Arizona republican., 1918-08-30
MODERN STEAM LAR TAKEN ID PIECES
 ALL PARTS NOTED

 once rejected. We refer to the steam car or steamer" which after more than ten years of near-o oblivion. has staged a comeback of really remark able proportions. To the newer mo- toring generation the steamer will be practically an unknown vehicle, while the older generation will wonder what has brought back a construction that had its chance a dozen years ago and was unable to hold its own against the gas car. At any rate both generations are curious and will be glad to peep under the bonnet of a modern steam CT to see why it has again become a factor in the race for popular esteem. To begin with it must be admitted that the steam car in many charac- teristics smoothness of operation, quickness of getaway, hill climbing. etc, surpasses the gasoline car. There are far fewer working parts in tie steam driven mechanism and these parts operate at lower speeds. On the other hand the steamer has certain pipes, valves and other connections to get out of order, which the gas car lacks. When the steamer does strike a snag the owner will probably have to call a plumber
 The motorst who remembers the steam cars of yesterday with their in Satiable demand for water and all sorts of other attentions, will be surprised at the nearly proof character of the modern steamer, which unques- tionably possesses in high degree flex- ibility, high torque or turning effort at | low speed, quietness of operation, sim picity Of control and great power per | pound of weight with fewer moving | parts and remarkable absence of vii | bration
 The modern steamer reduced to it's essentials, embodies boiler for the | water, heater to turn the water into | steam which is then fed into the en- zine and an apparatus for condensing the exhaust steam and returning it as water to the boiler again. Condensa- tion is accomplished by means of an ordinary radiator. Control of the en- zine consists of a single piece of mechanism, admitting the steam to the engine Clutch. gearset, transmission etc, familiar in the gas car, are all eliminated. Obviously then, operation ot steamer is an extremely simple performance.
 In the old days. the operation of a steam car involved replenishment of the water supply every few miles. in some instances filling would not last more than 9 miles, while failure to give the engine water as needed, meant major repair. This had as much to do with the passing of the early steam car as any other one factor But the question of starting was also a prob lem Of no mean proportions Lighting the fire under the boiler was bad enough. but after that a wait for the generation of steam was necessary and this would never do for the hastv American. In the modern steamers both these troubles have been elimi- nal. The system of condensing the ex- haust steam and returning it to the boiler makes refilling necessary only after anywhere from 200 to 1000 miles of running. An electric starting ap- paratus makes this operation no diff terent from that on any gas car of approved design and methods of rapid steam generation made the start just as quick as in the gasoline driven ve- hicle. Further the steamer burns ker- osene or gasoline or mixture of the two. with mileage of perhaps twelve 10 fifteen per gallon.
 Under the hood of modern steam car will he found a steam boiler of conventional fire tube. water level de- sEn. Water is supplied to the boiler from resrvoir. located beneath the drivers scat. The water is maintained at a constant level by means of pumps and automatic controls. Whenever the water in the boiler falls below a cer- tain point, valves are automatically opened 10 increase the supply up to a set level when the valves are auto maticalfy closed again. So it will be seen that this once troublesome func- ton is now performed automatically h. q, aware of it.
 The fuel supply is also automatically controlled. As soon as the pressure in the boiler falls below certain point. the fuel line is automatically opened and kerosene is supplied to the main turner. On the other hand when the pressure in the boiler reaches a cer- tain predetermined point. the fuel line is automatically closed and no more js burned until the steam already gen. erated is partly used up. This is as simple as the operation of any engine could be and is as will be noted ab- solutely automatic. The driver has nothing on his mind except the ordn- ary precaution of replenshing his wa ter supply once a day or so and this is no more than refilling the fuel tank of the gasoline car or replenishing the water in it's cooling system.
 small pilot light is placed at the mouth of the main burner, but during the time that the fuel line is clcsed be- cause of maximum pressure in the boiler, the main burner is out, an ob- vious economy in the use of fuel. Fuel IS fed under pressure, both to main burner and pilot light.
 The modern steam engine is a two cylinder type, double acting, by ,, the crankshaft being parallel to the rear axle. The crankshaft is connected to the rear axle by means of spur gears The term double acting means simply that the steam acts against both sides of the pistOns. All parts are com pletely enclosed and the only control used takes the form of lever located under the steering wheel. by means of which the steam is admitted to the en- zine.
 Just what is to be the future of the steam car is problematical It has many virtues all it's own But the gas car is firmly established in public ia vor; it will be long chase for the steamer to overhaul it's rival already in use by 100000 motorists Rumor has it that we are to see a number oi new steam driven trucks shortly or after the war. It is also within the bounds of possibility that we shall see steam driven airplanes. Obviously then, the steam car Is by no means a dead issue and the wideawake follower of motoring will want to bear it in mind.
 
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