FIRST MOTOR CAR IN TIMARU.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 3434, 30 November 1900, Page 3

FIRST MOTOR CAR IN TIMARU.

Mr Oates* motor car was run about the streets for somo time yesterday, and attracted a great deal of attention from people going about, and shopkeepers left their counters to have a, look at the novelty, and the remarks made about it were mostly of a favourable character, though naturally there were those who were prepared to criticise its construction, its appearance as odd, its progression as noisy. It did not strike us as very noisy, and certainly not as odd. If one saw a man on a. modern bicycle now for the first time, that would indeed be an odd sight, but v buggy without a horse is only m part a. novelty, and the peculiarities of the vehicle distract attention from the absence of the home. As for noise, many buggies rattle as much, while the motor is not to be compared to the ordinary express for advertising ita whereabouts. What did strike us about it, was the im-

mense improvement that would be made m the cleanliness of the town if all vehicles were horseless. It is driven by a tiny gnu engine, the gas being a light oil called petroline, vaporised by the heat- from the engine exhaust, and ignited by electric sparks supplied by a small storage battery.

Mr Oates kindly gave some members of our staff short runs along the streets. They were pleased with the ease with which the machine is guided or controlled, though for lack of a- connecting bar (removed m consequence of accidents on the way down),, the control did not cover the arrangements for increasing the power for going up-hill, and consequently a steep hill pulled up the car. Hordes took little or no notice of the car. The one defect noticeable m a first ride is the vibration caused by the engine, which shakes the car with every explosion. This, it would seem, should be easily remedied by having (Wi efficient arrangement of springs between the driving power and the seat and footboard. The wheels have solid rubber tyres two inches wide ; pneumatic tyres are often used, _but Mr Oates doubts their safety. The wheels are of small diameter, and this brings out prominently the unevenness of the streets. Probably the regular user of the motor car becomes accustomed to the vibration, but the running over uneven roads must be hard on the vehicle. Messrs Oates and Carl took their car back to Christchurch by train last evening. ___^___