WHEELS OF INDUSTRY. .
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Napiers for Russia.
It may not be generally known that transport lorries for the British and Allied Governments are subjected before delivery to strenuous tests, embracing as near as possible active service conditions. Amongst others may he mentioned climbing steep gradients with full load aboard, encountering and overcoming road obstacles and travelling through seas of mud; one of the illustrations on this page affords a vivid idea, of this lastnamed test, showing, as it does, a Napier vehicle practically up to the front hub caps in a veritable welter of miel This was one of a number of Napier machines undergoing inspection by a. Russian general and his staff of engineers. The weight of the machine shown in our picture including chassis, body, ballast and passengers was eight tons. The machines tested in this manner emerged without an involuntary stop having been made—truly a remarkable performance. Apart from the value of the test as affording proof of effi
ciency of an individual make of machine, it worthily upholds British prestige in the field of commercial motordom.
Calcium Carbide Control.
The Minister of 'Munitions has taken over all stocks of calcium carbide throughout the country in excess of cwt. A permit is needed for transacting or negotiating in relation to the sale or purchase of this substance either in or outside the -United Kingdom. All persons have to send in to the Controller of Non-Ferrous Materials ' Supply, AM2/11, Hotel Victoria, Northumberland
Avenue, W.C., monthly returns of stocks, sales purchases, etc., within the
first seven days of each month. No return is required from any person where the total stock of calcium carbide in hand and on order for future delivery has not at any time exceeded cwt. during the preceding month.
British Fire-engines at Salonica. (ri British Fire-engines at Salonica. (ri 7hilst the great. Salonica coriflagrati n was raging much good work was acco plished by two British-built fireengines, which had only recently arrived at that Greek port.. They were both Dennis machines of 75 h.p., and the maximum pumping capacity of each was 500 gallons'of water per minute. One of the vehicles was in action for 17 days, thn period over which the fire lasted, and the other for ten days. In neither case was. an involuutary stop made, although :for obvious reasons both engines were stopped periodically.
Each pump had two main and three supplementary branches; making five
jets in all. At one pump there was as much as 4000 ft. of hose' coupled on to one engine. Salt water was pumped on to the blaze, which makes the performance of more than a fortnight's continuous running all the more remarkable. Afterthe first call was received one of the engines was on the scene of the fire in 25 minutes, although it had to cover over three miles, and a scratch crew had to be raised on the spot. The driver of this particular engine remained on duty from 8 p.m. on Saturday until 6 a.m. on the following Tuesday without rest.
Mr. E. S, Shrapnell-Smith.
Mr. E. S. Shrapaell-Smith informs us that (1) his duties as Economy Officer to H.M. Petroleum Executive are Mimediately concerned with the use of petrol in all branches of the Navy, Arnly, Air Services, Munition Transport, and Food Production and Transport; (2) he is to act through and in conjunction with the thief executive officersand respective branches; (3) his appointment, which is an unpaid one, is extra departmental, and, in fact, under the War Cabinet ; (4)
• he is not concerned with petrol control in. any sense as is covered. by Sir Evan Jones, but with consumptien after issue; (5) Sir Evan Jones does not control issue to the Services. He adds that he has pow definitely retired from press-work and will not return to it.
Dunlop's "Pink List."
A Commercial Vehicle Owner's Department has been established by the Dunlop Rubber Co., whose knowledge and texperience are at the service of
firms on their register of owners under their " pink form" agreement. Any owner of a commercial delivery van tised exclusively for the conveyance Of goods is entitled to enter his name on the coinpany's "pink list," and by so doing. he will, we are informed, save a substantial, amount on all purchases of Dunlop tyres and accessories.
The Dunlop Co's. new trading gees= having commenced on let October owners of delivery vans not already .en the list should write' to the "C.V. Department,". Dunlop Rubber Co., Ltd., Aston Cross, Birmingham, for particulars of the advantages conferred by it. A nut of the simplest design, which should find many and devious applications in the motor world, is the Conegrip, invented by Mr. J. L. Larrad, and made by Cayenne Motors Ltd., St. Leonards, Sussex. The general
simplicity, ingenuity and effectiveness of this nut may be gathered from the accompanying diagrams. In the one type the nut comprises two sections, the lower being recessed with a taper bore for about two-thirds of its depth, the remaining third being threaded as usual. The upper section carries the familiar hexagonal head, with the lower part machined to form a taper collar on a parallel sleeve. This section is threaded (internally) throughout its length, and slit through on one side as shown, thus giving it a springing fit on the bolt. 'The only part coming into contact with the lower section of the nut ia the collar, so that the two units cannot possibly become jammed. In screwing the top into the lower half, the _tapere,d4art is brought into contact with the collar and causes the top half to fit the bolt perfectly.
The Conegrip was thoroughly tested at Faraday House, the report upon which offers convincing reading. In no instance could the nut be unscrewed from the bolt by twisting the bottom half. In testing a number of in. nuts a resistance to a twisting strain of five tons was registered when the bolts broke under the strain. The Larrad Conegrip lock nut has been steadily used for some time past by the L. and NW. and Metropolitan railways, and in every instance has been found to stand up to its work. It will be clearly observed that with this nut pinning is eliminated. So far as motorcar practice is concerned it has proved highly satisfactory for big-ends, wire wheels and other similar components. It is also successful for locking on the driving wheels to the axles. Two small chars-l-banes we have seen fitted in this manner have covered over 30,000 miles each.
Electrics for Fast Ham.
The General Purposes Committee of the East Ham Corporation recommends the purchase of six electrically-propelled vehicles for dust and general refuse collection at a cost of 26726. Application is now being made to 'the L.G.B. and the Ministry of Munitions for the permits.
C. A. Vandervell and Co., Ltd., Acton, London, W.4 have for some considerable time been developing their new -geared type of electric starter for motor vehicles, and a series of these starters, known as the "Z type," has now passed through its experimental stages and is ready to be placed on the market as soon as manufacturing facilities permit.
The series consists of three models; " ZA," capable of starting the most powerful engines and for marine type of engines up to about 150 h.p. ; a mediumsized model, known as " ZB," suitable for engines up to 40 h.p. ; and the model known as "ZC," suitable for motors of about 16 h.p. The starter is provided with a pinion with an internal spiral thread •engaging with a spiral thread on the armature spindle. The starter switch is placed in a convenient position under the footboards, designed to be actuated by the foot. The plunger of the starter with being depressed'; the field magnets of the starter pull the armature of the pinion longitudinally, and the armature rotating slowly, the spiral thread of the pinion gradually brings the pinion into gear with the teeth cut on the rim of the flywheel. Further depression of the plunger of the switch to its fullest extent switches on the current, so starting the engine. The moment the engine is started under its own power it will over-run the starting pinion, which will immediately run outwards on the spiral thread of the spindle and so disengage the pinion from the flywheel. Hence it is not possible for the engine to drive the starter under any circumstances. It will thus be seen that no spring is required to disengage the gears, although a light tension spring serves to keep the pinion from chattering. The C.A.V. starter is exceedingly compact and light, and would appear to be amply strong for its work.
Recent Registration.
Smithara Garage, Co., Ltd., with a
capital of £2000 in shams, to be garage proprietors and dealers in motorcars, omnibuses, lorries, etc. Registered office is at Brighton Road, Gadsden, Surrey.
To Enforce Peace.
Mr. P. J. Mackie, of Mackie and Co. (Distillers), Ltd., recently delivered an address to workers at Glasgow on the subject of establishing an impartial international Court of Justice before which disputes between-nations could be heard and settled. It is his contention that the establishment of such a league would be one of the means for preventing the recurrence of the ravages of war. Part of the address has been put into mint in booklet form.
Cage Bodies for Farm Wagons.
The depletion of labour upon the ,farm has not only served to accentuate the many advantages of motor transport, but has also served to. emphasize the urgent necessity of increasing ton-miles and decreasing vehicle miles. In other words, raising the paying load to the maximum which, with certain classes of produce be it noted, is not always an easy matter..
But this end has been apparently facilitated by the Beadle agricultural cage body, inasmuch as it permits the vehicle to be fully charged with basket produce or loose goods Esti:eh as cabbage and other green stuff. Another advantage of this type of body is the facility with which the cage may be dismantled. The release of six bolts does the trick—thus releasing the vehicle instantly for other classes of traffic.
The body, which is the design and manufacture of John C. Beadle, Ltd., Spital Street, Dartford, Kent, is built up in six sections, and follows a skeleton or bar design, as may be gathered from the accompanying 'illustration of a 3-ton Halley fitted therewith. There are two sections to each side and two to the rear. The front end is formed invariably by an extension of the front of the plank-sided body carried upon suitable ironwork to the 'desired height. So far as the sides of the vehicle are concerned the may be either fixed or folding as desired.
While the cages are fixed they are readily detachable, the two side sections being held together by a locking link on the one which secures them both at the top. The tear section is likewise in two parts, hinged and detachable, with 'suitable locking bar, set at a convenient point.
To prevent cages spreading at the top ' when loaded, two distance bars are introduced, fitting into or over the top rail of the cages. These bodies, of which we understand a great number has been supplied to Kent-sh farmers daring the past few months, are designed to 'suit chassis of every capacity—from 30-cwt. to 5tonners—the dimensions of the sections. naturally varying as required.
The caging shown in the illustration represents practically the extreme limit of this type of body and will easily carry
the chassis load of v except perhaps empties. In the largest size the internal space within the cages is 14 ft. long by 4 ft. 6 ins, high—above the top of the vehicle sideS—and 6 ft. 10 ins.
wide, the cage being set to the legal limit of width, viz., 7 ft. 6 ins. We understand these bodies have proved eminently successful, 170 having been supplied during the past few months.
Pump Lubricators.
The R.P. pump lubricator, an illustration of which we include on this page, has been designed for the express pur pose of Overcoming certain well-known defects existing in lubricators for forced feed. This particular pump lubricator is of simple mechanical construction, and. is. of the semi-valveless type. In . tho R.P. design the suction valve, which has been responsible forrn much trouble in pump lubricators in general, has been dispense& with. The delivery valve which is embodied conforms to modern pump practice. It is very accessible in case of need, there being no pipes to uncouple or parts to dismantle. This valve is protected by means _ef an auxiliary delivery valve, which also acts as a second check valve.
The body, or tank of the lubricator is solidly made of cast-iron. The pump is screwed into the tank, and in consequence can easily be renewed, at a small cost. The oil-filling well is large and deep, so that it can be filled without the risk of wastage of lubricant.. The filter employed is of large area, and can readily be withdrawn for cleaning. All oil and steamways in the lubricator body are tested to withstand 350 lb. to the square inch of hriraulic pressure. Each lubricator is adjusted to pass six drop& of oil per revolution, and a sight-feed arrangement is provided. The R.P. lubricator, which'is.of Sound . and substantial construction throughout, is manufactured by A. W.: Richardson and Son, Skew Bridge Works, Patricroft, near Manchester, who have had much experience in the construction of this class of component.
Oil from Panama.
An American company is making plans for an extensive investigation of the possibilities of finding large quantities of oil in Panama. Geologists from the United States have made a survey of .certain localities and have discovered favourable places for boring.
Help for Agrimotor Users.
For some time past Messrs. C. C. Wakefield and. Co. have been making a close study of the agricultural tractor, not only from the point view of lubrication, but with regard to actual ploughing operations. This has resulted in the company becoming acquainted with various types of machines, and the difficulties encountered in general farm Work. They are now prepared to place their experts at the disposal of tractor users with a view to instructing them in the practical working of the agrimotor. Applications sent to the company at Wakefield House, Cheapside, E.C., will be dealt with in the order received. The increasing activity of the Home Grown Timber Committee with th.s necessity for domestic wood-working industrie,s to rely to an ..enhanced degree upon native resources in this connection is somewhat taxing motor transportation. The main 'difficulty arises in connection with handling the loads on and off the lorries, the baulks and logs invariably• being weighty and cumbersome. How the issue may be neatly met is shown in the accompanying illustrations of a 6-tan Yorkshire rubber-tyred steam wagon built by the Yorkshire Commercial Motor Co., Hunslet, Leeds, engaged in this traffic. This pellicle has been equipped with a 2-ton engine operated swing jib crane. The disposition of the handling device may be gathered from our illustrations, together with the complete command which it affords of the deck of the vehicle.
The (sane.: swings through an arc of 180 degrees, and is easily capable of lifting a 2-ton load at ii radius of 7 ft. 6 ins., and at right angles to either side of the vehicle. Two struts or legs are provided—shown in running position in the illustration—to steady the vehicle when lifting the load. When under test the crane only deviated 14 in, from the vertical. .
A geared bollard is fitted on the second motion shaft, and the rope can be worked either side of the 'chicle • or fore and aft as required. It might be mentioned that this vehicle NV £4.9 built especially for timber haulage and an' idea of its 'capabilities may be judged from the second picture, showing a 3-ton log being rolled up skids an to the vehicle. The makers inform us that they have several further vehicles of this type and for similar duty under construction.
The Motorscope.
With a view to enable a driver to obtain the maximum efficiency from the engine, an American company, the Detroit Accessories Corp., has introduced an accessory styled the Motorscope—a• most apt name. It is a device which permits the driver to view the combustion :chamber and thereby determine the performance of the engine. It takes the form of a metal bushing, possessing
three peep-holes, which is screwed into the plug opening in the cylinder, and carries the sparking plugitself. As cae.h explosion takes place the operator is afforded clear means of observing the colour of the flame, which • gives indication of the quality of the charge admitted to the cylinder. ft will, of course, be obvious that the Motorscope is simply a test deviee and is onlyutilized during the time that the trouble is being located and the necessary adjustments made.
tuel from Resin.
Following experiments which have been conducted in New Zealand, it is stated that Rauri pine resin can be so treated as to yield 29 to 30 gallons of crude oil per ton. The yearly production of Kauri resin is at present 8090 fans, which can be increased substantially if necessary.
Women Tractor Drivers..
A 'call is made for a number of strong educated women to do duty as tractor drivers on the land. A period of training in driving. and general farm work will be given free, and maintenance and certain allowances provided during that time. After completion of training the wages offered are 393. per week, with a bonus of is. for every acre ploughed. Application forms can be obtained from the Food Production Department, 72, Victoria Street. S.W.