The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-02-27

Few months pass by that come plan for
rating the horsepower Of motor Car en-
gines is not advanced. Motor car owners
as well as engineers are generally intsr-
ester In these formulas as looking forward
to the millennium when some one viii dis
cover a plan of rating that win be adopt
ed by all manufacturers and DO away
with much of the confusion that results
from the dozen or so standards now In
use. At present in this country the
A. l. A NJ. standard of squaring the
bore, multiplying the result by the num-
Der OF cylinders. and dividing by % is
the only one in general use. In
the A. L. A. NJ. handbook the
rating of all cars made by members Of
that association is fixed by that plan.
Recently a new formula, known as the
Dendy- Marshall formula, has sprung into
prominence in England It differs from
the A. L. A. NJ. standard in that it recog-
nizes the stroke instead OF, as is the case
with the A. L. A. NJ, basing the oaleula-
ton on piston travel OF 1000 feet per
minute. The Dendy-Marshall formula in
cludes squaring the bore, multiplying that
result by the stroke, and then by the
number OF cylinders. and dividing the re-
suit by r. Taking the three Pierce-Ar-
row motors as instances. the A l. A. NJ
and the Lendy Marshall systems give
these results:
company's ALAN DIN.
so---------,- ----.-----..---------- "a Bu
ss'......'......'........'...... go 81
6s,.-.--......-....-- --....-....--.. So fSs
From this IL viii be seen that on
medium horsepowers. where the bore and
stroke do not vary too much from the
square, the results are about the same
while on high horsepowers the new Eng
lish system gives higher rating. The
reverse is true on motors OF small horse
power. since a bore and stroke OF TWO and
one-half by three inches on a six-cylln-
der motor would give IS horsepower by
the A. l. A. N. formula and by the
Dendy- Marshall system only 81 horse
power.
owing TO the high state Of efficiency TO
which the upholsterer's art had been
brought before the advent Of the motor
car, the improvements made in this line
Of advancement have not been so great
possibly as In some other lines OF the
motor ear industry. Improvements are
being made constantly. howe r. and one
Of the principal channels for these is in
the use OF new materials. One OF the
latest feathers TO be brought into service
is fooled Cordovan leather. and samples
OF this have been sent 20 all its dealers
by the Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company,
Of Buffalo.
In spite Of the natural aversion OF the
average editor TO admit anything in the
news columns which savors in the slight
est Of 8 trade note or advertisement, It
has been proven and been accepted by
ali the principal publications In this
country that automobile news notes COM
mand the attention of large number of
readers-and the very best class OF
readers.
Two years ago a great many papers
set their faces hard against automobile
news Of any kind. claiming that this
new industry was entitled 20 no more
tnan older established lines OF business.
That position has proven untenable. and
to-day those same journals are the most
liberal in the use OF automobile publicity
items.
There is an excellent reason for this.
The automobile IS getting no more pub
LEFTY to-day than the piano did when it
was first invented, the electric motor
and the resultant electric street cars.
telephone, inoandescent lights. &c.
When the talking machine was first
invented. and during the few years imme-
diately following. that device got a ire
mendous amount OF free publicity.
The advent OF the automobile marks
an epoch in transportation. and every
thing pertaining TO II. Is becoming more
interesting TO progressive people
So much for generalities. The EMF