The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1909-04-23
THE MAXWELL TEST.


After nearly 26 days of continual
travel, the Maxwell 10000 mile
nonstop car finished its gruelling
trip last Monday afternoon, in a
blaze of glory which radiates across
the country some of the brilliancy
of a truly wonderful performance.
At the finish of the long journey
it was accorded a reception such
as no other car has ever received in
Boston, bringing to an end a feat
such as has never been accom-
plished and not likely to for many
years to come. 1t brough to an
nd a performance which while
ago few thought could be accom-
plished and the amazement at the
consummation of the trip was
greater even than that occasioned
by the daring of the Maxwell Com
pany when it started the car out Of
Boston on March IS for run Of
10000 miles without once stopping
the engine.
When the car left Boston at the
start of the run sew, raj hundred
people were on hand to give it a
send off, mere handful, however,
compared to the number that
greeted it in Copley Square after
it had made its wonderful run OF
1904 miles, at which time the
engine was still running, as smoothly
as at the start, or, as Charles D.
Gidden who rode in the car on
Monday said, as smoothly as any
car he had ever ridden in. 1t was a
small crowd that sent the car away
at the start, too, as compared with
the number that rode the last few
miles of the trip in automobiles,
behind the long distance car, form
ing an automobile parade longer
than any that BsOton has ever seen.
And when the car came to stop
in Copley Square it was greeted by
these and several thousand add
tional people who sent up a mighty
cheer when l.. II. Speare, President
OF the A. A. A., turned off the switch
which act stopped the engine just
% days, 6 hours and p minutes
after he had started it. 1t was
coyal reception accorded a royal
rar, a reception we'll earned, for
the engine had performed a seem
ingly impossible feat and had bro
ken all worlds records for long
distance nonstop runs.
For COG hours and 2l minutes
the engine had ceaselessly per-
formed its functions, not once in
all that time occasioning the least
blt Of trouble, doing everything
1t was called upon to do, accom-
pllshing a feat never before at
tempted, one that a few weeks
before was thought impossible. Just
what 1t means for an engine to run
tins length Of time without once
stopping for even the smallest
fraction OF second is hard for one
TO imagine. Most of all it means
that an engine must be perfect in
every detail. 1t means, too. that
every part, to the smallest bit of
WIRING, nut or bolt, must be prop
erly placed and in perfect relation
to every other part, bit Of wire, nut
or bolt, and in fact everything must
be mechanically perfect. or as the
Maxwell motto has il, simply per
feet and perfectly simple.
During the % and a fraction DAYS
that the car was on the road for "a
hours a day, ithe engine worked
smoothly in every part. and so far
as 1t was concerned it could not
have worked better. There we're
tire troubles on the road. to be sure.
and a few broken springs which
crystalllzed as a result of tn, con-
tlnual vibration with never a rest.
nothing against the springs or the
steel used in them. however. as
the same abuse they received would
undoubtedly cause any automobile
springs to do exactly as they did
However, 1t was an engine test that
was made, one that was satisfactory
IN every respect, a test never before
attempted and one that Is hardly
likely to be equalled in a great many
years, II ever. In making this test
the engine was forced to DO in less
than one month what no private
owner would ask an engine to do
IN as many months as this one did
in days. 1t was work in fact such /
as no engine has ever before been /
called upon toSdo, yet it did its