The Topeka state journal., 1913-05-17
AUTOM0BILENEWS
Growth of State Auto ASSOcia.
ton Has Been Rapid.
There Are Now Seventy-Three
Counties in Organization.
GUIDE BOOK NEARLY READY
Official Publication of AssOci-
alton Is Being Printed.
News of General Interest to
Motor Car Enthusiasts.
GUIDE BOOK NEARLY READY

The growth of the Kansas State
Automobile association with head
quarters at Topeka has been remark
able.
Fourteen months ago it was formed
with three counties as charter mem
bers. Since that time many counties
have been added and today the asso-
citation boasts of seventy-three county
organizations. 1t is true that all are
not real active clubs, yet it is safe to
say that four-fifths- of them are active.
Without a doubt this organization
has been instrumental in having many
miles of highway improved that other
wise would not have been.
The official guide book of the asso-
citation will be out within ten days.
This book will show all routes of Kan
sas, as well as leading routes of ad-
jacent states. A copy of the book will
be given to each member and will, no
doubt, be the means of greatly increas-
ing the membership of the state asso-
citation.
The secretary of the state body, D.
E. Watkins, is on the road almost ev-
cry day, holding meetings with the diff
ferent clubs and creating more interest
where he finds it tagging.
The association is desirous of hav-
ing the money derived from the auto
tax law used as the law provides, and
should be used solely for dragging. If
this is done, it would drag $1,000
miles of road in the state fourteen
times each year, paying rs cents per
mile for each dragging.
Beginning with next week, big meet
ings will be held at Seneca, Blue Rap
ids. Washington, Stockton and Os-
borne.
State Auto Run.
Friday morning, May 16. at Z
o'clock, the Kansas State Automobile
association will continue it's run to
Omaha over the Omaha-Kansas City
Scenic Route. Owing to heavy rains
they were compelled to abandon the
run last Friday at Hiawatha. The cars
were stored in a garage there.
1t was the opinion of all present on
this run that better dirt roads could
not be constructed than the ones in
Brown county. 1t is due principally
to the constant dragging they receive.
New Automobile Fuel.
The discovery of Motor Spirit. the
new fuel distilled from crude oil, which
is expected to check the rising price
of gasoline, has come none too early
if the soaring of crude oil is to be taken
as true indication of conditions The
new fuel is being used in many cities
and especially in Chicago, with sue
cess.
Within the last year crude oil has all
Oklahoma crude sold at the wells at
As cents a barrel twelve months ago.
and now is selling at 80 cents. Illinois
crude oil sold at go cents, and now it
is selling al $1.25 per barrel
Motor SPIRIT is the discovery of w
M. Burton general superintendent of
the refinery of the Standard Oil Com
pany of Indiana. His appiica ton for
a patent was made on January 8, 1912
and it was issued on January I, 1913,
and the patent was assigned to the
Standard Oil Company of Indiana
Thus it is seen that the production of
motor spirit is entirely in the hands
of the Standard Oil Company of one
state. This company is at present pro-
ducing $4,000 gallons a day, but the ex
pectation is that the output will be
very largely increased in the near fu-
ture.
The $50 concerns in the country
which are now producing gasoline WILL
of course, have to pay tribute to
Caesar before they can produce the
new fuel.
Smoke Not Objectionable.
A number of companies in Chicago
are using motor spirit in the operation
of trucks. and they have not expert
enced any difficulty in its use. Though
the new fuel admits a light-colored
smoke and there is a pungent odor,
cars using motor spirit have daily
traversed the boulevard where vigil
ance is maintained by the police to
keep off smoky cars. and none of the
cars so equipped have been stopped by
the police.
While there is an increased carbon
deposit from the use of the new fuel,
this deposit is easily removed without
scraping, as it is softer than the usual
carbon deposit. No real trouble is look
ed for under this head.
Another I-Se for AufO.
With the advent of the parcel post
still another field of activity has been
opened to the motor car.
Although the people generally have
not awakened to the wonderful ad-
vantages of this service. the rush has
already been so large in some cities
that the postoffice department has been
literally buried and the only way they
could get out from under was by call
ing on the motor car.
In Battle Creek, Mich. for instance,
a town of only about $4,000, the rush
of stuff on Monday mornings is sucn
that the ordinary equipment is far from
adequate.
we would never be able to make
the deliveries in any kind of time II
we had to get along with horses" said
Assistant Postmaster Ferguson. Fur
thermore there has never been such a
stack of mail destined to so many diff
ferent parts of the town delivered in
so short a time in the history of the Of
fee"
According to official figures from
Postmaster General Hitchcock more
than 5000, 600 packages were handled
during the first week Of the service.
The Nicholas Auto Co. received
carload of Cadillac cars this week, and
delivered one to N P Wolff of Topeka,
one to DIR. Steinmyer of Topeka, one to
H. A. Buck of Rurllngamo-
DR.. w. S. Hunter has removed his
Office from the Mills Bldg to S2S Kan
SaS aVenue.-Adv.