Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-10
NEWS OF INTEREST
TO THE AUTOMOBILES

than year. that so much Of the machine
upholstery, etc, was dutiable, but that the
rest, including the cost of overhauling,
oiling. cleaning: readjustins and regulat-
Ing was free of duty.
4
Prof. Eiihu Thomson. In his report TO the
congressional ways and means committee
on the use OF alcohol as motor fuel. re-
Gently said: Our experience developed the
fact that alcohol is suitable as a motor fuel
ever, when II contains as high a percentage
as IL per cent OF water. Notwithstanding
the fact. that the heating value of alcohol
or tie number of heat units contained IL
niu ii less than that in gasoline 1t is found
by actual experiments that a gallon of al
cohoi WI develop substantially the same
power in an internal combustion engine as
Eaj, OF gasoline. This is owing to the
Superior efficiency of operation when al
cchol is used; less of the heat is thrown
away m waste gases and in the water
jacket
Tile mixture of alcohol vapor with air
stands much higher compression than
do gasoline and air without premature
ext .usIoh. and this is one of the main fac
tors IN giving greater efficiency. Ii fol-
lows from this that with alcohol at the
same p1lce as gasoline the amount of
powcr aCveloped and the cost of the power
VIII DC relatively the same far as fuel
ftselt IL concerned, but on account OF the
higher efficiency of the alcohol less cooling
water is required, or less percentage of
Ithe heat of combustion is communicated
to the cylinder walls of the engine. The ex-
| haust gases from the alcohol engine carry
on less heat They are cooler gases.
1t is well known that the exhaust gases
! from "A gasoline kerosene engine are
liable to be very Objectionable on account
o. the odor In our tests there are abso-
lutely nc such objections with alcohol fuel,
| the exhaust gases being but slightly odor-
Gus, or nearly inodorous, and what odor
there was was not of disagreeabe char
aeter. Our experiments with the burning
OF alec Iol as motor fuel also showed US
that alcohol possesses a considerable toler
ance as to the richness of the mixture in
the engine, and that even when there was
considerable excess of alcohol for the air
TIE exhaust was not disagreeable i'm odor.
condition which with either gasoline or
Kerosene leads to a smoky, badly smelling
exhaust. The Importance of a fuel which
does not produce disagreeabe exhaust gas
| is greatest in the .se of stationary engines
o. q considerable power, as in that case the
| exhaust is emitted in one locality and may
| become a source Of nuisance. This has
often been experienced with gasoline
Kerosene engines and has tended greatly TO
limit their application. particularly In
densely built up sections"
| -
| A man with a mathematical bent calculat-
| ed the average strength of the machines
| shown at the Chicago show at thirty horse
power, or an aggregate of 1900 horsepow
1 eT TOT the JU maCnlneS SHOWN.
| When a couple of Escanaba Mich au-
| tomobilists recently were caught by heavy
| snow at Menominee, local blacksmith
| fixed a pair of runners to the front wheels
| and enabled them to return home.
! The Worcester Automobile Club has had
! introduced in the Massachusetts Legislature
| a bill allowing municipal authorities to
! close highways to ordinary traffic and per-
nit automobile racing thereon.
When a tire valve refuses to admit air
| in cold weather because there Is just
| enough moisture within 1t to freeze II tight,
| 1t usually be thawed by the warmth
| of the hands or by breathing on 1t.
Promises have been received of nearly
! eighty entries for the Brescia contest, to be
run in Italy in September. The projectors
| hope to have enough foreigners compete
! to give the event an international flavor.
The promoters of the Long Island Motor
| parkway are agreeing with owners of land
| coded for the great automobile course not
| to allow any of it used for steam or cleo
| trio railways of for ordinarytraffic. 80
Automobiles came along just In time TO
prevent horse famine, according to
port from the Department of Agriculture,
which shows that more and better horses
have been bred since the motor cars ad-
vent. o.. ,...--..... -. ga
The automobile industry received n great
BEEN during the recent stormy weather
at New York. Many business men who
found how much more reliable they were
than elevated or surface cars made pur-
chases.
The wide field open to the automobile
is clearly shown by the significant fact
that fully two-thirds of the 1,700, 900 horse
drawn vehicles produced annually in the
| United States are distinctly pleasure We.
hices. .
The only speed limit stipulated by the
automobile lays of jamaica is that mo
person shall drive a motor car on the pub
| lie highway recklessly or negligently or
at speed or in a manner which Is danger
Gus to the public"