The Washington herald., 1913-04-13

Gay Paree,' where everything tina
is novel finds popular favor, ha'
tabooed the musical automobile horn
which threatened to fill the boulevard:
of the French capital with snatches o.
popular or classical airs instead of thu
usual 'honk, honk.'
News has reached this country of &
test case brought against two motorists
of Douai, who enlfvened the nigh
trumpeting the leitmotiv of Die Wal
kure," and it has been decided that these
instruments are Illegal here. The de
cision brought out a judicial definition
A.. of the word horn" which had hitherto
been rather widely interpreted.
The latter said the judge, mus
be for xhe purpose of sounding an alarm
and be used to warn the public, not Il
amuse il. 1t must give forth a single
note which should be grave, even SIMS
ter, in order to call attention to the I'M
pending danger.
THE new fanfare horns,'' added the
judge, lack seriousness, and are there
fore outside the meaning of the act
Every day we are being more and
more impressed by the wisdom of oul
action in adopting center control for ouI
cars" said r. c. Smith, of the Washing
ton Overland Sales Company, in re-
cent discussion of mid-season develop
ments in the automobile industry. The
hundreds of enthusiastic communica
tons we are receiving on the efhciency
accessibility and ease of operation of oul
center control has proved to us that We
made no mistake when we were pioneer.
ing in this construction feature. We re-
ceive many compliments on the center
control feature.
This is only natural, too, for every
motor car owner will readily admit that
the center is the only logical location fol
emergency brake and change speed
levers. They are always directly under
the hand of the driver. 1t is not neces-
sary to bend either forward or sidewist
at all to reach the levers, and their po-
sition in the center of the car is vastly
superior to the side, either inside OF
outside the fore door.
Mechanically, too, the center is the
best position. Thus the series of connect
ing rods necessary in side constructions
are eliminated, and there is a direct con-
nection between the levers and the
brakes and transmission gears. A much
more sturdy and dependable action is in
sured by this construction, highly i'm
portant feature in crowded city streets
where frequent and rapid speed changes
are necessary, on hills or rough roads
Another of the great advantages gained
by center control is the fact that both
forward doors of the car are left clear
for ipgress and egress. There is no neces-
sity for walking around the car, often in
mud, snow, or slush, in entering or
leaving.
Men who follow the fortunes of the
rubber trade estimate that the automo-
bile tire industry alone today consumes
as much rubber as was the worlds total
supply of crude rubber fifteen years ago.
Furthermore, liberal 40 per cent of the
crude rubber product of the present goes
into tires and motor car accessories.
Statisticians figure the 1913 rubber crop
al approximately 1OS00O tons, of which
nearly $500 tons will be consumed in
factories identified with the automobile
industry.
America and Canada are the largest
users of crude rubber. These two coun-
tries consume close to 10000 tons in their
factories representing various lines of
rubber goods.
Tire factories demand an enormous
rubber supply and have created the
greatest outlet for this interesting prod
uct that has ever been known in the
history Of the world A concern like the
United States Tire Company, which oper-
ates four big factories and has an annual
output of tires running into millions,
figures conspicuously in rubber consump-
ton. sDuring the present year this COM
pany will use in the neiGhborhood of
o, 000,oO0 pounds of crude rubber in its
four big plants.
Joseph Stoddard, local agent for the
Cadillac cars. received word yesterday
that one of the first, if not the first,
commercial transaction, and in any event
the first sale of a motor car, concluded
in Dayton, Ohio, after the waters of
the recent flood lad subsidized was the
sale of a Cadillac by H.. NJ. McCord,
the local dealer.
The car had been entirely submerged
for thirty hours. Aside from a deposit
of mud. it was found to be none the
showed that owing to the accurate fit
of the piston and piston rings not a
drop of water had worked its way into
the cylinders.
II is possible that many of the au-
tomobile accidents in the District, due
to careless driving by reckless chauf-
feurs, could he avoided if the car own
ers would adopt a decidedly new idea
in motor car equipment which was
evolved by recent purchaser of a LS-
zier six The purchaser ordered the
speedometer placed on the rear of the
front seat. facing the occupants of the
tonneau. The owner of the car employees
a chauffeur and always rides in the rear
seat.
He had his own ideas as to what speed
should be maintained in city traffic and
therefore had the indicator placed where
it could be constantly under his watch
full gaze. AS a result. the chauffeur is
70 instinct
hints from his employer for a knowledge
Of the cars pace. In placing the speed
ometer in the tonneau, a special tube
over six feet in length was used, owing
TO the distance of the dial from the front
wheel
Among other novel ideas on the car
which the owner dictated is the placing
OF the electric horn midway between the
two headlights in front of the radiator.
Two push buttons near the tonneau door
are connected with the electric horn and
the speedometer. so that the owner is
able to apprise pedestrians of the cars
approach, in case the driver Tails TO give
warning in time.
Leigh Best, vice president of the
American Locomotive Company, yester-
day issued the following statement:
"1n view of conjectures now current
because we have not before announced
our plans for this season, l desire to
state that We have never entertained dis
continuing the manufacture of Alec
motor trucks, motor cars and taXicabs.
Quite to the contrary. we have started
a vigorous campaign and intend to go
after this business stronger than ever.
LAS far as possible. we plan to segre-
gate the automobile department from
hro N 10 I,0C0-