OCTOBER 5TH , 1907.

THE · AUTOCAR B :Journal publtsbeb in tbe interests of tbe mecbantcalll? propelleb roab carriage.

EDITED BY H. WALTER STANER.

No . 624. VoL. X IX. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5TH, 1907. [PRICE 3D.

TflE AUTOCAR.

(Published Weekly.)

Registered as a n~w!=paper for transmission in the United Kingdom,

Entered as second-class matter in the New York (N.Y.) Post Office.

EDITORIAL OFFICE :

COVENTRY.

PUBLISHING OF?ICES :

2 :i, TUDOR STREET, LONDON, E.C., ENGLAND.

CONTENTS.

P A. Git

NOTES

USEFUL HINTS AND TIPS: ON PETROL TANKS (CONCLUDED} ..

T HE 25-35 H.P. CLEMENT CAR (ILLU'3TRATED) THE LADY M OTORISTS' PAGE • • THE WINTON SIX-TEEN-SIX (ILLUSTRATED)

517-518 . • 519 520·52I 522-523

. • 524

A LOOKING BACKWARD GLASS (ILLUSTRATED) • • R UBBER IN ROAD DUST AN AUTO~iOBILE HUNT-A NEAT S PARE TYRE C ARRIER A SUGGESTION FOR THE TOURIST TROPHY RACE • •

THE MICHELIN MECHANICAL TYRE I NFLATOR THE 30 H.P . StODELEY CAR (ILLUSTRATED) ON BENzoL. Bv OwEN JOHN CONTI NENTAL NOTES AND NEWS ( ILLUSTRATED) • • CORRESPONDENCE

3,000 MILES ON BENZOL A TYRE·SAVlNG DEVICE (ILLUSTRATED) . • BROOKLANDS AUTOMOBILE RACING CLUB . • MOTOR RAClNG IN AMERICA ( ILLUSTRATED ) CLUB DOINGS • • FLA,~l-tES • • SOME R ECE~T PATENTS ALCOHOL FUEL : ITS ADVANTAGE£ ANO DRAW RACKS ° 1 .. SoME QUERIES AND REPLTES • • ALLOYS OF ALUMINIUM AND CoPPER

524 . . 52 5 . . 526

527 . . 527 528-530 . . 531 532-534 5,5-539 · · 540 ·. 540 · · 541 · · 542 · · 543 544-546 · · 547 . . 548 · · 5!9 . . 550

1'"• "' ASro,a:~:::~oo,, ,~ ~ ~rnooro

" THE AUTOCAR" SUBSCRIPTION RATES:

Rear Lights. Quite recently th ere has been much discussion about the desirability of cyclists ca rrying lamps which would show a red light t o the rea r. Strangely enough, this suggestion (which is, of course, a very o ld one indeed) has excited most indignant protests from those clever people who always s.ee in every commonsense suggestion an attempt to interfere with the liberty of the subject. Consequently they have combated the mere suggestion that it is advisable for cyclists to carry red lights, but when someone greatly daring has suggested -0nce more--we believe this time in the Dai ly Mailthat cycl ists should be compelled by law to show a rear light, these champions of the downtrodden have absolutelv lost their heads in their overwhelming indignation. We do not propose t o discuss the matter a t any length, because there is no need to do so. All that is necessary is to briefly state facts, and the facts are these. For many years cycles were the fastest vehicles on the mad , and their riders very wisely agitated year after year for regulations making it compulsory for .all horsed vehicles to carry a red rear light. The people who drove horsed carts combated the · suggestion with vigour, and as every ~ser of the roads by night knows they still crawl about without showing a backward gleam of any sort in many parts of the country. What cyclists fail to recognise is the fact that they .a re no longer the fastest travellers on the road, and practically every .argument they introduced in favour of horse vehicles carrying rear red lights now applies to cycles. We admit with sorrow that it would be troublesome for the cyclist to h1¾ve to carry a lamp showing a red light backward, but every regulati on for the public safety entails more or less bother for the individual, and therefore we advise cyclists, unless they wish to look very foolish , t o do all in their power to make it compulsory for every vehicle from the bicycle to the timber tug . to carry a rear light on its o ff side. The only vehicle they need not trouble a.bout is the motor car, bec·a.use it is already compell by law to show a rear red light, though , as it r s faster than horse carts, carriages, or bicycles, thi regulation is in its case least necessary.

It will be int erestin g, now that the use of Watling Street is being cultivated by motorists, and now that the errand old Roman road is to be properly signposted by the Royal Automobile Club, if some investigation5 could be made concernin g its many diversions fr om the practicall y direct line laid out by the R omans. For instance, there is a portion o.f the old road between Weedon and Dunsland, about nine miles, which is, fo r the greater portion of the way, unusable. Up t o Wl.-edon the lin e of Watling Street is followed closely by the main Holyhead Road for a long way, but from Weedon one has to go via Daventry .and Kilsb y, two or three miles out of the way, before one can rejoin the great thoroughfare at Dunsland , which is about two miles north of Ki lsby. Of course, there are many other diversions from the Roman road , but we mention this particular one as being among the best known, because it always seems rather disappointing t o have to turn o ff the long straight highway at Weedon and to start dodging round corners again all the way to Daventry, and the n up the lane at Daventry to Dunsland, for, after all, the road to Dunsland b y Kilsby is onl y a superior lane. The same remarks appl y t o several miles of Watling Street, althou gh for many miles, where it has not been interfered with, this does not matter verv much. At any r.ate, there is no doubt that a grand , throu.gh route could be made if the unused parts of Watling Street were once more put into commission and the old road kept up as a continuous road once more. In time, when motoring is stronger and opposition less intense, we hope that