The Motor Omnibus World.
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At Harrogate, we recently observed several of the Clarkson steam buses at work; they are certainly doing extremely good work.
One of oar staff was recently touring in the Lake District and, at Ambleside, observed several Thornycroft charA-ba4.ncs in service; on enquiry, he found that they were giving great satisfaction in the district, which is an extremely hilly one.
Pleasure Tours.
The increasing tendency to employ motor chars-a-bancs, in Lancashire and Yorkshire, for pleasure tours is to be noted. Mr. W. M. Cunningham, of the Midland Motor Works, Castle Street, Clitheroe, " is obtaining very good res:.,lts from his 24-3oh.p. De Dion-Bouton vehicle, an illustration Of ohich is given on a later page. We believe these vehicles easily bring in receipts. of 25, a mile for their owners.
. Paris Concession.
The expiry of the existing concession to the Paris General Omnibus Company, on the 31st December, 19/o, is a matter of topical conversation in the French capital. It is understood that whoever obtains the next franchise will be called upon to pay 4 per cent. of the gross takings into the municipal fund, in place of the present fee of £8o per vehicle per annum. Certain stringent conditions in regard to wages oonditions will also be enforced, but the profits are sufficient to bear them. Fair (?) Comment.
" The Morning Advertiser," for the 25th UltIMO, under the large-type heading of " Motor omnibus fatality," makes the following report of the evi dence before a coroner's jury. : .
" A motorbus going towards Barking came along, and the three stood back. 117hen it had passed, they thought the roadway was clear, and proceeded to
cross. . . The child ran, and at the moment was caught by a motorcar driven by the accused." The italics are ours, and we regret that any respectable journal should allow feeling to be created in this manner. As will
be obvious, the accident was _due to a motorcar driver, and had nothing whatever to de; with the motor Unrivalled Facilities. • The Brighton, Hove and Preston -United Omnibus Company, Limited, -began a -half-hourly summer service last week, between Brighton and Wor thing. The facilities provide a unique opportunity for the tourist who desires to see the beautiful scenery along the 12 miles of road which are typical of the South Coast. It is interesting to note that these vehicles fly the Union Jack, which is more generally regarded as the emblem of the London Rood Car Company, Limited, For India. There is a growing demand for motorbuses in India, and one of the latest shipments to the great Dependency is of two, 22h,p., Milncs-Daimler, single-deck vehicles. These are illustrated on page 529, and we might point • out that the bodies have various special . features, including the use of teak throughout, drop windows of plate glass, provision for luggage on the roof, and a special form of ladder for giving access thereto. The order was placed with Milnes-Daimler, Limited, of 221, Tottenham Court Road, W., through Messrs. Sir George Bruce, White and Company, of Westminster, consulting engineers to the South Indian Railway Company, who placed their instructions as the result of both inspection and satisfactory reports. The unfortunate overturning of a " Vanguard" De Dion-Bouton motorbus, in Hackney, on Sunday last, has called forth numerous conflicting statements in the daily Pre.ss. The actual facts, as given by officials of the company, are these :—The bus approached the corner at a moderate speed, and, owing to the somewhat excessive camber of the road commenced to slip sideways the application ication of the brakes did not, of course, stop this movement, and the result was that the bus struck the kerb " broadside on." There were 19 passengers on the vehicle at the time, only three being on the top-deck. The conductor and several passengers were more or less severely injured, but no serious results are expected. The mechanism and wheels were undamaged. As the case is virtually sub judice, we must refrain from comment at the present time. Trouble in Paris. Parisian motorbuses have of late figured in an unusually large number of accidents, with the result that many complaints have been made to the police. M. Lepine, the Prefet, has accordingly written to the Compagnie Generale des Omnibus reminding it of the fact that a speed limit exists, and adjuring it to give the necessary orders for its strict observance. He has also ordered special police surveillance in those streets where mishaps most frequently occur. The Company immediately revised the time-charts so as to allow the drivers more time to cover those routes which are especially busy with traffic. Writers and artists in Paris are indulgingin a lot of scathing humour over one series of incidents. Motorbuses descending from Montmarte have four times run into a cafe at the foot of the hill, and the proprietor has just entered his fourth claim for damages. No illustrated paper has neglected to bring out the humorous side of the cafe-keeper's misfortune. Motorbus or Railway? This question has been brought up for solution by ten parishes between Weisendorf and florzog-enaurach, which have long felt the need of a prolongation of, or an up-to-date substitute for, the local railway line (Erlangen-Herzogenaurach, 7,1 miles long) to Weisendorf. The costs of a -permanent way to Weisendo-rf, 61miles in length, are estimated at £21,300, which is a comparatively large sum for small Bavarian communities to raise ; nor would there be much likelihood of traffic receipts covering expenses, although the projec-. tors estimate a surplus of about year. Hence, interested parties are considering whether, under the circum stances, it would not be advisable to lay aside the railroad scheme for the present and link up the villages with a State motorbus line. The district irt question lies north of Nuremberg, and the parishes between Rothenburg and Leutershausen, to the west of Nuremberg, appear to have definitely decided upon a similar line for connecting up these towns and interlying localities. Fatal Accidents. There were 53 fatal accidents, due to eleCtrictramcars, in England and Wales, •during the year 1905, but only 3o during the year 1906. The experience with electric-traction undertakings has been that, after the first year or two of operation, accidents become fewer io number, and motorbus companies will, we believe, have corresponding experiences now. W. S. Laycock, Limited, of Sheffield, and 77a, Victoria Street, London, is making a speciality of roller blinds for chars-a-bancs. The blinds, which are made in different colours to suit the taste of the purchaser, are fitted with a central celluloid window, so that, in wet weather, even with the blinds lowered, a good view of the surrounding objects of interest may be obtained. The fabric used is rain-proof and rot-proof, and the price of the complete fittings compares favourably with that of the ordinary sliding curtains. It may be pointed out that the roller blind harbours no dust and dirt, and, when not required, is not an eyesore. A Long Route. We observe that Thomas Tilling, Limited, of Peckham, has started a set-vice of motorbuses between Oxford Circus and Sidcup, a distance of some 131 miles, and that the fare for the whole distance is only gd. per passenger. If the traffic returns are satisfactory, the vehicles will be kept on this new route for the time being.Tags