Omaha daily bee., 1909-02-21
NAMES OF The AUTOS PART
Technical Patter Of the Craft Made
Clear for Multitude.
GLOSSARY FOR THE BEGINNERS
Learn These Words and You May
De Able to Tell h the
Salesman IL Talking 80
About.

The Omaha Automobile show is preparing
TO entertain thousands of visitors and some
Of these will know all about automobiles
and some will be a little deficient, espe-
cially in regard TO the specific terms which
are applied to the different parts of the
machines.
But il is clearly apparent that the aver
age citizen knows a few things about auto
mobiles; that he can discuss the relative
merits of the four and sixrcyltnder engines,
the saving of time and worry brought about
by the invention Of the d~emountable rim;
that he is wise to the shaft drive and chain
drive arguments, and that his knowledge
is we'll grounded. It will be particularly no.
ticeable that Young America is wiser even
than his daddy, for the boys will wander
from booth to booth and display a wonder
full amount Of knowledge concerning the
automobile.
On the other hand, those not familiar with
the motoring parlance will be densely ig-
norant. The salesman might just as well
talk Volapuk as to attempt to describe the
mechanical beauties of the cars they repre-
sent, and 1t was suggested that The Bee
publish a glossary OF automobile terms for
the benefit of those just taking their first
lessons in motoring.
Chassis" is a word that puzzles many,
yet to the initiated 1t is clearly conpre-
hensible that the term means the skeleton
of the automobile before the body is
mounted on it. The word is both singular
and plural.
''Tonneau" is another word that ID q pug
zler, but which is so used that
the unedueated prefer to make believe they
understand rather than to show their ig-
norance. The word is. applied to the rear
part of the body in which the passengers
sit and the plural of it is tonneaux.
"Carbureter" sounds mysterious save to
those familiar with automobiles. In reality
1t is the gas-making apparatus into which
the gasoline runs after which 1t is con-
verted into gas by being mixed with air be-
fore being shot into the cylinders.
Transmission and gear set are some
What synonymous and vores the gear shift
ing apparatus, while Control applies to
the method of handling the gasoline supply
and the spark, either retardlng or advancing
the latter or opening or closing the throttle
on the supply of gas.
"Wheelbase' is not so strange because of
the fact the term was used In the cycling
days, and Nof course nearly everybody has
ridden a bicycle. That means the length of
the car from the front hub to the rear one,
while tread applies to the width of the
machine. clearance covers the distance
between the ground and the lowest point on
the chassis, usually the axles, and these
figures give one a fair idea OF what sort of
roads can be covered in that particular
make Of automobile to which II refers.
Radiator does not mean the heating
apparatus one might suppose. Instead 1t is
just the contrary. being the device in the
front of the chassis through which the
water circulates that is used for the pur-
pose of keeping the engine cool. There are
various types of these. cellular, tubular,
etc, but all used for the same purpose.
Clutch" is a word often heard at the
show, the meaning OF which is that It 10 the
medium by which the power OF the engine
is connected with the rear wheels of the
car, sometimes by means of chains and
again by means of shaft drive.
Bonnet and HOOD mean the same
thing, being applied to the metal covering
that is placed over the engine when u Is
located in front OF the dashboard.