MOTOR NOTES. The .... ...Motor.

Progress, Volume I, Issue 9, 2 July 1906, Page 236

MOTOR NOTES.

The .... ...Motor.

By " Accumulator."

An agency for the Napier motor cais will soon be placed in the colony. ****** Messrs. S. F. Edge, Ltd., intend sending out several high-powered Napier cars to the New Zealand International Exhibition. ****** A French reporter at the recent Paris Salon noticed that visitors greeted each other with " le shake-hands a la cardan joint." ****** Messrs. Giffard Nicholls & Co., of The Garage, Manners street, have been appointed motor instructors to the Wellington Fire Brigade. ****** Mr. Norman Heath, of Norman Heath & Co.. representing Sidney Straker & Squire, Ltd., left for London on the 14th of June, and will be away about six months. ****** An extraordinary looking motor caravan is now used in Paris for conveying parties to balls and theatres. Its huge interior is sumptuously furnished and fitted. Passengers are practically riding in an apartment on wheels. # ♦ Sidney Straker and Squire, Limited, have recently delivered 15 double-deck motor 'buses to the Great Eastern London and Suburban Tramways and Omnibus Company Limited, for services en the Romford-London road. ****** A syndicate has been formed m New Zealand for the purpose of patenting and exploiting a most ingenious invention for automatically inflating pneumatic tyres by the pressure of the tyre upon the ground under the weight of the rider. ****** Fig. 2 is an illustration of the 10-12-h.p. twocylinder Argyll delivery van, capable of carrying an average load of 18 cwt. A large numbe. of these vans are used by Express Agencies and general trades in the United Kingdom. ****** A leading American steel company is sending a qualified metallurgist to Europe to study the material used by the makers of the best motor cars. He will test and analyse samples of the steel used, and thirty United States' motor makers have agreed to buy their materials from this steel company after their investigations, under a guarantee that the metal supplied by them will be equal in every particular to the best used in European chassis construction

A propeily designed motor, driven by spirit, would be far easier to run than a petrol motor. Carburetter troubles are fewer, as alcohol will burn under more varying conditions than petrol. The production of this new fuel would give a big impetus to agriculture, and the money now pouring out of England would go into British pockets. *** * * According to the annual report, just issued, of the Fire Brigade Department of the L.C.C., the following fires occurred in 1905 111 commercial motors while on the public highways of the Metropolis — Motor omnibuses, 10 fires — causes • Escape of acetylene gas, t ; friction, j ; friction of machinery, 1 ; overflow of petrol, 4 ; unknown, r . Motor

tractors, i fire — cause : Spark from steam motor. Motor wagons, i fire — cause : Overflow of petrol. In no case was there injury to the person. ****** Fig. 3 depicts the Argyll car supplied to the Prince and Princess o f Wales for the recent Indian tour, and was considered to be the choice of all the cars offering. The machine was taken from stock, and not specially made. The fact of an Argyll standard car being chosen from stock speaks volumes for the quality of these cars, considering the plentiful competition of many aspirants for the honour of supplying a car to Their Royal Highnesses. ****** The Commercial Motor says : — Automobilism will undoubtedly be the greatest industry since the beginning of the world. Great as it is at the moment, it is still in swaddling clothes. When horses are no longer used for traction purposes and industrial alcohol has been freed from the " duty fetters " of the inland revenue, the era of automobihsm will really set in. We look to alcohol as a possible national product should petrol fail us, or should England at any time be blockaded. ****** A dividend of 6 per cent, per annum has been declared by the Palmer Tyre Co. Ltd. The capital has been increased from to to

enable the purchase of patent rights, and a new agreement for management has been made, under which at least per annum will be received for royalties. " ****** As much as £60 for the use for three weeks of a 15-horse, five-seated car during the British General Election was asked, and the bargain was cheerfullyclosed by candidates for Parhament. Owners who gam these prices are apt not to ask too many questions as to the candidates' views on motor legislation. Fig. 1 depicts a fine Napier 40-h.p. six-cylinder car built for use in South Africa. Several" deviations have been made from the English standard, on account of the conditions oi the roads and rough tracks. The wheels are 40" diameter, and the springs are placed well above the axles, which are of special shape, thus giving no less than 21" from the engine cover to the ground. The front axle, which is a very strong H section forging, and best able of any part of the car to stand shock, is the lowest point, being 15I" height from the ground. The exhaust outlet, on account of the frequent necessity to cross deep spruits, is placed veiy high up. The body is built chiefly of aluminium, cames five passengers, and, as can be seen, is fitted with

the Napier horizontal type of Cape Cart Hood, which acts as a dust screen when let down at the back, and, together with the detachable side curtains makes the car entirely waterproof when put up. The car is painted Napier green, the cushions and upholstery are in scarlet, and are provided with well-fitting dust khaki covers. ****** Mr. Sidney Straker, M.lnst.Mech.E.,Assoc.M. Inst. C.E., has been elected president of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, England, for the third year in succession. Messrs. S. F. Edge and E. M. C. Instone have been elected vice-presi-dents, whilst the committee of management, in addition to the foregoing officers, is composed of Messrs. H. Austin, H. G. Burford, G. A. Burls, T. Clarkson, F. Coleman, E. Gascoine, C. Jarrott, Claud Johnson, and Charles SangFter. It will be seen that commercial motors have a good share of representation on this committee. ****** Upwards of 1,000 hands are already employed at the new Alexandria works of Argyll Motors, Limited, and this number will be approximately doubled when the extensions are completed. The thorough manner in which these works have been erected and equipped constitutes a record in the history of British automobihsm, and a not inconsiderable section of the plant will be engaged in turning out commercial motors of various types, although it is anticipated that the great demand for touring cars will prevent any considerable display of the heavier vehicles before the Olympia Show of March, 1907. ****** M. Darracq is reported to have acquired the whole of the Serpollet patents, and to have in hand an order for no less than 2,000 omnibus and lorry chassis from A. Darracq and Company, Limited. Between 80 and 100 chassis are already finished and lyina at the St. Denis works, whilst the recent upward movement of the Darracq Company's shares is to be attributed to this arrangement. AH will agree that nobody understands output better than M. Darracq, whilst M Serpollet possesses engineering genius of the highest order. We are informed that the deposit is already paid on the 2,000 chassis referred to, many of which are for London. ****** The ordinary petrol motor is not adapted for the proper use of alcohol fuel. A special design is necessary, which so far no one has seriously studied. Our advice to firms with an eye on the future is to seriously experiment with alcohol

motors, and induce the Government to remove a duty on alcohol which cannot be used as a drink. We know of a syndicate of keen business men who are already working m the direction of an alcohol motor. When the duty is removed, this firm will reap the benefit of its foresight and spring at once into a foremost position. — Motoring Illustrated. ****** Two British firms of motor-car makers are said to have simultaneously and quite independently perfected gearless machines ; but the details are not yet available. Within the next month or so, possibly even sooner (says the Standard), two petrol motor cars, m which the use of gears will be totally discarded, will make their appearance in actual running order on the public highway. This is the most important step in motor-car development which has been taken for years. Whether it will revolutionise the art of motor-car building will depend upon conditions which may only be discerned when the actual public trials have taken place. r ****** An interesting case, and one involving a novel point of motor - vehicle law. was heard by Mr. Garrett, at the West London Police Court recently when a driver in the employ of Messrs. W. J. Lobjoit and Son, of Heston Farm, Hounslow, Middlesex, was summoned for being the driver of a heavy motor wagon " used for the purpose of drawing another vehicle exceeding 2 cwt. in weight unladen and he neglected to carry upon such vehicle a person competent to apply efficiently the brake attached to such vehicle, contrary to the Motor Car Use and Construction Order iqoa." Mr. W G. Lobjoit and Lieut. -Col. R. E. Crompton appeared to give evidence for the defence, which was that it was possible for the driver's mate efficiently to apply the brake of the trailer by turning round in his seat on the tractor and turning the

brake wheel on the trailer. This was accepted bv the magistrate, and the case dismissed, it being held that "the action of the brakesman complied with Article 111., section (3) of the Order, which reads " or, if the brake of the vehicle drawn can be applied from the motor car by a person upn the motor car, independently of the brakes of the latter." No mechanical connection was held to be requisite between the two vehicles. ****** Users in the United Kingdom are now called upon to face increased difficulties as to delivery. This musl follow the awakening of European capitals to the merits of commercial motors, for we see that omnibus and delivery-van orders are being placed from them widely as the result of a series of visits to London during the fall of last yeai. It has been recognised, for once at least, that the capital of the British Empire has given a lead deserving of imitation and an output which has failed to respond to the strain of motor-bus orders is now to be further split up and divided in order to calm the anger of importunate purchasers. Small wonder that schemes are afloat for the establishment of new works to turn out self-pro-pelled vehicles for passenger transport. ****** Every road locomotive, which is not a motor car or a heavy motor car under the 1896 and 1903 Motor Car Acts" is limited to a speed of four miles an hour in the country 111 England, and two miles an hour in towns and villages, under Section 4 of the Locomotives Act, 1865, and these uncommercial speeds are sufficient to explain why it is that so many owners of traction engines turn longing eves upon tractors and motor wagons The older types of heavy road locomotives must have at least two trucks behind them to realise an economy , and there is an infinite variety of work which can

never, for that reason if no other, be satisfactorily discharged by their use. This fact, taken in conjunction with the enormous field which was opened by the Heavy Motor Car Order, of 1904, renders it a matter of no small import to both builders and users that there should be a full appreciation of the speed regulations which now apply to commercial motors of all classes, which came into force a year ago. ****** " What is urgently wanted to-day," says Mr. Henry Norman, "is a cheap reliable motor, which will be within the reach of men who have never been able to afford a horse. What a multitude of people are waiting for this : A car of 10 h.p. (it cannot

climb hills at a decent speed if it is less, and your average speed depends upon your speed uphill) to carry four people at a top speed of 25 miles an hour on the level and a speed of 12 miles an hour up a 1 2 per cent, hill ; a car of very simple mechanism, the very best material and workmanship, absolute standardisation and mterchangeabihty of parts, like an American rifle, so that in case of breakage you can telegraph for part No. 17, for instance, and put it in yourself with a screwdriver and a spanner ; a car with little noise and no vibration ; with both kinds of electric ignition, to avoid the most common cause of breakdown , a car that

can be counted on to run day in day out . equally serviceable, with due replacerr 111 1 , _d ring parts, for many yeajs. When th ' • i >■">'- it will be wanted immediately b <i L - every country doctor in the three ■ >./ example, will want it, and its pri ' to or less." Mr. Norman '>— co know which car on the market come ,^est to it. ****** The petrol car people still profess to be unafraid of the steam automobile, in spite of its recently proved speed prowess. Marriot's Stanley car was fitted with a new kind of generator, which simply flashed the water into steam immediately it came in contact with it. But the petrol people cheerfully explain that a steam car's machinery takes up more room than that of a " blaster," and, moreover, the car has to carry water and oil, whereas the " blaster " has to carry oil only. They declare that in addition to these drawbacks, steam machinery gets out of order much more easily, and, above all, that the cost of running is 20 per cent, higher than that of a petrol car of the same power and carrying capacity. The U.S.A. makers, who are the champions of the steam machine, have replied to these remarks by building specimen cars which carry, without occupying any floor space at all, sufficient fuel and water to complete a run of 150 miles. They ran ledges round the car, and stored the fuel and water on the outside. Also they threaten to turn out steam cars at one-third the present price. Altogether, it looks as though a very pretty struggle has started. In England there are quite a number of works turning out out steam cars — especially for traction and luggagecarrying purposes.

The French railroads m Indo-China at August ist, 1905, were in operation for 401 miles, on five difterent lines, while work was in progress on 123 miles more. The traffic seems insignificant, especially the freight traffic. In 1903, 67,382 tons were carried, earning about £27,200. There were 83,404 passengers of the three upper classes, and 2,088,996 fourth-class passengers. The experience of the German railroad in Shan-tung, far to the north, has been somewhat similar.