Cycling and Motor Notes

Otago Witness, Issue 2672, 31 May 1905, Page 55

Cycling and Motor Notes

Seeing, that the motor car and motor cycle has now taken such a hold on cycle riders and others in Otago, and that there h at the present time in Dunedin no body which can be said to be representative of the new sport, would it not be advisable for our solitary cycling club, the Dunedin, to take steps to alter its name, calling it. say, the Dunedin Cycling and Motor Olub? This club could then take up the government of both cj'cling and motoring in Ofcago. It is time, at anyrate, that some body was formed to ■ safeguard the interests of the motor men, . and I imagine that if these gentlemen were to join the Dunedin Cycling Club!, and the uanie were altered as suggested, it would' prove eminently satisfactory to both parties concerned. • It is said that despite the ruling o-f the New Zealand League of Wheelmen depriving him of the Royal Enfield Chalienge Cup Race, George Sutherland has no intention of parting with the oup, which had been placed in his tobacconist's shop for exhibition, and intends to let Randrup, the Gecon.d roan, sue for its possession. ( Oa the facts placed before them, I 4" Roveir," in the Canterbury Times) cannot see that the members of the council could have come to any other conclusion •than they did in regard to the Christcihurch (Jlub s appeal against tho Enfield Race being awarded to Sutherland. The Centre had, in, its resolution dealing with the matter, stated specifically as its reason for interfering with the Ohristelmreh Club's action that that ibody, in altering the conditions of th© race, had aoted in an unoojistitutional manner, and th© representatives present took their stand solely on that ground. Mr Thompson, who conducted the cas© for the Christchurch Olub, had no difficulty in showing that the alterations made were only such as might reasonably be made under the oiroumstanoes for the purpose of producing a ffood race. But there were other facts which came out at the inquiry. j?he evioence showed beyond a doubt that the instructions given by the olerk of the course were not sufficiently explicit. Sutherland won the race under the conditions as he understood them, and as they appear to have been understood by several other riders and attendants. Independent of the evidence produced, the manner in which the race was run is sufficient proof on this point. The referee decided the race according to ! the conditions agreed upon by the stewards before the event, and of thia also there is absolute proof. The question then comes in: Has a rider any remedy if he loses a raoe as the result of wrongful or inexplicit instructions being given by the official who represented the stewards in issuing the infctructionfi? j —<WOTd bM foea Te.ceJYe.dj bj tfyj

' Motor Committee of the Christchurch Cyc- \ ling and Motor Club from the Mayor of I Christohurch stating that the recommendaI tion of the IMotor Committee with reference j to the framing of a by-law prohibiting motors being ridden or driven within the city boundaries without sufficient means ! of silencing exhaust had been referred to the By-laws Committee for consideration. . -It* is reported that R. Arnst. the well- '■ . known New Zealand rider, lias joined the Australian team of riders which is at present on eircnitr in Queensland. | Bright, sunny days in the winter seem to be more popular for motoring' than any other sort of " weather, judging by tho large- number of motorists that were out on Sunday. It would be hard to fin.T anywhere a finer run than a f-pin cut on the Main South road to Henley. Waihola. or Milton. Henley is a nice distance for th<» shorter days. Hot water to wash oil-gtaincd h&nds, a good meal, and very fair repair workshop are not the least of the many things which go to make up an enjoyable day's outing. The roads on Sunday were in co-'fecl condition, and two motor cars and 12 wotcr cycles stopped for lunch at the- Wlrte Houfe, Heu ley, while another motor car went part of t-fop way. Messrs T. Fraser and W. Bell, on twin Clement-Garrardp, seemed to be the fastesL on the road, either on hill or flat, but were closely followed by Messrs Gordon, Cooke, and Strang.- also mounted on similar machine". The. first two held a Gordon Bennett of their own, and closer racing could hardly be imagined — neck and neck the whole way ; not an ounce move could either get out of his machine. Fraser's machine oftener had the advantage, and Bell had to resort to putting corners I sharper and other fine points to hold his own. This racing on Uie highways on fast machines is rather ro*p disparaged, as it is bound to end in disaster ; and "Demon" was pleased to hear these two speed fiends remark : "No more of that game for vs — the risks are too large and the prizes too email." j 1 am pleased to report that Mr S. I E. Stedman has secured the agency for Werner motor cycles, and he ought not to find it_ hard to do business with these fine machines. A 3£ h.p. Centaur motor cycle was out on the South road on Sunday, but I am afraid it was not in good form, as it should do better work than it was doing. The rider of this machine was the only one that had a puncture. 1 am sorry to report that Mr Amos M'Kegg is slow in recovering from his ! rheumatism, and is still confined to his room. | Dr Fulton finds by using a trembler coil that the engine of his tricar starts away very much quicker and easier, and goes j better generally than with the ordinary s induction coil. The doctor is running this j I trembler coil in conjunction with the ordinary Garrard-Maxfield make-and-break contact, or "break-and-make," as I heafd this contact referred to by a. well-known new chum motorist, who thought he could handle motor technicalities to perfection. The Caversham side of Cemetery Rise has been in a very treacherous condition lately, and a good many cyclists fell there last week through side-slip. One well-known motorist, who has likewise gained some fame as a yachtsman, carrying too much sail on his motor on the south side of Lookout Point on Sunday, jibed, and fell heavily. On recovering once more' his perpendioular, this motorist was heard to remark that he thought he at anyrate had mastered the treacheries of slide-slip, but this corner of the road had done him "Brown." — The 12 h.p. Drraac that Mr Bockoert used on hie last visit to Dunedin is now owned by Mr Russell, of Ashburton, who is at present on a visit to this city with his car. The clutch of this car seems to be in a condition termed "fierce, ' judging by the severe jerk that it starts away with. This flort of thing is very hard on the tyres and transmission, and uncomfortable for passengers. clutch shpuld be let in very rantly when starting from a Btanaiiuc stark but Trhea * clutch is

"fierce" it is rather unmanageable, and should be subjected to a dressing of castor oil Cycling is evidently very popular in the Transvaal, especially in the district surrounding Johannesberg. There every cyclist has to pay an annual license of 2s 6d, and' of the population of Johannesberg. which, according to last year's count, consisted of 84, 113 white men and women, and is calculated to be 100,000 by now, 25,000 are license-holders. If the male population is taken at half the total (not counting small children), then •every second man is the owner of a cycle. The motor industry seems also to be very prosperous, and certainly has a great future before it there, as in many other countries. Motorists have, however, by their careless driving caused so many accidents that it has been proposed to reduce their speed in towns to eight miles per hour. The Kaffirs were hitherto willing purchasers of old machines, but the new regulation, which requires coloured cyclists to wear a large badge with a number on his arm. and which has to be renewed every six months, has greatlyrestricted the sales. Cyclists wlli be interested to hear that a doctor has been investigating the propel nutriment for a long-distance ride, and ha,,, concluded that no meat or other nitrogenous food should be taken while doing the day's work, but that the ideal refreshment itfruit and milk. The annual balance sheet of the Melbourne Bicycle Club discloses the fact that the ehib'e big Austral meeting, which extended over fiw* days, and the subsequent series of match meetings resulted in 9 profit of only £16* 12s Bd. A fair profit was mad© on the A-ilsfcraE Wheel Race Carnival, but practically the whole of it was lost over the match meeting? held by he club at the Melbourne Exhibition tr»ck. which lesulted in a frost from a financial and racing standpoint. TJie racing cracks. Ivor Lawson and Floyd MacFarlaud, who left for the TTnited < States by the Sonoma, both stated before sailing that they intended returning to Australia. sorftD time next September. It is Lavrson's intention to have a short spell upon his return home, and this being so lie will not bs abie to 4rf r> n d his title of the One Mile World's Champion at the Championship meeting to be held at Antwerp on July 21 next. The world's hour paced record of 54 miles 1350 yards, held by Auzani, narrowly escaped being lowered last month by the French crack, Guignard. who made three unsuccessful attempts. The first two rides . had to be abandoned owing to the unsatis- , factory running of the pacing machines, ; but at the- third attempt Guignard set up. ■ a remarkable performance until he fell, from some unexplained cause, aftev he had been riding 46min 38 l-ssec. In the time ' mentioned the Frenchman had covered the i wonderful distance ' of 43£ miles, a speed 1 which, if continued, would have resulted 1 in 56 miles being accomplished in the hour. There is. little doubt but that 60 miles will yet ba crowded into the hour. Kramer's long-expected first appearance in Europe took place on. Sunday, April . 7, at the Winter Truck, in Park, in a match race against Poulam, th*; new FrenchStar, who has been showing such brilliant, form this winter. The event elicited tremendous interest, and a big- • crowd was" present. Kramer won both heats and handicap. Rutt. Ellcgaard. Anderson, and G. Farley, of Victoria, have left for Europe, and will bo in time to compete in this year's world's championships, which take place at Antwerp. Ellegaard' says that even at liis best out heri he did not show anything like his true form. "My severe lp«s in Sydney'" (the tragic death of his little boy), ho remarked, "put me back jusfe when I was picking up condition. When. I lost my little eon I rode all my races without heart, and it will be some time before I get over the grsat blow. I hope, however, to return to form ac scon a* possible, ar, one must look to one's condition when racing, especially when riding is one's profession." "We are taking Farley, your Australian champion, with us," said both Rutt and Ellegaard. "We will teach him a few wrinklesjn Continental racing, and who knows but we may be able to shortly convince j-cu all that you possess the makings of the best rider you have yet seen." Both champions, ojr" waving their" faiewclls, hoped tc return in the near future to Australia. — —The explanation of MacFarland's rac ing in America whilt* under disqualification by the New Sotifch Wales League is set forth in thei following letter from Mr A C. Batcbelor. secretary of th© National Cyc- - ling Association of America : — "No official - communication ever reached the N.C. A until January, 1905, when it came in the • bulletin of the Union Cyehste Internationale (governing body of the world's cycling). . While ifc was true Uiat MaeFarlancT admitted his suspension, no official announc- * ment ever reached us, in any possible fonm - It was a matter difficult for us to understand why an official notice was not forthcomi.ig:. but we presumed that your organisation had some reason foi neglecting purposely to notify us directly, or through thy. U. 0.1., which would have been the- usual route. It is hardly necessary for me to tell ■ you that this suspension would! have been recognised if officially promulgated. Trusting- that this will make the matter clear to your organisation." The letter was referred to the Federal Council, whose duty it was • to inform the world's governing body. Of recent years it has become customary for bicyclists to use tyres of smaller diameter than those that were formerly employed. The earlier pneumatic tyres wera usually 2in, and occasionally of larger size, but these gauges did not long prevail, and! as air tyres came into general employment th© sizes most affected' were ljin and Ifin. for ordinary roadl riding purposes After a, iime, however, the l£in came- into vogue, and is now extensively fitted to bicycles, while the lgin tyre is by no means uncommon. Much has necessarily been lost, in ease and comfort by a resort to tyres of this limited air capacity, but the change has been brought about from a variety ofc considerations. There are such advantages in the small tyre as reduced weight and! wmd resistance, a better grip of the road) when th© surface is slippery with wet mud, and a diminished cost of production by the smaller amount of rubber and other materialr employed. ~~The bhances of the five motor oars which came through the recent South Australian Reliability tests are recognised asbeing so equaa that the Automobile Club has decided to dispense with any further eliminating tests. If it were a race it woulrj ba possible to have a single winner, but ia» ft reliability contest it is quite likely that as'

Hie ears that take part will arrive at the lend of the jouacney in as good order and condition as when they began it. Dr Crank fend: Messrs R A. Duncan, V. Lewis, C. WL Wittber, and E. S. Rymill, whose cars scored 2000 points, will receive firsfc-class certificates, and Messrs H. F. Nicholls and S. Tl Thomas> whose cars were awarded ever 1950 points, second-class certificates. Spare parts, which will be found insraLuable on long; motor car runs are: — (1) . Exhaust valve complete ; (2) inlet valve com- ' |>lete; (3) sparking plugs: (4) commutator tor. trembler blade; (5) spare accumulator or SBxj batteries; (6) inner tubes and outer icover; (7) .-repairing outfit; (8) on long Ijourneys a tiu of petrol. Jsny small part &f , the mechanism which may have become Iworn or slightly- damaged (but not beyond Jiise^, and ha« been renewed. It is very evident that a complete tehange is coming over the means of locojnotion in London (says a Home paper). Motor cabs, 'buses, delivery vans, and loriries on the road, tubes below the surface of the highway, and tram» on laid tracks Jndll prove a revolution, and leave the ostler and the horse dealer sad and comfortless. Kb improvement in the general welfare can, however, be made without hardship to a tew-, and the change from horse to mechanical traction in our great cities and towns rwfll assuredly prove Tiarsh to many. It is encouraging to learn that in fepite of the high Continental tariffs operat--ing against British, motor products several tot- -the- more enterprising manufacturers <have been successful or late in penetrating _ .these barriers. •*■ The- Rex Company has several Rexette orders booked for Continental agents, and especially for France. •People- unacquainted with the high tariff of,, our neighbours will be surprised to know .that the French customs impose a duty of •no less than 220£r per 100 kilos. In other .•words, it costs over £20 to land a Rexette car in France, and then there is strenuous jcompetiiion to be reckoned with. The German manufacturers are striving hard to perfect a spring-frame motor cycle, as the demand there for machines 'which will absorb vibration is growing. This demand, however, is common in most countries. Arrangements- have now been completed by the Dunlop Tyre Company- for the 100 miles non-stop motor run, which .was to take place on May 20. " Interesting trials with, kerosene were —recently carried out in a big motor test ■from. ' Paris to Rouen, all the competing vehicles being compelled to use kerosene. iFour .cars started, two being fitted with Claudel carburetters and one with a Ganteeau, and the fourth with, a Charton and iCostsuntam carburetter. The best perform- - mnoe was made by a 16 h.p. Delehaye car fitted with a Claudel %pc of carburetter. The weignfc of thia vehicle was about 1£ items, and over the full distanct of 80 miles 2t,8f8 Ktres of kerosene, equivalent to 22 tjuarfe, were consumed. * The car took a little over five hours for the total journey. The second car had a similar kind of carburetter to the winning vehicle, and although taking; a longer time over the zoute the some economical consumption — .•wbiclr. -worked out about .225 pints per ton .per kilometre — was shown. The other two cars- also snowed an equally fine average, *£heir ' carburettere working splendidly throughout. - It S r "significant that at the present *line the world's record" for epeed on iboth land and sea (petrol .motor) is held by Great Britain. The six-cylinder Napier" car (hold* the world** Tecord, on land at the ■irate of 104.65 miles per hour, and the Yarrow Napier *Oft boat holds the record on the water, at the rate of 29-925 miles jper hour. It is stated that no other counitry has held* before both these records at the same time,, and it is most satisfactory proof that Great Britain, whatever start she may have given to other countries in automobDiflm, is not" now out-distanced in any great degree, as is frequently pretended 3n some quarters. Italy is to have a great annual motor road race in future, Chevalier Vinceuzo iFlbrio, one of the leading^ patrons of motorIng in that country, having offered a prize Of ♦s,Coofr (about £1800), which is to be offered with the Florio Cup. Of the above sum, ♦0-,ooo£r is to go to the maker of the •fa-inning car, and 5000fr to the driver. The iFlorio Chip has- some unusual conditions attached to it. It is- to be raced for annually for seven years, and at the end of Ifchat time will be handed over to the manufacturer who has scored the greatest num9ber of wins; in the event of a tie between two or more firms an extra race will be . run between them, each being entitled to enter three cars. In tine event of a firm - winninjr enough; victories before the seven years are up the competition trill' oome to mx end ipeo facto; The "distance of the * 9«oe, which must be contested on Italian Boil,- will be 600 kilometres — 350 miles, about. -The Automobile Club of France is, as usual, sparing: no trouble and expense in preparing the course for its Gordon Ben-nett-Selection. Trials. For repair of roads £5000 will be spent; Westrumiting, £3200; erection of three bridges. £800; telegraph, telephone, barricading, etc., £1600 — giving c total of over £10,000. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the eminent author, is a keen motor cyclist, and has just /been, elected a. member of the Autocycle Club. He rides a "Roc" motor bicycle, and it is interesting to- note that he_ has centered his machine for the International Motor Cycle Race, the eliminating trials for ■which take- place in the Isle of Man on May 31. It is not likely, however, that Sir Arthur will ride the machine himself. LA little suspected cause for a fallingtoff in power which, sometimes arises w that the silencer apertures become choked. Judging from the- clouds, of smoke ejected from, the exhausts of cars encountered on the road/ the faith, placed by drivers in the value of over-lubrication must be considerable. Such drivers are, more likely fi not, quite unconscious of the serious ible that may develop as a result of practice- When the oil gets down into silencer a very large amount of it Sticks to the interior, and is. gradually carIxmised from contact, with the flame of tlie exploded gas. As. tihe majority of (spencers are made up. on the concentric tube or baffle plate principle, in wnich Jtnere are a great number of small diameter holes, it is not difficult to imagine that in course of time the acumulation of eartobnis&d oil round about €he- Holes must reduce their effective diameter, even if it does not close them entirely. The motor races, which took plaoe at New Brighton, last Thursday, under the auspices of the Christchuroh Cycling and Motor Club, resulted as follows: — Open Motor Handicap, of about 15 miles. First nji-^© £5, second £2, third £1. Course :

J To start at pier, proceed to wreck, thence to Sumner and back to within 50yds of the pier. —Ogilvie (2mm), 2| horse-power Hurnber, 28mm 58sec, 1; Brown (4min), 2 horsepower Mitchell, 29min 25sec, 2; Howarth (4£min), 2% horse-power Minerva, 30min 4see, 3; Campbell (smin), 2\ horse-power Minerva, 30rnin 22sec, 4-. There were 24- competitors. Nine mile Motor Scratch Race. First prize £2, second £I.—Ogilvie, 1% horsepower Humher, I+mm 5 2-ssee, 1; Marries, 3£ horse-power Minerva, 14-min 35seo, 2; G. B. Brown, 2 horse-power Mitchell, 15min 4sec, 3; F. Sowarth, 2.% horse-power Minerva, 15mm 47sec, 4-. i 1