Illuminated Advertisements on Motorvans.
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A Valuable "Hoarding" which is Neglected by the Majority of Motorvan Users.
We have on many occasions called our readers' attention to the unrivalled advertising medium which a motorvan offers to its owners. Many excellent examples have been shown in these pages, but these perambulating private hoardings are not appreciated at their full worth, except by a few users, and, as a praetice, however striking may be the appearance of these vehicles, they are only effective for advertising purposes during the hours of daylight. Notwithstanding their acknowledged effectiveness when fixed in prominent positions in busy thoroughfares, illuminated signs have not been used to any appreciable ex tent on motor vehicles. There is, however, at least one striking example of this form of advertising—a 20 h.p. Dennis vehicle in the service of the Ardath Tobacco Co., the illuminated dome-shaped roof of which van, surrounded by brilliantly-lighted panels proclaiming the merits of " State Express " cigarettes, never fails to attract the attention of the " man in the street." If such a vehicle can command the attention of pedestrians in a busy thoroughfare, how much more effective would be the same class of advertisement in residential districts and suburbs? The advent of . the "State Express" van in many villages, and even in small towns within a radius of 50 miles of London, wonld be sufficient to set the local population talking about the vehicle and the wares it is designed to advertise for many weeks following. That is exactly what the owners intended, and every motorvan owner should see that he makes an equally-valuable use of the vehicle or vehicles which he em ploys. If he neglects this forcible method of advertising, he fails to utilize to the utmost the capital repre,sented by his motor delivery vans.
It is unfortunately true that motor manufacturers and accessory makers deserve more blame than motor users for this neglect of valuable opportunities for the making of striking business announcement. There is a paucity of suitable outfits. Automatic eleetrre-lighting dynamos for vehicle lighting are effective but costly, and, in a few instances, unreliable; battery lighting, except for head and tail lamps, is inadmissible, on account of the weight of the accumulators and the necessity for their frequent recharging—a lengthy operation if it is properly done; most acetylene generators are messy, inefficient and unreliable, and some of them unsafe. On the whole, however, acetylene lighting is, perhaps, the most practical of the methods named, and the problem of designing a suitable generator is not an insurmountable one.
The accompanying illustrations show how Harrods and Whiteleys have turned the use of aeetylene lighting to good account in a. small way on the vehicles of their respective fleets. The Allen-Liversidge portable acetylene generator is the type which is employed on these vans, and it is certainly the simplest whirl, we have ever seen ; it is also a von-practical and safe device, and for these reasons it is being extensively adopted, by many large and influential concerns, for all
kinds of lighting purposes. As selfconta ined units, for use as ornamental standards or table lamps, as contractor's flares or as stable lamps, they are equally effective., whilst for vehicle lighting a single venerator can be arranged to supply gas to any number of burners within its capacity.
On each of the delivery vans owned by Harrods and Whiteleya, the generator is carried an the left-hand side of the driver's seat ; it may, of course, be slung from the side of the frame or in any other convenient position. It is not necessary to fit new lamps entirely, because the old oil lamps may readily be converted for the use of the gas illuminant at an almost-negligible cost. The pattern of generator suitable for a commercial vehicle costs In 15s., whilst the largest size, which is suitable for the lighting of a doubledeck motorbus, is listed at £6. To these prices must be added the cost for the eouversion of the oil lamps, the fitting of the necessary gas tubes, .etc:., the total cost of which, for work and materials, does not exceed 10s. per lamp ; a lighted sign, such as that fitted on the Whiteley van, rests about .C.4 10s. extra. The complete equipment of a van as illustrated, with two side lamps, a tail lamp and overhead illuminated sign, would, therefore, cost under £10, a sum which is less than might be charged for one month's rental for a similarly-lighted sign fixed to a building in any important London thoroughfare. As we have already observed, ono generator may serve all the lights on a vehicle, and it consumes ordinary commercial calcium carbide, costing, if bought in quantities of not less than one cwt., lid. per lb.
The simple nature of this generator is clearly shown in the views on the next page. It consists of a cone-shaped carbide cmtainer (A), over which a similar cone-shaped cover (B) is closely fitted. A vertical pipe (E) connects the top of the coneshaped cover to the distributing tap (C), which tap is fixed to the cover (D) of the outer containing vessel (1). Inside the containing vessel, a line is painted so as to indicate to what height it may be filled with water. Having been charged with carbide and water, the operation of the generator is as follows :—So long as the tap (C) remains closed, there is no generation of gas inside the cone-shaped chambers, but, so soon as the tap is turned on, water gradually percolates between the closely-fitting faces of the two coned-shaped members and runs down the inner wall of the vessel (A) on to the carbide, which instantly gives off a quantity of gas that is conducted through the pipe to the burners. The speed at which water percolates into the cone-shaped chamber is controlled by the balance of pressure between the head of the water in the containing chamber and the pressure of the gas within the generator. and thus the formation of the gas is
perfectly automatic. If gas is being formed more quickly than it is being consumed, the rising internal pressure prevents the ingress of more water until the pressure of the gas has been reduced sufficiently to permit of the admission of more water. So carefully balanced is the pressure of water and gas, that there is practically no " after-make " of gas when the burners arc turned out. What little gas is generated escapes, when
the pressure arises above that due tothe head of water, between the surfaces of the two cone-shaped members and passes through vent holes in the cover (D). but even this small amount of " after-make " may be avoided by fitting the generator with a simple telescopic lifting device; by means of which the top rim of the carbide chamber may be lifted well above the surface of the water, and if one or more of the burners be left alight, the small amount which has formed after lifting the generating chamber out of the water is consumed and does. not give rise to the offensive odour which is characteristic of many acetylene generators.
Just as we go to press, we learn that the London General Omnibus Co., which company ordered 7.50 of the bus type of generator a little over a month ago, has now placed a second order for 250 generators with the AllenLiversidge Portable Acetylene Co., Ltd.. the head office of which company is 106, Victoria Street, S.W.