The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-10-22
AUTOMOBILE GOSSIP

Few people realize the magnitude
and extent Of equipment necessary in
an automobile factory in which nine
ty-two per cent of all the parts of
the car are made.
For instance, one Waterman of the
Rambler factory, In going his ROUNDS
for the night. travels about eight
miles and q half
Charles r. Jeffery, general manager
Of the Thomas u. Jeffery Company,
says that II you started at one corner
of the Rambler plant and walked
around the buildings. returning to the
same spot, you would walk mile
and half. or distance equivalent to
fifteen city blocks. figuring ten blocks
TO mile. If you started at the point
where the raw materials are received
and made a tour OF the plant, you
would travel about two miles.
Going around the factory would
| be equivalent to walking three times
around the Rambler half mile testing
track, or three and three-quarter
times around the Chicago city square
in which the big store of Marshall
Field and Company Is located
Five new buildings are now being
added TO the Rambler plant inolud-
| Ing the new power plant. and addi-
/ lions are constantly being made to
the working force.
The Rambler output for 1911 will
| again be limited to twenty-five hun
dred cars. Large additions have
been made during the past year to
the machine shop. motor assembling
department and inspection depart-
ment.
/ Every important part of the car
I ayn Including this fna9t Limousine
bodies, are now made in the kenosha
plant.
just two thousand three hundred
| and thirty-six miles In ten days, or
| an average of two hundred and thirty
three miles per day. making the tour
from Cleveland to f.sisIlio, Boston,
| New York, Atlantic tnts. Fhtiadel-
| phfa, Hamilton, Ontario ana Letroit.
was the unusual record made by W.
II. X Heron, II Cleveland Rambler
owner IN his soven-passenger Fifty
five.
! On the first day out Heron reached
| Canandaigua, n. r., the speedometer
registering two hundred and ninety
/ fye miles. The next evening he was
in Pittsfeld.t Mass. two hundred and
sixty miles away. and on the follow
ing evening ne was at York Beach,
Me, two hundred and thirty-five
/ miles from Pittsfield On the tenth
day he returned to Cleveland.
The car WAS not shipped at any
point and no repairs were made on
the way. except the spark plugs were
cleaned once.
That the motor industry is booming
In the Bay State is shown by the way
new agencies are being opened and
the large number of cars registered
this year Up to September | 1871
/ more dealers were registered in
Massachusetts than there were ut the
same time last year. 63s dealers and
makers now being on the books Of
| the highway commission. The motor
cars registered have passed the $4,000
mark now. an increase OF more than
6 900 over last year. making the total
| receipts to date more than 100000
ahead Of last year Just sS51.532.26
was taken in by the highway commits
sion from, motor cars for the first
eight months Of this year.
Supreme Court Justice Bischoff, of
New York, has announced unconsti-
tutionai the New York city ordinance
especially regulating automobile cabs
which are equipped with taximeters.
He has granted an injunction restrain
Ing the city authorities from inter-
fering with taximeter cabs under the
terms OF this ordinance Samuel
Pepys. the English diarist who was
born in 1855 and died in 1903. and
United States Supreme Court Justice
Brewer are among those cited In sup
port of the decision. The ordinance
required taxicabs to charge only 40
cents for the frst half-mle. Automo-
bile cabs Without taximeters may
charge 80 cents.
One Of the most commonly neglect
ed parts or the motor car. as far as
fabrication Is concerned. Is the clutch
operating mechanism. In the case OF
some multiple disc clutches, inciosed
In oiltight cases. the oiling OF the
thrust collar and the lever which
operates 1t Ii automatic, but In many
cone ciutches--in fact. all that do not
operate in an oil bath--tfle thrust
collar or bearing and the operating
lever require oiling by hand The
duty OF these parts II very severes they
being almost constantly in use IN
throwing the clutch In and out. and
fabrication OF the bali thrust in de-
manded.
Fire Commissioner Carroll. of Bos-
ton, In an estimate to Mayor F'itx-
gerald OF the needs OF the fire depart
ssent. has included two auto chemi-
Gals at a cost Of 411.00o. He says the
city needs flying squadron Of motor
cars 10 protest tho outlying districts.
and he proposes to establish one
eventually at drove Hail. where they |
can protect the many wooden apart
ment houses.
One OF the most interesting tourists !
that ever made the trip across the |
continent u John Wright. OF Los AM |
Eeies snd hiN two cons, who recently |
reached New York. from Denver IN \
q 40-horsepc@ax raE after ctrcu1tr~t
Gus 'opr,.sy tsiy ~