THE MOTORIST.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16486, 27 February 1914, Page 4

THE MOTORIST.

MOTOR-CARS AND MOTORy: cycles',.

NOTES FROM TOWN AND COUNTRY.

Mr J. A. Henderson, who made the trip to Lake Coleridge a few days ago on a 3i horse-power motor-cycle, with a passenger in the side-car, reports that a part of the. road, used by the. Public Works Department’s traction engines, is still in a very bad condition. On the trip out he stayed for a night at Hororata, but on tho return journey he came right through. The trip was a non-stop one, and he had ho trouble whatever with his machine. Ho suggests that motorists, instead of going through Kirwee, should take what is known, as the Charing Cross route. There the road is goody and only two water courses, both fairly shallow, have to be crossed. By taking that route, the motorist will come but at the back of Darfield. The distance is somewhat further than by the other route, but the better surface, compensates for that. It is advisable, also, to go from Hororata along the Downs Road. Some of the scenery, he says, is worth going to see, and as. the whole trip there and back to.. Christchurch can be dpne in a day comfortably, he is surprised that more motorists do not make it.

The subject of fuel seems to be occupying more attention at Home than ever. It is pointed out in motoring journals received by last mail that in dealing with an alternative fuel to petrol the quantities will have to be considered, not in tens of millions of f;allons but in hundreds of millions, n 1912 the consumption of petrol alone was eighty million gallons; last year it was about a hundred million gallons, and the rate of increase during the next few years will probably be even greater than up to the present, and the “Autocar” points out that it is quite possible that ten years hence, or even sooner, the consump-; tion will be in the neighbourhood of two hundred million gallbns per annum. That is to say, during the next decade a hundred million gallons per annum will be required to supplement the present supplies, leaving out of the question for the moment the supplanting of petrol altogether, which surely should be the object in view. . The lueal supply of fuel for automobiles would be one entirely free from any possibility of shortage or price increase by force. cf circumstances, natural or otherwise, and products with petroleum as their base can never meet this essential. At one of the moving picture entertainments. in Christchurch this week there is a photograph of a public demonstration of an invention to reduce the resistance of wind when cycling, ono of tho greatest drawbacks cycling possesses. The invention is the work of a wealthy young French aviator, M. Etienne Bunau-Varilla. It consists of a light torpedo-shaped wood and canvas structure, which completely envelopes the rider, only the bottom half of the wheels being visible. It is not unlike an undersized airship. There is a side door, through which the rider enters and mounts his machine. The door is then closed. Mica windows in front enable him to see where he is going. Marcel Berthet, holder of the world’s unpaced hour track record, was selected to test the invention,' and at the first attempt easily succeeded, in establishing a remarkable series of records. The secret of the increased speed attained lies in the decrease of head resistance

and is tho result of lessons learnt in overcoming wind resistance by tlio development of aeroplanes. The ideal form has only been evolved after careful research, in which M. Eiffel, the designer of the Eiffel' Tower; was one of the pioneers. This form may best be described as egg-shaped, although tho tail is considerably more pointed than is the ordinary domestic egg. As a proof that the displacement of air has been reduced to the lowest possible degree, a handkerchief was dropped over tha machine as Berthet pedalled by at more than thirty miles an hour. Instead of being caught in the rush of air, whirled about, and carried ahead for a few. yards, the piece of cambric dropped lifelessly to the ground. Tho experiment was repeated with a cigarette paper; it fell without the least inclination to whirl. Finally a lighted match was quickly brought behind the bicycle as soon as it passed. The flame did not even flicker. The future development of this invention will he watched with great interest by cyclists.

The Paris newspaper “ L’Auto ” has lately held a competition on the fruitful subject of what constitutes the greatest improvement which can, under present circumstances, be broiight to bear on the manufacture of automobiles. One of the intending competitors, who was too late with his reply, after summing up various improvements, including the unpuncturable tyre) the brake; acting instantaneously .' at full speed, the chassis on an inclined plane to facilitate hill-climbing, steering by means of Hertzian waves, and other schemes even wider still, is of tho opinion that the most signal service which can be rendered to the automobile manufacture at present is to construct stronger motors and more comfortable bodies, with a view to making the Government comprehend that an automobile is not chiefly designed by Providence as a fiscal resource, but is mainly intended by man as a means of locomotioii. :

An early attempt wil] be made to improve the Adelaide-Melbourne motorcar record, standing to the credit of Mr G. G. White at 20 hours 6 minutes, since March, 1909. Mr Murray Aunger, who made a notable trip from Adelaide to Kingston in the Dunlop military relay despatch test between cars, motor-cycles, and bicycles, in 1912, when he covered the 185 miles, including crossing the ninety miles “Coorong” desert, in five hours fifteen minutes, is tho motorist after the record, and given decent luck, will make the coming attempt. He was one of the first motorists to establish a record on that overland route. In regard to the road between Christchurch and Timaru, Mr E. W. England explains that a motorist going south should turn to the right a few hundred yards past tlio Hinds Bridge. About 800 yards further on he should follow the direction of a finger-post, marked “Rangitata Bridge,” and pointing to tho left. Coming from tho south, a road leading to tho left is passed soon after tlio Rangitata Bridge is crossed, and a little further on three roads are met. The best formed road, on the right-, should bo taken, and this will lead to the Hinds. A reliability motor-car contest over 3730 miles will be held around France, beginning next month. Tho majority of the daily runs are more than 220 miles, whilst the route includes many climbs over the Alps. Interspersed between the stages there will be speed trials, hill climbs and. so on, at different points around France. The test will last for twenty-four days, and will be tho most notable event of its kind in the world. v .