MOTOR RELIABILITY TRIALS, j

Otago Witness, Issue 2860, 6 January 1909, Page 60

MOTOR RELIABILITY TRIALS, j

(Fbom Otjb Own Correspondent.) j CHRISTCHURCH, December 29. ' IFot the second day of the Canterbury Automobile Association's reliability trial [ over four days) fine weather waa experienced over the greater portion of the route. Of the 37 cars 'entered, 35 started. The route was from, Christchurch via Ayleebury, Darfield, Hororata, the Rakaia Gorge bridge, and Methven, to Ashburton, and back via- Rakaia, Selwyn [ bridge, Springston, and Hornby. The I total distance was 149 miles, and the j country passed through was varied in ' character, hilly country haying to be negotiated before and after crossing the Rakaia. The minimum fixed for all cars to cover the distance in was 6hr 15mm. ' The strong winds experienced <in the yicinity of the Rakaia Gorge and between Methven and .Ashburton militated against records being- pat up. To-day's run was also a peti'ol-cousumotiun test, but' several cars, owing to the strong winds., must have consumed much more petrol than would have been the case in more farvourable circumstances. The roads were very varied in character. The- piece of road leading to the Rakaia Gorge bridge was irough — in some places very rough, — and some eteep descents and feharp turns had to be dealt with. The climbing capacities of the were tested on the other side of the river, but all were successful in oVercoming the airfuntties. In ipe results of the. first day's trial a Sidaeley car, which had a non-stop run, lost points by covering the distance in 12min 19sec under the minimum nxed, which was five hours. December 30. The Canterbury Automobile Association reliability trial was continued to-day in fine weather, though a strong nor* wester did not add to the pleasantness of the run. The route selected was from Ohristchurch to the Waiau ferry and back, a distance of 166 miles. The country selected was nio3t suitable for testing the quality of the cars and the ability of the drivers, for it included hills, r\ver beds, and long, winding stretches of roads, with many abrupt turns. The minimum time for all cars Was seveft hours, and the maximum tjmes ranged from 7J| to 9| hours. Thity-two cars competed- The roads throughout were- in excellent order. The Weka Pass provided a number of steep graces, but all the cars were successful in. getting through without much difficulty. The Pahia riverbed, like the Walpara, was easily crossed, the river being extremely low, and the horse which was stationed at this point in case cars should happen to get stuck in the

streams was not required. A long, straight road leading past Culverden to the .Waiau Valley provided very easy going, an occasional water race or watercourse being the only factor that caused the drivers to moderate temoorarily the speed at which they were travelling. December 31. The last of the series of reliability trialswas carried through to-day. The route was from Christchurch to Aka>roa, via Ta: Tapu and Little River, returning to Christ church via Gebbie's Valley and Tedding ton. A considerable amount of hill won had to be undertaken by the competing cars. The day was, in fact, the hardest one of the trials, and the severe task setwas felt all the more in consequence of the care being so much travel-worn after the three days' previous hard going. With two or three exceptions, however, all the cars got through. Hea-vy rain, fell in the early morning, and at the- time o£ starting the' weather was still wet and unsettled, but by the time Akaroa was reached the sun was shining. The sky clouded over /igain during the afternoon. The first i*eal trial came after Little River was left behind and the attack made on the uphill road. The climb was a long and trying one, and the ordinary difficulties, of the task were increased by the slippery state of the road in parts. The hill work was also a source of great uneasiness to quite a number of the drivers whose motoring experience was gained almost entirely on the flat. Changing gears- caused trouble at times,- and quite a number of marks were lost in consequence of temporary stoppages due to defective change gear work. A spice of excitement was added to the run down on, the other side by "reason of the slippery state of the road at some of the turns, which made, skidding most easy, but the care of the drivers prevented anything but minor skids. It was not until after 3 o'clock that the first car ©et out on the return journey. Barry's Bay was reached half an hour later, and here another\halt was made preliminary to the carrying out of the hill "limbing competition from the bay to the hill top which was included in the run. The climb to the hill .top is something under five miles and? the total, rise about 1600£t, but some of the cars clipped out the distance in. excellent time, one of them putting up the remarkable time of nine minutes. The roads for part of the return trip were rough and narrow, and in some places very steep, and some of the stiffest work of the day was undertaken at this stage. Some of the drivers found on arrival at the foot of the hills that they were coivsiderably ahead of tbe times, the result being that the cars had to be driven into town at a crawl in order that the minimum time allowed might be reached. January* 3. The results of the trials are as follow :—: — Trophy, highest aggregate marks, and the chief prize of the contest, Adams (Ltd.), 15 horse-power Talbot (driver, H. T. j Adanis) ; second trophy, highest aggregate marks, Adams (Ltd.), 15 horse-power , Talbot id-iaver A. Kerr) ; third trophy, Lighe&t aggregate marks, Adams (Ltd.), 25 horse-power Talbot (driver, F. N. Adams) ; prize far highest number of markfr for reliability, A. Morten's 30 , horse-power Siddeley, Adams (Ltd.) 25 . horse-power Talbot, J. "H. WilKams's 22 horss-power S.C.A.T., Scott-Morgan Ca's. 12 to 16 horse-power. Vauxball, Adams (Ltd.) 15 horse-power Talbot, W. • MA. Duncan's 12 to 14 -horse-power j Singer; trophy s highest marks, in bill- i clarabnsg, Scott- Morgan Co.'s 12 to 16 [ borae-pow-er Vauxhall (driver W. J. j Scott) ; trophy for car showing lowest fuel j consumption, per ton-mile, Adams (Ltd.) J 12 to 16 horse-power French Talbot ' (driver, A. F. Collins) ; trophy, single cylinder car obtaining highest aggregate, A. W. Smith and Son's eight horse-power Rover (driver, A. E. Smith) ; for twincyJinder car making highest agigregate marks, Steed's 16 to 22 horse-power | Reo (driven by owner) ; for six-cylinder ! cars, Adams (Ltd.) 15 horse-power Tali bot ; for fastest time on hill-climb, ScottMorgan Oo.'s 12 to 16 horse-power Vauxj hailj silver cup, valued ,at £105, prei s.ented by the Star Engineering Conrpany, Woherbampton, for private owner's car making higuest aggregate, Geoj Rhodes's ! 12 to 20 horse-power Renault (driver, R-. iM. Macdonald) ; gold medals for nonl stop runs — A. Morten's 30 horse-power ; Biddel'ey, Ajdams (Ltd. ) 25 Harse-po-wrei-I Talbot. G. H. Williams's 22 horse-power S.C.A.T., Scott-Morgan Co.'s 12 to 16 horse-power Vauxhall ; Adams (Ltd. ) 15 hoi\«e-power Talbot, and W. MA. Duncan's 12 to 14 horse-power Singer,; observer's priae, Mr Broadway. In France there is a curious form of life in-suranoe, the peculiarity being that the longer a man Jives the less his heirs become- entitled: to. The i<fea is that if a man dies young his children will require help, bust that by the time he is 50 they will be old enough, to earn ihait own j living. Julius Reeson, an elderly man, was'doriv1 ing a horse and cart at Gordons (Victoria), frnfcn the horse fell into an abandoned shaft full ol watejr, and dragged" th® cart and "driver with it. Reeson and tho horse were both drowftfid*