Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-16
Automobile News

If Americans who plan to tour Sweden
with their cars obtain certificates from
Swedish consuls before sailing, on arrival
1t is stated, they will receive from the po-
lice authorities of that country driving per-
mits and registration numbers without go
ing through an exhaustive examination.
AS the result Of an argument over the
speed of their respective cars, a. Weinberg
and Guy Vaughan of New York have ar
ranged twenty ive-mile race. to take
place in the near future, for $4,000 a side
the wager being shared by the contestants
friends and the makers of their cars.
A broad boulevard connecting Boston with
the White mountains is assured before the
close of the present year. Many stretches
already are completed. and the New Hamp-
shire legislature has appropriated enough
to finish what IS known as the Merrimac
Valley Trunk Line.
A test by the United States forestry serv-
Ice or the strength of commercial timbers,
such as are used in auto building shows
long-leaf pine to be the strongest. A beam
inches by II inches by ID feet will stand
a breaking load of 30 700 pounds concen-
trated midway between supports.
"AlkOethine.' the new motor gas is
mixture of air. alcohol vapor and acetylene,
| resulting from the spraying of diluted alco-
| cheaper fuel than gasoline. and the neces-
sary apparatus for producing 1t can be
adapted to any high-speed gasoline motor
one cause of heavy wear of the front
tires Is looseness in the steering lever joints
When there is much play in these the
| wheels are allowed to stray out Of the
parallel track so that the tire tread in con-
| tact with the ground il really scrubbing on
the road all the time instead of only rolling.
While In the far west railroads are ham
pering the automobile industry by dilatory
transportation, the situation in the south
ana east has been greatly improved by CO.
operation between traffic managers of the
railroads and representatives Of the Ameri-
can Association of Licensed Automobile
Manufacturers.
When a Newark N. J., factory recently
completed an automobile for l. w. Heilman
Jr., a wealthy San Franciscan, built ac-
cording to his specifications, 1t was found
that there was no express car high enough
| to contain it. and the top of the automobile
had to be removed. The transcontinental
express charges exceeded $1,000.
Automobile owners and drivers are to be
given a full share Of consideration in the
new City Beautiful scheme on which At
laatic City is to spend S1OOOO.OOO in laying
out parks and driveways during the next
few years. Broad and handsome boulevards.
which are planned. will be laid out with a
view to their use by motor cars.
Because of the number of fatal accidents
to pedestrians in Massachusetts Of late,
bills have been introduced in the legislature
providing for filming and Imprisonment of
any motorist who. after striking any one,
keeps on. and transferring the power Of the
| prosecution OF motorists from the highway
commission to the state police.
-
| Courtship and elopement on wheels is the
latest. Pearl Frances Indig and Albert j.
King. an auto salesman. both of Philadel-
phia. who met each other at a roller skat-
ing rink. suddenly decided to marry while
on a motor trip and stopped at Harmon
ton. N. j.. where. as Cupid would have 1t.
a preacher riding a motor cycle obligingly
forsook the machine a moment to tie the
knot.
One Of the hardest auto trips ever under
taken was recently successfully made by
President Raum of the California Nevada
Electric Company. who. with a party Of
engineers, journeyed from Fairview to Fall
lon, New, In a heavy rain. with mud and
sand up to the axles. over rocks and
around bridges that had been washed
away. and for a portion of the distance
along a railroad track.
Taximeter cabs were known to the Ro-
MANS according to Prof. Paul Wegler. a
German savant. the vehicles being provided
with an apparatus which every LOW PAGES
dropped a small stone into a vase The
passenger counted the stones and paid his
fee Prof. Wegler also declares that the
Romans and possibly the Greeks also ran
cars Whlch contained their own niot'e
power.
The autobus has revolutionized inter-vil-
lage communication throughout western
France where there are but few railroads
and the travelling heretofore has been done
! by horse-drawn vehicles. electric lines be-
ing limited to the cities.
The Colorado Automobile Club will hold
1OO-mile race this month for a cup valued
| at $1,000. Several courses in the vicinity
of Denver are under consideration The
cup will become the permanent property OF
the contestant who wins 1t twice.
At the urgent request of the police, who
had heard rumors Of an attempted assas-
sination, the kaiser returned to his palace
from a recent military review in his ar
mored automobile. instead Of On horseback.
at the head Of cavalry regiment, as
usual.
In England there is being made ex-
haustive test of a set of tires with no In
ner tube but filled with graduated cork
and rubber A car is to be driven 15O miles
a day for forty days. and so far the tires
seem to be fulfilling their inventors prom
iSes.
After careful study Of the cost of auto
mobile traction German expert has de-
clared that autobuses would not pay in any
city in that country which has less than
2OOO,OOO inhabitants. which means that
Berlin alone could reckon on such service:
Kansas City Automobile Club is deter
mined to keep up the pace. hill-clmbing
contest was held on Memorial day: on
June II the members took the orphans of
the city for a spin and on July race
meet will be held.
1t is estimated that to put the existing
roads in England and Wales into perfect
order for motors, so as to avoid the trou-
bles of dust and too weak surface. would
cost 81 435. 600 900 and it is therefore asked
whether it would not be better to make
new trunk roads for traffic.
With the tying up of the car lines first
by the great fire and recently by strike. the
motor car has proven blessing indeed to
San Francisco. Nearly every car in the
city was employed during the strike trans
porting passengers from the ferry depot to
various parts OF the city.
Business troubles. due to bad weather are
blamed for the suicide at New York of
Marius B. Beekman, president of COM
pany which operates sightseeing automo-
biles in several cities.
The good roads movement has taken
oreat ter hold on the south than ever before,