Omaha daily bee., 1909-02-21
HORSE POWER Is 4 MISNOMER
Has Really Nothing TO Do with the
Gas Buggy's Ehcieney.
CYLINDERS DETERMINE POINT
How Carr Are Rated for Service an
Practice I'm Europe and what
American Are
Doing.

Horse power Is a greatly abused word"
declared a fan" at the kimban garage
last night as he was discussing the merits
OF he different cars coming 10 the show.
when you say this car has forty horse
power that doesn't mean Il can pull AZ
much as forty horses. Horses have nothing
10 90 with II. To get right down TO the
technical. horse power is Hitting sa.00
pounds one foot In a minute, or, II you
wrnf 10 reverse il, raising one pound s1,0OO
feet in one minute. 1t doesn't make much
difference which way you use II, only the
euuines are not taken into consideration
N an.
Il don't know 3ust how they came TO
adopt the word horse power as applied
to the power Of gasoline or steam engines
and ! have vai1ly sought 10 find some one
who does know. But the word Is there all
right and answers its purpose. only that it
c~onfuses people who DO not understand
the exact meaning Of the phrase.
Abroad they are not placing 90 much
emphasis upon horse powsr As they used
TO. Now when you read a description % a
foreign machine you seldom see the power
quoted-you get the sine Of the cylinders
in The way Of bore and stroke and then
you figure 81 out yourself.
There is considerable difference in the
way of figuring horse power in this country
and abroad. On me other side OF the
Atlantic ana especially in France they rate
an engine much lower than 1t really is
for the reason that over there they are
tlzed according to horse power. Conse-
quently a motor that would be twenty
horse power in this country is about twelve
on the other side.
We Amsrioans are just beginning TO
s-ystsnatize ratings Tns mechanical branch
OF the Association OF Licensed Automobls
Manufacturer is responsible for this
There were SO many Engagements THAI
finally these engineers got together and
adopted q formula for the purpose Of eEt1-
mating horse power. This was adopted by
the members Of the association and gradu-
ally the idea is being taken up by other
American manufacturers, in this the stroke
does not enter into The calculation In this
least. It is found that while this formula
was MADE up by averaging al the leading
American motors. there is a tendency on
the part OF the formula to overrste q small
motor and underrats one Of high power.
In engineering verbiBge this formula
reads DE- Y Nh D representing the
cylinder diameter and n the nunber Of
cylinders. The constant Is is the computed
average from the known horse power Of
many OF the American four-cylinder motors
Opinion is changing regarding The horse
power Of the modern motor car. Formerly
the idea was 10 get az big and as powerful
an engine as was possible. That was when
everyone had the speed mania. But now
the motoring public tE becoming wise and
cars are powered according TO their uses
For instance, when one wants TO make a
long tour over bad roads and steep hills
then you want the power-sRy about thirty
five or forty. maybe forty-five. In the
city. where most of the traveling is done.
such high power Is no longer desired
Owners realize the folly Of maintaining
huge touring cars for town use when II
simply Is a case OF drive downtown ana
back again.
Consequently the town car is coming
fn-EenerAily a small vehicle OF about
tweuty-five-hnrse power. otter OF the Ian
daulst type. Some have small limousine
bodies and then again the little runsbout
comes in mighty handy for making time
through the traffic where a big car iE gem
orally SLOW because OF its unwieldiness-
In France they say they are fRvoring
small powered cars Of two cylinders and
often one. principally for city use. now
ever. Several Of these little one lunsers.'
as the single cylinders are called are being
fitted with Limousine bodies and are used
for touring purposes. In TINS country,
though, we sim stick TO the four and six
and think there IA nothing like them"