The Washington herald., 1918-04-28
Here and There
In the Realm Of
The Motor Car

Aochtaf 6c5t CouCcEu OptfdtluB Iaxl-
cabs in Chicago publishes a little.
paper for distribution to its drivers
called the Taxisram. It's current Is
sue contains this bit Of driving wis
dom. which may not have occurred
to. you:
watch out for the new driver on
Sundays. On this day Of the week
there are more opportunities for acci-
dents than at any other time, owing
to the exceptionally large number of
new drivers on the boulevards.
1T seems that every man who buys
a private car waits until Sunday to
try 1t out, and instead of picking out
quiet streets. where there Is little
danger, Immediately pulls into the
heaviest traffic on the boulevards.
DRIVERS can usually Judge what an
experienced driver of a private car
may do, but new drivers must be
given all the room possible. When
you see a car which apparently is be-
ing driven by someone not entirely
familiar with either its workings or
the rules OF the road, keep as far
away from 1t as possible"
II that's good advice for taxicab
pilots, who, presumably, are experts,
it's good advice for the rest Of us.
Another peril OF boulevard traffic
the one that produces most OF the
minor collisions-is the persistence Of
many drivers in keeping as close as
as possible to the car ahead. Sud
den stops are always, occurring. and
the man who gets through a Sunday
afternoon without a smashed fen
der, lamp or gasoline tank is lucky
indeed. The battle-scarred backs Of
the Sheridan road buses are ample
evidence of the fact.
Brakes will do wonders, but they
won't bring a car to a dead stop
in two feet unless you are barely
moving. And even il they would.
why strain the car with such a jolt?
Treading on the other fellows heels
isn't necessary, no matter how many
cars may be behind you.
In Europe. where the handling Of
long professions of motor trucks has
chimes are spaced at a regular dis
tance of from ten 10 fifteen yards.
American practice. since Pershing's
ONSis mas -SNNNSo
to fifteen feet, but in no case are
hicles closer together.
And the trucks. OF course. move
slowly-at a snaf1's pace compared
with that of the average boule-
vsrdier.
The argument anent q possible
Inv q n
merrily. No one denies that there s
plenty now: the future is where the
oracles disagree. To the symposium
OF ideas, E. LIE Roy Pelletier, one OF
the most widely informed men in the
from Detroit:
There is not, and will not be, a
shortage Of gasoline. Nor will you
while you live, see dollar gasoline IN
America.
- 81 quote this on the authority Of
man who daily 'milks' more than 100
oil wells and who Is also distributor
of a well-known make of motor car.
He is, therefore, interested on both
sides of the question and knows
whereof he speaks.
To-day there is above ground a full
TWO years supply Ol Sdsoiiilc- "c
can not ship enough to our Allies
abroad to create a shortage. We have
been sending all the ships could carry
for three years now.
When more ships are built TO
carry 1t. then more wells will start
pumping, for there are thousands
yes. actually thousands-of oil wells
that have been drilled and plugged
until needed.
I'm the fields already discovered
and proven there is, according to my
authority, gasoline enough to last the
next 800 years. In two counties In
Oklahoma, according to a government
engineer. there is enough gasoline
visible to supply the United States
for 100 years.
When the flowing wells stop. or
when biologists can no longer show
you millions Of acres where 'seep-
ages indicate almost inexhaustible
reservoirs yet untouched. then they
can talk TO us-or rather to our
great-great-grandchi about
shortage of gasoline"