Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1912-03-23
"CUT-OUT" FIGHT
INTERESTS MANY
Practical Test at Rutherford De-
velOps Telling Statistics
for Motorists.

No agitation in recent years has
aroused so much general interest
among automobilists, as well as other
users of the highways and the public
in general, as the campaign conducted
by the Touring Club of America for the
abolition of the muffler "cut-out.'
That the civic authorities in many
leading cities regard the noisy motor
exhaust as intolerable and an unneces-
sary public nuisance is evidenced by
the local ordinances enacted during the
past year prohibiting the use of the
"cut-out" in many municipalities.
With a view of demonstrating that
a motor equipped with a properly de-
signed muffler will develop it's maxi
mum power without the use of a cut
out, F. H. Elliott secretary of the
Touring Club, arranged with Milton
j. Budlong, president of the Packard
Motor Car Company, of New York, for
the experimental use of Packard go
motor, which Was installed in the lab
oratory of Joseph Tracy, at Ruther-
ford, where series of tests were con-
Quoted yesterday afternoon. These
tests were witnessed by a score of
prominent automobilists technical ex-
perts and representatives of the press
and automobile trade publications.
So far as known, the tests conducted
yesterday under the direction of Mr..
Tracy, former racing driver and skilled
engineer, constitute the
first public demonstration ever made
in this country oy disinterested au-
thority to prove the ineff1ciency OF the
During the tests yesterday several
series of horsepower readings were
made at motor speeds of from 200 and
to 1000 revolutions per minute with the
muffier connected in the usual manner,
and with the 'cut-out" open, also with
the 'cut-out" closed, showing a much
less percentage of loss in power in the
latter case, than by the experiments
recently conducted in London on some
Of the best makes of foreign cars. The
reports of yesterdays tests are to be
used by the Touring Club of America
as basis for recommendation to be
submitted to State and municipal au-
thorities throughout the country for
the enactment of uniform motor laws
and regulations. The outcome of the
tests effectually disposes of any
theories heretofore advanced in sup
port of the "cut-out."
The test was most satisfactory
1ne. At 2:30 o'clock the motor was
started. The temperature of the cool
ing water was stated as 95 degrees A
double tachometer check was taken on
the motor, in order that the revolu-
tions per minute measurements could
be secured as accurately as possible.
The motor was connected with an cleo
trio dynanometer, which exercised a
pull on a scale showing the pounds
pull exerted at each stage of the ex-i
pertinent. Readings were taken at in
tervals of 100 revolutions from 300 to
800 with the muffier cut-out open and
closed.
The results obtained in the test could
not be better shown than in the fol-
lowing table, where low, interme-
1iate and high speed are taken as ex-
amples of the performance of the
motor under all conditions. The point
which is worthy of the greatest notice
Is that at the speed of thirty miles per
hour The horsepower readings are the
same for the open cut-out as with the
hn fah fol