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The Supply Department.

29th April 1909, Page 19
29th April 1909
Page 19
Page 19, 29th April 1909 — The Supply Department.
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Selected Information which is likely to be of Interest to Makers, Owners, and their Buyers.

The Buddicum-Johnston Paraffin Vaporiser.

The problem of being able to consume paraffin in an ordinary petrol engine is one which continues to attract a fair share of attention, in spite of the low price at which the lighter fuel may be purchased in this country. We presume that the efforts of paraffin-vaporiser inventors are directed to the production of a fitting intended for use on engines in the Colonies and other places abroad. One of the newest of these devices is the improved form of Buddicum-Johnston vaporiser, which is marketed by The National Motor Academy and Exchange, Limited, of 3, Boundary Road, Notting Hill, W. The accompanying figure shows the complete vaporiser, which, as may be seen, is provided with two separate fuel

connections, one for petrol, and the other for paraffin, and to each of these a needle valve is fitted. The main air supply enters through the ports A and over the surface of an automatic conical valve ; the action of the latter is damped by means of a spring (B), the amount of compression on which is just sufficient to keep the fuel jets closed while the engine is not 'running. Additional air is admitted through a number of small holes (D). A diaphragm (E), the edge of which is cut into fan-shaped serrations, causes the mixture of fuel and air to be spread over the heated wall of the vaporising chamber. The lower part of this chamber is corrugated, and provided with a similarly-corrugated throttle valve (F) that is mounted on the spindle C. The throttle valve is moved in an endwise direction, by means of a cam lever (G), and in this manner the area of the annular space surrounding the body of the valve and the corrugated wall of the mixing chamber is varied.

Raids. Taximeters.

We illustrate, on page 161, a type of taximeter which has found considerable favour with the owners of motorcabs in London. We are informed by the makers that the instrument in question has been in use for several years in many of the large towns on the Continent. They are manufactured by a Swedish firm, and present a workmanlike and pleasing appearance. It will be noticed that the apparatus, of which we show two examples, conforms to the new taximeter regulations upon which we commented in our issue of the 1st instant. It will he remembered that paragraph 4 of these regulations states that every taximeter must show upon the face immediately above the indication slots, in plain type, suitable words to denote fare, extras and the position of the flag on the lever. This last stipulation is the one which has not hitherto been universally provided for on all the instruments in use. 'rho Halda will be seen to display the word " stopped in bold letters In this position the apparatus has temporarily stopped the action of the time-recording me

chanism without, at the same time, causing the total fare register to disappear. This is in accordance with paragraph 7 of the new regulations. Paragraph 5 stipulates that the lower edge of the flag shall be above the highest part of the meter, and a later section sets out that a disc or shutter shall obscure the initial fare. Both these stipulations are provided for in this instrument. Amongst the largest users in London of the lialda machine we may instance the Fiat Motor Cab Company, Limited.

At the Hospital for Radiators : extracting a Bullet.

Messrs. J. H. Randall and Company, of Green Street, Paddington Green, have sent to us a section of the radiator of the Germain ear which, it may be remembered, took a prominent part in the chase after the Tottenham terrorists. While these two desperadoes were endeavouring to elude the large crowd which had taken up the chase, one of them turned and fired his revolver on the occupants of a car which was endeavouring to overtake them. One of the bullets lodged in the radiator, and damaged it to such an extent that the whole of the water escaped. The driver then thought it expedient to participate no further in the hunt. In due course the radiator was sent to Randall's works, at Paddington, for repair, and, in order to make a good job of this, a section of the tubes was lifted out bodily and a new piece worked into its place. While the damaged portion was being removed, the man engaged upon the work came across the actual bullet which had been fired by the murderer. We reproduce the photograph of the section which shows the bullet in position. This relic is rather a gruesome one, but its illustration is chiefly interesting in order to show the scope of the class of work undertaken by Randall's. The proprietors of these works may, we think, well lay claim to their self-imposed title of " the hospital for radiators " for their undertaking. In the course of a recent visit to the premises at Paddington, a representative of this journal was shown a collection of radiators and other sheetmetal components of motor vehicles which appeared to be hopelessly beyond repair. Mr. Randall, however, seemed to regard these as quite good subjects for operation, and,

, from the condition of a number of finished articles which were about to be delivered after repair, it appeared that, in very few cases, was it impossible to effect a satisfactory recovery. Most of the worst cases come from the bus and cab companies in London, whilst a considerable business is done in the rebuilding of radiators which have come to grief in serious accidents to pleasure cars all over the country. Randall's charges appear to us to be computed on a reasonable scale, and there is little doubt that, in many eases, a sound repair can be effected at a considerable saying over the purchase of a new component.


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