APRIL IITH, 1908.
B Journal publisbet, in tbe interests of tbe mecbantcall~ propellet, roat, carriage.
EDITED BY H. WALTER STANER.
No. 651. VoL. XX.] SATURDAY, APRIL IITH, 1908. [PRICE 3D.
The Autocar.
(Published Weekly. )
Registered as a newspaper for tr111Smission in the United Kingdom.
Entered as second-class matter in the New York (N.Y.) Post Office
Editorial Office :
COVENTRY.
Publishing Offices :
20, TUDOR STREET, LONDON, E.C., England.
CONTENTS. NOTES • • STABLES AS GARAGES : A L EGAL ASPECT USEFUL HINTS AND TIPS.. • • AMATEUR RACING AT HROOKLANDS (ILLUSTRATED) , ,
'PAGE • • 515-516
IN THE House OF COMMONS-THE MANtPOLD UsEs OP A MANO-
516 517 518
METER • •
519
NON-SKIDS (ILLUS.TRATli:D)
, • 520-524
TnE MoToR CAR IN EGYPT
Smx LAMP S1zEs (ILLUSTRATED)
524
525
ROYAL C□MMlSSIONS ON MOTOR TRAFFIC-THE 2,000 MILES TRIAL 525 MY I DEAL CAR (ILLUSTRATED) • , , • , , 526-527 ON THE R'JAD-IS FRANCE (ILLUSTRATED) , , , , 528-53I THE ROYAL A.C. GENERAL COMMlTTEP. 531 THE fOLLEX D ETACHADLE RIM (ILLUSTRATED) , , • , • , 532 CoNTINENTAL NOTES AND NEWS: MONACO BOAT RACES (ILLUS·
TRATED) .. , ,
CHARGR OF STEALING DRAWINGS
.. 533·535
536
THE KALMUCKS AND AUTOMOBILES • •
CORRESPONDENCE , •
536
• , 537-540
A ,NEW AoJUSTARLE SPANNER (JLLUSTRATED)-A DETACHABLE
BACK AXLE (ILLUSTRATED)-A GooD ST!!ERJNG GEAR (ILLusTRArEo)- SPEF:ooMETER TEST • • THE F. H . S. TRIGGER Co,rnUTATOR (ILLUSTRATED) CAR ACCESSORIES (ILLUSTRAT!!:D) FLASHE~ • • • • CLUB DOINGS (ILLUSTRATED) • • ROAD 'WARNINGS-REVIEWS A.C. OP VICTORI A RELIABILITY TRIALS P ROWOONIK : THE N..-w RUSSIAN TYRE (ILLUSTRATED) A LEVER SPRING SUSPENSION (ILLUSTRATED) THE MOTOR YACHT CLUB CoMPARATIVR T ES TC: OF PETROL A :,,1 D ALCOHOL
541 542 .. 543-544 • • 545 -547 .. 548-549
549 550 550 551 551 552
Subscription Rates :
Briti sh Isles, I6s. Abroad (thin p ;:iper Prlition) , 22s . Sd. per anm1m.
( Notes. The 'fuxhaust Cut-out. The Royal Automobile Club might render the State some service if it " ·ould again agitate for the suppression of the open exhaust. It is a pity that the use of this ear-splitting, exasperating. and horse-sca ring nuisance is on the in c: rease, particularly in connection with certain ca rs of foreign construction. Next to inconsiderate driving and the dust plague, there is nothing so certainly and evill y calculated to earn for automobilists the general detestation of the public as the all too reckless employment of the senseless exhaust cut-out. In this, as in a 11 things, it is th e large body innocent who suffer for the small body guilty. In nine cases out of ten th e tympanum cracking reports of the exhaust cut-out will be found to mark the passing of the lolling, cigarette-chewing professional or the irresponsible, purse-proud hobbled e-
hoy who ought to be denied a car until such remote period as wisdom of a sort has in part a rrived to him. If the ev il and exasperating effect of this abominable practice be doubted, let the suburban dwellers on any important London exit road be catechised, and the exp ression of the naked thought will pile up conviction mountain high. The opening of an exhaust cut-out on a q uiet, house-lined road in the small hours may be sport to th e thoughtless fool at the wheel, but it is distress unimaginable to the invalid hovering between life and death, to say nothing of the harm wrought the nervy, over-wrought, light sleepers too numerous to-day in our huge aggregations.
And, after all, the maddening reflection remains that it is altogether unnecessary and of non-effect, for it has been shown again and again that, so far from slowing an engine, a really properly-designed silencer has quite the reverse effect. Therefore the use of the cut-out argues an imperfect and incomplete design, which in these days of perfected automobiles is unpardonable.
It should be understood that it is the abuse, not the use, of the cut-out to which we object. A cut-out i. most useful in the motor house when testing or tuning an engine, and it is permissible to use it on the lonely open country road when one is experimenting with the carburetter. We always fit a cut-out to every car we own for testing. but we can say that it has never caused the slightest annoyance to anyone, as we only use it for its proper purpose or as a warning to cyclists we a re overtaking in a head wind so strong that they cannot hear th e horn but instantly notice the sharp penetrating bark of the exhaust, and even then we shut it off the moment th~ we succeed in warning the riders. /
Comparative Tests of Petrol and Alcohol. On another page . we publish the results of a large number of comparative tests between petrol and alcohol concerning their effi ciency as producers of power. With the t ests themselves ,Ye do not propose to dea l at the moment. \Vb at we wish to draw ven· special attention to is the fact that these t ests have been conducted by the Technological Branch of the United States Geological Survey. That is to say, they ha,·e been undertaken by the American Government at the expense of the nation. Laborious and costly research ,rnrk in connection with alcohol fuel has not been left to th e enterprise and public-spiritedness of a few individuals. but has been undertaken as a matter of national importance. as it undoubtedly is. It should be borne in mind. too, th at in t aking this action the United States Government has not such a strong in centive as we have in this country, inasmuch as America produces its own petrol from its natural "·ealth of petroleum, whereas we have to import every ounce of petrol eum we use. ,Yhether it be in its crude or its most volatile form.
Great as is the importance of alcohol fuel to th e United States . it is a matter of small import corn-
