Evening star., 1909-04-18

still the holder of registration certihcate
No. T. in Massachusetts,. and was one OF
the first men to run an automobile IN MS
home state.
The contest committee of the American
Automobile Association has granted a
| sanction to the Wilkesbarre Automobile
Club, Wilkesbarre. Pa, for the annual
| hill-climbing contest up the Giants De-
spair course. The event will occur May
| 81.
Joy riding" will be a hardy business In
many states this summer. when the laws
passed by various legislatures making II
| a penal offense go into effect. In Ne"
Jersey, for instance. Joy riding is no"
punishable by three years in prison.
| Napthalene is a white substance of very
| little use. 1t is. byproduct Of the de-
structive distillation Of coal as practiceo
by the gas companies. AS such, it was
| thrown away. until three years ago. wher
a use was found to pay for saving II.
| The new clubhouse in Brooklyn of the
Long Island Automobile Club is one OF
| the most practical In the country. 1t Is
! four stories high, tastefully furnished an0
! contains an elevator for transportation OF
| cars from the garage on the main floor tc
storage lofts on the third and fourth.
*
| The Irish reliability trial, which will be
| held from May % to June l. will be d.
vided into two sections, one for trade en-
trants. the other for private owners only
Included in the program will be hill
climbs, a speed test and possible brake
test.
A Frenchnan named Cupnot built and
operated successful steam automobile as
early as 1853. and twenty-five years later
William Symington in England and Oliver
Evans in America had each produced sue
cessful models of automobiles.
1t Is expected that the big engine plant
projected by a leading automobile COM
pany for Flint. Mich. will be completed
by October 1 next. The building will be
1.o21 feet in length by S65 feet in width,
and will be devoted exclusively to the
manufacture of motors for automobile
concerns. 1t will employ in the neighbor-
hood of 1900 men.
Springs too weak to hold the valves or
the cams will make the engine weak at
high speeds and will produce Gathering
owing to the belated seating Of the
valves. If the springs are too stiff and
are shortened the cut ends must be turn
ed flat, which necessitates heating them
in fire and afterward retempering.
y
Sir Herbert Praed, an eminent author
| ity, has given 1t out as his conviction
| that within a year or two all the prin-
cipal roads of England will be either
constructed of or coated with refined tar
or some bituminous compound, with the
| happiest results alike to the users of
the roads, those who live near them and
those who have to pay for them.
The Bay State Automobile Association
| has changed the date of its annual spring
race meeting from May 80. the usual
time, to June II. Bunker Hill day. The
change is made necessary on account or
conditions at the track A new grand
| stand Is being erected and the clubhouse
| is being moved to another point on the
grounds.
New Jersey legislators are still laugh
| ing over the odd plight of Assembly man
Colgate, who was discovered to be wear
! ing bandages due to an automobile acci-
| dent while arguing for the more liberal
motor bills of which he was the author.
While driving with Gov. Fort Colgate s
car struck a bowlder in the road. throw
| ing the assemblyman against the front
| seat.
X
| One of the most beautiful scenic high
ways in Colorado is the automobile and
wagon road from Lyons to Estes Park.
/
From Lyons to the park a daily automo-
mile and mail service is maintained the
year around. Formerly the trip required
six hours by stage. but now it is made
| in an hour and three-quarters by auto
| mobile.
Disappointment is felt in some quar-.
| ters because the reports Of the expedition
| of Lieut.. Shackleton, who got within
about 100 miles of the south pole re-
Gently, contained nothing about the mo.
/ @fn1 f,n6 fo1y oil
Shackleton was confident the sledge would
| be of material assistance to him. but
| apparently. whether because of the ma
| ture of the country to be travcrsed OF
otherwise. is not yet known. it failed tc
prove useful.
| Competition by amateur drivers in the
| transcontinental race will be made pos
sible by the Establishment of gasoline
| and oil supply stations all along the
| route, so that drivers may secure sup.
to the expense of providing supplies OF
| their own. The oil will be furnished free
of cost by a prominent oil company, and
gasoline supplied at not more than Il
cents a gallon.
| An excellent opportunity will be af.
forded by the ocean to ocean race from
New York to Seattle, starting June l, te
| compare the merits of solid tires with
pneumatic for long distance racing OF
| touring. One of the cars entered viii
be equipped with solid tires. and the
vibration will be taken up by Il spe.
cially devised equalizing lever suspen.
| sion. The device is a horizontal lever
working against vertical spring, and
the levers will be fitted to both front
| and rear aXles.
A simple method of testing a leaky tire
valve is to jack up the wheel and turn
1t SO the valve hangs vertically. A glass
! of water, held SO that the valve juts he
| low the surface. does the rest. Some
times the leak occurs at the foot of the
valve. This is often caused by the tube
having too large hole punched through
it. and consequently the gripping powe,
Of the bridge piece is lost The only