New-York tribune., 1918-01-13
What the Show Revealed
In Accessories for the Car
Winter Comforts and Summer Aids to the Motorist
Shown in the Grand Central Palace


most OF the jack makers don't do it.
One car has the thermostatically CON /
tioltcd shutter mentioned. but it can
be bought with a radiator for almost
any car. and possibly it can be applied
to an old radiator by using a new
shell At all events it uses thcrmo-
static control the reliability of which
has been amply proved by years of
use by great steam heating concern
and the shutter is tight closed until
the water reaches a temperature OF
l35 degrees. From that time on the
shutter gradually moves until at 1S0
degrees it is wide open to the breeze
Many Of the best things that one
now sees on the cars on the main
doors first made their appearance on
the upper floors of the Old Garden or
OF the Palace. and this shutter seems
TO have the promise of being one o.
the improvements that will gradually
travel downward. The electric starter
was an upper floor accessory once.
Half a dozen sedans in the show had
installed in their tonneaus neat foot
warming devices operated by the eX-
haust gas. but not even these cars had
equipment for warming the feet Of the
occupants OF the front seat. And so
tar as could be seen, there wasn't a
touring car equipped with heater in
the whole show. Perhaps the foil, who
ride in touring cars in fall, winter and
spring weather have warmer feet than
those who ride in the sedans. That
theory alone would account for max
er's thinking his sedan needed the
foot warmer but his touring car didn't.
incidentally, one maker has perfected
a new foOtwarmer that fits snug against
the front of the seat, and thereby has
added to the available devices in that
line, so far as looks so. 1t isn't as
convenient for keeping the feet on as
the same makers other and moro eX-
pensive heaters. or the flat heater de-
scribed here in November Other styles
of heaters that were pretty numerous
a year ago were scarcely to be seen at
the show.
For keeping the nands warm the
show offered fitting wheel that has
in its rubber handle an electric warm
ing device and the better known warm
ers that strap on any wheels RIM The
storage battery operates both.
A Missing Extra
While these accessories were at the
show, some others were missed A
notable absentee was that combination
exhaust and intake manifold in which
the gas travels almost all the way from
carburetor to cylinder along a heated
wall that separates parallel tubes used
respectively by the exhaust and the in
take. This maker may have been dis
couraged because he had failed to think
of all the fancy names that different
makers of cars have since applied to
similar devices, or the very fact that
so many cars now have provision for
preheating the gasolere by the aid Of
the exhaust may have kept him away.
10 man up a tree it would appear
that the present recognition by most
makers Of the fact that this particular
scheme was mighty good ono would
produce great business for the comb
nation exhaust and inlet man There
arc few million cars eXtant that have
no proper way of heating the so-called
gas" of to-day. Some. in fact, are
really arranged to cool it on it's travel
from the carburetor to the cylinders.
There were, however. other novelties
upstairs that probably will be seen on
cars downstairs in a year or two. A
real zone man" top already is to be
!, , seen on one of the fine "sixes." This
,, and clever push from behind. shoot
its combination Of bows. springs ano
covering out to the windshield in
simultaneously. Fox's famous cartoon
4, of "The Whole Damn Family Putting
4 Up One-Man Top" might not apply
> to this.
o Then there was what seemed to b,
: an Improvement on the tire gum or
{, dinarily used. This gum hardened
. quickly. and seemingly could be usce
to patch an inner tube in a few min
I .utes: If in long practice it does mos
of the things claimed for it, one buga
Il boo Of motoring will be we'll disposed
h o., This gum has so far stayed in
: hole in an outer tire better than an,
r other gum the writer has used
y The Vapor Devices
! OF devices for getting out carbon
by the use of steam or vapor severa
y were on show and one of them had tn
IL Endorsement of the largest taxicab com
&c pany in the city The company report
'r ed saving of about 8 per cent on ga
Il the first week Of this devices use an
e an increasing saving as the cars wer
r3 used more and more. Also, its cars di
n according to the report.
ID Charles Z. Manierre has write
m convncingly in The Tribune of tn
A. general merits of such devices, and
e. is we'll known that they arc used o
le all Diesel engines and governme
n gasolene craft, Yet no car equips wit
n them. What the reason is it woul
~ pe Interesting 10 KNOW.
le A variant OF this device is ne,
t, gasket that goes just above the cal
20 buretor on any car and introduce
q. tree air in a whirling current that
c. said to break up the gasolene bette
ne than the carburetor does and thereb
es increases explosive quality and powc
at Water vapor instead Of air can be il
A troduccd through this device as easil
on as ain. In fact the makers introdu(
20 water itself through this device as
carbon remover.
For the car that never goes near IL
on show there were more accessories
@ the show than eve, before. The shoe
so absorbers were the most common. bl
es the new safety crank that is said
IT be entirely free from danger was
" one jobbers' booth and another devi,
It's that provides an automatic connectie
e between the Ford pedals and Il
". throttle was also on hand.
,st The spring shock absorbers #
is heavy cars are not so numerous as
Of former years, and downstairs the ca
ch were in more cases than ever befo
or equipped with snubbers or the fri
ks tion style OF shock absorber. Som
IRE how chap who rides on cantilev
springs was inclined to question Il
ms riding qualities OF car that had
lid have these devices. He didn't fiji
,at them on any of the cantilever spri1
ire cars, but on the other hand the pr
0f