The Washington times., 1908-02-02
Cook and Stoddard
Agent Tells Story of
Test in Figures.
Sets Mark for COmbi-
nation Road and
Stationary Test.
Machine Performed
the Stunt With Stock
Car Equipment.

The Franklin Company sells cars on
the claim that the air cooling system is
effective under all normal conditions.
Road work and still running in a
closed room were included il the 96-hour
test TO which a Model D, 4-cylinder
Franklin, was subjected last week. and
the result bears out in full the claims
made by the manufacturer.
An account Of the daily trips and the
nightly engine runs was given in The
Times last week as the trips were made. /
But there still seems TO be a haze in the
minds Of many regarding just what such
a performance means.
Rough Roads.
The difficulties Of the roads afforded a
severe test. But the real merit of the
Franklin machine was shown when it
kept running. in a closed room without
the drafts which are generally count
ed on to re-enforce the general run of
cooling systems. The forced air pres
sure on the road Is a big factor in the
cooling system of many makes While
the Franklin model utilities this ad-
vantage, the stunt pulled of last week
uroves conclusively that il can run with
out It. And the Importance OF that
demonstration can only be appreciated
by motorists who have suffered from
overheating. Plenty of them fell short
in this respect in The Times Sealed
Bonnet Contest, and several OF the
derelicts failed to make a clean score
on this point
In short, the purpose OF the test was
to demonstrate the efficacy Of the air
cooled system and TO combat the popu-
lar idea that air cooling means over
heating
Stopped Without Trouble.
Not even after four days steady run
ming, the last nineteen hours OF which
was stationary, was there any sign OF
overheating and the theing that struck
the spectators most forcibly yesterday
when the switch was thrown of. while
the throttle was left open, was that the
enginestopped without a single extra ex-
plosiOn.
The feat would have been a difficultone
for a water cooled car. Contrary to the
general opinion water cooled cars are
subject 10 Overheating as well as those
cooled by the air system Dealers know
this. It Is to educate the public 10 the
fact that a Franklin was no more liable
to overheating than any water cooled
machine that the demonstration was
planned.
Previous Attempts.
The successful conclusion OF the task
sets a new standard for similar stunts.
As stated before IN these columns, the
only attempt OF the kind which equals
the present one was the record OF a
F1T uH In,
cago when It ran for seven days and
twelve hours with no stops. a seventy
two-hoUr nonstop run pulled of in
Baltimore recently was hailed as a
creditabIe feat and the first attempt at
combination run was made IN
Philadelphia at the conclusion Of the
Allentown endurance contest when a
Franklin went over the course twice
and ran for twenty-fOur hours in the
window Of an agency at the conclusion
Of the trips.
So far as could be learned an attempt
TO make a nonstop run Of Sc hours
combined with a 5O0-mile road test has
never been attempted. While standing
last week the Franklin ran at the rate
OF thirty miles an hour. Sixty-five
hours of stationary running at this rate
makes an equivalent Of 1850 miles Of
actual travelling. Adding to this the
SEQ miles that the car did cover in this
period il is evident that in the four
days time the machine, running at
thirty miles an hour could have covered
245O miles. In this time Mr.. Bliven eS-
Inmates that there were 10000 explo-
siOns.
Gasoline Consumption.
One other point was developed after
the run which is all the more striking
in view Of the fact that no attempt was
made to make a record In this par
ticular That is the consumption Of
gasoIene. on the first day it occurred
to Mr.. Bliven that it might be well to
keep track of the fuel used. His caIcu-
lations bring to light the fact that the
average gasolene consumption was one
gallon for every 2rk miles travelled
Oae quart Of cylinder oil suffced for
seventy-two miles.
The Franklin which made the run Is
the popular Type D. 2S-horse-
power machine, equipped with four
cylinders II is a shaft-drive model.
and has the seleCtive type sliding-Eear
transmission. This model carries five
passengers, and is capable of making
fOrty-fiVe miles per hour. Tie driver
can control three speeds and reverse.
\ disc clutch and full lamp equipment
are among the accessories. II has a
105-inch wiIsei base, and weighs 200
pounds.
The Cars Equipment.
The ruu also demonstrates the FEAST
bility Of the concentric engine valves,
and dome-shaped cylinder head used
on Model D Full elliptic springs and
no shock disorders We're employed.
The wood sills We're a big factor In
the successful running over frozen
roads.
To avoid the possibility OF any doubts
regarding the accomplishment OF the
stunt, disinterested watchers have been
stationed at Cook & Stoddard's garage
during the time that the car was there,
and nhEeryerg hava accommodated tnE