Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-26
CHAUFFEuRS TO ORGANIZE
ONLY REAL THING IN BUZZ
WAGON MEN FOR MEMBERS.
Those Who Know Entire Mechanism
of Machine Will Aim to
Minimize Accidents.

The Capital city is to have a chauffeurs'
club To be on the roll of the organiza-
ton will be a recommendation that the
member is experienced in the work. None
but one who knows the mechanism of an
automobile from the ground up may join,
and each member must make affidavit he
will not use his employers machine at
any time without permission of the owner.
lone will have to be a real chauffeur to
get into this club" declare the prime
movers
Every day one hears of an automobile
smashup. The cause nine times out of
ten can be traced to the chauffeur who
does not know his machine as he should
Qualified chauffeurs are interested in the
club idea. They contend that many young
boys who know nothing but to start
stop and steer an automobile are en-
ployed to operate machines in the Dis
trict. The proposed organization will in
large measure minimize the accidents.
Manager Reid of the Central garage on
New York avenue near 18th street north
west, has offered to provide a clubroom
and other comforts. 1t is prOba BILE a club
VIII be formed about October /. When a
Washingtonian employs a chauffeur from
the organization. it is said, he will be get
ting real one"
When one of the leaders in the move
ment to organize the club was seen to-
day he said he believed the proposed or
Sanization would be distinct success
from the start There is a distinction
he said, between a chauffeur and a ma
chinist. The former may be expert in the
detection of any break in the L-nerent
parts of the machine, and while he should
know the mechanism of the car sufficient
ly TO detect the broken part at once,
still he should not necessarily be ma
chinlSt. Sometimes a bolt or other part
of the running gear gets out of order or
jolts out of place, and the experienced
chaufeurs which We will have in our Or
ganZatioh will be able to tell at whirr
of the wheels just what part is out of
commission. The chauffeur in many in
stances is like an architect. The archi-
tect may be perfectly acquainted with the
construction of a building. but he could
make no part which would require the
services of skilled mechanic.
"A skilled chauffeur will know of the
eccentricities of his machine if automo-
biles can be said to possess eccentricities.
He can tell in a moment at the firing of
the cylinder just what has happened to
the running gear of his automobile
"All experienced chauffeurs are COM
petent to run any car, although they are
possibly better acquainted with the type
of car they have been running for some
time past.
No Good as a Chauffeur.
The man who simply knows how to
start car, steer it and stop it is abso-
lutely no good as a chauffeur man
who knows his business and is competent
knows the working of both the types of
transmission-the planetary and sliding
types.
Perhaps the most difficult part about
an automobile is the carburetor. II and
the current are required to ignite the gas.
The spark coil is one of the essentials
which every chauffeur must know per-
fectly. The coil governs the electric cur
rent and the carburetor allows the flow
of gasoline. There are different makes of
both, but they reach a common end in
each instance and an experienced chauf-
feur should have very little trouble in
handling them.
The battery which furnishes the cur
enter into the field of the chauffeur and
he should always be familiar with it,
In closing he said:
I'VE plan to have an organization in
this city which will be a distinct ad-
vantage to the chauffeurs as well as the
residents of the city who operate autcmo-
blles. There are about 800 chauffeurs
here and though many of them are with
their employers at the shore and in the
mountains still they will all be here this
winter and we will have no difficulty in
procuring large membership to the club
We plan to have an examining board
made up of experts in the local automo-
bile trade, and every now and then the
members of the club will stand an exami-
nation before these men to determine
their fitness to handle the automobiles of
the Capital city,