The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1897-08-21
WITHOUT HORSES.
Carriages That Are Propelled by
Motor Power.
Road Tests In Franco for tho Purpose Of
BRINGING Out the Best Typo
of Machine for --aa-
Vehicles.

One year ago there was so much in
terest in these horseless carriages that
a race was arranged between them
from Paris to Rouen, the first prize to
be given to the carriage which should
excel in speed, safety, manageability
and economy. There were one hun
dred and two vehicles entered, but be-
fore the day of the contest this number
was reduced by Withdrawals and dis
qualifications to twenty-one. The
starters were of all shapes and sizes,
from neat victorias to great coaches for
eight and ten passengers. The first to
finish was Comte de Dion's steam We
hicle, heavy traction engine of some
twenty-five horsepower, drawing
four-seated carriage. The next to fin
ish, thirty-five minutes later, was
four-seated phaeton, built by the Sons
of Peugeot Brothers, of Paris, and pro-
PEELED by Daimler petroleum motor.
The next four to finish were also pro-
PEELED by this same motor. The prize
was given to the first petroleum motor
to finish, and this carriage had covered
the distance. eighty miles, in five hours
and forty minutes, including two stops
of fifteen minutes each. This test was
distinct victory for petroleum e..
gines, and special victory for the
Daimler type of engine.
In these petroleum engines 1t
must not be understood that pc
troleum is used as fuel for the
production of steam. The principle is
quite different, as this Daimler motor
is the utiliza.i lion Of gas explosions pro-
duced at regular intervals. What
bothered the inventive minds Of those
who first experimental with this type
of engine was the irregularity OF
motion, and the fact that when the
work to be done was less than the nor
NAL power Of the engine too many ex-
plosions occurred, and the machine ran
too fast. The first of these defects was
corrected by the introduction OF fly
wheel heavy enough to take up and
carry on all surplus force Of the gas at
the moment of it's explosion. The pis-
ton was thus brought back by the mo-
mentum acquired by the fy-wheel to
the position in the cylinder where a
fresh explosion had the greatest pro-
pelling effect upon it. The second de-
feet mentioned was remedied by an in
senious application of the principle OF
the regulation governor, by which the
gas-valve was not opened when the
speed of the engine exceeded certain
limit. Again, the cylinder in which
the explosions took place became so
hot after time that the entire engine
was likely to be smashed, owing to the
expansion of parts made to- fit accu-
rately. A water-jacket around the
cylinder, and circulating cistern in
connection with it, prevented this
catastrophe. The heated water flowed
out above, while the cold water passed
into the cistern in its turn.
With such general improvement as
indicated, the gas engine became COM
mercially practicable. But it was not
until about nine years ago that Mr..
Daimler, German inventor, found that
he could make use of the ordinary gas
engine, with some notifications, as q
consumer of liquid hydro carbons, vari-
ously known as petroleum, naphtha.
paraftine, or gasoline. The chle1
change was the addition OF q small
heating chamber, into which the liquid
fuel passed before it entered the cylln-
der. Beneath this chamber petro-
leum burner was lighted, and its metal
covering made so hot that the petro-
leum yaporized as soon as it entered
the chamber. The freshly prepared
gas was then in position to explode IN
the cylinder as soon as it was mixed
with the air. A small portion OF each
charge was allowed to escape through
an opening near the top OF the cylinder,
so as to come in contact with the naked
li0ht which heated the vaporlzlng
chamber. These various steps were
automatically regulated by puppet
valves, which regulated the force and
time of Che explosions.
Such. on general lines, is the Daimler
motor which has been used SO effective
lv in these road tests in France. After
seemingly perfecting the motor there
was much ingenuity required IN reoac,
inp it's size, and also in preventing bad
smells and Objectionable noise. Perfec'
combustion secured an abatement OF
odors, and the size was diminished by
shortening the stroke of the piston rod
and enlarging the cross section OF the
cylinder. This gave a shorter connect
ing rod between the piston cross'heao
and the pin on the fly-wheel. In order
to gain increased power with a shorter
stroke, the speed of the engine had tt
he accelerated from one hundred an1
twenty to seven hundred revolutions
per minute.