Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1913-03-21
"OLD TIMER" GIVES A
FEW GOOD POINTERS

there had been other times when I'D neg
lected his important item. But no, ] had
all the gas i needed this time. Well, l
turned her over a dozen times without get
ting a kick, and then j looked at my bat
teries. Everything that l could see seemed
to be all right until 1 noticed Il stream
running down beneath the car. II was
gasoline. and ar instant later I discovered
that the feed pipe running from the tank
to the carburetos' had broken off close to
the tank.
II tried to make a repair. but the break
was a jagged one. The pipe simply
wouldn't stay in the hole in the tank
where it previously had screwed. The
threads were gone and there was nothing
to hold 1t. ] got out all the stuff ! had
in the car without discovering anything
i could use and sat down and lit my pipe
to think it over. 1T was the pipe which
gave me the idea on which i finally got
home. II was a corncob, as ! have said,
With a reed stem-and Il pretty thick one.
! had smoked 10 minutes before ! realized
that here was the pipe ] was looking for
to make a connection between the ank
and the broken gasoline pipe. l quit smok
ing right away and pulled the stem out
of the pipe. Then l ran gasoline through
1t until ] had got it reasonably clean.
Make Patch Of Gum.
THE problem was to fasten il into the
eoiAN- ~ was easy VA ~ INV tiAG ~
en- pipe. for II would slip quite inside of
this. but the spring In the pipe. which
was shaped like an s. kept pulling 1t out
of the tank. The spring wasn't strong. 1t
only pulled out about half an inch, but
that defeated my purpose.
1T was then 1 though of gum. | usual
ly kept a package in the car because /
had. found that the vino dried my mouth
and throat. and though I don't like the
habit ordinarily, ] sometimes chewed a
little gum. Well. l chewed IL all this time,
and when | had a good big wad l plas-
tered that pipe stem into the gas tank. 1t
held. and I turned the engine over ginger
ly. She started. and l climbed into the
seat. started off and began TO devote my
whole attention to picking out good spots
in the road. | didn't want to jar that
connection loose. ! had to get out and
knead the gum was gasoline several times
but finally got home--lO miles on that
pipe stem and . cents worth of gum. 1
felt like Napoleon when realized what a
difficulty L had conquered"
The old motorist grinned over that recol-
lection. The sudden flashing past of a
big siX-cylinder set him talking again.
Did you notice that that car had no
crank?' he snorted. "One of those self
starters. and they're so sure of EN- that
they don't put cranks on any more.
ooh. they're good things" he admitted
~grudgingly. 'Al! these improvements are
good things, but I'll bet you a dollar the
chap that's driving that car couldn't start
it If the automatic starter got out of order.
He'd just have to sit there till some one
came to help him. Only experience
teaches"
Couldn't he put a speed in and let the
car coast until it turned the engine over?"
suggested the friend timidly.
HE could If he was on a hill, as we
are now" responded the veteran. but
would he do If he was on a perfectly
level stretch of road? I'll bet he wouldn't
know. But l know. l had to do 1t once.
Any idea how you'd go about it?"
New Starting Method.
The friend admitted he hadn't the
slightest idea, and the old motorist smiled
with satisfaction as he explained:
Well. it's as simple as A, b. C, when
| you know how. All you nave to do is to
| jack up one Of your rear wheels. put a
speed I'm, and then take off your coat and
! spin that wheel around. Sounds hard.
but it can be done. for I've lone 1t. Not
that I'd like TO start that way every
time"
Blu what's to prevent the car running
away from you if you do get started?'
That's where the differential comes in.
| Spinning the wheel will turn your engine
over when a speeds in and once the en-
gine's started it will turn the wheel, but
the d~ifferential will stop the other wheel
from moving because ali the power will
| go into the free wheel. All you've got to
do then is to throw out your speed, let
the engine race, get your jack out from
under the car. and climb aboard. But I'll
bet there isn't one man in 10 that would
know enough to do 1t.
Thinking Saves Car.
II could tell you of stunts like that that
"a got me out of all sorts of trouble,
and you'd begin to think that 1 knew al
most everything there was TO know about
a car. But We can learn something new
every day. 1 saw a chap the other day
given an example Of quick thinking that
couldn't be beaten often. 1t saved him a
brand new $500 car.
His carburetor had been flooding and
letting gasoline accumulate in the pan,
though he didn't know it until he opened
his muffer cutout. He found 1t out quick
enough then. The h shot through
hat pan and the accumulation Of gaso-
line went off like gunpowder. In about
a minute flames were pouring out beneath
his engine and climbing up around the
hood. He was just passing me when It
happened. and you can bet I put on q
burst of speed for a few yards to get
away from the explosion that ! felt GER
tain was coming in a second.
FINALLY 1 caught him.. He was sitting
in his car smoking and not making a
move. The sweat was just running off
his face. I pulled up and asked him what
had happened. Well. sir. he'd just blown
that fire out. Said he knew that IL he
stopped there'd be an explosion and that
his one hope lay in going SO fast that the
burning gasoline would he forced out Of
his pan. And he'd done it. The paint on
the hood was scored sOme. but still he
had the car. If he'd stopped she'd have
gone up in smoke sure. That's what I
call quick thinking and some considerable
nerve"