THE MOTOR

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 98, 22 October 1913, Page 4

THE MOTOR

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS. (By " Autos.") Mr. G. Hamilton Grapes, the wellknown motor engineer, lias returned from a visit to the Old Country, where he represented New Zealand at the Imperial Motor , Transport Conference. During his stay in. England Mr. Grapes went thoroughly into matters connected with tho motor trade, particularly into the latest developments of the commercial vehicle. He had much to tell of various aspects on his return. Of the motor- 1 bus lie supports the optimism which gives it a brilliant future. He points out, hoAvever, that the successful operations of the London General Omnibus Company are not to be taken as a criterion of success _or failure in New Zealand- The conditions in London are ideal" for tho motor'-bue. The traffic is there, and the roads and streets are as near perfection as anything attained up to the present time. Tho L.G.O.'s 'buses aro built to suit the conditions. They are exceedingly light as compared with the average motor vehicle, being so constructed as not to exceed, with a full load of 34 passengers aboard, six tons— the Scotland Yard regulation. This means that the empty car must not be more than four tons in weight at the outside, and this with a double-decker body does not leave much to go into the frame, power plant, and transmission. As a matter of fact, the B type of the London General Omnibus Company's vehicles are constructed with frame of reinforced ash — something that no other vehicle lias outside London. The L.G.O. design has been evolved after much experience and failure. The 'buses aro built in the- company's own works. The running cost with the wood-blocked and asphalt streets has been out down to 7d a mile, and with the Tillings-Stevens petrol electric 'bus to 6Jd per mile. Mr. Grapes regards the Thomas electric transmission as the be&t thing in the market to-day. The L.G.O. are experimenting with 'buses equipped with, this ingenious but quite simplo transmission, and, according to Mr. Grapes, with great promise of success. Ho was a member of an inspecting party which tried out 'buses fitted with the Thomas transmission on tho hilly routes about Bromley, and the new type proved a splendid hill-climber. It is quite possible that tho company will cijuip its future 'buses with this transmission and may convert some of the old ones to it. The alterations required will not b© great, nor is there much increase of weight. It is anticiEated that still further economies will c effected in the running cost by this move. Mr. Grapes found the mofcor-'bus quite successful under different conditions in the provinces wherever the traffic was sufficient to warrant its introduction. It was proving very hard on the roads, but it was the road which suffered most. Wherever there was a gosd solid foundation to the road the motor-bus stood up to all manner of traffic. The movements of tho doubledecker 'bus with its high centre of gravity and comparatively short wheel base tended to produce "waves'" on the road surface, and this was very bad on several main roads out of London. The 'bus pitohed backwards and forwards on its springs and thus accentuated the "waves" by the periodicity of its action. The remedy lies, in Mr. Grapes's opinion, in a utilisation of a single-deck ''bus with a much longer wheel base and a lower centre of gravity. As an instance of motor 'buses running on cheap fares, Mr. Grapes quoted the sorvice between Hounslow and Burnham, 18 miles there and back for 9d. He does not think the motor-bus can succeed unless the road foundations are solid, but there is ample -room everywhere for the motor [ charabanc carrying its twenty to twentyfive passengers. A remedy for ' tho "pounding of motor-'buscs on the roads lies, Mr. Grapes thinks, hi larger wheels, a longer wheel base_, and a strict limitation of speed to 14 miles per houi. The fuel problem, Mr. Grapes declares, is the greatest problem ol all. It hangs like a sword of Damocles over one of the greatest industries in the world. Should the uso of the benzine motor in all shapes and form continue to spread at the present rate, the problem will bocome acute in a very few years. Tho supplies of motor fuel at present in i sight do not look like keeping up with the demand, and a rise in price to over 2s a gallon, which is quite possible, will check the development of the motor industry very seriously. Mr. Grapes has no faith in benzol except as a palliative. The supply of coal, from which benzol is obtained, is limited like tho supply of petroleum, though not to tho same degree. While petrol looks like petering out in less than half a century, the life of tho world's coal is given as at least ten times as many years.i In both cases the world is drawing on its capital, not living on its income. Tho Imperial Motor Transport Conference was unanimously in favour of alcohol as tho futuro motor fuel, and in this view was supported by tho expert opinion of Professor Vivian B. Lewes, Sir Boverton Redwood, and tho other great fuel authorities present. The conference held generally that it was only playing with the problem to encourage the distillation of coal for motor fuel. A permanent committee was appointed to assist and encourage research into methods of manufacture and use oi: alcohol as a motor fuel. It was pointed out that enough maize was grown in South Africa alone to supply the Old Country with enough motor spirit for the year's supply. Alcohol can be distilled from all sorts of things — practically everything the sun shines on — and there is a prolific source of alcohol in all sorts of vegetable refuse. It was estimated that it could be produced and sold on a permanent basis at Is a gallon, provided the difficulties of excise duties and denaturisation could be got over. Alcohol would offer a permanent supply from material grown every year. There was no difficulty about its use in petrol engines provided the compression could be increased and tho carburettor suitably adjusted. The power per gallon was only about 10 per cent, less than with petrol, and th© cycle of operation was far cooler and more efficient for tho number of heat units in the fuel as compared with benzine. No doubt, if a more powerful fuel were required, it could be furnished by a mixture of other fuels in small proportions with alcohol. The conference resolved unanimously, on the motion of Mr. Grapes, to ask the Governments and Chambers of Commerce of the various Dominions of the Empire for subsidies towards the maintenance of the permanent committee : with a view to assisting financially the research work, which is to bo supervised by the scientific committee of tho Royal Automobile Club. At the 6ame time, while admitting that in the distant future some such fuel as alcohol must be used if motoring is, going to continue on present lines, one is compelled to think of the old saying : "A bird in tho hand is worth two in the busn." Now benzol is undoubtedly a "bird in the hand," and alcohol represents the other pair not immediately seizable. Benzol has clone great things already, and has proved a much better motor fuel than petrol. It gives a stronger and a steadier stroke, and does away altogether with the knocking noticeable at times whenever petrol is used. Further, it can bo manufactured as a by-product without spoiling coal that is normally used for other purposes. It liaß been conclusively proved that if all the coal coked in England fuv nietallur-

gical purposes and for gas-making purposes were treated, as some of it already is, to allow benzol to stand as a byproduct, there would bo a positive gain all round. Town-gas everywhere is far too rich for the uses it is put to nowadays, and if gas companies and corporations were allowed to supply a purely heating fuol-gas, instead of an illuminating gas, which is hardly ever used for illuminating purposes directly, but almost invariably indirectly through the Welsbach incandescent mantle, there would be immense quantities of benzol available for motor purposes. Alcohol is still far away ; it is a fuel inferior to both petrol and benzol ; it neods for its use an engine different from the ordinary motor plant of to-day. Perhaps, by tho time alcohol i» ready for use, the electric vehicle will have been so perfected as to make it unnecessary. So lone as the human race depends almost entirely on coal for its fuel and its source of energy, there is every reason why coal should be utilised to the utmost. Because it will be exhausted some day, that is no reason why it should be burnt in millions and millions of tons wastefully in boiler furnaces and domestic grates. The proper method would seem to be to strip the coal of its more volatile constituents and use them as benzol for motor fuel and for other purposes ; use the gas for power in big gas-engines and probably in a few years tho gas turbine to generate electricity—and also for domestio heating, with the coke and semi-coke for producer-gas engines with a valuable byproduct in the suiphate of ammonia fertiliser. There aro scores of uses to which coal could bo put, if it were only treated properly. There is absolutely no more reason on the fac» of it for burning coal direct than for burning crude petroloum direct. Nobody ever thinks of burning unrefined petroleum; why should they burn unrefined coal, not only in sheer wasto, but in actual detriment to the people's health? The subject has been discussed fully before in thobe columns, io there is no need to labour it any further at tho present. But tho alcohol advocates seem a little- like the prodigal son, who goes on wasting his patrimony because ho has remote expectations of an income from a distant relation at some future date. Better to look after the "bird in the hand." What is regarded as the largest commercial motor-chassis ever landed in New Zealand is the Halley 40 h.p. motorlorry by Messrs. Dalgety and Co.. to the | order of Messrs. Campboll and Sons, of this city, carriers. It was fitted up last week with a suitable lorry body by Messrs. Rouse, Black, and Son, at their Kent-terrace factory. The vehicle appears a regular monarch of the streets, with its great length of frame, its big driving wheels, and large radiator. The design and workmanship strike one as being excellent throughout, and the specifications of the most substantial nature. The engine is of four-cylinder type, with inlet and exhaust valves on opposite sides, and the cylinders cast separately. It is better finished than the usual commercial car engine. Lubrication is by pressure feed. A governor is fitted to act on the throttle valve, and keep tho speed to 1000 r.p.m. The cooling system is by water pump. The radiator is of the ample capacity needed by the commercial motor of high power, with its slower speed of running. Constant mesh gears give protection against tho operations of the unskilful driver. Final drive is .by chain. The wheels are all steel, heavily shod with solid rubber, and special springs are fitted to take heavy loads. The overall length is 22ft. Mention has already been made in the news columns of tho Wellington Motor Cycling Club's reliability trials on Labour Day, 27th October. The secretary of the club (Mr. H. N. Liardet) states that the event has brought in a large number of entries, especially in the passenger class. These include four cycle-cars of different makes. Side-cars will be -well represented, and this year there is to be a special class for side-car machines with a cylinder capacity of under 600 c.c. This will giv© the singles a better chance than they used to have under the old scheme. Special prizes will be awarded by the club tor the best performances by passenger machines, including cycle-cars and side-cars. Entries will bo received up to Friday night. A very entertaining account of a »ough motor-cycle trip from Picton through to the West Coaßt, via Nelson and the Buller Gorge, and back via Reefton, Greymouth, and Otira to the Case, is given by Mr. Fred Webb, who went through last month with Mr. W. H. B. Cameron. They had a rough time of it right through. On the way to Henheim they took the wrong turning and had to start again. At Blenheim they Bpent over two hours looking for petrol. On the way to Nelson they again lost the road, but regained it by a detour. Beyond Havolock they hit the mud and had to extricate themselves as best they could. No further mishap befell the pair before Nelson was reached, and there they were hospitably received by members of tho Nelson Motor Cycle Club. Next day—the fourth after leaving Wellington— they made Murchison, over Spooner's Range and the Hope Saddle. At Murchison somebody lifted from the machines a full roll of tools and a new repair outfit. The road was missed again next day^on the way to Westport, and about twenty miles lost. It was now raining hard. No petrol was obtainable at Inangahua Junction— notwithstanding the Road Guide— and kerosene was used instead. Tanks ran dry just across tho ferry and tho pair had to pad it into Westport— some eight miles or bo. Tho next day was spent overhauling tho machines, which had suffered from the weather and the rough road. On the road to Greymouth the author's mate, finding his brako not acting, took a bramble bush in preference to a narrow bridge, and showed considerable agility in his recovery. The worst time they had, however, was going up the Otira Pass on the return journey eastwards. Tho grade, one in six, was bad, but the road surface was impossible, and the motor-cyclists had to push their machines up to the top. It took them two hours to do four miles. Then came the succession of rivers beyond the Bealey and adventures with motorphobes and an inquisitive dog. They took train from the Cass to Christchuvch. " We were very fortunate in not having any tyre trouble," concludes Mr. Webb's story, "and also extremely fortunate in having any machines left. This trip can be recommended to any motor-cyclist not afraid of a little hard work. One thing we were very thankful for, and that was that our machines were only '3£ singles ' and not heavy ' twins.' " The new Thornycroft motor fire-wagon represents in its 60 h.p. engine a big advance on the other engines of the Wellington Central Fire Brigade Station. It has been conclusively proved that for hill-work, such as is required in a city like Wellington, high powers are necessary, and the new motor should beabl* to romp up grades which brought the lower powered motors to a crawl. This means a real gain in efficiency, as the time of getting to hill fires will be very much reduced.