HIGH ROAD AND BY-ROAD

Waikato Times, Volume 100, Issue 16780, 24 April 1926, Page 24 (Supplement)

HIGH ROAD AND BY-ROAD

(By "Cranlc.")

ESTIMATED SPEED. DEGREE OF ACCURACY, Nothing is more deceptive than speed. From the policeman, who honestly believes that one traversed the cross-roads in the io-milc limit at over 30, to the owner of a supersports model, who confidently asserts that his 'bus exceeded 70 miles per hour on a certain road, there is an infinite range of individuals who arc all more or less unable to estimate speed with any degree of accuracy. The deception may he one of two kinds. Thus, .in some cases, the actual speed may far exceed what one ; would estimate it to be, while in other cases a vehicle will be travelling at a much slower rate than ono would really suppose (says the Sydney Daily Telegraph). It all depends upon the standard by which the mind makes its comparisons, and this, in all probability, is set by the vehicle to which the individual is most accustomed. As regards the independent observer on the highway who sees a car approaching psychology no doubt plays an important part in the speed estimate. If the vehicle under observation is a rakish-looking sports model, with flared wings and speedy lines, the occupants of which are muffled in flying helmets, leather coats and goggles, our pedestrian friend will be prepared to credit it with any speed which he thinks high enough to meet the occasion. Alternatively, a steady-looking touring car, occupied by a family mau in a bowler hat, will be allowed to pass at 40 miles per hour or so without adverse comment. We are more concerned, however, with those who occupy the vehicle; and here it is that a number of small points play an important part in our estimate of the speed. The degree of protection afforded by the body is no doubt of great importance, likewise the efficiency of the suspension system. Thus ono may travel in a luxurious saloon body mounted upon a Holls-Roycc chassis at really dangerous speeds without knowing it, owing It the lack of s'ensation produced. The same velocity in an open sports car, with very inadequate windscreen, bucket seats, and low-body sides, would appeal to one as a highly risky proceeding. Take, for example, an English express train which is so steady on the rails and well sprung that the completely enclosed passenger in a dining car can be carried along at GO miles an hour or more frith very little sensation of speed and no feeling of danger.

11l an airplane the importance of the proximity of stationary objects is still more emphasised. At 5000 feet the f.elds underneath hardly appear to move at all, and this, coupled with the fact that the passenger is usually completely enclosed, makes it extremely difficult to estimate the speed at which one is travelling. It is, in fact, possible to move at 120 miles an hour in the air at this height with very much less sensation than is produced by descending a hill on the despised bicycle at a moderate 20. However, there are two ways of obtaining a real sensation of speed in the air. The first consists of the practice known as hedge-hopping, which means .flying at the very low altitude of 100 feet or so. Here the ground is so close that it can be seen rushing past the machine, and one does really get the effect of high speed. The other method consists of stalling the machine in the air, whereupon the nose will drop, followed by a practically vertical descent of several hundred feet. It is quite possible to attain over 200 miles per hour in this way on a small machine, but it is not only the actual speed which gives one the impression of high velocity. Insecurity is perhaps the dominant sensation.

The proximity of stationary objects has, perhaps, after all, the greatest influence. In otucr words, it is relative movement, and not absolute velocity, which has the more important effect on speed impressions. Einstein emphasises the point in ono of his books, where it shows that if a man were completely enclosed in a projectile moving at a steady speed, then, no matter how great that speed might be, he would not be conscious of it in any way, simply because there would bo no relatively stationary object from which he could gauge his velocity. Although he would not be conscious of any movement so ltng as the speed was steady, any acceleration or retardation would, of course, at once be made apparent by the inertia of the man's weight. . Returning to mundane matters, there is no doubt that on the road acceleration plays a prominent part in speed estimates. Thus, if a man is used to a steady-going overloaded touring car, and then takes a run in a sports model capable of accelerating to 40 miles per hour in a matter of seconds, on attaining this speed he will be apt to imagine thai a far higher velocity has been reached. In other words, one can slowly attain to a high speed without much sensation and without anything like the exhilarating effect of the sudden leap forward from a crawl.

SPARK PLUG ENTERPRISE. Plans for the erection of a six-storey building adjacent to its present main manufacturing building in Toledo, and which will duplicate that structure, have been announced by Mr R. A. Stranahan, president of the Champion Spark Plug Co. Completion of this unit, which will enlarge the company's productive capacty to 50,000,000 spark plugs in 192 G, will place Champion's expenditure for 1925 and 1920 for additional plant and manufacturing facilities in excess of 500,000 dollars. The company is the largest of its kind in the world, supplying more than twothirds of all spark plugs used in automobile engines, stationary gasoline power plants, motor boats, and aeroplanes. It has more than 100,000 sales outlets throughout the world. Coincident with the completion of this newest unit, changes will bo made by the Champion Porcelain Co., in Detroit, which makes all Champion cores, sufficient to permit an output in excess of 1,000,000 cores a week. Because of its enlarged business throughout, 1925, when more than 40,000,000 ) spark plugs will be produced, night juivork fn several divisions of its Toledo '■plants was compulsory a considerable part of the year. The new building is part of the company's general plan to increase its capacity up to 75.000,000 spark plugs annually as quickly as f.hp, market, for motor cars and other types of Internal'combustion engines becomes sufllcient to justify it, Mr Stranahan announced.

A WOMAN'S FEAT. A wonderful motor record wns achieved last nionl.li by Miss Violet Cordery (23), nn Englishwoman, on tlio ureal Mon/.a track. Milan, Italy. Driving In three Hour spells, a foursen (op, filx-cylindcr invicla car, Miss Gordery assisted In breaking 33 world's

records. The car covered a distance fo 25,000 kilometres (about 15,533 miles) in 11.} days at an average speed of 55 5-8 miles per hour, establishing a world's record. After the Hj-sf 5000 miles had been run, one of her relief drivers fell asleep at the wheel necessitating a restart. Then troubles with the water pump and radiator caused a two hours' delay. The relief drivers took spells of three hours at the wheel, whereas Miss Cordery took six hour spells. This long distance was an amazing feat of endurance.

WOMAN WINS ENDURANCE TEST. Competing against 19 men riders. Mrs Edith Watkins, on an Indian Scoui, won the Tasmanian 192 G Motor Cycle Championship over 200 miles this month. Mrs Watkins's average speed was 24 miles an hour. The route covers some of the roughest roads in the Slate. This is Mrs Watkins's second big motor cycling win. Her first was an outright win, also on a Scout, in the 1924 Rcliablity Trial from Hobart to the' Great Lakes and back. This ride she accomplished without loss of points.

THE CONQUERING BUS. According to the figures for 1924 — flie latest available —motor buses in California carried more than 30,000.000 of passengers. The growth of the motor bus industry is attributed to the lack of adequate or efficient railway transportation and the. existence of good roads. No fewer than 78G towns in that Stale have an exclusive motor bus service, not local, but connecting with other centres. In California there arc now 1700 motor services devoted to passenger transport and operating with success. The indications arc that, rather than injuring steam and electric railroads, the development of the bus lines is a distinct advantage to them. No steam line has been forced out of existence through motor bus competition. On the contrary, because buses and motor coaches have opened the county to extensive settlement and operate as feeders of railway services both freight and passenger traffic of these fixed lines of traffic have been considerably increased. In the Australian States it will be found that to make the railway systems lucrative will be to encourage the use of the motor in its various forms so that there will be an increased deccntralisaton of population, interest, and capital, which will combat the centralising tendency of railways.

CAR OWNERSHIP. There are certain out-of-date ideas and phrases in connection with motoring which apparently die very hard (says the Motor). These ideas developed almost imperceptibly in the days when the popular motoring movement had only just begun to make real progress, and no chance could then be missed to prove that a car was relatively a reliable machine —hence the origin of reliability trials. Such awkward questions as repairs and breakdowns were even then becoming of less and less importance. Nevertheless, there arc sections of the public and'a class who are likely car buyers, who still associate the phrases "repairs" or "keeping il in repair" with the present-day car. One occasionally hears, for example, in a conversation some such remark as "I should like to have a car, but you know I never was any good at machinery, and I should be hopeless'when it came to repairing it." The observation has just as much relation to the facts of the matter as if one were to say "I should like to have a wireless scl, but I am hopeless when it comes to handling anything concerned with electrical engineering." What is really wanted by those who have a fixed idea that a car is a complicated machine requiring frequent repair and adjustment is a sense of proportion. The car obviously could never have reached the present stage of universal use if it had not been developed to a point at least equal to that of any other technical invention in general usc_ There has been vastly greater skill and inventive capacity devoted during the past 25 vears to bringing the car to its present stage of simplicity and reliability than has been devoted to any other invention in everyday use and it is precisely the non-mcchamca typo of user who 'o-day gets the real bench of the great skill, experience and capital that have been expended on developing the car in the past. When one recalls the problems, difficulties, and uncertainties once associated with tyres ignition, carburetters, clutches and gears, all practically non-ex.sten to dav it can readily he understood that the prospective buyer of a car has not to consider questions of repairs and want of reliability in the sense implied.

SPARKS. The world's greatest salesman is none other than your good old friend, " Q pTohciency comes only from pracMpp Practice safe driving, therefore. no'n every occasion so that when the S comes you will nJ be found .want'"tn wet weather give good warning of \our intention to pull up; the man behind you may not be able to stop so easilv as you. 80 Uso your horn with discretion; a wavering pedestrian who could be nnssed safely without its use may become panic-stricken if you toot at him rC, lSdoxically, a stray hen on the road is best avoided by running into f-you will never hit it. Tins hint ' iZ Emergency use; normally, you E"S to slow up sumcienUy. Coroner, to the witness: What was vom next action after you heard he reri^-Oo^lor.-saysl.'What City believe they ha ?c found a "sure cure" for reckless i rir.mken drivers. Guilty motorists »ort out sendees in a muddy-llood-J nuarry Tlic i' swi " s slcc 's ps ll Picks, "told shovels, and trundle rock for eight long hours.