davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1926-12-26

action of the engine when in low
gear. 1t gives you some idea how i'm
portant IL II to be in low when You
want to get out of the way quickly
or when you wSnt to stop pronth'
"A lot of drivers feel that they
would be out of luck If forced to uSp
low gear when trying to get out of
the way of an approaching lOcomo-
tive, but this incident with the speed
ometer shows you how foolish they
are l would rather be on the tracks
going miles an hour in low than
Is or 20 in high, because / could in
crease my speed 10 miles an hour In
less time than II takes to tell II. and
could do It without risk of stalling
the engine. -
Applies Also to Stopping.
THE same applies to stopping. And,
incidentally. don't let any one tell y-ou
you can't shift into low gear unless
the car Is nearly at a standstill The
reason most drivers can't do II is be-
cause they do not race the engine fast
enough when making the change. If
the engine Is going fast enough you
can slip back into low with no more
clashing of gears than when dropping
from high to second.
"In low gear. the average engine
must turn about 18 times faster than
the rear wheels. Naturally II you are
travelling between Is and 20 miles an
hour in second and want to shift back
to low, II Is necessary to run the en-
gine at something close to it's top
speed. That means stepping all the
way down on the accelerator with the
gears in neutral and the clutch en-
gaged-just before pressing out the
clutch again and shifting through to
low.
When you realize that being In low
gear means running the engine, so
abnormally fast you can appreciate
why you should not run too fast in
low before shifting to second. The in
slant you let off on the gas the en-
gine Immediately slows and becomes
a powerful brake. This brakng force
is transmitted throughout the gear
train in the form of excessive pres
sure on the face of the gear teeth.
That makes 1t difficult to pull the
gears out of low and move them over
to second.
AcceleratiOn Point Noted.
Another point about that action of
| the speedometer is well worth noting.
| Somewhere between zero and Is to
20 miles an hour in low gear there
was a point where the speedometer
moved up very rapidly. That ought
to give you a clue as to where your
acceleration is best when you are In
| high"
Smith tried 1t again and found that
between 8 miles an hour and II. the
engine seemed to have its greatest
capacity to speed up the car. Trans
lating this to the high speed range 1t
figured that the car should show It's
best acceleration between "a and 81
miles an hour. Smith tried passing
cars in this high gear speed range
and found the engine particularly
peppy. Below or above this speed 1t
| was harder to accelerate.
1t was just one Of the many things
any driver can discover once he gets
| the low down on low.
Next week, No. 173: Crankcase Ven
| tilation.
Evening star., 1926-12-26
ABILITY OF WOMAN.
DRIVERS is UPHELD
Conclusions of German Psychiatrist
Declared Untrue to Modern
Findings.

|. Ignorance of how well American
women drive Is manifest in the recent
remark of DR.. Alex Crappell, German
psychiatrist. to the effect that the
nervous constitution of women was
NOT designed to fit them for safe car
operation. The statement also shows
the German scientist is not familiar
with the ease with which cars OF
American design can be operated
today.
This is the reply OF Oscar Coolican
local Packard dealer, to the con
clusions of DR.! Cra~ nell. conclusions
that have evoked a great deal of con
trary thought on the part of Ameri
can motor vehicle officials, safety ex
perts. car manufacturers and dealers
and motor club leaders.
Women Are Efficient.
THE day of criticizing the woman
driver has gone. Close observers OF
traffic conditions know how expertly
women can handle cars" says Mr.,
Coolican. Truly, the popularity OF
automobiles with women has been re
sponsible in no small measure for the
marvellous facility with which the
modern American automobile can be
driven.
Trends in automobile design
naturally follow demand. When
women began to take a greater
interest in automobile ownership and
operation. the manufacturer rose tC
the occasion by providing them with
cars that could be started easily
steered easily, stopped quickly and
without great effort on the part OF
the driver.
Led to Many improvements.
while the easy riding and driving
of the car of today cannot be traced
altogether to the fact that womer
now are driving, they have been yer,
important factors In the development
| of balloon tires with the accompany
| ing excellent feature, balloon steering
four-wheel brakes and the devices
that have tended to make engines
more efficient and simpler to care
| for
Given a car that Is efficient
woman's natural caution usually
+; makes her a safe driver.
"Of course, there are some woman
drivers who are not good, but by tn,
| same token many men and youths
| fall into the same class.
Sweeping accusations of the kline
made by DR.. Crappell too often are
made on general rather than specific
observations"
Evening star., 1926-12-26
HOLLAND TUNNEL
TOBEPROTECTNE:
$4,000, 900 Project to Open
Early Next Year-Embodies
Safety Devices for Drivers.

Holland tunnel. the automobile
subway under the Hudson River
which connects New York and New
Jersey, will be among the safest
places in the world. 1t will be opened
to traffic early in 1927.
Every possible means of protection
to motorists has been employed, at a
total cost of more than $500,000. This
cost does not include the safety de-
vices originally installed as part Of
the tunnel system. 1t covers merely
the electrical and mechanical appa-
ratus used.
Comfort is Paramount
The entire tunnel system was con.
structed at a cost of $42, ,000, 900.
Thought for the comfort and safety
of the thousands who will use this
means of travel has occupied the
minds of the greatest tunnel engineers
Of the country, as well as scientists
of the United States Bureau of
Mines.
At the Pittsburgh experiment sta
ton of the Bureau of Mines detailed
tests on the limit of carbon monoXide
that Is permissible in a tunnel with
out injury to the motorists were
made.
The result Of these tests was the
invention Of an apparatus by S. II.
Katz, associate physical chemist, that
keeps a constant record of the poi
sonous gas in the tunnel and rings a
warning bell beside lighting danger
light when the volume exceeds the
danger point.
Alternate Power Plants.
Only four parts Of the carbon
monoxide gas in 10000 parts of air
has been determined as the maximum
mixture to which h person may be
exposed for an hour without notice
able effect. The danger signals of
the carbon monoxide receiver are set
for this point.
Further thought for safety is ex-
pended even down to the lighting. In
this regard. every other light is con-
nected to a New York power house,
with the intervening lights. con-
nected to New Jersey power house.
This is true also for the ventilating
units. so that one may continue to
work II the other breaks down.
Three kinds of traffic signals will
keep the tunnel safe from accident
green for ''so ahead" red for stop
and a special stop engine" signal for
emergencies. 1t is part of compli-
Gated but thorough system for direct
ing the tunnel traffic with the smooth
est and quickest precision.
System for Fires.
Besides a traffic officer at every
480 feet, with a. traffic light at every
240 feet, there is a central traffic con.
troll board in the New York admin.
istration building, conforming with
every light in the tunnel, so that the
course of traffic mishaps can be fol.
lowed with ease.
Fire.f1ghting apparatus within the
tunnel is supplemented by others,
with wrecking trucks, at either end
of each tube.
If the tunnel ventilation system
goes wrong, the special stop engine
signal Is flashed to keep more poison
Gus gas from endangering the motor.
lists.
Evening star., 1926-12-26
No. I72-Learning In Low.

"Hows that? All the way up in
high!'' Smith boasted upon climbing
a particularly steep hill.
"Fine.' 7 agreed. But some day
let's see what you can do in low. /
don't believe you've ever tried It."
That brought Smith out of his shell
instantly and paved the way for some
new experiences.
At the top of the hill we stopped to
buy gas, but before turning into the
filling station, Smith began racing the
engine. evidently to see whether 1t
was running at high speed as he
wanted ii to.
This isn't good for the engine" ne
admitted, but it's the best way 1
know to determine how she runs at
high speed. / couldn't risk driving the
car at high speed over this road, so l
resort to racing the engine"
why overlook low gear?" | asked.
"You can race the engine without let
ting it run free if you just drive along
about IS miles an hour in low. At
that rate of speed the engine will be
turning about 1S times to every one
turn of the rear axies. This gives you
the equivalent of a test of high speed.
The big objection to racing an engine
is that. running free. there Is not
sufficient resistance to keep it from
injuring itself. But when you are in
low gear that feature is taken care
Of"
New Sensitivity Shown.
When the tank had been filled with
gas. l noticed that Smith ran quite
distance in low before shifting. He
seemed to like it where before he has
hurried to get into second.
There was something never
noticed before he said. "The speed.
ometer fiickered up and down. There
must have been something wrong
with it,
NO" / explained. Just low gear
1t jumped from nothing to 10 miles
per hour, and then when you merely
accelerated the least bit it jumped to
| 15 The instant you lifted your
foot from the accelerator a little she
dropped back to 10. That just shows
you how sensitive the car is to the
Evening star., 1926-12-26
USED CAR BUYING
FORMULA IS GIVEN
Purchaser Is Advised Net to Law
Too Much Stress on Mile
age Recorded.

Used cars have been bought and
sold for a great many years, but
thousands of buyers and sellers still
have to learn how to make successful
investments in this form of transpor-
tation. The great wave of new-car
buying during the last few years has
created a used-car market that boasts
Oh many OF the finest automotive prod
uctS. and the discriminating seeker of
good secondhand unit of transpor-
tation never had a better opportunity
to buy to advantage.
The prosperity of the Nation has
enabled thousands and thousands of
motorists to turn in scarcely used ma
chimes on later models or models of
the same period more suitable to the
individual taste.
AS result, there Is a marked re-
semblance in appearance in the auto
mobile displays on the new-car and
used-car marts.
To take advantage of this situation.
the prospective purchaser should know
how to pick out a good second hand
machine
The following formula is offered by
Rudolph Jose. president of the Wash
ington-Cadiilac Co..
Mileage Is the factor most seriously
considered in the usual used-car pur-
chase. This Is wrong. Twenty Ave
thousand miles of careful care and
upkeep will result in far less wear
than 1000 miles of poor fabrication
and repair.
Do not place too much emphasis on
the year in which the car was built
Many manufacturers have built GER
tain series of cars that have been su-
perior to those produced in later years.
Judge each car as a single unit, not
In relation to other products of the
manufacturer.
Appearances can be deceiving.
Look for wear chiefly in the engine,
transmission and differential. Bear
ing wear does not always show up as
noise. Use of the hand-crank will
help determine this.
Watch the brakes.
Evening star., 1926-12-26
Cranking Of Engine
During Cold Snap
An Aid to Battery

This is the season of year to
crank the engine few times by
hand each morning before switch
ing on the ignition and using the
starter. If one wants to prolong the
life of the battery at least a year.
This is the hardest season for
batteries. They last considerably
longer when not subjected to ex.
cessive overcharging or discharg-
ing. BY cranking the engine man.
ually on cool mornings, the con-
gealed oil is stirred up little, the
bearings are limbered up and ray
gas Is sucked up into the cylinders
when the choke is out. A few
minutes later, when the motorist
enters the car, switches on the
ignition and steps on the starter,
the battery has very little to do.
Evening star., 1926-12-26
Strict Oversight
OF Anti-Freeze
Solution Is Urged
By BECK

You are skeptical about the ade-
quacy of the anti-freeze solution
in the radiator. You are cold and
uncomfortable and the temptation
OF a warm house as quickly as you
can get to it is irresistible Re-
member, the difference between a
few minutes in the cold air while
the protective fluid is being put
into the cooling system and the
price Of new cylinder block is
quite a few dollars. A few min
utes' discomfort always is the
cheaper in this seemingly inevitable
predicament Of the car owner in
Winter.
Evening star., 1926-12-26
STORING OF AUTOS
HELD POOR POLICY
Maryland Club Secretary
Says Depreciation Less
If Car Is Driven.

Your car will depreciate less II
driven this Winter than if stored
away during the cold weather. Many
persons dread the prospect of troubles
that seem to arise if one does not pay
constant attention to ones automobile
illogical.
This is the advice of H. M. Lucius.
secretary of the Automobile Club of
Maryland, who points out that proper
attention at the proper time will fore
stall a majority of the troubles that
motorists associate with Winter
driving.
Il know any number of fair
weather motorists who. to my mind,
are taking an entirely wrong view of
Winter driving" says Mr.. Lucius.
"As soon as the cold snaps begin they
put their machines on the jacks and
depend upon public utilities to take
them where they would be.
This is not done from a standpoint
of comfort and convenience. of course.
Standing on wind-swept corners wait
ing for a street car or bus. transfer
ring from one car to another and
waiting out time schedules of accom-
mediation trains Is no joke.
Neither is 1t pleasant to stand up
and tread on other peoples toes in
trolley cars or sit down and have
some one tread on yours. To wend
your own way at your own time GER
tainly is big advantage.
1--WE can lay the storage of cars
then to the dread of trouble in freez-
ing weather and the supposed
deterioration of automobiles in the ice
and snow.
"Anent that, let me say this: If
any .motorist will give his car. the
proper kind of an Overhauling now, he
will weather the Winter and come out
so much the better for having kept
his machine in service.
Frozen radiators do not occur If
precautions are taken. Leaky hose
connections connot be blamed on Win
ter II new connections were put I'm
early. Tire trouble. except under eX-
treme circumstances, can be blamed
upon the motorist himself, for he
should look to his rubber in plenty
of time. Dead batteries do not hap
pen If the unit Is given plenty of
rejuvenating current at the outset of
Winter. Motor trouble is the fault Of
the car owner in most cases if he
does not make the proper adjustments
at the proper time.
"A general check-up now would
allow Mr.. Motorist an easy Winter. as
l have said before. A good service
man can put everything to rights in
short time and the cost will be little
compared to the advantages the
driver will enjoy.
''The warm interior of an automo-
bile is preferable any day to cold waits
in the open for service which Is over
worked and overcrowded. I cannot
see any reason for putting the auto
mobile on the jacks at a time when
1t might render its most useful
service"
Evening star., 1926-12-26
DON'T DARKEN DASH.

1T is bad practice, this one of be.
lieving that you cannot drive so well
when the dash lights rays are dart.
Ing about in the driving compartment.
There always Is the chance that the
oil pressure gauge or the ammeter
will be registering trouble that might
become serious before the driver real.
ICED 1t unless he has his dash light
burning. Furthermore, the speedome.
ter cannot be seen and one Is robbed
of all defense in event of arrest for
speeding.
Evening star., 1926-12-26
Chains Demand Caution.

The motorist who puts on chains
too often assumes that he has taken
every. precaution against, hazard on
a wet, snowy or .icX street. 1t Is just
as dangerous to drive. at high speeds
with chains as II is to drive at rela-
lively slower rate without them. The
chains may give you an advantage
Do deliberately sacrifice 1t. r
Evening star., 1926-12-26
SHORT-TRIP LUBRICANT.
Plain Engine Oil Good in Winter
About Town.

II most Of your Winter driving is
for short distances, you can get better
results from the transmission by add
ing plain engine Oil to the case. 1t
reduces gear drag and helps lubricate
the shifter forks.
If you plan, however, to take long
trips as a regular diet, this lubricant
will be too light and may be in
iuriouS
Evening star., 1926-12-26
FACTOR IN TIRE WEAR.
Manner in Which Drivers Stop Cal
Held Important.

The manner In which drivers stop
their cars is a factor in tire wear that
experts regard. as probably greater
than any other. The driver who starts
to slow quite a distance from the OBJ.
struction will be buying tires much
less frequently than the man who
clamps on the brakes at the last mo.
ment. Tire tread is ground off when
the tires slide. 1t is easy to see what
constant repetition of this practice will
bring
Evening star., 1926-12-26

Announcement Is made by the De-
partment of Commerce that the first
| six cylinder car ever manufactured
In Switzerland hss been placed on the
market in that country.
Evening star., 1926-12-26

Taxi drivers, generally thought to
be the most reckless group of motor.
lists, are usually the best and have
relatively the least number of acci-
dapts
Evening star., 1926-12-26
John Smith and His Car
BY FREDERICK C. RUSSELL
BY FREDERICK C. RUSSELL

a whom should welcome He
willing glad
his for the benefit
the other members Of the
The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1926-08-27
FAMOUS DETECTIVE CASES
By Cleveland Moffett
Mysterious Theft of $4,000 Payroll That
Was Being Shipped by Express to the
Great Railroad Shops at Erie, Pa.
By Cleveland Moffett
Susquenanna, Pennsyl.

L SuSquenanna, Pennsyl-
vania, are located the
great shops of the Erie
railroad. Where hundreds
of men work throughout
the year. These men re-
ceive their wages on a
fixed day toward the end
of each month, the payroll
amounting to many thou
sands of dollars. 1t was
customary, some years
The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1926-08-27
(Copyright by wv. 81. Chapman.l

tire night of the robbery. Such Of
these people as could be found were
questioned closely as to what they
had observed on this night, but they
could furnish no information that
threw light upon the case.
Some significance was found in the
coincidence that nine years before
there had been robbery at Susque-
hanna, in which thirty thousand dol
lars had been stolen from the express
company's safe. The Pinkertons knew
that for years a band of professional
thieves had been travelling through the
country. operating on safes that could
be opened with key. Among them
were experts in fitting locks especially
skilled in making keys from impress
slonS, and known as professional eft
ters." At first it was considered pos
sible that the robbery had been COM
mitted by these men; but, after the
most careful search and inquiry, Su-
perintendent Bangs concluded that
this was not the case and that the
pouch had been stolen by some person
Or persons resident in Susquehanna,
presumably by one or more of the
railroad employees who had access to
the office, or by persons intimately ac-
quainted with some of the men who
had keys to the safe.
Shadows were put on all persons
who might have had access to the
ticket office and the safe; but, al
though this was continued for weeks,
nothing conclusive came to light.
About this time reorganization of
the Pinkerton agency became neces-
sary, through the death of Allan Pin
kerton. the founder, and George II.
Bangs, the general superintendent,
and Robert Pinkerton assumed charge
of the investigation at Susquehanna.
He undertook the difficult task of pick
ing out one guilty man Cor possibly
two or three) from a body of fifteen
hundred workmen. For, despite lack
of evidence either way, there was no
doubt in the detectives mind that the
money had been taken by some of the
employees of either the express or the
railroad company. PinkertOn men were
taken to Susquehanna and given EN-
ployment in various positions for the
railroad and express companies, their
duty being to make friends and hear
gossip, and, If possible, in an unguard-
ed moment, at some saloon or board
ing house, or perhaps at the chatty
noon hour in the works, secure some
important secret. Other detectives
came with money in their pockets,
and, under the guise of sporting men,
made themselves popular at resorts
where poor man come dishonesty
and suddenly into money would be apt
to spend it.
Day after day, month after month,
the watch was continued from many
points Of view, the conversations OF
hundreds of workmen We're carefully
noted, the gambling houses and their
The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1926-08-27

-
and being men Of shrewdness, It va
fair to presume that they would now
move with great caution.
It soon became evident that Dona.
hue and Collins were thorouyhly
alarmed by the news Proctor had
brought them; for they at once took
energetic steps to mislead anyone who
might be watching them Having re-
tired as usual one night, they arose
later, and drove in wagon to a sta
tion on the Grand Trunk railroad.
where they boarded a freight train
for Toronto. After a brief stay In
that city they went on to Montreal,
where they tried hard to lose them
selves; but in this they were unsuc.
cessful, and they returned to Fort
Erie.
Meanwhile Mr.. Pfnkerton discovered
that the story told him by Proctor was
entirely untrue. So far from having
been an honest man before the rob-
berry, 1t came to light that he was all
ready at that time a hardened Grim
inal, having committed burglaries both
in the United States and Canada, and
having been sentenced under another
name, to a term in the Massachusetts,
state prison. While in prison he had
contrived to make keys that would
unlock his own cell and those of three
other prisoners, and the four had thus
made their escape. One of them was
10 bo pt,I1
was at that time serving a term Of
twenty years for the robbery of the
Boylston bank Of Boston. Proctor had
also offered the privilege of escape to
Scott and Dunlap, the Northampton
bank robbers, who were confined In
the same prison, but they refused to
avail themselves of it.
1t was now necessary for the detec-
tives to devise new plan. Robert
Rinkerton knew that some three years
earlier Donahue had been concerned
in the robbery of bank at Winnipeg,
and also in the robbery of hardware
store at Quebec. His brother, Will
liam Pinkerton, he also knew, had a
personal acquaintance with Donahue,
from having arrested him a number Of
years before. He therefore sent for
William Pinkerton to come to New
York from Chicago and on his ar
rival proposed to him that he go to
Fort Erie, get an interview with Dom
ahue, and tell him of Proctor's treach.
cry in betraying Collins and himself;
impress upon him that Proctor was a
dangerous man to have dealings with /;
and try to induce him to lend his aid
In delivering Proctor and Collins over
the line, just as Robert Pinkerton had
sought to have Proctor do in the case
of Donahue and Collins. Donahue was
known as "stanch" man-that is, one
who is true to his friends-and it was
thought probable that he would refuse
to take part in any such scheme. But
in THAI event William Pinkerton was
to threaten him with arrest for the
old robheries at Winnipeg and Quebec.
(To be Concluded Tuesday,