to 50 miles an hour, and it was only after several hours, when the going got much worse, necessitating slowing down to avoid breakage of springs, that the car eased up. The "mud flat" of two and a quarter miles was covered at 60 miles an hour. All went well until within ten miles of Ratbah, where in trying to avoid a piece of rock in the middle of the track which might have hit their oil sump, they swerved slightly and burst both near side tires and tubes on a sharp rock jutting out about two inches above the surface and invisible in the dust.

TYEES CUT TO PIECES,

-They had only one spare tyre, but Jwo spare tubes. They were rather at a loss as to how to repair one of the damaged tyres, but the difficulty was got over by tearing up a blanket carried for the radiator and inserting it eightfold as a liner. This answered the purpose, and the car reached Ratbah at 6 p.m., two hours before the Nairn sixwheelers arrived, and several hours before the remaining cars of the convoy of 15 which had left Bagdad. An enforced stay at Ratbah was necessitated owing to three convoys having been held up by brigands a fewdays previously. At 6 o'clock the following morning, Major Kiernander was the first out and covered the initial 100 miles of the 280 to Damascus in two and a half hours. He then had to stop owing to the blanket lining of the tyre having caught fire through friction, and bursting the tube.

The remainder of the journey was covered with considerable difficulty, as the blanket liners kept on burning and bursting the tubes, and four of of five tyres and tubes were cut clean through by sharp rocks. However, the car eventually arrived at Damascus at 6 p.m., ahead of one car and one of the six-wheelers.

It was then discovered that the tube on the rear side front wheel was completely exposed at one of the repairs they had effected. It was imperative that they should carry on to Beirut the same night, a distance of 70 miles, as the steamer which they were to catch was said to be leaving there the next morning. After a considerable search one tyre only could be found in* the whole of Damascus that would fit. This was put on, and the other four tyres, which had been cut to pieces, were attended to as well as possible. The night run to Beirut was accomplished only with difficulty. It is a dangerous road, and the speed was kept down to 25 miles an hour.