Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-22

The air-cooled automobile wins where
the camel fails. That is discovery
made by Texas, which at places WITHIN
its wide ranging boundaries has great
areas practically destitute of water.
For more than half a century TINS
has given the Lone Star state trans
portation and traffic problem, for beasts
of burden, going into these arid but not
necessarily waste places, have had ~
| lessen their carrying capacity IN oroeI
to take along water with when 10
Quench their thirst.
A skeleton Of a camel recently found IN
gulch near Spofford Junction has
| brought anew to public attention one ol
Texas early attempts to take advantage
Of the resources Of all parts Of the state.
1t was a few years before the civil war
that the ship of the desert was I'M
ported and was subjected to an at
tempted adjustment to new environment.
The animals were scattered and given
chance to make themselves at nome.
But they did not meet the requirements.
Then, too, they did not thrive and their
number gradually decreased. While there
is a story that few of their descenoaits
are now running wild in the mountains
of New Mexico and Arizona 1t Is COM
monty held to be a myth.
Thus the immigrant camel failed lie
could go a long time without taking
drink. That was his strong point, put
even in that respect he IS outclassed by
Texas new solution of the problem. the
air-cooled motor car with which the de-
mand for water Is entirely eliminated.
The day has passed when the COM
mander of an army was always a man
on horseback Tradition still makes
him such, tust as it puts an almost use
less sword into the hands of officers for
a weapon for use against missiles propeli-
| tS q
army today of which the commanding
officer covers his field of operations IN
motor car. 1t is the army of pacinca-
ton which the United States has sent
into Cuba in the second attempt to get
the government of that island to stand
alone. The commander of the forces
there is able to take the riding test re-
quired by the President. but it is to the
| automobile that he turns for service.
Thus, where only ten years ago Roose-
Welt and his Rough Riders, with all the
regalia of Workmanship, were in the field.
today military horsemanshp is discarded
as far as possible in favor of the use
Of the motor car.
j.
Foreman Conover presiding genius over
| the White House stables, who knows more
about splints, spavins, shoe bliSters and
| the heaves than any other man in the
| Roosevelt administrations man who can
| tell the age Of horse by his cough-may
soon have to forget his equine learning
and study up carbureterS. SDarkerS
and petrol to hold his job. Rumor has
| 1t, and motor car sales agents are cock
sure of it, that Mr.. Taft is going to de-
| part from the Roosevelt policies in one
| instance. at least, and install motor cars
| in the stables of the chief executive.
| where now broughams, station carts and
Victorias furnish the mode of locomotion
| of the first man in the nation
| Mr.. Taft has become quite fond of the
motor car. In the summer he travelled
at least 300 miles in as many different
| machines. and not once did the candidate
suffer any delay or Inconvenience from a
broken trace Or a colicky mare The new
executive is convinced that the motor car
| is the thing. In Cincinnati his greatest
delight was his daily spin in Brother
| Charles touring car. machine so big.
by the way. that it can hardly turn
around in a four-acre field.
President Roosevelt has frowned on the
motor car. His tastes have run to timber
toppers and single footers. But Mr. Taft
has ideas on the subject himself, and
shortly after March 4 the big barn set
aside for the Presidents equipages may
house touring cars, roadsters. runabouts
and electric phaetons. The last named
| may supersede Mr.. Roosevelt's brougham
and the runabouts may be designed for
the use of Miss Helen. Mr. Robert and
Master Charles Taft. who for the next
four years will be the most interesting
children in the land. The touring car
may safely be kept in the garage SUBJ
| ject to the call of the President.
This innovation in the new admnistra-
ton will occasion some disquietude among
| the rubbernecks of the capital. The red
white and blue cockade and the red
white and blue rOsette on the heads of
the fOotmen and horses, respectively, have
long served to identify the White House
carriages. Just where the rosettes will be
attached if machines are used is a mat
ter that will have to be left to the pri-
vate secretary, Mr.. Carpenter, who, by
the way, will be quite another change In
the order of things at the White House.
!:
| Felice NaZzarO. the Fiat driver now i'm
Savannah, Ga. preparing for the grand
prize Thanksgiving day. rarely talks of
his racing accomplishments. Yet in two
years he has made records for speed and
endurance on track and road Last year
NaZzaro captured in succession every big
| road race held in Europe, including the
Targa Florio, the struggle for the Ger
| man Emperors cup and the Grand prix
making in the latter the new worlds aver
age Of II miles an hour. This year he
has won match race over the Brook
lands cement track at the average speed
of % miles an hour: and the Florio
cup race at the worlds record average
of 74l4 miles an hour. The FloriO cup vic
tory was gained in the car which Nazzaro
will drive at Savannah.
AS the man who holds the worlds road
and track records Nazzaro was recently
asked to express an opinion on the ques-
ton Of whether or not the limit of speed
in motor cars had been reached and to
what extent the durability of tires under
extreme speed conditions entered into the
problem.
ION road course I doubt if the Elorio
cup average of 74H miles an hour will
ever be beaten. The Bologne circuit over
which that race was decided is a big
quadrlateral with only four turns and
! long stretches affording unusual oppor-
| tunities for continued high speed. The
actual operation of guiding a car around
| d turn does not bother the driver OF ex-
perience. 1t is the wearing effects these
continual changes in direction have on
| tires which, cause delay for repairs and
greatly decrease the average speed. For
! this reason Savannah, with it's 2GO turns
| to the race of a little over 400 miles
cannot hope to equal the average made
at Bologne.
| 1.-The difficulty Of operating a car be-
| yond speed of 80 miles an hour does
not grow in proportion TO the increase
as many people popularity suppose. The
wind resistance Is what tells the story
| then. At 10 miles an hour a person feels
| his body fiattening out against the back