Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-11

long passed. that there was
tendency for the motor car to
become the plaything of the
very rich. 1t was the very
latest thing in expensive luxuries, a badge
to surplus wealth, thing with which to
entertain ones friends in style like the
private car of the plutocrat And the only
one in the humble walks of life who de-
rived the least pleasure out of 1t was the
mechanician whose pride and joy it was.
The greatest advantage that this class
of car possessed was it's speed, and the
more it had the ability to pass everything
on the road the more it was valued in
its owners eye. His continued boast was
that he had taken such and such hill
on the high" that he had passed so and
SO in his much higher powered car on the
road and that he had covered so many
thousand miles during the season. now
some of these things are perfectly allow
able to boast about, and the average mo-
torist would not be considered worthy OF
the name would he not do so. 1t is the
fact. however, that he has MADE ms
car an end in itself. and not a means to
an end that is unworthy.
However, all of this has. in a measure,
become unnecessary. Where before 1t
was customary to substitute speed and
excitement in place of the pleasure OF
driving a perfect car, the designers Of the
latest models of cars of all kinds are
making it their aim to produce flexible,
powerful and almost unconsciously con-
trolled car that will make the excitement
of speed an unnecessary adjunct to the
pleasure of driving a car.
This. flexible we'll controlled car has
been the dream. the ideal of all of the
makers of self-propelled vehicles since the
year 1884, when one ambitious spirit con-
ceived the idea of putting small steam
boiler heated by an alcohol lamp, on
wheels and sending it over the roads.
What strides have been made In this dl-
rection can, Of course, be seen by all,
but it has only been within the last couple
of years or So-in fact, since the style
of body seems to have become fixed by
custom-that there has been any great
strides made that were noticeable to the
experienced driver but not to the casual
observer.
Several OF the new models which are
being gotten out for 1909 have the fea-
ture that all of the manufacturers have
been experimenting on and trying to
perfect for the last ten years-the self
starting device. 1t has always been
source of annoyance to the man who
owned a huge, expensive car to have
to go TO the trouble of cranking 1t before
he could get away. 1t seemed that TINS was
u
appeared otherwise all right. But as there
was nothing on the market that would
in any way help him out. 1t was neces-
cary evil. to be endured but not liked.
Most OF the new selr-start1ng devices
are of the spring and ratchet arrange
ment. BY this. the spring being re-
leased, 1t causes the ratchet to pass over
a small gear on the caudal shaft and
turn the engine over sufficiently to start
IT, All of these are mechanical starters,
though, and a fortune yet awaits the in
ventor who is clever enough to devise a
starter which is operated by the simple
reversing of the valves and inducing COM
preston in the cylinder. which is in a
condition to receive il, and then starting
on the spark.