The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1917-08-11

In a big New York city garage,
opened recently. the exasperating de-
lays often encountered in getting cars
into or out OF the aisle are eliminated,
because the garage has no elevators
and the cars are automatically spaced
on the floors in such q manner that
there is sufficient room for each one
to run out into the aisle without dis
turbing the cars next to Il, accord
ing to Popular Science Monthly.
Inclined concrete ramps take the
place of elevators, each ramp being
twenty feet wide. They are arranged
so that one line of cars goes up while
another line Is coming down. There
is a concrete curb in the center Of
each ramp, to restrict the lines Of
cars to separate paths, so as to pre-
vent collisions between cars passing
in opposite directions. Besides being
g great convenience to the individual
automobile owner, these two-way
ramps will effect a saving OF approx
mately S1s.25o in annual overhead sx-
pense for the garage owner.
The ramps from floor to floor of
the four-story structure take UP the
same amount Of room as elevators,
but the cost of building them Is the
only expense connected with them.
1t costs nothing to operate them
when once built The designer OF
the garage, H. B. Mulliken. of New
York city, has calculated that the
cost OF each trip OF an elevator 10
ten cents and that the average daily
number OF cars going up and down
in the six hundred-car structure
would be two hundred and nifty,
making nvs hundred trips in all.
Delays Are Eliminated
The delays incident to backing 4
car into its stall between two other
cars whose positions are only ap
proKimated by whItewash lines on
the floor or numbers on the walls,
have been eliminated by the use OF
island location platforms much the
same as the isles Of safety for pedes-
trIans In our most congeEted city
thoroughfares.
These island platforms are a special
feature. Each car has Its own Island
platform, which is made of concrete.
integral with the floor. Each plat
form is ten feet long. f"rty-ni.Ie
inches wide and four and One-half
inches high, with q rounded. but
slightly pointed end facing the aisle.
The cars are arranged in two long
rows with an open runway between
for entrance and exist.
As each car enters the aisle IL IL
backed up until its rear wheels strike
the curved end OF the platform This
serves to guide The vehicle auto
maticaIly into its stall. with the plat
form situated longitudinally beneath
the car, and its edges almost touch
ing the insIdes of the front and rear
tires As the platform is of suffici-
ent height to prevent the car from
mounting It when backing up. each
vehicle Is automatically placed in its
proper position, and will be prevent
ed from running in any other.
Arranged In Long Rows.
The island platforms are arranged
In long rows, as shown in the Ac- /
companying illustration, and are
placed so that there are fourteen
inches of clear space adjacent TO the
vehicles. This Is sufficient to allow
each car to back into or run out Of
its stall without disturbing the cars
next II. The platforms, being inside I
OF the car wheels, do not prevent
jacks being used in the clear space
between vehicles to lift the wheels off
the floor for the removal of tires. A /
small concrete bumper, about two
feet long, six inches wide and six
inches high, is provided behind each
of the clear spaces between the islands
at the rear, to serve as stops for the |
rear wheels OF the cars.
This garage, which is being built \
by one Of the large automobile con
Germs in New York city, is four
stories in height, with a total floor |
area OF 205,OO0 square feet: of which !
l64, 900 square feet will be given /
over to the accommodation OF six I
hundred cars. As shown in the &C /
cross-sectional view, one 7
OF the ramps leads from the street |
level into the lower or basement |
floor. while another leads from the |
second TO the third floor. Still an
other ramp, at right angles to the /
second, serves the fourth or top |
floor. The maximum grade is fifteen
per cent
washing Of Cars.
Another original idea incorporated
in the design OF this garage Is the /
method OF washing the cars. This
Is done In the aisle toward which
each two rows Of cars face. A NOV
able washstand is provided. which
overcomes many OF the difficulties
and some OF the expense connected
with washing the vehicles.
This washstand consists OF an iron
framework supported on rollers run
ming on steel tracks suspended from
the ceiling and extending the entire
length of each aisle. Canvas curtains.
mounted on spring rollers, like ordI
nary window shades. are hung from
the frame on the sides parallel with I
the length Of the aisle. These protect .
nearby cars from the splashlnE. On 4
the other two ends Of the frame are
hung two banks Of electric lights In
In operation the car to be washed
parabolic Tehectors, which are Als0
supported on spring rolIerL