The Washington times., 1917-01-13
Frank Discussion of Motor
Matters by The Times Auto
mobile Editor
AN UNPREJUDIcED OPINION
A Column of Judgment on Is
sues Vital to Motor Car
Owners.
By MONTE w. sOHN.'

BY MONTE w. sOHN.
NEW YORK, Jan. lave remem-
Der a painting of lost souls, by a
= famous artist
But the artist had never seen a
soul. He painted faces, therefore.
There were q million, we guess-more
or less.
It fits the New York Automobile
Show.
We have that sort of a picture
engraved on our mind.
Nobody merely walks around at
Americas greatest motor show. The
average man wonders.
The surf in a sea of human faces
rolls up before us constantly and we
close our eyes every few minutes or
two, In dizzy apprehension-expecti
to get swamped.
Eddie Korbel. the shows youthful
press agent, says that S3.72S people
visited the very Grand Central Palace
Eddie Is wrong. BY the most casual
counts, we counted 1887, AL.
StiH More improvements.
Last year, after our return from
the premier exhibition, we sat back in
our swivel chair and said, well, the
motor car has reached the point In
its perfection where there isn't much
room for mechanical Improvement" &,
We were wrong.
Between lodges through the maze
of visitors we saw enough drastic
mechanical developments to leave US
lost for prophecy. What the next 1--WE
years the next twelve months,
in fact, will bring forth would tax
the Imagination of the most daring
prophet
Last year the owen Magnetic was
the one dominating feature Of III"
show. 1t called forth appreciation. 1t
was radical, but wiseacres nodded
SAFELY and said 1t was the car of the
future.
This was twelve months ago.
The throngS which stormed the
hcoth of owen Magnetic, however,
are only memo eJJes. This year thcu-
sands on thousands hung over the
chassis Of the Dobel steamer. The in
tense interest OF last year IN the
Owen was transferred to the steam
car.
Intense Interest shown.
Never was so much curiosity and
interest centered at q motor car since
the beginning OF the national motor
shows. Hundreds waited patiently for
the lJfckier- folk near the chassis to
leave the booth, so that they, too,
might hear the explanatory lecture by
the engineers.
After Alexander winton's excoriat-
ing comment on the Impossible
steam car and two-cycie engine" OF
little more than a year ago, II re-
mained for Abner Dobel to perfect
steam car which will raise havoc WIN
the ideals of gasolenedom-
The new steamer is capable of as
founding things, and Dobel has accom-
d. nIished what thousands Of engineers
have failed to achieve, the ultimate
steam car.
The price Of the Dobel is $2,75o, and
the car is ernphatically an upper class
motor vehicle.
The engine has only eleven moving
parts, and there are neither great-set
Clutch nor drive shaft: The sim
pIicity of the mechanical equipment is
a constant source of surprise to mo-
torists-
OH Mileage Large.
Kerosene is the fuel. And in con-
sideration of the claim Of the builders
that the car will travel fifteen miles to
the gallon, the gasolene basis OF oper-
atinE cost is readily appreciated. The
oil mileage is consistently large, as
well, one gallon of lubricant being
sufficient for 5000 miles.
All exhaust steam Is condensed ana
uxed over and over again. There Is
NO trail of steam as in the case OF the
,ld steamer and no loss, as q conse-
uuence, of power.
The Dobel carries a twenty-five gal
Inn tank for water, and the new con-
denser makes It possible to run ABOUT
boo miles to the tankful.
The burner is lighted by electric
shark and full head OF steam Is naa
in less than a minute
The dexfbIllty of the power-source,
,steana. needs no discussion here and
that the Dobel will take its place
among the big factors in modern
motor matters
show Has DIsappointments'
Tb. show was not without it's dis
appointments. We met frinstance'
Mr.. Douglas Fairbanks Of the witch
ing smile and gymnastic proclivities.
we met Mr.. F. in the Astor lobby. He
smoke pleasantly and was very hu-
rlan, all Of which we expected
But-Hke the group Of automobile
r-en we were with-wc were disap-
pointed
We expected to see Mr.. Fairbanks
,.nstroy a few bellhops, climb few
r;Ilars and jump down an elevator
shaft
He didn't.
We were distinctly upset about it.
When he learned that we did not
como to sell him a car he smiled.
when he smiles, you either regret
that you havn't an automobile to
give him, or else you cautiously ana
usually drop your hand over your
1T pocket to see IL your 1nger-
III is still there.
Joe and Wilmot Trew were here.
II late hour this morning, the
FORMER had not yet bought the Metro
politan Building. He has bought
practically everything else.
CsOIIins chamnKnn