Los Angeles herald., 1910-12-18
ANGELENO INVENTS
WONDER FOR AUTO
Local Man Secures Greatest Ad-
dition to Car Construction
Since SeIden Patent
THIS CITY SUPPLIES MARKET
Device Keeps Car Under Control,
Adds to Power and Les
sens Accidents
THIS CITY SUPPLIES MARKET

wonderful new principle in auto
mobile construction, and one that VIII
become as necessary as the engine
itself. has been invented and patented
by an Angeleno. This invention VIII
be guaranteed by its makers to double
the power of any engine and to outhVe
the engine itself by ten times.
For a long time local automobile men
have been interested in a pneumatic
transmission and clutch, the invention
of Frank Monroe Prather. The device
IS intended TO be used on any motor
car dependent on gas for It's power.
While it can be put on any car, It's
value to the motoring world is so great
that it is confidently predicted that
within two years the largest factories
in the United States will be building
the device into their engines before the
cars are turned out on the market II
will be hailed as the greatest triumph
in motordom since the Selden patent.
Nor is this wonderful clutch, or sec
ond engine, as it were. at all mystity-
ing in it's workings. In fact, 1t Is so
simple and easy to operate that child
within one hour from its first lesson in
running q motor, can sately De
entrusted to run the largest and most
expensive car so equipped up the steep
est grades. or in the most dangerous
places and yet have the car under ab-
solute control all the time.
The Prather clutch, as this new de-
vice is known, has not yet been given
to the public, but plans are under way
to construct a large plant in Los An
geles for its manufacture, and the mar
ketine Of it has already been taken up
by the well known brokerage hrm,
johnson, Carvell &c Murphy
GIVEN SEVERE TEST
A most strenuous demonstration of
DIV A
30-horse power touring car equipped
with the device was sent over all the
roads in Elysian park. From stand
ing start the gears were put into high,
the engine was turned over by the ar
COMPRESSION of the clutch, and to the
highest point in the park the car was
driven without shifting gears, and yet
the speed of the car was kept between
seven and ten miles an hour. AT some
of the most dangerous curves the speed
was reversed to five miles an hour.
Then by a slight pressure on the lever
which is attached to the steering wheel
the car was forced up to its maximum
speed of forty-five miles on short level
stretches and brought to stop within
its own length, without the slightest
lar to the car or discomfort to It's oc-
cupants AS another test the engine
was killed twenty times in block and
Immediately restarted by this same
device By it's use there can absolutely
never be any necessity for cranklng
a car from the outside. 1t gives TO any
car the service of two distinct engines,
vet for most purposes operating as one
though by the air compression the pls-
ton always must remain 1-92 of an
inch apart from the cylinder head,
thus giving the desired resilency that
i'm case of shock is not communicated
to the engine itself Also, should you
be stalled on a railroad, or IN some
place of danger should you run out OF
gas YOU would have this great reserve
air force to shoot your car out oL
danger.
Nor will the use of the clutch be
confined to pleasure cars, for 1t VIII
be in positive demand for use on COM
mercial wagons. The largest truck
with capacity load can be moved from
standing start, on hgh gear, WIN win
the utmost ease, and no strain on the
engine
To any one who has observed that
most commercial cars in making de-
liveries, are always left by the driver
with the engine running. as 1t takes
muscle to throw one of these big en-
gines over, it is easy to see how much
gas and oil is needlessly used, and can
be saved by using the Prather clutch.
Then, too the railroads that run large
motor cars in their suburban service
will have immediate use for such a
device.
The running of the engine automat-
ically refils the air tank placed on
the back or under the car Such pres
sure can be regulated at will. For a
car of thirty horse power it may not
he necessary to require more than 100
pounds standing pressure while with
ninety horse power car 1t could
easily be kept up to 400 pounds. Nor is
~ n go hp q
pressure as to i'm case of necessity run
the car a mile ON the reserve air alone,
It is not only a mechanical device
for power but for safety. By its use
the major part of accidents can be
avoided, for the car is SO easily con-
trolled that the driver must be stupid
indeed who allows an accident to oc-
cur. 1t would be impossible for a car
to get away on the steepest mountain
grade, for the auxiliary air brakes,
which the clutch controls, can bring
car to a dead stop at amy degree
without calling upon the engine for
assistance, thus saving all wear,
UNDER PERFECT CONTROL
1t is a perfect and dependable self
starter, and will enable any car TO
start on level or hill on high speed,
and the car is under the absolute con-
troll of the operator and to a degree
heretofore thought impossible m
gasoline driven vehicle
Its adaptability to racins cars will
eliminate many of the dangers Of
speeding, and where contests are from
a standing start the car gets away
instantly, and as the air pressure is
more powerful than the motor of the
engine, it is possible to shoot the car
ahead Of any competitor at viii for
possibly a distance of 100 feet
The use Of the clutch uecessitates an
air tank on the car. about the size of
the ordinary gasoline tank, but as the
engine does its own pumping of air
without in any way Iessening its
pulling power, the tank is an invalu-
able auxiliary because of the many
uses TO which the compressed air may
be put, such as Initiating tires, air for
gas lights under pressure, blowing
horn or whistle, pressure for gas tank
and many other uses. Compressed air
weighs practically nothing, and great
quantities can be stored about the
car with little or no Inconvenience
The Seattle motoring tourists have
already begun to arrive in Los Angeles
for the winter One Of the first to ar
rive was l.. wv. Kinncar and his fam