From Our Berlin Correspondent.
Page 15
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The Traffic Committee of the Munich Corporation has decided to establish a new motorbus line between the Rosenheimstrasse and Ramersdorf, which means about half an hour's run.
An Electric Fire-escape.
Hamburghas acquired an electricdriven fire-escape, fitted with mechanical ladders on the Magirus system. Four of the five sections, which extend altogether to a height of 82ft., are raised by electric power. The vehicle weighs 4.8 tons without the firemen, and it can travel at about 16 miles an hour. Fifty miles can be covered on a single charge. From axle to axle the under frame measures close upon io feet in length, the breadth being approximately 4 feet.
Street Cleansing.
The Cab Owners' Associations of Berlin and the suburb of Charlottenburg recently petitioned the two Corporations for a better cleansing of the streets, and the Charlottenburg Corporation has replied to the effect that attention shall be given to their wishes. The city engineers do not wish to strew sand on greasy asphalt, as the cab owners want them to do, as they say that sand in combination with manure and oil-droppings from automobiles serves but to increase the greasiness. The streets will be thoroughly washed, and 14 new machines have been ordered for the purpose.
Hungarian Motorbus Trials.
In May next the Hungarian Automobile Club will hold two trials, one for motorbuses and the other for motorcabs. Both contests have important business aspects, as the Municipal Council of Budapest has decided to substitute motorbuses for horse buses, and for that purpose it has voted a large sum of money for the purchase of a number of the chassis which figure best in the trials ; and the Motorcab Syndicate, possessing a concession to place so vehicles on the streets of Budapest, is only waiting for the results of the motorcab contest to select the type of cab which it considers most efficient.
Austrian Motoreabs.
Prague now has its motorcabs, and motorbuses will shortly follow. It is interesting to note that the value of French exportations of commercial motor vehicles to Austria, from May, tgo6, to May this year, was 376,800
kronen, whilst the importations from that country amounted to 592,000 k ronen.
Electric First-aid Fire-engine.
A new electric, first,aid vehicle acquired for fire-extinguishing work within the area of Diisseldorf Harbour and briefly referred to in a recent number, is illustrated on this page. It was built by E. C. Finder, the Saxon specialist for fire-brigade plant, whose front-driving system, applied in, this case, has already been fully described. The bonnet gives the vehicle the appearance of a petrol automobile but underneath it the Hagen cells, 8o in number, are stowed away ; they feed two motors of 1211.p. each, which operate directly upon the front wheels, The vehicle scales tons. The view shows how
Flader arranges the gas-containers, which stand upright, to right and left of the tank holding water for the first " attack." Particular attention has been paid to the even distribution of the weight of the chassis, body and accessories.
Overhanging Boughs.
In several places along the high road between Berlin and Wannsee the roadside trees hang so low that doubledeckers are raked fore and aft by the boughs—a state of affairs which has been a source of considerable annoyance and loss of money to those who have worked motorbuses over the road in summer. This drawback will, however, be removed in future, for the Arntsvorsteher of Grunewald, on an appeal by interested parties, has issued otders that the boughs be lopped off in order to give double-deckers a free passage. This action is to be commended, as stout boughs constitute a serious menace to the safety of outside passengers, apart from the fact that the upper deck fittings get much .damaged.
Undue Noise in Berlin. • I notice that the Traffic Committee of the South West of Berlin has lodged a petition with the Polizeiprasidium against the " increasing noise " made by motorbuses and iron-shod lorries in the Bellealliancestrasse, which happens to be paved with the old Kopfsteinpflaster, a species of stone paving calculated to bring out the maximum of noise producable by any given vehicle. Watchmakers, surgeons, mechanics, and others residing in the street, declare that, what with din and vibration, delicate work is, at times, altogether im possible, They suggest that motorbuses should take this stretch of Kopfsteinpflaster at half-speed, although, seeing that buses are rubber-shod, only a small percentage of noise and shaking can be placed to their account ; the malcontents also want the heavy lorries to be rubber-tired. The very obvious remedy, however, would be to tear up the kopfsteinpflaster and lay down asphalt instead, and the Traffic Committee, I observe, suggests that course. As a matter of fact, the busy thoroughfare ought to have been asphalted long ago for the sake of wheeled traffic in general, not so much in reference to motor traffic in particular. A protest which seemingly originated in prejudice against self-propelled vehicles locks like hurrying along a much-desired road-surface improvement.