WHEELS OF INDUSTRY.
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"The wheel of wealth vill be slowed by all difficulties of transport at whatever points arising, as a carriage is by the roughness of the roads over which it runs."—John Beattie Crozier.
An Advanced M.T.Workshop.
On our centre pages we reproduce the first of a short series of illustrations drawn by Mechanist Staff Sergt. Boultwood, who is in charge of an army lorry repair shop not very far behind the lines on the Western Front. The illustrations are so outstanding in merit and so true to life " that we feel certain our readers will. appreciate them. The illustration given this week shows an advanced. M.T. workshop unit with two Thornycroft workshops operating on ground but recently regained from the enemy. The workshop lorry wheels stand on wooden blocks levelled up, and wooden log struts are placed under the chassis. The nearer workshop lorry has a dynamo fitted above the driving seat, leaving ample room for driver and passenger. It is driven by a flat belt from the engine flywheel to a pulley on the dynamo shaft. On the further workshop the drive is not shown as the dynamo is inside the workshop itself. Taking the power from the engine driving the, chassis has entirely done away with the endless troubles that occurred with the diminutive power units previously installed.
The top flaps of the workshopsare arranged to open at two different angles according to requirements. The pole at the rear carries live wires for lighting the office hut and the tarpaulincovered shack used by the wheelers. The insulators, it may be remarked, are the necks of whisky bottles, showing that i in the Army ingenuity s not wanting and that most things canbe made to serve a second and equally usefulpurPose.
The drilling machine shown in the sketch is an old French one 'recovered Irons a shell-battered building. The
workshop *staff re-bushed it and converted it to be run by power by a shaft from the Lathe. It has proved very useful as it enables large drills to be used (as is necessary on Caterpillar and other heavy work), the other two drills being saved for lighter and more accurate work. The power hacksaw was made up by the workshop hands from scrap.
The motoring world generally will mourn the loss of Mr. Gordon-Bennett, one of its earliest pioneers, who recently passed away at Nice. Mr. GordonBennett, by offering the Gordon-Bennett Cup, did much to advance the popularity of motoring and it also acted as a great stimulus to the trend of design.
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Fuel Congress at Marseilles.
The congress to discuss the fuel question will take place at Marseilles on the 9th and the 10th of June, and will be held either at the Institution of Faculte des Sciences or a IJ the offices of the Societe pour la Defeme du Commerce et de 'Industrie,. 12, rue Cannebiere, Marseilles. A general report of the results will be published as soon as possible. We understand that some 60 different propositions have been sent in, dealing with new fuels, economizers, modifications to engines, and synthetic alcohol. The French Ministry of Commerce and the Comite General du Petrol have placed all their technical appliances at the disposal of the congress. .
Hydrogen as a Fuel for Motors.
To replace the shortage of petrol in Switzerland pure hydrogen has been "experimented with for some time. Hydrogen, as is well known, is the richest combustible gas and contains practically double the calorific values of petrol. The main drawback of hydrogen is its weak density,, which necessitates a considerably higher compres:ion as compared with coal-gas in containers.
Petrol Prices and Supplies.
Professor John Cadman, C.M.G., Director of the Petroleum Executive, has promised to receive a deputation from the' Joint Standing Committee of Mechanical Road Transport Associations on Friday, 31st May, on the question of petrol prices and supplies. He will be accompanied by Sir Walter Egerton, K.C.M.G., chairman of the Pool Board. It is to he hoped that a full explanation may be given concerning, the recent increases in price of petrol and paraffin.
Resilient Wheels in Germany.
It is a known fact that there is a very acute shortage of rubber in Germany; and that as a direct result of its scarcity motor vehicles' both passenger and commercial, have long since ceased to be shod with. either solid or pneumatic tyres. The resilient wheel is occupying the former status held by the rubber tyre. The " Zeitschrift des Vereines Deutscher Ingeniem-e " of October, 1917, discusses a. variety of resilient wheels introduced, which, while recognized as not fully equivalent to pneumatic tyres, fulfil a useful purpose. The wheels are classed under two groups. Group 1 : (a) The spring wheel uses spiral springs wound from square steel and mounted radially in one or two rows between cups secured to the inner and outer wheels. There is risk of the springs being displaced when running over obstacles or round corners, particularly at more than moderate speed. (b) The Moll wheel is of similar construction, except that side plates are used to protect the springs from dirt, and telescopic tubes are used inside the springs to prevent lateral displacement. These tubes are extended as spherical end
• caps, which give the requisite degree of transverse 'flexibility. (c) The Fruth wheel uses a series of oval springs placed on their side in troughs attached to the outer and inner rims. Bolts through the troughs pass through the overlapping loops of consecutive springs. The wheel is rather less flexible radially, since the springs are compressed in the plane of their winding instead of axially. One of the troughs slides in the other, and so
takes up transverse forces. The construction provides circumferential flexibility against accelerating and braking forces. The whole can be mounted as a unit in place of a rubber•tyre. (d) The Sievert wheel retains rubber Or similar material for elasticity, and. uses a wooden road rim. A rubber ring is held on each side of the felloes by through. bolts, which also secure steel side rings carrying the outer wooden rim clear of the inner wheel. All wear comes on the wooden rim; and the only connection between this and the inner wheel is through the 'rubber side rings. • These are rather flexible and liable to side-slip. Group 2: (a) The Siemens and Halske wheel uses
radially mounted spiral springs (imperfectly protected against dirt and transverse forces) and a flexible outer rim. The outer rim is built up from strip steel wound to form a hoop. (b) The Flohr wheel is similar, save that the outer rim has steel links (resembling link belting),, the pins of which serve also to carry cups for the radial spiral springs. The rim pins are exposed to dirt and moisture.
An association of agricultural machine manufacturers has been formed in Paris, 10 rue de Lancry, with a capital of 100,000 frs., with the object of helping the French agricultural machine makers to obtain raw materials.
American Night •Convoys
Running during the night hours only, and under as near "war zone" conchtions as the peaceful, countryside of Atherica can provide six trains' of Packard army trucks destined for service with General Pershing in France are • pushing forward from Detroit to an Atlantic port,. The convoy consists of 252 Packard lorries and the trains are running 24 hours apart. Except that they use their lights and are not bothered by sudden gusts of shrapnel or other attentions from Fritz, the lorry convoys are proceeding as if in the immediate neighbourhood of the Front.
The soldier-drivers, 78 men to a train, make camp by the roadside wherever dawn greets them, cook their meals on field ranges carried in the trucks, and clamber into the three-ton carriers for their day's sleep.. In the evening they run the big khaki-coloured trucks into the road, again and hit out toward the seaboard. t" Besides the diyersiffed equip: went of the soldier-drivers—there is a 15-day ration aboard for each man—the
• lorries carry a load of parts. This is the first night run of a series in which the Quartermaster's department of the U.S. Army is giving the drivers a foretaste of the work they will be called on to do overseas. As in the case of the first delivery of lorries from factory to seaboard under. their own power, Packard vehicles have been chosen for pioneering the night drives. s If the inspector finds arrangements to his satisfaction, the Cardiff Corporation will grant a licence to the British Petroleum Co of Bristol, for the storage of 41,000 gallons of petroleum at the G.W.R. Roath sidings. It is not proposed to proceed with the scheme till the war is over
Express Delivery in U.S.A.
The recognition which the motor truck is winning as• a fast and dependable carrier of inter-city shipments is instanced by the American Express Co.'s decision to handle all express shipments between Cleveland and Akron by motor truck.
The Knutsen Motor Trucking Co. of Cleveland secured this express company business on its ability to furnish faster and more economical transportation. Operating 14 Packard trucks of big -capacity, this hauling contractor is able to make delivery between the two cities in four hours; by rail it takes at least a day under normal conditions, considerably more in present trafficconditions. The railroad rate with pick-up charges is 47 cents per 100 lb. • the Mintsen Co. has contracted to haul all shipments for 40 cents a hundredweight.
Mexico's Petroleum Products.
The Technical Commission of the Department of Petroleum under the Secretary of Industry and Commerce has collected the following statistics regarding petroleum production in Mexico. During the year 1917 a total of 79 wells were bored in the oil regions of Tamauli pas, San Luis Potosi, Panuco, Topila, Ozualama, Tuxpam and Ichuatlan, of which 43 are producing. The potential production of these wells is 235,250 barrels daily. With the opening; of these new wells, the total in the entire Republic reached 019, of which 320 are productive, 362 unproductive, 141 are in process of sinking and 77 have been localized. The potential production of these wells is 1,337,012 barrels daily. In 1901 Mexico produced 10,345 barrels of crude oil annually. In 1910 the production had risen to 3,634,080 barrels, while in 1917 the total production was the enormous quantity of 55,292,770 barrels. The Tuxpam region leads in the amount produced., the total for the year having
been 34,500.000 barrels Tampico produced 20,500,000 barrels and Minititlan yielded 23,500,000 barrels.
The companies established in Mexico and which produced the largest amount of petroleum during the year were, first, the Huasteca Petroleum Co., which extracted from its wells more than 16,000,000 barrels, and_the Aguila Co., which produced nearly a like amount.
828 During the year 1917 the exportations of oil reached 6,500,000 metric tons of petroleum, while the value of the crude and refined products amounted to over $53,000,000 Mexican gold, a notable increase over the figures for 1916.
Harping on the Spanner.
West Riding National Motor Volunteers were recently inspected at various centres by Brigadier-General McIntyre, of the War Office Staff, and by transport staff officers of the Northern Command. Accompanying the officers were Lieut.Colonel Hoyle (commanding the West Riding National Motor Volunteers). At Keightley, where 15 private cars, five 3ton wagons, ten 30-cwt. wagons, eight 1.5-cwt. wagons, nine motorcycles, and five cycles were paraded, the inspecting officer expressed satisfaction with everything he had seen. The officers of the Northern Command were going very carefully into the preparations to meet an emergency, and he was sure what he had seen that day reflected credit upon the organizers. They were trying to preach the principle that efficiency depended upon a free use of the oilcan and the spanner. Lubrication, perhaps, was a. thing which had not reached quite so
high a 'standard as many things. Further, they should also remember that they should run over the vehicles with their spanners at frequent intervals, keeping everything in order. They never knew when the emergency might arise, and they must be prepared at any time.
Swiss Exports.
A Swiss syndicate of exporters was formed during April which has adopted the letters S.P.E.S. (Syndicat pour l'Exportation Suisse), which letters will denote the country of origin of goods exported from Switzerland. The French national trade mark under this scheme, which was adopted some time ago, is " Unis."
Yorkshire Licences.
In West Riding last year the County Council registered 258 motorcars and 229 motorcycles. Licences of 335 cars and 423 cycles were transferred. Drivers' licences issued numbered 10,523, of which 3817 were renewals. Seventyseven locomotive licences and 227 daily permits were issued.
Petroleum in California.
A petition has been presented to the Mexican Secretary of Industry and Commerce for permission to exploit the deposits of petroleum said to exist around the Bay of Ensenada, in the territory of Lower California.. It is reported that a considerable quantity of oil is now being
taken therefrom. The petitioners announce their intention to instal adequate machinery and appliances for develop ment upon a large scale. Their request is now under consideration. On the opposite side of the isthmus from Ensenada, oil has been discovered upon the island of Angel de la. Guardia and elsewhere along the gulf shore, thus indicating the presence of petroleum in an extensive area.
Transport Wanted.
A lady correspondent, who is doing her personal share of work in connection with the war, being attached to the Y.M.C.A. at one of the London hospitals, tells us that she has had prepared a. wooden Calvary to be erected on the village green at Pauler's Fury in Northamptonshire, in memory of the boys of the village who have fallen. This Calvary is now completed, and our correspondent is seeking a means of getting it conveyed from Curtain Road, London, its place of manufacture, to Pauler's Fury. It is packed in an open crate, 14 ft. long, but narrow, and weighs between 7 and 8 cwt. Conveyance by train to Towcester station would not get over the difficulty, as it would still have to be moved 3i miles to the village. Our correspondent would like to hear from any concern which has a vehicle running from London to the Midlands, which would be prepared to assist her in the matter of its conveyance, at a very small cost if possible. It will be a real kindness to help in this matter. Sixteen of the village boys have been killed, and the erection of the Calvary in their memory would be a very great consolation to their parents, most of whom are very poor people. Any offers addressed to P.P., care of the Editor of ,this journal will be forwarded.
A decree has been prepared permitting the free importation of the machinery needed in agricultural and mining development in all portions of Mexico and will shortly be issued and put into effect.
Local Proceedings.
Inverness T.C. is on the look-out for a motor fire-engine. .
East Ham Corporation is purchasing a second-hand Austin car for official duties.
Isle of Ely C.C. has passed a resolution to reduce the speed of motor vehicles.
Derbyshire C.C. has agreed to purchase two steam wagons at a cost not exceeding £2000.
Richmond T.C. is making an application for a priority certificate for the purchase of a new steam wagon.
Leyton U.D.C. is pressing the Government department concerned for authority to purchase two electric dust vans.
Walsall Corporation has accepted the tender of the Yorkshire Commercial Motor Co. for a steam• wagon for street watering, at £1034.
Sheffield Corporation has purchased a new Ford van, with detachable wheels, for the health department, from Messrs. Bentley Bros., at the price of £186 10s.
Annan District Committee has agreed to obtain a new 12-ton compound steam roller, a sleeping van for the men, and a tipping wagon at an estimated cost of £1083.
The L.G.B. has sanctioned the purchase by the Metropolitan Asylums Board of a second-hand Ford car for £110 without the legal formality of obtaining sealed tenders.
Reigate R.D.C. requires offers for the supply of new or second-hand trailers or wagons suitable for haulage • of road stone. 'Prices and particulars may be sent to Mr. A. J. Head, Surveyor, High Street, Reigate.
The Sanitary Committee of the Stretford U.D.C. is making inquiries with reference to the Ford-I3aico conversion units to be used or vehicles for removal of domestic refuse, a type in use by the Bury Corporation.
Cardiff Watch Committee is applying to the Ministry of Munitions for a priority certificate to enable the committee to purchase a new motor fire-engine with escape combined and a petrol-driven 80 ft. turn-table fire escape.
Stretford U.D.C. is anxious to organize a system of mechanical haulage to deal with house refuse collection, and £1150 has been set aside for the purchase of three vehicles. Endeavours are being made to get priority certificates.
Deptford B.C. recently invited tenders for a motor dust van body for an Austin chassis' almost ready for delivery. Only one tender for the 'body was received, viz., from E. and H. Hera, Ltd., at £122, which has been accepted.
At Portsmouth Tramways Committee the necessity of obtaining a wagon for haulage was pointed out, and it was suggested that as under present circumstances the petrol-driven vehicles would be of no use because of restriction on the use of petrol, a Foden steam wagon
should be purchased. •
Policeman as Garage Expert.
At Glasgow Watch Committee the Chief Constable reported that considerable expense was incurred from time to time for the repair of police motor vehicles, which null-4)er six ; that a long time is taken to have the repairs carried out ; that he had placed in charge of the vehicles one of his officers, who was a skilled motor mechanic; and that if n lathe, a set of turning tools and a 1 h.p. motor were provided, at an estimated cost of £100, the officer would be able to execute the repairs. The proposal was approved.
Spencer-Moulton Tyres in the West Country.
We are given to understand that Haslam and Stretton, Ltd., have been appointed .sole selling agents for. SpencerMoulton :Aid rubber tyres in the follow ing eight West of England counties :— Glamorganshire, Monmouthshire, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Somersetshire, Dorsetshire,. Devonshire and Cornwall. Business concerning the first three of these shires will be dealt with from 11, Windsor House, Cardiff, whilst users' riES quirements in the remaining counties will come under the' direction of the Bristol branch, at Bristol House, Bristol Bridge. In connection with the latter establishment there is a special tyre, stores and fitting depot at Marsh Street. These premises have been acquired because they proved specially adaptable to commercialmotor service by affording excellent covering accommodation as well as good lighting, which would expedite the work of wheel removing and pressing off and putting on the tyres. As will be seen from the illustration, which we include herewith, a modern tyre press of substantial construction by Hollings and Guest, Ltd., the specialists in this class of equipment, has been installed•with useful overhead runway ; by the use of this runway heavy wheels will be able to be transferred when removed from the vehicle and put . on to the table of the tyre press without much manual toil. Wheel drawers and other tackle are available ; in fact, it woukl appear that the company, in co-operation with George .Spencer Moulton and Co., Ltd., have left nothing undone to ensure high efficiency in the tyre service which they offer to the ever-increasing number of heavyvehicle users in the West Country.
Full particulars can be obtained from either of .Haslam and Stretton's offices concerning the big variety of tyres in stock, together with catalogues showing prices, tyre sizes, terms and conditions of guarantee, load schedules, and other useful information.
Coan's Output.
Mr. B. W. Coen has drawn our attention to one or two slight errors which crept into the article entitled " The War-time Use of Aluminium" in our issue for the 0th inst., which made direct refesence to the part being played by his firm in the production of miscellaneous vital essentials for naval-and military requirements. He points out that they do not claim to he the largest nsers of-aluminium in the kingdom as stated (this
would he a daring assertion for any firm to make), but they are certainly one of the largest, which, obviously, Was the impression we intended to convey. We also made reference to the output of approximately 2 tons of castings per' week for diversified purposes. If it is borne in mind that . the 250 Mell employed are solely engaged on aluminium casting work, it will .be readily understood that the figure we 'gave,, by. misprint', was considerably below the mark. ,
The 3-4 Ton Karrier.
Clayton and Co. (Huddersfield), Ltd., makers of the . well-known ." Karrier " cars, have just sent us an exceedingly well-produced brochure illustrating their 50 h.p. 34-ton live axle type W.D.S. lorry, accompanied by a technical description, illustrations of component parts, the engine and chassis. The brochure takes one of the modern forms, which gives the advantage of presenting the whole of the information by one opening without the need for turning over pages. A copy of this brochure will be sent to any applicant writing to the publicity department of the company at Harrier Works, Huddersfield.