Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-27
NEWS OF INTEREST
TO THE AUTOMOBILES

to be of such vital interest that 1t adver-
tises an open invitation to all to visit Its
new plant. There are other makers who
do not keep their factories closed to Wis
itors. but the policy Of advertising an in
vitation IL new.
Every now and again some motorist arises
to ask How are you going to start car
If the crank gives out, or drops on, or
any Of dozen things that may happen to
put it out of commission" although in
reality they do occur SO seldom as to belong
more to the category of possibilities than
probabilities, says an experienced auto
mobilist. And the man who knows or
thinks he knows. but has never tried the
scheme in practice, says: PUT in the low
est speed and push the car; when there is
the engine will turn over enough to take
up its cycle"
Any one who has ever attempted to push
a heavy car, or any kind Of car for that
not forget it; nor does his memory fail
him as to the sudden and sincere manner
in which the car came to dead stop
without so much as giving the engine a
single turn the moment the clutch was
let in.
A moments consideration Of the circum-
stances will be sufficient to show why this
Is so. In order to turn the engine over by
pushing the car with the low gear in, the
effort must be transmitted through a set
of pinions the ratio Of which Is designed to
give an effective leverage only when they
are actuated from the other side-that Is,
by the engine, the small pinion driving the
large to give reduced speed with maxi
mum amount of starting torQue or pull.
Hence when things are reversed they pre-
sent q great resistance besides absorbing
a large amount of the necessarily feeble
power that can be applied. In all prob
ability strong team Of horses would find
it difficult to start a car with the clutch
engaged and the low gear in.
-
On the other hand It is not q difficult
matter for one or two men to get car
going sufficiently to start it IL they under
take it by rolling the car free at first-that
il, without any gear in. AS soon as it has
acquired sufieient Roadway the high speed
gear, or dire&t drive, which imposes the
least resistance on the engine. should be
engaged aQd the clutch eased in at the
same time.
Permitting the clutch to engage sudden
ly under such circumstances will almost
It should be LET in gently in order to grad
ually overcome the inertia of the crank
shaft and other moving parts Of the motor
and particularly the pistons. which usually
the thickening Of the iubricating oil.
Naturally the easiest way. to get the en-
CINE going under such circumstances Is to
let the car roll down hill on the direct
drive. engaging the clutch in the same
MANNER. otherwise the engine will be sub
jected to considerable shock Unfortun-
ately, however, there Is not always a hill
other way. That Is. the hill runs the
wrong way and the car is not far enough
up to make it possible to take advantage
Of the grade by turning around. But
there is not the faintest doubt that the man
who advises engaging the low gear and
pushing the car has never found himself
in a position where his own heft was re-
auired In the pushing line.
xA
Commissioner Macfarland recently an
proved the address issued by the committee
on public safety, Of the Automobile Club
Of America. composed OF Winthrop 3. Scar
rift, chairman: George +. Chamberlin, Dave
H. Morris and Colgate Hoyt. president of
the club, ITO the automobiling public"
which was. in part, as follows:
siWhen properly handled the automobile Is
the safest vehicle In the world: the horse
drawn vehicles the most dangerous. Re-
dents were published. which state that dur
ing the year 1906 200 people were killed
through the use Of the automobile and 351
injured: the ACCIDENTS occurred In 1872
In the same length OF time by falling build
ings; three times as many by electric street
railways; almost as many by lightning; five
times as many by fire: many times that
number on steam railways. as well as many
times that number by horses.
1.-THE courts have decided that we have
equal rights on the highway with all other
users thereof. Our rights are not superior:
they are not inferior; they are the same as
cles. Nevertheless We are newcomers. we