The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-11-24
WAGON RACE.
Trial of Carriages at Chicago
on Thanksgiving Day.
PRIZES AMOUNTING TO 5000.
Fifty Machines Entered-Some Use Gas,
Others oil. and still Others
Electricity.
New York Times.

open compeftion. for the best forms cf
h0rseless carriages. The tr.al was u ne
made on November =, but a. many 81 the
inventors were not then ready the nnal
trial was postponed. by the consent OF
those interested. until NOVEMBER =.
There have been over nifty entries Tor
this contest. most Of them coming from
the West. II is safe 10 say thar some Of
the vehicles entered viii never come 10
the starting pcst. because their inventors
ara relying upon getting more work out
Of the machines which they proposed 70
make more than they put into them.
Belonging 10 e1as class may be men
toned the machines run by cooled springs.
which are expected 10 rewjnd themselves
going down hill. and various types Of Cylin-
ders. which are expected by their inve1-
tors 10 be cold when Nature Prescribes
that they shall be hot.
Roughly speaking. the successful ma
chimes at the Chicago contest Viii be op-
Grated either by gasoline engines or by
the energy derived from storage batteries.
In some cases. compressed gas may be
substituted for liquid gasoline. though "a
carriage has hitherto been a permanent
success which depended on compressed air
or gas for It's motive power,
All the gasoline engines are constructed
upoa the same principle. though they have
each a different; measure Of success in
practical working. In some Instance an
a, as heavy and non-in1ammable as or
binary kerosene is used. In others. a much
lighter and more in1amalable oil has 70
be used.
The OIL is first distributed in a fine spray
IN a heated chamber until il becomes va
ported. II is then mixed with air until
the mixture forms an exp,osible com
pound. which is set on FIRE either by a
lighted Jet. by a spark Of electricity. or
by the heat of the combustion chamber.
In the larfa~ casa oe4Aefr. h=.+ hoe - D. M
pied until the machine has been working
long enough 10 make its contained gases
self-.gniting.
Beyond the explosion chamber is 4 piston
connected by a rod with the fy-wheel,
tootheG-whee! or axle. The machine is
arranged so that an explosion occurs when
the piston is down the cylinder as far as
II will 90. The immense expansion of the
gases drives the piston violently up 10 the
top OF the cylinder. al the same time open
ing valves for the admission Of another
supply of air. When the piston returns
to the bottom o. the cylinder another ex-
p.osion takes place. with the same result.
This is. Of course, the principle OF an
ordinary gas engine using oil as a substi-
tute for gas. In "A stationary gas engine.
however. there Is no pressing demand
Tor economy Of space, and no lack Of wa
ter to keep the cylinder as cool as il
ought % be In order to get the best re-
SUITS.
The motion of an ordinary gas engine,
too, Is usually jerky and spasmod.c in
character, as any one may see by looking
at such an engine in operation. To econ
om.ze space some inventors have substi-
tuted double Cyllnf rs and pistons In place
Of s.ng.e ones. They have also so perfect
cd their apparatus that as long as the va
ter which surrounds the cylinder keeps
merely at the boiling point and does not
eVaporate so rapidly as to turn into steam
as fast as il touches the cylinder. the
piston does not choke sn the cylinder. and
fresh water, which is easy to obtain, can
be added to the reservoir every few
hours.
To get rid Of the jerk.ness. the same
inventofs have adopted high speed and
very small explosions for each revolution.
There remains only the smell. which the
inventors have got rid of ny making the
valve for the admission Of air large enough
to produce perfect combustion. When this
IS done properly there is no more sme!,
from a gasoline engine than from a we'll
trimmed kerosene amp.
Cost Of fuel is not "A serious item in any
good gasoline motor. II averages about
one cent per horse power per hour. Were
all the other difficulties so easy sur
mounted. New York city would not have
a working horse In its streets today.
The motor q a hOrsc,ess carriage is
one part, the revolving and steering mech
3F@ 1AEttlfAs - EtOANat DdILfEN Cells
OF any Of the common types are used IN
stead Of a gasoline motor. the chief iif-
ference s in the weight Of the cells and
IN The use Of armatures rotating within
liked fed magnets 10 give the motion in
stead Of the crank Of a gasoline engine.
Steam has not been successful as a
means OF furnishing power for light road
carriages, partly because the boiler and
It's supplies or fuel and water take I'D too
much space, and partly because everything
expected from It's use can he ACCOMPLISHED
more efficiently and economically from gas
oline motors.
Among tho horscless carriages which are
entered for competition ~ Chicago on No
Nenber p. : one manufactured by the De
Ia Nergne Refrigeruting Company Of New
York. Its weight is 1900 pounds Of which
me motor takes up 80 pounds. II has ac-
'~'.nmodat.on fsr four persons and a con
Siderable quantity II baggage.
THIS trap is 10 be worked by a gasoline
motor. controlled in speed hy a friction
olutch' and Transmitting its power BIZ a
sproket and chain arrangement. As IN
nearly al other horseless vehicles. the
seer ng IS erected by p~ivoting The front
"neeis on her axle, close 20 the hub.
The only ether entry from New YORK ID
enc from S,cne q MAYNARD. Springfield.
Mass. and philadelphia furnish the re
malnder Of the entries from cities in the
East. "
The PHILADELPHIA entry is by Morris q
Sai2m' "ho are bringing forward a com
80 carriage propelled by power
derived from storage batteries. This We
hete Viii seat tHo or four persons. and
weighs with storage batteries on hoard
only 1850 pounds
Duryea OF Springfield, Mass. has entered
q nurseries, carriage propelled by a gasoline
~SIne ms carriage WIS at the prelm-
a'"ry ,r.a's made in Chicago on November