AU< >UST 10TH, 1907.

THE AUTOCAR B Journal pubhsbeb in tbc interests of tbe mecbanicalll? propelleb roab carriage.

EDITED BY H. WALT ER STANER.

No. 616. VOL. XIX. SATURDAY, AUGUST IOTH, 1907.

[PRICE 3D .

TlfE AUTOCARo

(Published Wee'.:ly.)

Registered as a newspaper for transmission in the United King,iom.

Entered as second-class matter in the New York (N.Y.) Post O{fLC.!.

EDITORIAL OFFICE :

COVENTRY.

PUBLISHING OFFICES :

2 0, TU.: >OR STREET, LONDON, E. C., ENGLAND,

CONTENTS.

PAGE

NOTES. USEFUL H1:-ns A:-.'D Ttrs. EISEMANN H .T. MAGNETO !GNITIOK SYSTE)IS (ILLUSTRATED) 8ROOKLA:-.'DS AUTOMOBILE RACING CLUB ON THE R o Ao. Bv Ow EN J OHN PREHISTORI C NAVIGATlO:-J ( ILLUSTRATED ) A NEW FRICTION CLUTCH POLICE- T IMED ROADS (ILLUSTRATED)., THE BRITISH INTERNATIONAL RACE • • lN THE H OUSE OF COMMONS .• THE GLIDDEN TOUR ( ILLUSTRATED) • . A NEw POLICE PROCEDURE A UN IQUE RELIABILITY TRIAL (ILLUSTRATED) CONTINENTAL )J°OTE£ ANO NE\\.'S CORRESPONDENCE • . CLUB DOING'i (ILLUSTRATED ) • • THE SEQUEL TO AN ACCIDENT • • MOTOR YACHT (LUB RELIABILITY TRIALS (ILLUSTRATED) .•

.• 219-220

221 .. 222-225 .. 226-228

230 .. 231-233

233 .. 234 -237

23 7 237 .. 238-239

239 .. 240-241

242 .. 243-246

247 247 . • 24-8-252

ANOTHER TEST HILL (lLLUSTRATIONS)-A CHALLENGE TO THE

,voRLD

FUELS COMMITTEE OF THE M OTOR UNIOX-R .A. C . DUST TRIALS. -

253

253

FLASHES

STOPPAGE'i IN THE PETROL SUPPLY SYSTEM (ILLUSTRATED) • • 256-257 AN EXAMPLE OF PREJUDICE AGAINST MOTOR CARS 257 THALASSA THALA'-SA. BY H. C. L. . • 25 8

7 ,,,.,, ,o, ._,o• ::;:::•oo), m. ~. ,., ~oom

" THE AUTOCAR .' SUBSCRIPTION RATES :

25 4

Hotel Garages. A very few modern hotels have accommodation for motor c.ars which is suitable, but the vast majority which display the word "garage" have nothing of the sort. In nine cases out of ten, the so-called garage consists of a filthy shed in which more or Jess dilapidated horse carriages are indiscriminately stored. Not only so, but the shed which the proprietor sees fit to call .a ga~age is very often inaccessible. It is easy enough to push a horse carriage into it with its swivelling forecarriage. but a motor car can only be manreuvred in with difficulty, and getting it out again may take any_ time up to .a quarter of an hour, during which period the careful owner is in a state of constant anxiety about wings or hood or other vulnerable parts of his car, as it is co axe d out a few in che s at a time.

Unfortunately. this criticism applies to many hotel,, which are included in the list published in the Royal Automobile Club "Handbook." When we say this, it should be understood we d o not make the statement in any hypercritica l sense, but we wish to infer that it is quite time there was some guide as to the nature of the ca r accommodation provided at the various hotels. The careful owner who takes a pride in his car is in co11Stant anxiety when t ourin g, because he can never be sure that the car ,Yhich he has with difficulty manreuvred into the so-called garage overnight will not b e damaged by some clumsy p+ >r while he is in the hotel. It is absurd that carriages c ting anything between £300 and £1 ,000 should be --r.-n..~-.J in an open shed all night in company with more or less di lapidated horse ve hicles, which, as a rul e, are not worth a.s many shillings.

Then, again, these miserable sheds .are usually infested by cats, and we have repeatedly found a car in the morning covered with feline foot marks, made all the more impressive by the animal having indulged in a wet promenade before starting to inspect the ca r. In fact, in one instance, the upholstery was very badly damaged, the animal having apparently previously walked in some sort of greasy mud, which resulted in several permanent stains being left upon the leather. We would therefore strongly urge upon the Royal Automobile Club the desirability of specially indicating those hotels at which proper lock-up accommodation for cars can be obtained; it is high time that some means of distinction between a common shed and .a separate lock-up should be made. There is no doubt that if hotel accommodation is not improved in this ) respect many motorists will give up touring dtogether. The constant anxiety lest his car should be damag< >·r , prevents a man who really takes a pride in hi-. Jl' .. -'4'1~ from obtaining the full enjoyment of .a tour. eb.icle

What makes the matter worse is the fact motorist cannot, in the majority of cases, ea t tbe mind by storing his car at the local motor ag . .,. nis garage instead of at the hotel , for the .accommoda1 ' there is often only a shade less rough and ready tna. that at the hotel. The number of agents' garagei; ii which separate lock-up accommodation is provided ·. probably less than that of hotel garages, although it i~ only fair to say that in the vast majority of cases an agent's garage attendants, being more accustomed to handle motor cars. are much more likely to see that a car is not damaged than the average yard man of the average hotel. /;

The Great Event of 1908. L/ We recently anno unced that the Jfo.':al Automobile Club proposed to hold a 2 ,ooo miles reliability trial in June next. The matter has now been further discussed, and the broad lines have been decided on. The event will not only be a reliability trial, but something more than this. as there will be at least twentv miles of timed hill-climbs. This is a great improvement on the