The Motorist.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IX, Issue 699, 30 July 1903, Page 13

The Motorist.

(By

“Spark Intensifier.")

On Saturday, July 25, nine cars attended the meet, which was fixed for Newmarket. Dr. Purchas was absent, and also Dr. Knight. It had been arranged to run through to Howick ’and back, but such descriptions of the bad roads were given to some of the members that we decided to go only as far as Panmure. This was done, and a most enjoyable afternoon was spent. I noticed that Mrs Rayner, wife of the Association’s President, was driving, accompanied by Mr David Nathan. Mrs Rayner took and maintained the lead well throughout the whole run. A very merry party sat down to tea at the Panmure Hotel, and afterwards six very excellent photographs of the cars and their occupants were secured. I would remind the members that copies of these photographs may now be purchased at Holland s Victoria-street. Some little arnusemer.it was caused on the run home by the endeavours of the hon. secretary and the hon. treasurer, whose respective cars had each an attack of the “ slows ” trying to pass each other on the hills, and there really was not much difference ; in fact, as far as slowness went, it was six of one and half-a-dozen of the other. Mr Arthur Cleave intends to leave for the South this week. The trip will be made on his Locomobile, which he himself will drive. He has my best wishes. Next month there will be a number of Darracq cars landed in Auckland, most of which, we believe, are already purchased. The new type of Oldsmobile and the Oldsmobile Torreau io h.p. cars should also be with us very soon. On Sunday last, four of the Association ran through to Howick. The weather was perfect, and the roads they found to be perfectly good all the way—that is to say, good for Auckland. Mr Warren Blythe was driving his Steammobile on Sunday. It is a very pretty, comfortable little car, and does what is required of it very well. I see that it seats four. If Mr Blythe makes the rapid progress that other owners of steam cars have done here in Auckland, he will no doubt soon be an expert driver. There is rather a neat anecdote of a motoring Parson. He was one of those men who imagined that a motor car went when you pressed a button, leaving the engine to do the rest. His motor was delivered to him resplendent in all its first paint. He stepped into it, turned the handle, and expected it to go. But no. Then he began to tinker with it, pouring in oil here and water there. Still no response on the part of the car. Lastly, in despair, he rang up the firm from which he purchased it, and told them that his motor would not go, adding in a sweetly innocent voice, “by the way, I put some water in the Naptha tank, I suppose a little thing like that doesn’t matter ! ” The opinion of the firm is better left out of print—it might scorch the paper.

The Government of West Australia are the first to move with a view of adopting automobile traction. The first experiment to be carried out will be in the carriage of produce in agricultural districts not touched by the railways. The experiment will be watched with interest throughout New Zealand.

Recent statistics gathered in London show that people are killed annually on

the* road as follows : —7O persons by xans, 43 persons by carts, waggons, and drays, 19 persons by cabs, 17 persons by omnibuses, 6- persons by private carriages, 4 persons by cycles; and 1 person by light locomotives (automobiles 1 ).

. In a motor bicycle ra.ce from Paris to Bordeaux, 46 machines started, and 14 finished. Bucquet won in Bhr 57jnin isec for the 342£ miles. His machine weighed only liolb.

Spectators of the first section of the Paris to Madrid motor race state that, owing to cars travelling in a . continuous stream at one minute intervals, the road was under a , perfect fog of dust, and it was impossible for the drivers to see where they were going. This was the cause of several collisions among the competing cars, as well as other accidents. In the Gordon-Bennett race there were- but 12 motors engaged, as against upwards of 200 in the French contest, and the intervals between each were of seven or eight minutes.

The Olds Motor Works, of Detroit, Michigan,, has produced a curious 10 horse-power skeleton racer. If was ridden (or driven ?) for the first time by Mr H. T. Thomas in the recent speed trials on, the Daytona Beach, Florida. Thomas, on his 3 0 horse-power skeleton Oldsmobile, in his attempt on the straightaway mile record for machines weighing less than looolb (standing at imin 27 3-ssec, to the credit of Longuevez, on, a De Dion), covered the distance in the sensational time of imin 6 i-ssec ! Thomas sits low down in a seat placed behind the rear axle, and steers through a steering wheel and a steering pillar with considerable rake.

The Australian riflemen put up a very fine performance when shooting for the Kolapore Cup, which they won. Bradley scored 102, which is the best total in any team’s match yet shot at Bisley, while Carter and Ison with 99 each were close up. The total score was 771, which put the team eleven points ahead of Great Britain, who got second place. Canada, Natal, and the Channel Islands followed in that order.

Many years ago Mr Chamberlain was delivering a rousing political speech in Birmingham. The hall was so packed that not one more human being could jam in, nor could anyone get out. Suddenly, in the middle of the hall a scowling man rose, and howled, “ What did Mr Gladstone say in 1872 ?” “ Shame I” “ Put him out 1” yelled the crowd. Three men hurled the interrupter a few yards, and more and more hustled him to the street. As he was picking himself up and brushing off the dirt, he grinned pleasantly at a man who had followed him comfortably from the hall, and asked, “ What did Mr Gladstone say in 1872 ?” “ Oh, I don’t know,” he replied, “ and I don’t care. I had a terrible toothache, and I couldnft butt my way through the crowd, and the only thing to do was to get thrown out.”

The Judge on the bench, the lordly M.P. The man on the stage, whoever he be, The lawyer so grave, the jolly Jack Tar, The stern visaged soldier who’s been in the war, The hard-working man, the knowing M.D. All happen on this one point to agree :

That for very bad colds the thing to

procure Is W. E. Woods’ Great Peppermint Cure.