Opinions from Others.
Page 19
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The Waste of the Road.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
J,211] Sir,—Is not the waste of road dhe in great measure to the ridiculous method of watering in most districts 's Here, in Paddington, for instance, the majority of the wood-paved roads are watered 7 ft, from the kerb each side; this forces slow traffic to the centre of the road. It is particularly the case on the rise at the foot of Bishop's Road Bridge, along which there is a big traffic in coal, dust and slop vans, etc. All keep well out, for fear of the horses' stumbling. Other paved roads are watered over their entire width, and these in bad weather hecome veritable skating rinks. I believe this excessive watering arose, in the first instance, front shopkeepers' complaints at a time e hen there were big wood patches finished off with an excessive amount of shingle; this ground into dust, and caused the trouble. Surely, more discretion could be used P—Yours faithfully, E. SHAW.
The Future Three-tonner.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1,212] Sir,—In your issue of 15th September, Mr. T. C. Aveling has taken up the cudgels, on behalf of the petrol machine, with an enthusiasm and a degree of confidence which will be the envy of many of your readers who like myself have had some considerable experience of the working of steam as a motive power for heavy commercial vehicles. Mr. T. C. Aveling appears to be untrammelled by any ties of long-standing association with steam vehicles; indeed, his remarks concerning them suggest that he can hardly claim a bowing acquaintance with them, and, in his supreme confidence of the justice of his cause," he has touched upon the whole subject so lightly that there is very little opportunity left for reply.
I am entirely in agreement with the statement that a petrol machine possesses an advantage of 30 cwt. in the tare weight over a three-ton steam lorry, het whether this 30 cwt. will eventually prove the deciding factor in favour of the use of petrol will depend largely upon the price of solid-rubber tires in the future. fl ospeeting the advantages of the petrol engine he is silent. with Alm solitary exception of stating that because a steamer has a direct drive, without the intervention of a clutch, a heavy strain is•therefore put on the driving-wheel tires in starting and stopping. As a matter of feet, both types are open to abuse by drivers, and, if Mr. Aveling doubts my word, he need only study the practice of motor-omnibus drivers for corroboration of the same. This is the first occasion on which I have heard it claimed that a clutch is an advantage; but, if it really is, as Mr. Aveling states, I have no doubt that steam-lorry builders will raise their hats to Mr. Aveling for having made the discovery, and will proceed to introduce it in future. designs. Rubber-tire manufacturers will, I think, be surprised to learn that they are prepared to increase the guarantee for tires fitted to a three-ton petrol lorry, as compared with a three-ton steamer: provided that the correct size of tire is fitted in such case, the life of the tires should be indentical, and I notice that " Motor-Wagon Carrier " has given a practical example of what can be done under an extreme gross load of 12 tons, but, perhaps, his machines are fitted with clutches?
Mr. Avelinomakes a general statement regarding the
disabilities of steamer, which practically amount to saying that the petrol machine is more automatic than the steam machine. I quite agree with this, but, if when comparing the two systems running in a perfect state the petrol machine has the advantage, how does it compare with steam when we come to the question of defects? A petrol machine loses its power rapidly, at the least derangement of its mechanism ; it depends for its power upon a state of perfection--perfect compression, perfect fuel, pure air, perfect ignition and combustion : every thing must he of the best, and petrol will do its work— introduce one wrong element, and the whole system falls to the ground like a pack of cards! With steam, this is not so. A steam engine will continue to do its work and to give out its full power, long after serious defects have crepo into the system, and it is often possible to continue to work a service under steam, and to defer the making good of defects to suit one's own convenience. This, as I have stated, is not possible with petrol, and it suggests to my mind the possibility of having to carry a larger reserve of machines, to maintain a given service with petrol, than might be necessary with steam.
The question of the respective lives of steamers and petrol machines is a matter which Mr. Avelino does not touch upon, but. it is worth consideration. At present, there are in existence several old steamers getting on for nearly ten rears of age which are giving a very-good account of themselves on rubber tires against the performances of new petrol machines.
Whilst the form of fuel which a petrol machine amplOyS is far more attractive, both as regards bulk and cleanliness, than the coke and coal used by steamers (I am really giving Mr. Aveling an opening he appears to have missed), still, coke has the advantage of being a refuse material of coal, which can always be obtained in large quantities, and is not liable to great fluctuations in price. Petrol, on the other hand, is a highly-refined spirit obtained from crude oil, it is only obtainable in comparatively-small quantities, and is subject to fluctuations in price on this account ; it also was in the Budget.
There is one further point, in respect to the steam engine, which deserves mention in comparing it with a petrol machine. It is pretty-well established, amongst users of rubber-tired machines, that they can only be used to advantage on certain classes of work. There is a fixed minimum distance to be run per day, below which it is tint safe to go, if profits are to be maintained, and there are certain goods which cannot be handled, because the rates obtainable would not be sufficient to pay expenses. A man, therefore, who adopts rubber tires, is putting his eggs into comparatively-few baskets; hut, should he adopt a steamer, he has the knowledge that, if his traffic for any reason becomes unsuitable for a. rubber-tired machine, he can for a small capital outlay employ his steamer fitted with steel tires on inferior classes of work and still make a profit, whereas it would be impossible to make the change with a petrol machine to advantage. The conclusion of the matter, so far as I can judge at present, appears to me to point out that, whilst petrol machines can under ideal conditions surpass their rivals, the steam wagon still remains the most-elastic and most-trustworthy tool in the hands of the general user.—Yours faithfully,