TRAVELLING MOTOR BATHROOM,

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXIX, Issue LXIX, 20 May 1915, Page 2

TRAVELLING MOTOR BATHROOM,

INGENIOUS AND BENEFICENT DEVICE.

A travelling motor bathroom for the British Army is one of the latest uses that the motor car is being put to in Europe. Owing to the- difficuliy, of obtaining fairly frequent baths, the soldiers have to put up with very serious discomforts. Particularly in the i-aso of wounded men removed from the trenches, it is often diificult for proper medical attention to be given promptly without washing facilities being first made available.. To partly overcome this difficulty; an English manufacturer has now designed a car with a special body and equipment for supplying twelve.hot baths at a time, '.fne baths are constructed of stout proofed canvas, capable of standing hot water. These are mounted on a double iron frame. When folded up they can be carried in a very small space in the van-like body of.[the' Car. When in use, the baths are laid out six on each side of the car in tents formed by. drawing out substantial canvases, which are Eeeared to tent poles, forming two compartments of about 18 feet by 10 feet each, with tne car in the centre. Canvases are also stretched on the ground under the baths, and fitted to eyelets under the tent poles. When the ear is travelling, the ten canvases are rolled up under shelves on each side of the vehicle and strapped in position. The poies and gratings are carried on the roof, which is fitted with a luggagerail. Hot water is supplied by taps projecting on each side of the forward part of the car body. Hoses r>~e sf cured to their nozzles. The heating apparatus, which is in duplicate anJ is placed forward inside the body, consists of two circulating boilers containing coiled copper tubes, capable of supplying two gallons of hot : water per mmute to each bath tap. Paraffin is used as fuel. Sixty gallons of water is carried, and extra supplies are Dumped vr> or taken aboard by a semi-rotary band pump outside the back of the car. The bath body can be fitted to any good s+rong chassis of about 20-30 h.p. and a Tready subscriptions are being called for in England to enable a large number of cars so fitted to be sent to the front, and thus assist in maintaining the Army's welfare.