An Observer' s Point of View.
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By One of Them.
It is to be distinctly understood that the opinions expressed herein are those of an individual, and are not intended to represent the views of the observers as a body. Even the most superficial study of the regulations governing the trials will show that the duties of an observer, if not actually tedious and over-exacting, are nevertheless very important. To fill his position creditably, and to the satisfaction of the Royal Automobile Club officials, an observer ought at least to have a fair practical knowledge of the principles underlying the construction of motor vehicles, whether the working fluid used be petrol, paraffin, or steam ; he ought, in the interests of the Club, to be a man of sound common sense, and unbiassed judgment, as he is almost entirely responsible for the groundwork of facts on which the judges are to base their awards.
Our Competency.
The Club regulations specially stipulate for the appointment of a competent loan; but it might here be noted that, being a director of a competing firm, or the son of a director; is no proof of a man's capability to act, as a fairminded observer, in regard to the behaviour of vehicles entered by a rival concern. Indeed, it does not require a very intimate knowledge of human nature to see that, in such a case, the tendency of the observer will be to pick as many holes as possible in the vehicle on which he may happen to be travelling. So far as the Club is concerned, a man's intimate relation to a certain firm is no bar to his observing on any vehicle except his own, but, in some cases, dissatisfaction, more or less keen, is felt that there is no rule to prevent this. Further, by a very simple dodge, a competitor may manage to observe on his own vehicle for a day, which is undoubtedly very undesirable. This practice, of course, is contrary to the spirit both of true sportsmanship and business, to say nothing of its offence against the spirit of the regulations for the trials, although it is certainly not against the letter of the rules.
Interested or Disinterested?
It may not be out of place to say that, even though competitors may not wish it, certain interested persons do observe on their cars ; as an observer, it is hard to imagine how inaccurate observing can be indulged. To quote Mr. Orde, the observer's first duty is to observe, his second to observe, and his third is also to observe. His first duty consists in watching all that is done to the car under his supervision, whether in the dep& or on the road ; his second is to make a note, as clearly and concisely as possible, of all that he has seen done— of all stops, their cause, and duration. He will, indeed, be a bold rogue who wilfully misrepresents the facts, or gives inaccurate times in his report, since the driver knows as well as the observer, and possibly a great deal better, what he has done, and the driver can also note. the times, whilst either the driver, or the, firm's representative can compare their figures with those given on the large record sheet. The records have also, it is to be remembered, to pass through the hands of competent judges, and any irregularity in the figures given is sure to be noticed.
Taking an instance at random, any great discrepancy in the petrol consumption for a certain day or days cannot fail to be noticed by the judges, who are then solely responsible.
The third duty, which amounts practically to a great privilege, allows an observer to make notes on the running of his own and other cars ; to make a note, in short, of anything which is likely to have the least bearing on the trials. When it is remembered that, on his report, there is a possibility of a driver's, or even a vehicle's, being disqualified, it appears probable, at first sight, that the condenmation, or the salvation of a vehicle, may lie in the hands of a prejudiced or unscrupulous observer. But this is not so. All such notes are bound to be critically reviewed by the " Higher Court," which will then decide whether, in its opinion, the report was fair or not.
All things considered, it is hardly likely that any competitor can possibly have aught but fair play at the hands of an observer—though observers will vary somewhat in their assessment of the importance to be attached to certain things. If a competitor does feel himself aggrieved, or doubts the report in any -way, he has every means at his disposal for verifying the actual facts of the case, and placing them before the proper authorities. As for the observer who is in doubt of what he ought to do in certain circumstances, he can make whatever notes he pleases at the time and, when he arrives at the depOt, he can have sound advice, and good counsel, from the Club " Encyclopwdia."
Enough, then, for the complaints against observers : his duties are quite hard enough, and tedious enough at times, without any irksome addition being made to them by grumbling, unsatisfied competitors, who would do well to bear in mind that the price of a lunch is not sufficient to turn some men from the path of plain duty !
Consumptions.
Next to the confidence reposed by the Club in the observer, the thing which strikes one most is the splendid provision made for accurate and neat recording, When so much depends, as it does, in commercial vehicles at least, on running costs, and as in well-designed and well-constructed vehicles, the repair bill will not be very heavy, it is evident that great importance must be attached to the consumption of petrol, paraffin, or coal, and, also, to the quantity of the various lubricants required to keep the running parts in tip-top condition. There is neither excuse nor call for any slackness in measuring the quantity of fuel used by a car, and, thanks again to the system adopted, there is little probability of any inaccuracy here. By making . the unit of quantity for petrol a sealed, 2-gallon tin, and for coal or coke, a i-cwt. sack, and so on, the duties of an observer are very much lightened, and a great deal of unnecessary responsibility is taken from him. When the driver opens a 2-gallon tin of petrol and uses, say, only gallon of it, he is debited . with the whole 2 gallons. This does away with any guessing on the observer's part, and tends to a far smaller error in the record of the quantity consumed, It might have been worth consideration, before the start of the trials, whether the driver could not gauge the quantity of petrol required for his tank to less than two gallons, in which case, there would be no necessity for the carrying of opened tins of petrol on the car. It is conceivable that an almost full tin could be substituted for one well-nigh empty ; or a partially full tin might even be put on the. car, and the observer, who took charge in the morning, would be told that it was already " Looked."
Under the existing regulations, there can be no question that the consumption of each vehicle per ton-mile will be obtained with—if such a term be allowed—a highly commendable degree of accuracy. The weight carried, and the distance traversed should be got with an error of about *. per cent., and, if special attention is paid to bringing the fuel tanks to the, same condition at the end of the trials as they were in at the beginning, the error in measuring the total quantity of fuel used will be quite insignificant.
Inconsiderate Driving.
There are several points, however, which some observers are very careful to overlook. For instance, there is inconsiderate driving. It does not seem to be thoroughly understood that the observer can compel a driver, under penalty of disqualification for disobedience, to drive at any speed (under the legal or allotted limits for the class)
which he, the observer., may deem most suitable for the obtaining conditions of traffic, and for the convenience of other users of the road. Instances (iccur, every day, of flagrant disregard of the various speed regulations, and each day passes without any distinct improvement in this respect. No reasonable observer objects to being passed by a vehicle, in his own class even, but he has strong and well-founded objections to a number of vehicles passing him, at a speed about 75 per cent, over their legal limit, and in the nose-to-tail fashion, without even five yards between each, like a string of sausages.
It is not good for an observer's temper that he should have to brook this kind of thing day after day, when a little foresight ancJitonsideration on the part of brother observers would almost entirely suppress this cause of offence. There is a regulation, to the effect that no unnecessary obstruction, unintentional or otherwise, is to be tolerated ; hut, too. often, this rule is honoured in the breach, rather than in its observance, Keeping the Routes.
Observers would do well to remember that they are responsible for the route taken, and it behoves them to be as careful as possible in directing the driver which way to go. While it is perfectly true that, with more elaborate maps, one could find one's way about the country much more easily, it seems just as true that the large maps supplied to the drivers and observers are quite sufficient for a man of average intelligence, to enable him to pick out his way with a fair amount of confidence. Of course, if the observer falls asleep at his post, which sometimes happens, if he uses his map as a -cushion, or throws it away altogether, or if he only takes it out when he comes to large cross-roads with an ambiguous signpost, and in the words of the song " 'e don't know where 'e are," it is a foregone conclusion that the map will be of little use to him. The most pressing need is not really for a better map, but for a little more care on the observer's part, and for a little more exercise of his commonsense—and tongue, if need be.
'Tis human to err, and even the most careful observer is liable to make mis takes. If he does, there are two courses open to him, and his choice will depend on circumstances. The regulations require that he " must instruct the driver to return to the point at which the true route was departed from, and, if other circumstances permit (which must be left to the observer's discretion to decide), he must consider this rule to be absolutely binding on him. If, however, he believes that it is more reasonable., or more necessary, for him to reach his destina tion by a totally or partially different route, it is his plain duty to note where be has been, and to make the proper authorities acquainted with his reasons for disobeying the regulations. His failure to do so may mean a substantial advantage for the vehicle on which he was observing, or it may mean quite the reverse : both results are equally undesirable. Overdriving.
It is advisable, also, to pay stricter attention to regulation 38 (b). There is nothing to be gained by rushing into the depot an hour or so before time; indeed, much may be lost thereby. A good deal, on the other hand, is to be gained by keeping the engine going steadily all the time, in that the chances for a non-stop run are much increased. As the trials progress, observers and drivers alike seem to understand this more fully. To anyone who has noted carefully the speeds on various cars fitted with a tachometer, it is plain that, if a driver never exceeds his legal limit on any part of the road, he will have no time left on his hands to necessitate a crawl for the latter part of the journey, and the times ruling for vehicles which are only capable of a mile per hour or so over their lee-al limit amply justify this statement.
Sundry Points.
The observer's lot is not always dull and uninteresting, interrupted as it sometimes is by grumblers. He has a chance of great excitement of a kind. He may, for example, be ordered to report at the depot at 6,30 a.m. some mornings, just to make sure that he can " rise to the occasion." The warm ejaculations emitted when he sees his time for reporting lead one to believe that a little cooling down in the early morning dew will not be altogether unnecessary. Besides which, he has the chance to observe a vehicle which turns turtle just for fun ; or tracks her cylinders, or rips the teeth off her gear wheels ; he may have to stand—or sit— by it for the greater part of the night. In this case, some heated words may help to restore his failing circulation. He may be lucky enough to be observing on a car which catches fire, and the pleasure he will have in amusing himself with the red " coffee pot "(if there) provided by the Club, will more than counterbalance any slight inconvenience to which he may be put.
After a spell of observing on the faster classes, few things are more exciting than to be delegated to a 5m.p.h. steamer. It was a good thing for Mr. Job that he didn't get that dose in his lifetime, else his remarkable stock of patience would have fallen to a very low ebb. These things, however, are only sent to try us, and the first hour, in which about three miles are traversed, can generally be passed pleasantly enough chatting to the driver, and listening to his denunciations of the vehicles in front of him, and behind him. Thereafter, one can view the scenery out of the glazed pigeon-hole provided for that purpose, until one falls asleep, dreaming he is being rattled along on an A-class vehicle. At some point of the journey, he will have to be wakened for lunch, or to help to catch a runaway horse, and, altogether, when he arrives two hours late at the depot in the evening, and has to stand by for another hour, while the tanks are being filled, he will be forced to admit, notwithstanding all the insinuations as to the accuracy of his reports, etc., that he Las had a very exciting time—although he did not sit on the safety-valve,