Culled from Contemporaries.
Page 9
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A Selected Collection of Extracts from the British and Foreign Press.
A Terminological Inexactitude.
Prevention of noise produced by " Holdam " couplings.—" Holdam " couplings are frequently employed on modern motor vehicles, notably for the magneto drive. They sometimes make a deal of noise, when only a little worn. In order to suppress this noise, it is sufficient to surround the coupling with an indiarubber sleeve, which embraces the fixed portions of the coupling.— Translated from Oninia, Paris.
A Fast Life.
Transportation has been more nearly revolutionised in the last quarter century than has almost any other element in industrial and oommercial life. The fast mail train, which put two men in quick communication by letter, made way for the fast passenger train, which would bring them into as quick personal touch. The fast freight train and the fast ocean freighter came as inevitable concomitants. The inter-urban trolley line and telephone hastened the era of rapid transit. To-day, the commercial vehicle, which meets the need for such a machine, must be a link in this chain of fast and economical transportation, which may be at the foundation of a business.—The Commercial Vehicle, New York.
It is Different in London.
In New York City, taxicabs have multiplied very rapidly during the last six months, and not the least problem has been to obtain the necessary number Of skilled, honest; and cautious drivers, and to instruct them in the special duties connected with the service. So far, the greatest importance has always been attached to driving skill, and not enough stress has been laid on a thorough knowledge of the rules for calculating_ the charge from the indications of the instrument . . . The taximeter is generally neglected.
. . As may readily be imagined, this incomplete, haphazard system of training often gives rise to mistakes on the part of drivers, resulting in disputes with " fares," or in loss to the company. One instance will serve to illustrate the contention. A new driver was observed by an older one deducting 30 cents from the total fare, and, when asked his reason for doing this, said there was 3o cents on the clock when he started, and he didn't think the passenger should pay this extra fare. This was, of course, very nice for the passenger, but it would hardly have pleased the officials of the company. Many instances have come to light where the driver did not know that he must charge for the empty return trip from a point outside his district. This ignorance on the part of the driver also means a considerable loss to the company.—Horseless Age, New York. Necessary Gratitude.
The man who buys a new horse, and is satisfied, congratulates himself upon his own discrimination and judgment. The man who invests in a commercial vehicle, that is satisfactory, for some time to come must be in the position of thanking the manufacturer and the sales agent.—The Commercial Vehicle, New York.
Inelegant Nomenclature.
The Palmer and Singer Manufacturing Company has its new PalmerSinger Skimabout on show in New York. The car is 28-30 horsepower, and is particularly well adapted for city use and traffic,
On this page will be found a plan view of the new Duryea Buggyaut chassis.—Motor Age, Chicago.
The latest model turned out from the factory of the E. R. Thomas-Detroit Company is the new Tourabout.— Horseless Age, New York.
Inaccessibility Commended.
In the later cab designs, no parts of the engines are directly accessible, except the carburetter, magneto or timer, and spark plugs. This, of course, prevents unskilled and hurried adjustments of the working parts and is a step in the right direction. The proper maintenance of the working parts of a cab engine should not depend upon frequent adjustment, hut upon the ability of the parts to hold adjustments once made. This presupposes good material, and large wearing surfaces. If such are • provided, the absence of handholes and cover plates, admitting to the working; parts within the crankcase, will prove an advantage, since, to make adjustments, the engine will then have to be taken from the chassis and dismern-; bered, under which conditions the adjustments and inspection can be thoroughly and advantageously made.— H orseless Age, New York. Hornsby's "Caterpillar" Misnamed.
Void un ingenieur anglais, M. David Robats, qui vient d'imaginer un systeme de vehicules a la fois tracteurs et porteurs, qui n'utilisent point des roues, mais une sorte de chaine sans fin. On volt, en effet, que le systerne de propulsion du " Cater pillar-engine" est constitue par deux larges chaines, placees de part et d'autre du tracteur et constituant deux grandes roues elliptiques.—La Vie Automobile, Paris.
Les Taxi-autos en Angleterre.
Two years ago, the cab drivers were the kings of the London streets; they charged what they liked, and the English, who hate discussions, used to pay with a grumble. . . . But times have, since then, entirely changed; the taxicab has come upon the scene, and it has effected a radical change in the customs of the busy people of the English Metropolis. The motorcabs fur-, nished with taximeters, the " taxicabs " as the English have christened them, indicate exactly what has to be paid, which prevents the driver from exercising his imagination ; the fares are rather high, but, thanks to the speed of the machines, journeys by taxicab cost less than those by horse cab, and the Englishman, who is so jealous of his time, which for him represents a lot of money, finds the employment of the taxicab greatly to his advantage.— Translated from Yves Guedon in La France Automobile, Paris.
Silencieuse, Inodore, Douce.
Apropos the electrobus, the following eulogy is translated from an article in " La Revue Industrielle et Economique du Sud-Ouest." The electric motor is of a certainty an ideal motor, whose silence, cleanliness, and flexibility are intrinsic characteristics : they are qualities which almost invest it with a kind of monopoly I It is a marvellous motor, nearly attaining to perfection, since its efficiency amounts to some 90 per cent.
The electric vehicle is silent, odourless, and sweet in motion; when under way, nothing can be heard but the whirring of the tires, and the slight hum of the motor; the machine gets away gradually, without shock and above all without the unbearable grinding of the gears (grincement des engrenages) peculiar to our barbarous change-speed devices. The motor is at rest when the vehicle stops . . . and, since it is always in gear with the driving wheels, the vehicle, when stationary, is not subjected to those delirium-tremens vibrations which render it such a disagreeable experience to remain on a petrol-propelled machine when the engine is running free.