The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-01-12
motor STARTER
AGREAT HELP
Electric Starting Device the
Pioneer in Its Special
Field.
IS A PROVEN SUCCESS
Machine Has Been Tested for the Past
Three Years, and Never Found
Wanting.
IS A PROVEN SUCCESS

The Locomobile has always been a par
ticularly interesting car from an electri-
cal standpoint. Mr.. +. W. Saobartes,
the local manager of the Locomobile
Company's branch. yesterday, in refer
ring to the new Locomobile electric motor
starter. said: Possibly you have for
gotten that the original Locomobile gaso-
line car of 1902 had a gear-driven cleo
trio generator with automatic switch.
an arrangement which had all the es-
sentials OF the modern lighting system
This car had spark plugs designed and
built by our designers and builders.
This was because We wanted to make
the Locomobile the best built car in
America and went to the trouble and
expense of making our own spark plugs
so that We could be sure of getting the
best in the world. Probably you will
recall the fact that for five years we
went to extra expense to make our own
magnetos for all of our cars, as well as
all the electrical apparatus. simply to do
everything We possibly could to make
our car as well as II could be made.
From this you will see that our new
electric motor starter is the logical out
come OF all OF this electrical distinction
of the Locomobile for years. The same
men who designed and built that early
four-cylinder Locomobile are the same
men responsible for II to-day, and they
are the men best qualified to develop
and harmonic in a car like the Loco
mobile the best electrical apparatus.
For three years investigations and
tests have been going on at the Bridge
port works. The engineers OF the Loco
mobile Company have tested in the COM
plete laboratories of this pioneer COM
pany all of the devices intended to do
away with hand cranking. An early
conclusion of the Locomobile engineers
was that electricity was the only ade-
quate means OF producing a motor starter
that would be 100 per cent efficient and
that would start a big. six-cyIinder en-
CINE. even if it happened to stop on
dead center.
All Made at Home.
"All of the parts for the Locomohile
starter are designed and made by the
Locomobile Company. with the exception
of the siN-volt starting motor and the
switch. The thoroughness which is char
acterestic of Locomobile methods is cyl
dent in the painstaking with the installa-
ton of this new apparatus. The counter
shaft of the starting mechanism is
chrome nickel steel. hardened and
ground. 1t runs on ball bearings instead
of plain bearings. The gears are made
of specially treated chrome nickel steel,
and are made from as expensive mate
rial and are as carefully made as the
transmission gears.
A new and interesting feature of the
Locomobile installation of the electric
motor starter is the mounting of the
starting motor on a bronze engine base.
This makes it practically an integral
part of the power plant, and this keeps
it always in alignment, which might not
be the case were 1t mounted on the
frame Of the car.
The new plunger switch is located I'M
der the front f1oorboards, where 1t is
instantly accessible. The foot plunger
or pedal. which operates the device, is
removable, so the operator may place II
in his pocket when he leaves the car
standing without attention. thus prevent
ing any one from meddling with the
apparatus or starting the car. Every
one now realizes the Importance of the
locking device, and easy starting should
be facilitated by some such form Of
security.
THE Locomobile engineers are unquali-
fiedly in favor OF the use of a separate
lighting dynamo, specially designed to
give the best results for lighting only.
and a separate starting motor, specially
designed to give the best results for
starting only. This is the combination
found on the Locomobile; and the claim
of the Locomobile Company is that in
their car only is to be found combina
ton of the best electric lighting system
and the best electric motor starter sys-
tenn"