A 3,000-MILE TRIAL ON PRODUCER GAS.
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A Severe Test of Three Different Types of Vehicle over a North African Route, Using Local Supplies of Wood.
READERS interested in gas-producer progress may remember the very successful "tour de France" undertaken last August by M. Alfred Theodor, director of "Folds L.ourd," the French industrial vehicle paper. M. Theodor took a gas-driven Bernet motor coach, using wood fuel, all round Prance, covering about 5,000 kilometres.
The results of this tour were so satisfactory from the general publicity point of view, that Messrs. Berliet decided in January to organize another wood-fuel demonstration trip, this time in North Africa, in order to bring the merits of their system before the population of the French colonies.
A convoy consisting of the original motor coach which made the tour de France, a 4-ton Berliet lorry and an 1,800 kilog. Berliet van, left Tunis on January 10th. en route for Marrakech and Casablanca. All the vehicles were fitted with the ImbertBerliet wood-burning gazogene.
The convoy was in charge of an engineer and three mechanics. Two of the latter, incidentally, had just returned from crossing the Sahara on Berliet six-wheelers, in time to take part in the trip. The distance to be covered was about 3,300 kiloms. and the conditions laid down by the Berliet directors had to be rigidly adhered to.
The vehicles ran to schedule time, wood fnel only was employed and the wood had to be obtained on the road and not carried in reserve. Before starting, the convoy was inspected by His Highness the Bey of Tunis, who is keenly interested in the progress of gazogenes for transport purposes.
The first day's journey of 171 kiloins., to Tabarca, was made without incident. The second day's run, from Tabarca to Bisine, although only 145 kiloms., was rather stiff, owing to the very hilly nature of the road. The third day's run, from BOne to Constantine, was a severe one, over
215 k-ilomn of abominable roads, flooded, and even washed away in places by the torrential rains.
The winter climate of Algeria is generally supposed to be delightful. The Berliet convoy found it distinctly the reverse. Arriving at Constantine, the next day (January 13th) was spent in that town exhibiting the vehicles. The supply a wood fuel taken on board at the start had becalm exhausted and the bunkers had to be replenished somebow. Eventually a doubtful-looking collection of chips and pieces was obtained from a local coaclibuilding works.
The next day's run was from Constantine to Bougie, via Setif. This was a very severe stage. Rain, sleet and heavy snow rendered the roads almost impassable in places and a way had. to be cleared with pick and shovel. The road on this section rose in places to an altitude of over 3,000 ft.
On January 15th the longest stage of the journey was accomplished— from Bougie to Algiers, 247 kiloms. Rain, and yet more rain, prevailed, with a temperature just above freezing point and an abominable driving wind. The road on this section became much better, winding along through great forests of cork trees dimly seen through fog and sleet: From Algiers onwards the following are extracts from the log of the convoy :— January 17th.—Algiers to Affrevide. More rain ; good roads; wind rising to a gale; exceptionally cold.
January 18th.—Affreville to Mas earn. Level going most of the way but very hilly for the last section from Relizane to Mascara. More heavy rain ! Roads flooded everywhere. Fresh supplies of wood obtained on the road. Between Inkermann and Mascara the convoy encountered a terrible blizzard at 6 p.m. This continued all night and progress became so slow that Mascara was not reached until 8 a.m, the following morning.
January 19th.—Mascara to Oran. Sunshine at last. No time for rest, as the night had been spent on the road. Journey completed without incident and Oran reached at 7 p.m. Convoy up to schedule time. Great interest aroused by ears when passing through Sidi Bel Abbes.
January 20th.—Exhibition of ve hicles in Oran. •
January 21st.—Oran to Tlemcen; only 137 kiloms., but terrible roads, turning the trip into a steeplechase. More rain
January 22nd. — Tlemcen to Oudjda. The first really pleasant day's run. Roads hilly, but good ; sunshine all day.
January 23rd. — Oudjda Taza. First experience of Moroccan roads; surface equal to MontliAry racing track! Sun becomes actually warm and finally hot. Snow-capped chain of the Atlas mountains sighted in the distance. Landscape entirely com posed of stones. Flocks of sheep observed feeding upon invisible grass.
January 24th.—Taza to Fez. This stage provided an incident. About 15 kiloms. from Taza a bridge over the Maouen River had been damaged by the floods. The official in charge of the repair work allowed the two lighter vehicles to cross, but refused to give passage to the 4-ton lorry.
An attempt was made to ford the river with the lorry, which sank into the muddy bottom and became heartily bogged in the very centre of the river, 50 ft. from either bank. Fortunately, the French Army Mechanical Transport Corps has a depot at Taza and. help soon arrived.
January 25t1i.—Exhibition of vehicles in the ancient city of Fez. From Fez to Rabat, and thence to Mazagan Marrakech, ana finally back to Casablanca, short daily stages were made. In all this agricultural country the local agriculturists are exceedingly interested in the possibility of using gas-producers, and every opportunity was , given them to examine the Berliet vehicles.
The missionary work accomplished by the tour in this part of Morocco will undoubtedly bear fruit. On the last stage of the journey—from Marra,kech to Casablanca—the weather, which had been holding up for a time, decided to remind the unfortunate members of the expedition that they were still in Africa.
Throughout the whole of this long and trying journey the Bernet gasproducers, in themselves, gave no trouble whatsoever. The "wood" (?) fuel obtained on the road was often of a rather dubious nature. Arab labourers obtained the fuel and, with the cheery willingness of the race, they filled their sacks With wood chips, spadesful of earth, stones, bits of brick, metal, metal fragments and anything else that "weighed heavy." From time to time this mixture would clog the generators entirely, but, despite this trouble, the convoy ran to schedule time. The wood obtained comprised that of the cork oak, green oak, chestnut and "all sorts," the latter being brokentip barrel staves, carpenters' odds and ends, etc. By far the best restilts were obtained from green oak, a wood which is, fortunately, obtainable almost everywhere in the French North African provinces.
Such tests as this, carried out under arduous conditions, prove that the gas-producer presents most important possibilities.