The Motor Omnibus World.
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
The Franco-British Exhibition has brought a swarm of motorbuses along the Bayswater Road, and competition is very keen.
Loughborough's Choice,
The Corporation of Loughborough has, on the recommendation of its borough electrical engineer, Mr. Walter H. Allan, decided to give a preference to a system of motorbuses in which accumulator propulsion is used.
A Glasgow Recommendation. Mr. James Dalrymple, general manager of the Glasgow Corporation
Tramways, has recommended that a service of motorbuses should be adopted, as the best means of testing the amount of traffic, and for the determination of the proper route, in the Radnor Park and other suburbs of the great Clyde city,
Distance Between Running Tramcars.
An enquiry has been addressed by this journal, to the Chief Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, as to whether bye-law No. 2, made on the 5th August, 1875, under the authority of the Tramways Act, 1870, which byelaw provides that no tramcar in London may follow another, except at junction points and on single lines, at a less distance than too yards stands.
His reply, per the Chief Clerk, dated the i6th instant, reads asfollows :— "I am directed by the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis to acquaint you that the bye-law referred to was made by the 'Metropolitan Board of Works as the local authority. The London County Council, having since taken over all the tramways in the county, have obtained from the Board of Trade a regulation permitting them to run carriages to within 50 yards of each other, except at junctions, termini, etc." Motorbuses and Road Maintenance.
Metropolitan councils are considering a letter, from the Metropolitan Association of Electric Tramway Managers, with regard to the effect upon road surfaces from the running of motor omnibuses. The association expresses the opinion that, under existing conditions, the greater part of the repairs necessitated by the running of such vehicles falls upon the tramways undertakings, under the provisions of the Tramways Act, 1870, and members at a recent meeting of the association, considered it unjust that tramways should be held
liable to construct, maintain, and repair roads damaged by competing vehicles, which, in most instances, are not even rated in the district. A resolution was unanimously passed, suggesting representations by councils to Parliament, providing for a contribution to be paid by motor-omnibus proprietors towards road maintenance in each local area in which the conveyances run, and that, failing the securing of such contribution, the tramways undertakings should not he responsible for making good repairs necessitated by such vehicles. We make brief comment upon this step elsewhere (page 294). It is one which can hardly bring the desired support, for tramway interests are by no means identical with those of the Borough Councils to whom the resolution has been communicated.
The Great Eastern and Road Car Companies have, we understand, effectively settled the terms of their amalgamation.
The Chief Constable of Eastbourne took proceedings against Messrs. Kay and Sons, of that town, on Friday last, for the use of a public-service motor without a license. A fine of 27s. inclusive of costs was imposed.
Station Buses in Paris.
Some very commodious, single-deck, Darracq-Serpollet buses are now in service between the Gare St. Lazare and the Gare de Lyon in Paris. We illustrate one of these vehicles at the foot of this page, and another of our illustrations shows the disposition of the it first-class passengers, and the 13 second-class passengers, who form its complete complement. The overall length of each bus is 20 feet, 5 inches, and the overall width is 6 feet, 3 inches. The passengers enter at either side of the vehicle, by means of a platform, which is situated between the two compartments. This platform is divided, by means of glass screens, and in one division there are seats for four firstclass passengers.
London Changes.
The opening of the Franco-British Exhibition at Shepherd's Bush has necessitated an extensive revision of London omnibus services. The facility with which this has been effected by the various companies is in marked contrast with the cumbersome preliminaries of the Central London Railway, which has had to extend its tube, and of the London United Tramways, which has built a new line across the already-crowded Broadway at Hammersmith.
GENERAL :—A new route was opened, on Monday the iiith instant, under arrangement as to " times " with the Vanguard Company, between Seven Kings, Ilford, and Shepherd's Bush Exhibition, via Stratford, Bow, Aldgate, Bank, Charing Cross, Marble Arch and Notting Hill. This service is an extension of the original Seven Kings-Oxford Circus route, and is being run with Biissing-s and Wolseleys from Acton and Athol Street.
The Putney-Plaistow (previously Hammersmith-Canning Town) omnibLises now carry Exhibition destination 'boards on the sides.
VANGUARD :—Service '` No. it," in conjunction with the General service indicated above, since Monday, the 18th instant, has been running from Seven Kings, Ilford, to Shepherd's Bush De Dions are being used. The through journey is miles, and the fare gd.
UNION JACK —Route " L," Shoreditch-Hammersmith, has been extended to Shepherd's Bush. Road Car cmnibbses serving the Exhibition carry a Tricolour flag, as well as the familiar small Union Jack. Admission tickets to the Exhibition may be obtained from the conductors. "J" route (Wormwcod Scrubbs to Liverpool Street) is extended to Bethnal Green, at the eastern end, on Sundays only at present.
GREAT EASTERN new service commenced running, on Thursday, the r.i.th instant, between Liverpool Street and Shepherd's Bush, via Holborn, Oxford Street, and Bayswater Road. Arrol-Johnstons were taken from the Seven Kings and Upton Park routes.
CENTRAL :—The Sunday summer set-vice is again in operation, between Hampton Court and Charing Cross, yin Kew, Richmond, and Hammersmith. The Leyland omnibuses take about p minutes for the journey, and the competing tramcars between ok and 2 hours.
AMALGAMATED ;-011 Monday, the t8th instant, this company commenced a new service, between Cricklewood and Waterloo, via Kilburn, Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus, Charing Cross and the Strand. Brush vehicles are the machines in use.
The "Pioneer's Sale.
On Thursday and Friday last, the 14th anti 15th instant, the sale by auction was conducted of the whole of the equipment of the London Power Omnibus Company, Limited, at the extensive garage in Cricklewood. The attendance was not very large, although those present were mostly buyers. A number of omnibuses were disposed of, . and most of the stores and spare parts. Several of the machines, which were part of the last batch of deliveries to the operating company, will duly appear on summer, services this year at various pleasure resorts. A number of the lots were withdrawn, owing to the insufficiency of the bids in the opinion of the auctioneer, and they will be reserved for disposal by private treaty. Underground Electric.
The scheme for the readjustment of capital for the Underground Electric Railways Company of London, Limited, was issued to shareholders on the t4th ultimo, and was approved at an extraordinary general meeting on the
ith instant, when Sir Edgar Speyer, Bart., occupied the chair. The crea.tion of the following stock was approved: ;,61,000,00o of 5 per cent. prior lien bonds to bearer (underwritten by Messrs. Speyer and their friends), due the 1st November, rg2o ; -473,000,000 of 41 per cent. bonds to bearer, due rst January, 1933; £5,200,000 of 6 per cent. income bonds to bearer, due the 1st January, 1948. Holders of the present issue of £3,599,268 of 5 per cent. profit-sharing secured notes, and holders of $16,550,000 of 5 per cent. profit-sharing secured notes (taken at $4.86.66), practically absorb the 4 and 6 per cent, bonds in the terms of the exchange, as to 40 per cent. of their nominal value into 4 per cent. bonds at par, and as to 70 per cent, of their nominal value into income bonds at par, only £200,000 of the former and £300,000 of the latter being reserved for special interest fund. We do not enter into further detail here, but, if any of our readers arc more deeply interested, we shall be glad to afford them fuller information. It is clear that the " Underground " has a struggle ahead.
The Potteries Electric Traction Company, Limited, has converted some of its double-deck Brush vehicles into chars-a-bancs, in order to cater for pleasure traffic during the summer.
The Midlothian County Council estimates that considerable extra expenditure has been necessitated on the main roads in the Lasswade district, owing to the wide use of these roads by motorbus traffic.
Another Halley Char•ambancs.
We illustrate herewith a well-fitted char-h-bancs, with canopy and glass screen, which is at present running between Princes Street, Edinburgh, and the Edinburgh Exhibition. It is owned by the Edinburgh Exhibition Motor Service Company, and is being well patronised.
Dublin's Jarveys Oppose the Motorbus.
On Thursday night, the t4th instant, the driver of one of the new motorbuses which has recently been put into service in Dublin, by the Mercury Bus Company, Limited, was mobbed by a large number of Irish jarveys. They apparently resented the fact that this machine was plying for hire outside the principal theatre at the conclusion of the evening performance. We regret to have to relate that the disturbance was of so serious a character that, when the police came to the man's assistance, they too were the reci.pients of considerable ill-treatment. A number of arrests were made, and the driver of the motorbus, a man named Thomas, was removed to hospital in a -state of collapse. On Friday morning, the t5th instant, the magistrates meted tout the following sentences : Thomas, the bus driver, who was foolish enough to strike a constable, was fined tips. or seven days; the conductor and the driver's brother, for helping him, were fined zos. and nos. respectively; and one of the jarveys had to part with ins.
In this connection, it is interesting to recall a short article, which we published on 23rd April last, drawing attention to the curious traffic conditions prevailing in Dublin. We then had occasion to point out that the introduction of public motor services of any kind was likely to meet with very considerable resentment on the part of the side-car drivers. We confidently anticipate, however, that the authorities of Dublin will not permit opposition of this character to remain a serious stumbling block in the way of successful enterprise in the direction of commercial-vehicle transport within their city. A succession of important alterations in Dublin's traffic system, during the past few years, has done much to rouse the ire'of the Irish sidecar driver : the inauguration of the very complete tramway system was the first blow ; then came the completion of the loop-line railway, linking up the various termini; and, more recently, the removal of one of the L. and N.W.R. Company's cross-channel steamboat services to Kingstown. These changes have served materially to aggravate their resentment of the improved conditions. It is hardly to be wondered at, that the jarvey has not received the tnotorbus with open arms.
`1 Skidding" before the Court of Appeal.
In the Court of Appeal, before the President of the Admiralty Division, Lord Justice Fletcher Moulton, and Lord Justice Farwell, on Friday, the City of London Electric Lighting Co., Ltd., appealed against the decision of Mr. Justice Ridley and a .special jury, in an action brought against the Vanguard Motorbus Co., Ltd., for £75 10S, the cost of repairing an electric. light standard and lamp, in Threadneedle Street, damaged by the skidding of motorbuses belonging to the defendant company. ' Negligent driving was alleged, or in the alternative, it was claimed that the defendant company was liable for placing on the streets buses which it knew were dangerous and uncontrollable. Mr. Roskill, K.C., appeared for the Electric Lighting Company, and Mr. Horace Avory, K.C., for the Vanguard Company. Mr. Roskill said the case was an important one, and 4tIved the question whether negligendight be presumed when a moving object, such as a motorbus, collided with and destroyed an inanimate object like a lamp post. He contended that, if a motorbus was found liable to skid when the road was wet, it ought not to go out in rainy weather. Clearly,..the company had no right to make a profit at the expense
of the security of the public. The damage occurred in this way : On 15th June of last year, when the asphalted road was wet, a bus belonging to the Vanguard Company started from the Bank and proceeded along Threadneedle Street. It crossed Threadneedle
Street to get to the south side of the electric-light standard, in the middle of the road, near Old Broad Street. The bus skidded, and the hind part knocked down the standard. The post was replaced, and on 25th June was again struck down by a bus belonging to the same company. The standard had been in its position since 187o, and had never been damaged until the isth June. A claim was made for damages against the Vanguard Company, and it repudiated liability on the ground that the accident was not due to negligence on the part of the driver, but to the greasy condition of the roadway, which caused the bus to skid. The defendant company thus admitted that the bus skidded, and that it was the skidding which caused the mishaps, but, in its defence to the action, raised a number of other issues—that the road was illconstructed and of too great camber, and the lamp standard unsuitably placed. The two cases were tried, on the same day, before Mr. Justice Ridley, who held there was no evidence of negligence in the second instance. The jury returned a verdict of negligence in the first case, and did not answer the question put to them as to whether the motorbuses were a nuisance. Being pressed on this point, the foreman said they did not find the buses a "legal nuisance" (whatever that might mean), but they found negligence on the part of the drivers. This, of course, was contrary to the direction of the Judge, who had held there was no evidence of negligence in one case.
Lord Justice Moulton : It looks like a case of inconsistent findings.
The President said this was an important case, and it would be most unsatisfactory for the Court of Appeal to decide it on the facts they had got. It would not be right to do so, seeing that this would be a guiding case in the future. Therefore, they were of opinion that the case ought to be retried.
Lord Justice Farwell. I can't understand what on earth the jury meant— except that they wanted to get away. (Laughter.) The costs of the first trial and of the appeal were ordered to he dealt with by the Judge at the re-hearing. West Ham Corporation is to write to the Commissioner of Police suggesting that he should, if possible, compel the motor omnibus companies to adopt a guard to prevent the nuisance caused in wet weather through the splashing of mud over pedestrians as well as on houses and shops.
The Todmorden Service.
Further to our. brief announcement of last week (page 277 ante), we are happy. to observe a maintained improvement in the receipts at Todmorden. At the same time, having regard to the extreme difficulties which are introduced by the ownership of so many makes we can hardly hope felony really good results. We are glad, -none the less, to be able to compliment the manager,. Mr. J. W. Hudson, whose photograph we reproduce herewith., upon the struggles which he is making in the face of adverse circumstances. Both the drivers and fitters are now. more .experienced . in their work, and. the. roads over which the vehicles have to run have been some
what improved: Petroleum spirit is cheaper than it was a year ago, and
fewer repairs have to be effected; whilst the fact that there are five vehicles available, compared with only four up to the end of July last, furnishes a better chance of organising reliefs. Given a fine summer, whereby the week-end takings may be benefited, the probationary period of six months, under which the vehicles are now held to be running, pending a final decision as to the course to be taken, should see both ends made to meet. It must be remembered, as we have pointed out before, that the Todrnorden district is exceptionally hilly, and practically unsuitable for electric traction. Exactly why the Todmorden Corporation does not arrange through bookings with the adjoining tramways is beyond our understanding. The position of the garage is, of course, one of the serious handicaps under which the service was inaugurated. People who quote the loss upon the monthly statements must not forget that ample provision is being made for sinking fund and interest, a circumstance which certainly did not obtain in the early days of the majority of electric-traction undertakings.