The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-11-23
THE LIGHT AUTOMOBILE.
A Machiuist's View OF the steam-wagon
Boiler Feeds.

To HH EDITOR OF FIJI SrN-Sir: Novice"
advocates u very light inotor-driven road
wa gon. and his ideas are 40 far CORRECT.
Every pound OF the wagon weight is non
paying load. the propulsion 81 which must
he paid for. and every ne edloss pound ~
wagon weight IL an engineering error In two
directions, first because IL needlessly taxes
the motive power, and. second, because IL
weakens the whole structure. Speaking
broadly, every pound Of weight added TO a
wagon must have another pound added -
carry tho frst added pound. and needless
added weight is an element not of stren 9Th,
but OF weakness. Novice" Is wholly
correct in thinking that light wagons steer
more easily than heavy wa gons.
Novice" assumes that since a 20 or
2b-pound bicycle carries a 2Oo-pound
rider, the two 2s-pound bicycles. placed
side by side and connected 10y cross
members. will carry two 2o0-pound riders.
which Is wholly untrue. except in case the
two cycles are so fieYibly connected as 10 re-
lieve each ono entirely OF all stress trims
mitted from the other, which Is mechanically
impossible,
The conditions enabling so little cycle
weight to carry 80 much rider weight are
two: First, the pneumatic tire relieves the
Cycle from shock. and lays Il smooth road for
the vehicle as II goes: next, the rider balances
the cycle. and so brings the load always
exactly in line with the plane Of greatest
strength Of the girder formed by the diamond
frame and supported at lis ends by the wheels
| This latter condition IL highly important, and
can be had In no vehicle except a bicycle, ~
soon ms a third wheel II added all the load lines
are changed side stresses, absent in the
bicycle, are introduced, and the weight must
be vastly increased TO carry a given load.
Again. the unavoidable load duet oa wagon
| body and scat and motor and fuel. largely in
| crease- tho weight 81 vehicle frame demanded
TO carry It. and last of all, the wheel base
| must he yustlv increased, which add cuur-
inonaly 10 the weight needed 80 carry the
| load Novice" takes twenty pounds, 81 cycl'
weight and multiplics u hA iirrr s,NlnR a
lac proposes to carry two riders, and 50 thinks
his wagon is seven and a han t'ne1 a. -'ronx
az nt5 ths tS ellScISus nc soH HCTrl H'"' ""'"
Hcrtel showed in Chic9Ho, November. 1895
precisely thi. pair OF ~d'-DE--,3 H',SCl"a'
with n two-cyllnd"r internal combustion
motor, the total weight benz 40 P"nnd-
This Hcripl wagon was very small ana. hhd 4
ridiculously short wheel base it could and
did carry two p~assengcrS. WITH Their kn"'|
almost touching their chin, On a very smooth
time. 1885, worked up tho tv9-bicycl"
wagon construction into n 450-pound wagon
wa eon was also constantly IN trouble "lh
6TeaEggG: mort ead %5,cr W. rf, m%G rh '%,l
base. and keeping his two-bicycic tflin"
idea always IN until he obtained "a
fairly practicable vehicle. which was known
AZ the 'Oakman, and was built in a very
small way fS,T VERY sh 1T' ,ins mn ny 70 "'E .nnI.
ot ranittaIiye the Hertei,0akman wagon
was made In 1899. but the Hcrtcl light W..
bicycle framed wagon and Pcnning,on -
construction have both passed out ot view
'""Noyicc" must bear in mind the broad facts
that n motor wagon must hav" not l.sS man
seyenty-two inches wheel hnse, ahu iua' W.
ing vertical strains, are what cause motor
vas 10 Mr. " j Lampton's altogether adj
mirable detail OF experiences WIN q utht
steam wagon. It simply shows that me p'''
is not the dreamer: 6ut ths clear Gr' . t. "r
ing deduCer of correct conclusions IRON if'I'
collected. The steam-w4gon boiler i''l
brood of stanley wagons are very fauli'
things. and IL Is a needless tax on the dtl'rL, .,
attention to demand that he shsl, coiN I,dam
boiler stuffed as full as IT can hold oil hau-
inch tubes, La
NJ feeding water to steam boilers called
the gravity" boiler feed. which will carry
,he, water in any boiler At q c3 gnroyi,y Feed teci
WINS applied TO "A steam-wagon built at Wait
ham, Mass. about 1895, and worked pei,
ieGf, rsc to 10 any any ONE ONE" who cares to use g. IS well
known. Is light and cheap. and believe ~ Is
perfectly we'll adapted to light or heavy
With a wheel base ~ seventy-two inches
which IL the least permisslble. the inut-
Wheeled wagon weight for two passenger
cannot fall below $50 or eO pounds. with steam
or cylinder fired motors, Inc steam Nat".'
now being built by stanley Bros; IN Newton,
Na~s ara a. light rs ~ safe, ana nav" at'u'
IN. weight mentioned Possibly a cynnd'I-
nrcd motnr-driven wagon. Pinch wheel ,ha>',
"a or sd-inch wheel gauge. can take morse
power With $40 pounds weight. all on "A'rp'
ia --eng"r-
NovI,o Is. IN my opinion. wholly ,Cori"',
In demanding nght wagon weights th-" OPT
steering. -peed, small fuel con,uinItluha
,hubtnc efficiency. and above HI, small 'f'
cross, r'.on diameter, small tire d"siru'' OF.
and small tire cost. all demand q light Venice
TI.rs h. d vast difference between 't"e H'
So or s4r Tor four tires. and tires ~ - r"
-FOUR tire. such ms must he used Tor -''.
pound wagons ,
1ns rutomubile H. IN tho develorin'nt
stage .. set. aud ne lrHctDthle '"il'N' ny
s,I- factory ,N'rNH3av Use 20 . maxim"
-.... of Not over tvruty-tN" mii's per ''
I..r.f set been evolved 4'.i ~ughh VIZ
liz D. -.fc. cheap and easily ana ''f''.
mana .i. viii soon uppeHr cannot I've dol'I'
l...Hu-s o.. many drisrulrei ana r"t-t'
,~,rrrrrtt-r- are attacking ihi- dNh q
problem hluh I'AN'N
NrW NuUk. Nov -