FEBRWARV 24TH, 1906.

THE AUTOCAR B 3ournal publisbeb in tbe interests.of tbe mecbanicall\? propelleb roab carriage.

EDITED BY H. WALTER STANER.

No . .540. VoL. XVI. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24TH, ;i:906. [PRICE 3D.

THE AUTOCAR.

(Published Weekly.)

Registered as a newspaper for transmission in the United Kingdom.

Entered as second~class matter at the New York (N.Y.) Post Office.

EDITORIAL OFFICE :

COVENTRY.

PUBLISHING OFFICES :

20, TUDOR STREET, LONDON, E.C., ENGLAND.

CONTENTS

PAGE

NOTES THE A UTOMOBILE ENGINEERS' INSTITUTE-TWO-CYLINDER

ENGINES- S CANDAL... . .. . . .

THE BRAYTON ENGINE CYCLE (illustrated)

A D RIVE Rou"'1D THE SARTHY. CJRlUIT (illustrated)

OccASJONAL Goss1P. By II The Autocrat "

BALANCING OF PETROL ENGINES dllustrated) ...

THE h1PRov1-..n X1-..N1A CARBURETTFR (illustrated).. .

A Gooo ,-.MALL CAR ,illustrated)

.. .

. . . 227-228

... 229

... 230-231

232

. .. 233-236

237

.. . ... 238-240

USEFUL HINTS AND TIPS: ACETYLENE LAMP TUBING-PROTECTING

STEt-.RING JoJNTS {illustratE=d)- STARTING DARRACQS-THE TAIL LIGHT- PAINT FOR R UBFIER MATS . . . ... 240 THE INSURANCE OF MOTOR CARS (continued > ... 241-242 THE DEASY MOTOR COMPANY ·• · ... .. . 242 CONTINENTAL NOTES AND NEWS . THE TYRE RACE-THE EUROPEAN

CtRCUIT- PAR_AFFIN MOTOR BOAT S- PARAFFIN E NG INESV o tTURF.TTF- AND TRtCAR T RTALS - FLYI NG l\lACHHO S . . . 243-244 CORRESPONDENCE: THE DJ". POSIT SYSTF.M-FORCt.0 DRAUGHT TO

CARBURt,TTER- THE FORTHCOMING 'TYRE TRIALS-RAC)NG FOR THE IM PROVEMENT OF CARS-SMALL C ARS-THE l\JIA!- QUJS OF Q UEEr..~BEEft.\''S LET1 FR-T AI L LAMP TROUBLES-AERIAL NAVIGATION- CANADA ANO M OTOR C AR<;;- S I Z E OF EXHAU~T VALVl-SBRAKES UN FRONT WHEl:!LS-GLARJNG HEADLlGHTS- CAMB RIDGE'iHIRE ROAD~- SUMMARY OF CORRE!-iPONDt. NCE .. . 245-248 THE U SE OF THF. E NGINE A"- A BRAKV. 249 A CAR WITH A V ALVE.L t:<;!-- i\ l o T OR (i1lustrated1 ... 250-251 FLASH ES .. . ... .. .. .. . .. . 252-253 A Nove1, SPARKING PLUG illustrated) 254 THE GAuLot.., T YJ.E5 tillustr c1. ted1 ... .. 254 UN~OLVED PROBLEMS IN Mon , R E NGJNEFRJNG (continued) .. . 255 256 THE CLlM,t,.K Ur-.1vl' R.SAL J o1NT (illustrated) 256 PETROL M OTORS \continued) ... .. 257-258 C LUB D u tNGS: CLUB FIXTURt:S- 8EDFORDSHIRP. A .C .-BRlTJSH

MOTOR BOAT CLUB - LINCS. A.C - WEL~H A.C.-BLACKHEATH A.C .-MIDLAND A.C., ETC.. . . 258

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Notes. The Automobile Engineers' Institute. As 11·e recorded in our last issue, the first meeting ,,f the Metropolitan section of the Automobile and Cycie Engineers· Institute ,ms held last 11·eek. T o-day 11·e continue our report of Lieut-Col. Crompton·s paper. This paper ,ras a yaJuable one. and in every ll'ay worthy of an engineering society. We do not entirely agree 11·ith all the opinions expressed by Col.

'rompton. but he arlmittedly ga1·e the paper to µ romote discussion. and it is this d iscussion which we would particularh· criti cise. We can only say that in the main it ,ras a waste of time. If the Institute is to .Jo· good ,rnrk. its discussions must he. and might be. no less valuable than its papers. In fact. we have known d iscussions to be even more "aluable than the papers which preceded them. On the occasions to which 1Ye particul arly refer the paper itse lf has been 1·ery good. and w e discussion eYen better, an 1 more informing. Speaking quite broad I) , there are two kinds of good papers. One is that which is so far in ac h·ance of its audience that it is practically beyond criti cism ; they cannot discuss it ; they can merely ask the author for further in formation upon certain poin ts which may not be clear to them. The other is that which is ll'ritten intentional!: to promote discussion and the e licitation of furth :: r in formation and 1·arious opinions upon the different branches of the subject dealt 1Yith. To this contro1·ersia l cl a s. Col. Crornpton·s paper belonged, but the discussion. so far as it has gone, was not worthy of it. With \'e ry few exceptions, the contributors to the discussion talked about matters which were not introduced into the paper at all. They gave per anal expe ri ences. more or le~s amusing. but nothing whatever to do with the subject, and in one or tlrn instances they inflicted this sort of thing upon their audience at great length.

Then there was a lso a deplorable inclination on the part of some of the participants in the discussion who were interested in the industry to make the matter of their d iscourse more or less of a fighting speech on their 01rn behalf. and at the expense of their rivals. This sort of thing cannot go on. T t \\'oul d be far better to burke discussion entirely than to permit these exhibitions to Le continued. as the,· will rnin the i nstitute al most before it is properly established. This is a great pity. because the attendance ,ms a la rge and a keen one : but the Chairman marl e very littl e attempt to control the discussion or to confine th participants to the paper alon . A discus ion to he useful should either add practical in fo rmation to that gi,·en by the author of the paper or it hould seek to e li r it furth er in fo rmation. Then there is also that legitimate constructi,·e criticism which may be entireh· against the opinion held by the author, but which J oes not mere!\' deal in contradictions. Its holder explains 1d1/ and how he disagrees, and enrlea1·ours to pro1·e 1rhere the author is wrong, and thereby assists in promoting the general knowledge of the sul ject.

·w e cannot too strongly counsel the Institute to u1,·e its ea rnest attention to this matter. and to decide that it 11·ill either control its discussions in a businesslike manner. or that it will haYe none of them, and only permit those 1rho wi h to criticise a paper or add to the information it gi,·es to do so in 11Titing, these criti cism:i and it ems of information being embodied in the pri11ted proceerl ings of the Tnstitute. We have no doubt 11·hate\·er that this latter p lan would result in the majorit\' of thos who lightly take part in discussions writing nothing. because they would realise on reflection that the:- really had nothing to say. As it 1rns. the paper was not a1·ailable for perusal before the meeting. so that there ll'as no time for full consideration of the points raised by the author. At the same time. from what we have heard. there were a number of practis:;al men anxious to add their quota