Cycling And Motor Notes

Otago Witness, Issue 3102, 27 August 1913, Page 56

Cycling And Motor Notes

ST DEMOS-

The coming year promises to be a very popular one for side-cars, so far as Dimed n is concerned. One hears on every hand of local riders of motor cycles who are going one better and attaching side-cars to their mounts so that they may be on a better footing with their envied colleagues who own cars. I understand that Messrs Flint and Gibb have invested in Indian twins for side-car work, while a number of others have Olyno twins on order for passenger work also. There ought, therefore, to be some very fine turn-outs here this season. A number of the finest English bodies are being imported, while some handy men have been busy and made really first-class bodies locally. Dunedin is considerably ahead of the other centres in respect to quality of side-cars, as compared with a large number of those in use in northern towns.

The Otago Motor Club is apparently on the look out in the interests of motorists, ami has, f understand, offered donations to the Waikouaiti and Green Island County Councils towards improving the main north and south roads. There are a number of very bud holes on the road to Evansdalc at present, and I am glad to see that the club realises its responsibility in matters of this description. On the occasion of the recent club run to Henley. I noticed a large and varied assortment of different makes of motor cycles and side-cars, and a Singer cycle-car recently landed by Messrs Curline Bros. This latter is a very handsome model, very comfortable, and extremely fast from all accounts. The Singer has recently put up a very fine performance at Home on Brooklands track, covering nearly 63 miles in the hour at the first attempt. Residents in the vicinity of Howe street witnessed something novel tiro other Sunday in the shape of a Matchless motor cycle on fire in the premises of Mr Winefield. It appears that Mr Winefield had had the motor running inside the house, when the carburettor back-fired and tbe machine of course went up in smoke. A bucket of sand is a very handy thing to have on the promises where motors are concerned, and may prove the means of saving many a motor cycle or even car in case of fire. - —Roads at this time of the year are generally fairly heavy, and such is the case at present of those running through Green Island, after which the surface is much harder. Taken all round, the roads are in very good condition in the Taiori, though patches of newly-laid metal make it difficult at times to save the tyres. The Continental Rubber Company (Ltd.), which employs over 10,000 hands, has taken a deep interest in the welfare of its employees. Thus all workmen who have served the company for 10 years receive a life insurance policy of £75, and similar arrangements are made to certain of the. clerical staff. Over 300 workmen and 100 of the office staff have been awarded'-this benefit. Every year bonuses are distributed, and the amount given to the workmen in 1912 totalled £2500. in addition to a further £IOOO for contributions in aid of the widows and orphans of deceased workmen. There is also a pension fund, sick fund, and old-age fund, and there have recently been completed fine bachelor nnarters for workmen who live away from home. An American writes: —“It is often considered a fact that tyro-heating is duo largely to compression and consequent heating of the air, owing to passing over obstacles in the roads; but a little consideration shows that, this hardly can be true, ft is well known that, while air Is heated by

compression, it is cooled in an exactly corresponding degree by expansion. Therefore, when a tyre strikes a bump the air in it is compressed and boated without doubt, but immediately afterwards the air resumes its normal pressure and temperature. It is usually considered that the heating of tyres is due to friction between the tyre and the load, and to the internal friction of the material of which the tyre is made. Friction between the cover and the tube is also responsible for a certain amount of heating.” On July 2, mi the Herne Hill track, F. 11. Grubb, of the Vegetarian Cycling Club, established a professional unpacod bicycle record for the hour by riding 24 miles 1546yds in that time. This is 394yda better than the amateur record. Grubb did 10 miles in 23min 57sec, and 20 miles in 48m in 17scc.

tinental Rubber Company that H. E. Smart Couleon, who is cycling round the world for a, £IOOO wager, has loft Perth (W.A.). on h's way to Adelaide and Melbourne. Coulsnn started from Bombay on February 17. Before completing Irs journey he will travel between 40.000 and 50.000 miles, and ho lias already covered 3530 miles. After leaving Australia he will travel through America, Japan, China, then from Manchuria to Siberia. After v'siting St. Petersburg he will go on to Germany. Austria, Italy, France, the British Isles, Africa. Egypt, and (toylon. the termination of his long ride. in the care of pneumatic tyros there are five cardinal points, the proper study of which will repay the motorist, and of these points the greatest arc, firstly, inflation) secondly. loading. Unless the proper pressure : s maintained in the tyre it cannot perforin the duty for which it was manufactured, and it must of necessity wear out much more quickly than if it had proper o-are. In the matter of loading there is a safety point in the pneumatic tyre beyond -which is mere foolishness to go, a.nd past which even collect inflating is unavailing. There is a.so the important factor of comfort. Tins is best demonstrated by a ride in a car shod with a small tyre, and then one fitted with a correct section. Careful fitting is ouother ossential to long tyre-life The proper tools should be used when a tyre :s being fitted. A spare tyre should always be earned in a good wrapper, cither in summer or winter. It is extremely unwise to expose a tyro to the direct rays of the sun. Indiarubber is a necul-ar substance, and the ultra-violet ray's cause it to quickly deteriorate, dostroyvu'r its elasticity, and causing it to crumble. On the other hand, . water has an equally damaging effect on the canvas foundation of the tv re. A good wrapper saves its cost many times. Small cuts should lie filled as soc*n 83 nossiblo, bearing in mind the old proverb, ‘‘A stitch in time.”

There are indications (says a Home paper) that several large English motor manufacturing firms which have not so far identified themselves with the cycle-car side of the business, are likely to pay more attention to it at an early date. No 'doubt they have begun to realise that the demand is a substantial one. and will inevitably grow very much indeed when these little cam have been thoroughly tested, and further improved. They are still in a state of evolution. though the development up to the present has been most creditable, that the cycle-car is capable of standing up to hard driving on the road, oven at a fast speed, has frequently been demonstrated in England. but the latest cycle-car performance easily overshadows anything yet accomplished in the Old Country. The severe drive from Lands End to John o Croats (one end of Great Britain to the other) has been negotiated by a Mr 11. Davies, on a small Singer car, shod with Dunlop tyres, in the good time of 34hr 39mm. Xhe dis tanco is 890 miles. The motor cycle record for this classic course stands at 29hr 12nim, "also to the credit of Mr Davies. An. American manufacturer, however, who recently visited Great Britain, evidently does not share the glowing- optimism which prevails in England respecting the cycle-car On being interviewed on his return he said ‘• The cycle-car hasn’t a ghost of a show. As a competitor for the American car it is a joke. As compared with the high-grade automobile niade in our country it is nothing more or loss than a toy. The cycle-car would not last a month on American roads, and 1 seriously doubt if it will be found practical even on the excellent highways of England and the rest of Europe. No, we haven’t a reason in the world to foci uneasy over the cycle-car.” Notwithstanding this, and the several denunciations cf the little car bv the Yankee motor manufacturers, there are illustrations in the latest papers from America of types of < ycle-car? which other American makers are preparing to place on the market, in response, no doubt, to a local demand. L An American motor-car manufacturing firm has decided to adopt an electric gear change control for their 1914 models, in which solenoid coils are employed. There is one coil for each speed. '1 wo speeds cannot bo engaged at once, liecau.se each speed is governed independently of the others, and an interlocking device provides that no two buttons in the control can bo down at the same time. Should the second speed button be set and the driver decide that ho wants to go into third, he merely presses the third speed button, which returns the second speed one to its normal position. Pressing the neutral button leaves all of the others normal. The control Is on a ring above the steering wheel. On this arc seven push buttons, three for forward speeds, one for reverse, one for neutral, one for the electric starter, and one for the electric horn. Pressing a button takes the place of the usual gear lever motion. It reminds us of the furniture dealer’s advertisement, remarks the Field, but wo will wait for actual results before accepting it as a practical device Nowadays many cars are used with one metal-studded tyro and one plain, grooved or other form of all-rubber tyre. It is well to boar in mind that the old ideal of exactly equal brake adjustment for the two side brakes is no longer the right one in such oases. Arrange the adjustment so that the brake for the plain-tyred wheel is applied slightly earlier than for the studdodtyred wheel. The grip of the studded tyre upon the road is so much stronger than that of the plain tyro, under the usual conditions of running, that if the brakes be equally adjusted, practically all the stress comes on the studded tyre, and the major portion of the braking work is confined to it; but by adjusting so that when the car is jacked up the plain tyred wheel is locked one notch sooner op the quadrant than the other, one can use the side brakes without the constant stressing of the studded tyre, which occurrs when the brakes are adjusted equally. Obviously, this unequal adjustment cannot bo arranged on brakes which are well compensated by some special

fitting devised for ihe purpose, bin many of the so-called compensated brakes are compensated only in .name, and there, are other brake systems in use which make no pretence at equalising the pull automatically. So far as the foot brake is concerned, when it works through the propel'er-shaft nothing can be done. But, a.s a good deal vif the braking is, or should be, effected through the side brakes, it is just as well, :f it can bo arranged, to have the adjustment right.

It. was stated at the meeting of the Automobile Association (says the Lyttelton Junes) that only 23 women had been licensed as drivers of motor-cars, and the speaker who called attention to the fact said that there were many more women driving in Christchurch, and even young girls. It was resolved to endeavour io secure as many lady members as possible for the association. —■—A cycle car which was constructed by Mr Louis Edyvean, a popular Timaru rider and motor expert, was subjected to a trial run recently, and the manner in which it came through the ordeal reflected great credit upon the builder. Mr Edyvean has utilised his spare time during the past winter in constructing the machine, mainly from remains of other cars which had outlived their usefulness. The car ran very smoothly and with a noticeable absence of noise, and attracted a good deal of attention and favourable comment from those who witnessed its performance. To negotiate the hill at the commencement of Wai-iti road without changing the speed and with two passengers aboard is a fairly severe test for a small car.

MOTOR CAR v. TRAIN. CAPETOWN, August 22. Chaplan, starting even on a ClementTalbot car, beat the Johanncsburg-Durban express over a distance of 482 miles by 40min. • SIX DAYS’ CYCLING RACfE. SYDNEY, August 21. Prizes for the six days’ cycling race to be held at the end of the year total £IOOO. The first will probably be £SOO. MOTOR ’BUSES. REVIEW. At this time, when the-motor ’bus is discussed by city councillors and borough 'councillors and private citizens on every possible occasion, any information on the subject is interesting (remarks “ Autos,” in the Post). Particularly so is the report of a_ deputation from the City Council of Edinburgh, which recently toured part of England, visiting various cities with a view of inspecting self-propelled cars. 1 hey visited Morocambe, Birmingham, Coventry, and London (reports Engineering). At Morccambo tiie autocar service was opened 18 months ago. The line, which is operated by a company,' is only one and onc-fifth miles long t< being the residue left over outside the borough boundary of Morocambe, when the local authority acquired the lines inside the town limits. It passes through a sparsely populated district, and horse traction proved to be incapable of attracting sufficient revenue to cover working expenses. It was, therefore, necessary either to lot the line become derelict or to try whether success might not be achieved by adopting petrol traction. This was done", and the first year’s working has shown a surplus of receipts over expenditure; in spite of the fact that the line is , both isolated and short. The car described in the report of the deputation scats 37 passengers. its weight unloaded being eight tens. It is propelled by a 40 horse-power four-cylinder petrol engine, the mileage per gallon of petrol being seven to eight. The petrol tanks lilted hold 20 gallons. The average daily run for each car is approximately 70 miles The cost of the chassis is .said to bo about £9OO. and the total cost, with various st\ Ics of body, from £985 np to £llsO. The Loyland Motor Company. which built the cars, gave a five veins’ guarantee that the costs of working, exclusive of wages, upkeep of ear bodv. and administration expenses, should not exceed 3id per car mile so long as the price of petrol did not exceed 9d per gallon. The Birmingham visit was made chiefly with the object of inspecting the Till ing-Ste veils petrol-electric omnibuses belonging to the Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company (Ltd.), which operates 10 route miles. The road surfaces worked over vary from jvood pavements to Ordinary macadam, and the rougher character of the latter is stated in the report to have no appreciable effect on tbc operating costs, the greater wear and tear directly line to the rougher road being offset hv the fewer stops necessary, as compared' with paved, and therefore crowded, streets. Of those omnibuses 110 arc said to be running in London and 35 in Birmingham, in addition to smaller numbers elsewhere.

At Coventry the deputation saw a selfpropelled railway coach built by (be Daimler Company. Tin's is fitted with two engines, each designed to develop 105 brake horse-power, and is a double bogie ear designed to carry 50 to 60 passengers. A speed of 65 miles an hour lias been obtained on tbc- open line. In London the deputation obtained data as to the petrol-electric Tilling-Stevena ears, for the Victor! Park-West India Dock section of (ho L.C.C. tramways. These cars weigh 9 tons 2cwt. fitted complete, with a petrol-electric system of 40 horse-power. Thcv have seating accommodation for 20 inside and 23 outside, and easily attain speeds of 18 to 20 miles an hour over (he quieter parts. As a result of their inquiries, the deputation recommend the introduction experimentally of petrol-driven cars in Edinburgh. PEDAL-AEROPLANINO. AN AMUSING EXHIBITION. There is a comic element about the attempts of cycle flight, and those who expect any scientific development in this direction must be rather disappointed at the levity which seems to surround the French competition. Some of the inventors at least are in deadly earnest, however, and certainly France has taken up this subject with much more enthusiasm than has been displayed in other parts of the world. At the last competition for the £4OO offered by a French firm for the first flying bicycle to cover 10 yards in the air, there was no lack of effort, for at least 50 machines were used in the competition, and

their riders expended a considerable amount of muscular effort in vain endeavours to make them leave the ground. In a few cases one wheel could be raised, and one competitor covered a distance of about three yards with his back wheel in the air. Every type of machine was to be found on the ground—biplanes, monoplanes, collapsible planes, and no planes at all. One ingenious inventor, struck by the fact that it was impossible with a big carrying surface to get up sufficient speed to leave the ground, had the wings of his machine wound up on a roller. While pedalling at maximum speed he touched a lever, which caused his roller blind to shoot out in front of him. Unfortunately, it refused to cause the machine to rise in the air, but, instead, landed it on its head to the amusement of the spectators. The workmanship of the flying bicycles was no better than that of last year, and the design did not show any progress. If the spectators were disappointed in not seeing any flying under power, they seemed to find the spills highly amusing. L nlike real flying, the sport of pedal-aeroplaning does not at present offer any serious danger. There were not a few broken machines at the end of the day, but not a rider had a scratch to show. At a later date there will be another attempt to win this difficult prize. THE ELECTRICALLY-DRIVEN CAR. Where the electrically-propelled motor car has progressed most is in the United States, but, according to the Motor, of London, this type of vehicle will enter upon a new era, and already the manufacture on a large scale of commercial cars has begun in England. In the last few years great improvements in storage batteries have taken place, and notably the Edison type of cell has come in for such attention That the electrically-driven car possesses distinctive merits is not questioned, but the unfortunate impression created at its advent by those who made wildly-ex-travagant claims for it has now rendered it difficult to overcome some prejudice against the electric motor. Results, however, will tell in the long run, and so far the battery is making a good showing as regards durability and cost of upkeep. Compared with the highly-cfficient petroldriven car of to-day, it must be recognised that the electric car has its limitations. For one thing, electrical energy cannot be bought anywhere by the gallon, while the running distance per charge of any electric car must obviously depend on the capacity of cits batteries and the nature of the work it is called to do. When the batteries are exhausted they must bo recharged, after, perhaps. 40, 60, or 80 miles of running; hence to do that the user of eucli a car needs to have a charging station handy, and also be prepared to wait some hours for the charging to be completed. There is an alternative, of course—to have fully-charged batteries ready at stoppingplaces to replace the exhausted cells. But that is merely a matter of organisation. Where the electric vehicle will find its greatest utility will be in urban and suburban service, for its advantage of silence, cleanliness, absence of heat (besides being odourless) make it an ideal vehicle for the purposes for which a town vehicle is used.

PETROLEUM. Tho pap or read by Mr 11. \V. Harrison, of the Vacuum Oil Co , before the members of the Automobile Club on tho Bth inst., on the “ History of the Petroleum Industry ” was (says the Australasian) listened to with great interest by those present. He showed that the product was known and used 450 years 8.r., and also iiuotod a Scriptural reference to it from the Book of Job. Tho early Persians, Romans, and Creeks . called a certain rock-oil naphtha, and used it medicinally. Later discoveries of oil bearing substances in various parts of the world wore then enumerated, Russia and America naturally coming in for a great amount of attention, and, dealing with the latter country specifically, he said that at present there were 20,000 miles of pipes used in convoying tho crude oil to the refineries, one line being 2000 miles in length, into which was poured thousands of pounds worth of oil before it began to flow into the reior voir at tlie refinery. The installation of the piping throughout, the oil regions—not including tho numerous pumping stations on many of the routes—cost approximately 25 millions sterling. Such figures afforded the means to comprehend the vastness of the industry. Lantern slides were used to illustrate certain portions of the paper, and at its conclusion Mr Wilhelm, cheniist to tho Vacuum Oil Company. with the aid of a small working still, showed the process by which crude portoleum is distilled to separate the lighter oils from the heavier. In an annealed glass utensils 100 cubic centimetres of tho crude liqu'd was heated to boiling-point, reached at HOdeg Fahr.. when the vapour, condensed by passing through a watcr-coolcd jacket, yielded 15 per cent, of benzine. W hen the temperature passed 3Codeg kerosene was obtained up to sCodeg. tho amount being 32 per cent.; thence up to 750dcg, tho product was 43 per cent, of fuel oil, the residue being tar. paraffin, and coke. The process was explained in untcchnica! terms as tho experiment progressed, while many pertinent questions were preferred and answered.