Cycling and Motor Notes

Otago Witness, Issue 3030, 10 April 1912, Page 59

Cycling and Motor Notes

BY DEMON.

The fine performance put up by A. E. M'Dougall over the mile piece of road marked off for a speed test while the Otago Motor Cycle Club wore at Naseby during Easter " demonstrates once more that care and attention given to a motor cycle—or any other vehicle for that matter —pay. M'Dougall was timed to traverse the mile in 56 2-s.sec, which is very fast, travelling, and this time is likely to stand for some time. M'Dougall further added to his laurels by getting second in the fast hill climb, and then showed his control of his mount by annexing the slow hill climb. The thing that has most forcibly struck the Australian press reprcsontativ?s about C'hristehurch is the largo number of cyclists here. Cycling, Mr Temperley, one of the party, informed a reporter, had gone out of fashion in New South Wales, and was confined at the present, time chiefly to the i-aeing fraternity and youths. It was a rare thing in Sydney now to see a lady on a bicycle. As a matter of fact, ho had soon more cyclists, ladies and gentlemen, 1.1 Chrisfcchurch in ono day than could be seen in a whole week in the much larger city of Sydney. cussed events lately have been the marvellous e«ca.pc of the party in a motor ear in Bayswater road, which after colliding with a taxi, jumped clean through a poster hoarding, and the accident which resulted in the regrettable death of Mr John Sands. In the iirst case it is thought that ono or other of the partv -would have been decapitated by the hoarding had the car taker, a downward plunge instead of an upward ono after jumping th© kerbstone. The accident to the car in which the unfortunate. Mr Sands was seated was due to a bursting tyre. to be no longer permitted to ply for hire in the streets of Berlin from the beginning of this month. Each of the 60 licensed drivers affected by this new regulation will receive £3O as compensation for disturbance, and a specially .favourable consideration 'will b P shown to their applications for licenses to drive motor cabs. The English War Office recently carried out some motor cycling tests at Brooklands '(Eng.), and it looks as if the English military authorities are about to recognise the motor cycle as a suitable unit in warfare. Several of th© leading English motor cycle manufacturers were invited to submit/their latest models to speed and bill-climbing tests, and after the performance of the machines the War Office representatives expressed their satisfaction at the results of the tests The Tourist Trophy Motor Cycle Races —the premier events of their kind in the world will again he held in the Isle of Man this year, the dates being June 23 for the small-powered or Junior Race, whilst the Senior or high-powered event will be decided on July 1. The event is being organised by the Auto-cycle Union of England. Ti was in this event last year that the E'. ;'.ish and American cracks Collier and De Rosier - met for the first time, and although neither won. the Englishman performed better than the American champion. A new American electric motor waggon has be©n seen upon Melbourne streets of lata, which is driven by the Edison storage batteries. These- batteries occupy a space under the body of the lorrv about 3ft long by the width of the car. The current from

the batteries is carried to the rear axle. The car has no bonnet, and the driver's seat is right forward. The control mechanism is under the driver's seat, and the waggon is fitted with the ordinary typo steering and brake pedals. —— In the United States the motor cyclo is used more—that is, in greater numbers—than in any other country, and at the beginning of' the year the outlook, from a business point of view, had never been,. so promising. One manufacturer stated that he was then turning out 80 machines a day, and was increasing the facilities so that the output will reacii 100 daily. Speaking of the side-car attachment, which has its advantages, he remarked that- its future is one of the most pleasing aspects of the industry. His firm has great faith in the side-car and believes it will bo readily available for country u?e upon the average road. Good construction and high efficiency of the engine will enable the sidecar to be commonly used, while any jar and other .defects can be eliminated with properly-constructed seats. .Moreover, the increased us 0 of side-cars will possibly be as commercial carriers, as well as for passenger:-, and several foreign linns are i already marketing models tor business purposes. There is to be a great International Road Congress in London next year (says "Pathfinder," in Athletic News). I say ''great" because it is estimated to cost £SOOO, and •■ for a tidy sum like that something really sizable ought to be put up. But I don't see why it need run away with so much, for the delegates will still have to look .to their associations for their expenses. In these functions each country tries to outdo its predecessors in the splendour and number of its entertainments, as if pleasure, not business, were the main thing. covered" by Society (with a big " S") everybody who was anybody rode a bicycle. It occurred to me (says a- writer in Athletic News) the other day to see how far that was the ca.se now. Itememberhig the interest taken in the pastime by Mr Balfour, who is president of the N.C.U., 1 looked up in "Who's Who" the members of the present Cabinet. A large number of them—Sir E. Grey. Mr Lloyd George, Mr Churchill, Lord Haldane, Mr Harcourt, Lord Morlev, Lord Oarrington, Lord Beauchamp, Lord Pentland, and Mi; Samueldid not confess to any recreation at all, while others, Lord Loreburn and Mr M'Kenna, merely recalled the fact that in their youth they bad played or rowed for their'universities. The only one who is a professing cyclist, is Mr J. A. Pease, who is a keen, all-round sportsman, filling 10 lines with .his recreations. These, in addition to the wheel, include fishing, shooting, golf, hunting, and cricket, while he is an\.ld.polo and football blue. So much for the Cabinet. Taking the first 15 pages of the A's. which contain about 130 names, I found only six celebrities who cycled. They were certainly a representative lot, for one was an Indian colonel, another an admiral, the third a Scottish legal luminary, the fourth an artist, the fifth a Government official, and the last a colonial bishop Of course this cold-shouldering of cycling does not mean that people neither ride nor own machines, but that they uso them only for getting about on, and do not go out on them for pleasure runs or more extended tours. A German statistici.ia has calculated that, during 1911 R. Walthour, the famous pace-follower, earned about 19s 3d for every kilometre he rod e ir. Germany, equalling about 27s 6d a mile. Fritz Theile earned about 27s a mile, and Tommy Hall, the Englishman, about a guinea. The Berlin six days' race ended on February 9, at the Sports Palace, Berlin. W. llutt and J. Stol won, with threo American tarns—F. Fogler-J. F. Moran, E. T. Root-F. Hil', an( j Al. Halstcad-Peter Drobach—next in order. The distance is not stated, but G. Wiley, a prominent American rider, sustained .severe injuries through falling and striking his head against a post. ■ Track-racing is evidently flourishing in Paris, for the Velodrome d'Hiver, the celebrated ' indoor track, which was rebuilt in a palatial manner about 12 months ago, is reported to have returned a net profit of about £2BOO for the first year's working. The takings for cycle races amounted to £II,OOO.

Motorists in the U.S. are greatly interested in the prop< ' national memorial to Abraham Line: for which Coni gross lias provided a sum of £400,000, and has now two genera! schemes before it. One idea restricts the memorial to a purely ornamental structure in the city of Wash- : ington, while the other contemplates the ' construction of a great highway or boulej vard, leading from Washington to Gettys- ; burg. Many prominent motorists are naturally urging the latter plan. They ! argue that a. building or monument will in j time crumble or decay, while a good road I will be practically perpetual, and would ! probably become * the nucleus of a great I system of public roadways throughout the i States. j The London County Council has, up 1 io December 31 last, registered 48,701 motor cars, 3379 commercial motor vans, waggons, I and lorries, and 16,874 motor cycles, while | the number of licenses to drive cars and ! motor cycles was 203.783. Respecting the i quantity of petrol used in England, the re- ! turns for January last show that 5,171.844 gal i were imported, valued at £122.395. as ! against. 5,390,736 gal (value £113,037) in January, 1911. Regarding the motor industry in" the United States, an idea of its magnitude mav be gleaner] from the fact ' that during the last 10 months in 1911 the ! export value of cars and parts was 1 £3,068.935. Canada, the best customer, tak- ' ing almost one-third while Great Britain required one-si^th, | A motorist bought a new six-cylinder ' car. On the way home after taking dolii very he met a pal on the road and picked i him up. The pal was a keen motorist, and ' asked permission to try the wheel of his friend's new possession. Haying changed ! seats, they continued to glide along in ', ghostly fashion, the pal being so struck ; with the peculiar sensation that he turned to his friend, remarking: "D'yon know, if I were in my own car I should swear we j were moving at 15 miles an hour, whereas, ' look- at your speedometer—surely it is ! wrong in indicating 23 miles an hour?" ' Just then a constable stopped them for j travelling at a rate dangerous to traffic. t But the pal was always a flier, and he took a mean advantage with another man's ,; car. j People wonder where all the money ; comes from to buy motor ears. It is sug- ' gested in America that the bulk of the money comes from Life Assurance Societies, which during « jrfcar disburse about

360jO&O.OOOdo] to beneficiaries under thelf policies.

The popularity of the commercial motor is spreading- rapidly throughout tho Commonwealth. In Adelaide the "number of these vehicles, both for the carriage of heavy and light merchandise, has increased to a surprising- extent of late. Market gardeners, even, are going in for motor lorries, and they find tho new vehicles exceedingly expeditious and effective. Recently in Melbourne members of tho Master Carriers' Association were much interested in tho trial of a new fiveton lorry, which was tested on all the steep hills in the metropolis, carrying a load exceeding five tons of pig iron. After witnessing the hill tests the carriers then desired that the waggon be driven over a heavy road, and the west end of Dudley street, which is over swamp land, was chosen by them. The lorry negotiated the vile stretch up and down without any trouble, and the master carriers expressed themselves perfectly 'satisfied. motoring at heart is interested in all schemes for reducing dust. Already much has been done, but very much remains to be accomplished before dustless roads are tho rule. It seems somewhat strange (says tho Autocar) considering all the refinements which have been introduced within the hist few years in connection with the motor car itself, that littlo or nothing has been attempted in the way of savinjr the engine from wear by protecting i] internally from dust. Every analysis of combustion chamber and piston head deposit shows that it is largely composed o{ road dust, while every time the crank chamber is emptied a considerable amount of road dust is found in the sedimentary deposit, though, of course, some of the deposit consists of minute particles of metal rubl>ed off the bearing surfaces in the working of the engine. With a welllubricated ongino there is no doubt that tho largest proportion of the wear 5% caused solely by tho dust which tho engine, through tho carburetter, is constantly inhaling. This is recognised on all sides, and yet practically no effort has been made towards improvement by supplying the engine with air which is practically chistless, or as nearly so as possible. We know that any system of filtering has almost insuperable objections, yet, as a matter of fact, in i lie earlier cars something of this sort was attempted, though not usually with the idea of excluding dust, but rather as a precaution against backfires. Francis Birtles, the well known Australian overlanding cyclist, looks like again making good, this timo in a new role. After his recent successful attempt, on tho Fremantlo to Sydney cycle record-which ho reduced by no less than five days nine hours—Birtles stated he was confident that ho could pilot a car across an overland route from tho west to cast of Australia. Such a motor feat had never previouslyeven been attempted, it being thought amongst motorists that such a ride wa-S impracticable owing to heavy sandy stretches and boggy dried up lake beds to be negotiated between Norseman in West Australia and Euc'.a. tho repeating telegraph station on tho border line between West and South Australia. A little moro ban six weeks ago Birtles announced that the trip was possible; to-day tho feai is practically accomplished. Birtles and Mr S. Ferguson, of the Canada Cycle and Motor Co.~ Sydney, left by steamer for Fremantlo early in March, taking with them a shod * 10 h.p. Brush runabout on which to make the attempt. Tho Vacuum Oil Co. undertook to arrange for relays of Pratt's petrol and lubricating oil at different points along the route, a matter of considerable trouble as regards transportation into tho wild country wesb of Eucla, but bv the middle of March the pioneer motor ovorlandors had everything ready for a start. On Saturday, March 16, Messrs Birtles and Ferguson left the, Perth Post, Office at 1 p.m. for Sydney. Southern . Cross waH reached on Monday afternoon, and Coolgardio (351 miles) at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 20. Reports next came to hand stating that the party had reached the Balladonia Overland Telegraph Station (south of Eraser's Range), after considerable difficulty in crossing the dried up lake beds between Norseman and Balladonia, and on several occasions considerable trouble and delav was entailed extricating tho ear. Tho next stage, across Evre s Sandpatch and Hampton Range, would, it was anticipated, give great trouble, but Birtles and his companion hive pulled through for they wired on March 2R - "Arrived Eucla. Got over long stago sucoessfuly—thousand miles. No tyre trouble Been raining \heav:ily. Although some very heavy and rough country has vet to bo negotiated across the Nullabor Plains to Port Augusta, there is now every chance of the first attempt to motor across Australia from west to cast terminating successfully, for ,n Septemtof last vear some members of the transcontinental Railway Commission motored to within 70 or 80 miles of Eucla from tho Adelaide side. 'Hie Brush car used is a single cylinder (bore 4in stroke sin Hght American runabout, the lowest priced oar produced in tho United States. That it can stand considerable knocking about has been well demonstrated m the trip ""I" Thefte'of accessories from motor car* left standing by the kerb have been in, creasing of late (says a Melbourne paper), and reports of lost cushions rugs lamps and overcoats have reached fee police. Tha practice has become so prevalent in England that the detectives believe a market for <*uch goods has been created, and, if so there is a possibility of its being discovered and thieving checked. Among the accessories stolen from cars in London are clocks inner tubes, and even spare covers; but the most audacious thief w&s he who released a magneto from its fastenings in tho space of five minutes. Later, on one of the taxi-cab stands, no fewer than eight magnetos were removed from as many vehicles. That points to some unprincipled person in or connected with the trade, as magnetos, obviously, are of little value except to car-makers or dealers. But it is a common practice of motorists here to leave their oars untended for comparatively long periods. The accessories, rugs, etc.. wore rarely touched in the first years of automobilism, simply because a ear being new and novel, attracted the attention of passerebv to such an extent that anything left in the car was practically under surveillance the whole time the owner was absent. Motor cars now are so common as to excite but little curiosity; it is the thief's opportunity. There fire at present 075 motor cars and cycles registered with the Ilawke's Bay County and the Napier Borough Council.

The latter body lias issued licences for 464 and the county has received the fees from 511 owners of petrol-propelled cars and cycles. During March the borough granted 14 licenses (nine cars and five cycles) and the county issued 12 permits. "WHY SELF-STARTING ENGINES APPEAL. It may oome as a surprise to those motorists who, in very cold weather have found the engine rather hard to start, and have opened the compression taps on the cylinders to render the "turnover" easier, to learn that they have actually increased the labour of starting up. Yet it was proved in a series of tests made in the technical laboratory of the Automobile Club of America. The tests are interesting, because they serve to indicate the amount of actual work which must be performed by the various self-cranking devices which are in use. The motor tested was of the fourcylinder, four-cycle typo, with bores of 3 9-16 in and strokes of 4Jin. The principal reason that more power is required with the compression tans open is that the effect of compression in storing energy i s lost. From the figures it would appear that the motorist ordinarily expends upwards of one-half power in starting his engine, and moro if ho opens the compression taps. Hence the growing demand for self-starting devices on motor cars. INTERNATIONAL CYCLING CARNIVAL. SYDNEY, April 7. At the international cycling carnival Iver Lawson (America) defeated A. J. Clarke (Victoria) in the Five-mile Tan-dem-paced Race. The Five-milo Scratch Race resulted:—A. F. Grenda (Tasmania) 1. Gordon Walker (Victoria) 2, Clarke 3, Lawson 4 Clarke boat Gouileft in a match over a mile. In the International Team Raco Lawson and Grenda won the best two of three mile events, defeating Clarke and MiacNaitiara. and Ilehir and Gonllott. Shepherd, who was paced, covero'J three miles nr 4mii>. ?n 2 ssec—an Australian record. The Five-mile Scratch Ra.ee was won by Goullett, with Hehii- second and Dixon third. FLIGHT ACROSS THE CHANNEL. LONDON, April 2. Mr Hamel, with a lady passenger, aeroplaned from Hendon across the Channel. He landed at Grisnez, and flew thence to Paris. OTAGO HOTOR CYCLE CLUB. EASTER TRIALS. Tho reliability trials for motor cycles, with sidecars attached, to Naseby wm commenced on Good Friday Tho following fire competitors faced tho starter: —W. Gibb, 7-h.p. Indian; Cooke-Howlison, 4£-

h.p. Norton; \V. Cameron, 3J-h.p. Bradbury; D. Brown. 3 ! -h.p. Bradbury; and George Thorn, 3i-h.n. New Hudson. The first competitor was started on the journey at 7.30 a.m., and the rest ut intervals of two minutes. Out of the five competitors, four finished the trying journey without mishap. The fifth competitor had tho misfortune to lose his. side-car when journeying down the Kilmog Hill, luckily without injury to the passenger or tho rider. The result of the trial was as follows : Cooke-Howlison. 500 marks. W. Cameron, 500 marks. D. Brown, 500 marks. W. Gibb, 500 marks. In conjunction with the reliability trial, the club held a run to Naseby, some 20 members taking part. En route a stop was made at The Brothers, where a fast and a slow hill-climb was held, both events being krenly contested. The results were as follow : Fast Hill-climb. J. Meek. 3J>-h.p. Triumph 1 A. E. M'DougaJl, 3ih.p- Triumph ... 2 A. Laurie, 3i-h.p llitdgo-YVhituorth 3 Slow Hill-climb. A. M'Dougall 1 H. Crolly, 3i-h.p. Bradbury 2 Tho club returned to town on Easter Saturday, and on the way back held a series of speed events on a section of road between the Swinburn and Kyeburn. The results were as follow: Two-mile. J. Meek Ci-h.n. Triumph). 2min 2?sec 1 A. E. Ansell (3j,-h.p. Triumph). 2min 37scc 2 A. Lawric (Sj-h.p. Rudge), 2min 38sec 3 Four-mile. J. Pridham (3j-h.p. Humber), smin 18sec 1 11. Fancourt ;3j-h.p. Trumph), smin 43-ec 2 A. Lawrie (3j-h.p. Rudge) an<l A M'Dougall (3i-h.p. Triumph), smin 47sec 3 A club record was instituted for the flying mile. A E. M'Dougall covering the distance in the splendid time of 56 2-ssoo. Tho effort was all rho more creditable as M'Dougall sustained a nasty spill while practising before the event. The thanks of the club are due to Messrs W. Munro. W. F. Meek, and G. Thorn (secretary), who ably officiated in the two days' events, and whose efforts tended in no small degree to make the outing tho success it was. The dub also desires to thank the Maniototo County Council for allowing it the use of the Swinburn-Kve-burn road, which was in splendid condition, as, in fact, are all the roads uncW the council's control.