Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-13

advantage Of modern modes of travel
was recently illustrated when q full
blooded Indian youth and maiden eloped
in an automobile from the government,
Indian school at Carlisle, Pa.
The automobile traffic between Silver
Dell and Tuscon. Ariz.. has increased to
such an extent that the old road connect
ing the two cities did not suit the auto
owners. who have been able to. get a
better and shorter road constructed for
them.
Everywhere can be observed the tend
ency toward reduction of noise. Just a
year ago engine fiexibility and the per-
lection of the fabrication system were
the aims of the designer, so now noiseless-
ness is the feature on which greatest
stress is laid.
Castor oil fabrication. inaugurated this
year, will certainly generalize next season
as favoring the enormous piston speeds
aimed at. The cost of it is such that
it will only be used in the very last
days Of practice and on the race days
Officials of the Automobile Club of Pitts
burg are making plans to increase the
membership of their organization during
the winter and hope to double the
numerical strength before the beginning
of next years driving season.
motorists the county board of Jefferson
for machinery and $4,000 for the highway
reserve fund, to be used in building high
ways during next summer.
Police Commissioner Bingham of New
York intends having introduced in the
next state legislature a bill compelling
chauffeurs to carry cards with their pho
tographs on them. with space fort their
police records. including complaints. ar
rests, etc.
A new automobile club which has been
formed in San Francisco, known as
the San Francisco Motor Club. has
been organized primarily for pleasure
and for promoting touring and speed
contests Its organizers deny that it
will interfere in any way with the work
of the older clubs.
Picric acid belongs to the detonator
family and when mixed in gasoline. after
it is dissolved in alcohol. it increases the
rate of flame propagation resulting in
more power. While used occasionally
for racing events. it presents one serious
drawback-it tends to destroy the walls
Of the cylinders.
The secret Of preserving tires is to
keep them we'll inflated-thirty pounds
pressure-the favorite with women mo-
florists because of easy riding-is entirely
too low: fifty is still better. but ninety
pounds the amount recommended by
ulOSt Tire IudkoES. Will save wear ana
tear to a much greater extent.
= :.
To prevent the setting fast of the adj
justing screws of radius and brake rods,
screwed valve caps and other stationary
parts exposed to moisture or heat, the
threads, both internal and external,
should be fabricated with mercurial ONT
no xr-if
the fingers.
The Williamsburg Automobile Club of
South Africa has passed a rule urging
its members never to pass disabled
automobile without stopping and offering
assistance and suggesting that every
car should carry MANILA rope. twenty
five feet and three-quarteers of an inch
thick, for emergency.
The largest producer of ferro-vana-
dunn, which is being used more and
more in the construction of automobiles,
Is the Societe Anonyme Electro-metal-
lurgique Girod. at Albertville, France,
which annually manufactures from five
to ten tons OF the alloy. containing from
30 to 50 per cent of vanadium.
Lieut. L. II. Schackeleton of the British
navy has sailed from New Zealand for
the antarctic continent, where he will at
tempt to reach the south pole in an auto
mobile built specially for travel over ice
fields. The car is expected to cover
ton expects to return In January, 1910.
~
From present indications the third an
nual run Of the Quaker City Motor Club,
January 1 and 2. will be more of a sue
cess than any previous run that organ
ization has managed. The committee in
charge has assurances that the total
number OF the entries will reach fifty
before the contest is held.
Do not neglect a blow in an engine.
1t may only be faulty joint. such as
leaky valve cap, etc. but it may be
an internal blow. which means badly
fitting piston rings. or possibly the rings
have SO moved that the slots are all in
line. In any case an internal blow is
very bad. as IL causes carbon deposit
to eventually accumulate in the base
chamber, and then the big end and main
bearings are liable to be scored
Automobile trade prospects in the west
and southwest are better than ever be-
fore, according to c. F. Jensen. president
of the National Retail Automobile Deal
ers Association. ut Is remarkable" he
says, chow many agents in small towns
are contracting for 80 to 100 cars and
declaring there is no question Of dis
posing Of them. The farmers of Kan
Sas, Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota are
in fine financial shape and ready to buy
cars"
X
Winter automobile touring abroad is
largely confined to the Mediterranean
countries. not ignoring Algeria and Tunis,
where the roads are Of the best where
they exist at all. The common notion
that the countries bordering upon the
great Mediterranean lake are blessed
continually with a summer climate is a
fallacy. There Is plenty of sunshine, but
there are cold areas and there are cold
seasons, which are not the least allied to
the idea of orange blossoms and olive
groves.
A valuable aid in locating a mysterious
knock" is flexible speaking tube, such
as Is used with monographs. One end
OF such tube can be held to the ear
and the other moved about from point
| to point until the exact spot is found
where the noise is loudeSt. Another aid
is light bar Of iron. one end of which
is pressed against the part where the
knock Is suspected and the other touched
to the forehead or the teeth. when the
sound is clearly transmitted.
y SiX-foot length of flexible metallic
tubing fitted with rubber teats OF each
end to make connections Is most handy
article for connecting up of the head
lamps. so that 1t may be used at night
to make repairs to a car. BY this means
powerful light unay be thrown directly
on the work-a great convenience in case
OF breakdown In the darkness and
far superior to the comparatively dim
tail oil lamps.