Cycling And Motor Notes.

Otago Witness, Issue 2894, 1 September 1909, Page 59

Cycling And Motor Notes.

BY DEMON. Last Sunday week, while proceeding to N-ew Brighton in hie motor *u\ Dr Simpson ihad an unpleasant expsrie.nce. When midway between Brecze'e road and Bsxleyi the car caught fire, and Ln a few seconds was a roaring mass of fiam'Sß, which it was found imposisibl» to extin?fuish Soon the oar was an utter wreck, only tho undercarriage and tho meta l parts remaining. A unique record -s that of a Mr Percy Nix, a member of the British Ramblers' C.C, who complied f oi the twsntysixth timo 11 eucceei on for the club's annual 10-milcs championship. This year h«* secured second place, but has many wins ro hiu credit. Betrlop id to hay« 0 and sports pa'aco in the centre of the fashionable quarter. The sit© alone cost £130,000, and embraces four and a-half acres. A strike of tramway operatives "in Philadelphia served to bring out ;jneat numl^ers of bicycles — ap insvitable result, — and furnished an oft-repeated ilhutiation of * their utility and ever-readines*. An important result of tl-o recent big Australian retlav ride, as demonet rating the practicability of fcha modeirn evele for dopatch-carryi-nf* an.'J scout work, ir that the Commonwealth, Defence Department is considering the matter of establishing a evelo corps, probably on the fc_uns line, a> that existing in (ircat Britain, whore th^ whealm*i:i enrolled number over 5000. I The latent kind of motor competition, f>n'l now being organii«d by tbs French Automobile Club, ,'s a motor-plough in? contest. Prizes t- the- ialue of £80 h'Me been a"otted. The Canadian Automobi'e Club has a black list coi ta-ining names of chauffeur, I who aie known to have taken their masters' cars out without authority. i Added to extra charges for petrol I and tho high licensing fees iv Great Bni tain, the extraordinary riso in the price of crude rubber will lender motoring a far I mo 1-3 oo=Uy diversion than formerly. 1 It is rath-cr strange at the present time to hear of horses taking fright in this countiy at motor cars (-ays tho Field). Such waa alleged to be the case, however, in an action brought a few w-eeke asro hv I th-? owner of a hor^e against a motorist. The former sued for the loss occasioned by the c!©at.h of the hor^e, which co damaxred i its=elf upon hearing the liorn that it had to bs kilLsd. The plaintiff alleged that the sounding of tho horn was a nuiVance, and was, in fact, the cause of tho accident. In tho result tho case went against him, no <■vidcr.ee. l>einf? brought to show that the horn nn ised iin reasonably Before an annual me ratine: of road surveyors in Derbyshire, ling-Land, the president in his opening addrass made ep-cial reference, to the road question, a.nd to tho increase of motoi care. A harder ' material m-u&t, he considered, be adopted for roads, and means taken to reduce the dust, for the public as well as the motorist L were calling fox a jiuetlees road-euri^oe. Be '

acloiowkidiffecf tbat the ooet of mating an 3 maintaining highways would 'be largely increased, but tie additional oosfc would seem greater because for the past 50 years the roach as a whola have been starved in «* lamcin.table degree. In addition to the motor -cycle records successfully attacked on the Los Angeles track, several motor-paced bicycle iecords were also lowered on that path. The dwt«.n«B ra,ni«pod from the two miles (flying start) up to 10 miies, the ride* bein^r R. Ihier, of Buffalo. The new timee are : Two miles in 2min 9 4-ssee; three miles in 3min 14 2-5530; four milea in 4-min 18 2-ss«ec; five miles in smin 23 l-sseo; ajjd 10 miles in llmin 6 2-ssec. Although these figures ara at present the- fae-tost intermediate miles yet recorded, it follow© that A. E. Wills, whr last August covered 61 miles 904 yds in 60mm on ths Mimioh track (Germany), must have "idden ooHsidarably foster than Duer. Reoenit figures from America, anenfc the tremendous growth of the motor industry in that covmiry make clear the reason for the- great demand for rubber in the United States, the result of which has b9en an unprecedented rise in the price of crude rubber. Th* official figures given by the New York Herald show that over 160.000 ca-rs are now in the States, - about doubkj the numbsr of automobiles in all Europe. In the State of New York aloire 69,000 cars have be'en registered. This year's output is put down, approximately, at £26,000,000. No. wondei there is an uapredereted demand for rubber! — — Official returns f.ho\nmg the annual maintenance and -epair disbtirsemenf* on London streets ck> . not bear out bits oft-en-repeated statements that automobile' traffic ruins roads. In 1901-2. when motoring was in its infancy, £745,461 was span* on road maintenance in London; in 1907-8, when moors wero runn.im^ about in tens of thousands, the figures weir© £745,501 ; whilst ac fnr as ckannns- and scavenging were concerned there was c clear saving of nearly In Europs and in America, too, those connected with the automobile business are no-b now so keen for th* sporting side of th'S car. Possibly they have had a ©uirfeit of cempstitive events. Seemingly, from tho trade standpoint, sport has about served its puvpose ; it wat a hi srh -pi robed, expensive sport wliiki it lasted. That it proved stimulative ar,d made reputations and paved *he way to some fortunes 13 undoubted ; but that its stimulation was more or le?s artific'al, and its effect not lasting, the cloprf«sed condition of the industry in Euirorpe, at least, scarves to indicate. The big oompaiitue evarots have ceased tc prove industrial stimulants; while the American manufacturers, as a who I©,1 ©, a.re> too busy to be long-er deeply interested in such affairs. ~" A. J- Clark. che Victorian, who was racing ion iV& Newark Velodrome with Kramer. Orets. and Mecfarland, pfirformed rreditatJy, beating Crebs (with whom Jihad »o me rivalry) in a madreriv manner I. robs had previously lowered Clark's colours. Tb Victorian was no match for Kramer, however-^afc least in Juno. They have bc,3n matched, twice. Ij the first instance tyre troubles caused an obondonment, bjj; on the second raieetin?; he could barely hold Kramer, let alon.e bea.t him X was admitted that, the Victorian was si ill too fhthj to do himse-'-f justice; hence tnore is a charge of Irs scoring; over the v^cK^ibtable Kramer er« the season, "doses cTckrt -that ever came to America from foreign shores." , T^ 118 * c * .^« lim^ he was getting into he tepfe condition Macfadand srstain^d a bad fall and broke his Isft arm. It ocourred on ths Newark track, during training opco-afcons behind a fast motor evele when rh» rear, tyre' of the oij. marhin^ p mrtur-ad, causing ,t o ye.- to he top of the track and <olnd© with the railing. Macfarlairt itas car.riH with it, the impact throwing him backwards, with hie left arm doubled urder him. It was found that the arm waa 'raottirfd in two places— at the wr.r.. and near .he elbow. Ths unfortunate arcdenir.wdl put the Californiar out of ths running for at least two monlw, and be.or© he c ? m again attain form the season will practical^ b3 o\-©r. —-There wera 15,000 *prc+a.tore at the ■fc-nghsh amateur championships , run on Juna 26, and th w appeared tc be well pL>a«^a with th fino racing display. The ebampicnshnrs re-ult-d as follows : — Qua.rfrf v B ,- Kin^ l > u»-v;u »-v ; One Mile and Fivt Miles, both won by W. J. Bailey 1 T~TV\r th ?r Cr y stei p a^e track, tng?J2'*- H. Hoaan rodo a tricycle 23 miles 1275ycfc m 60min, beating all previoiw records. Ho al.«o covered 25 miles in 63mio io-ec— a fine parformancc on a tricycle ——Major Taylor, according to recent mails l, as qualified for the slmi-final of the Grand Prix de Paris, the richest scrarch race on the Continent of Europe To ride in this event Taylor had to go back on his old determination not to ride on Sundays, and he appears to have a good chance of winning the big event, which may be some consolation for his saenf^e of principles. Friol, Major Taj lor, and van den Horn are the trio who are looked upon as likely to fight out the final. Walter Rut t, the German champion, who was so popular in Australia, defeated I<m,l and Schilling, two of the finest sprinters in Franco, in a special match on June 22. Kurt won the three heats. At Rouen on rho same date Major Taylor, Devoissouv, and Houilier met in a match race laylor won two heats and Hourlier one. In the House of Commons Mr Tennent stated in reply to Mr Fell that the total value of the motor ears and motor cycles and parts and accessories imported mfo Britain during the past seven vcars were: In 1902, £1,103,065; in "1903 £1,988,553; in 1904, £2,471.667; in 1905 £3,446,966; in 1906, £4,452,464; in 1907 £4,631,522; and in 1908, £4,177,901. The naw British tax on motor spirit is already stimulating the production of heavier fuels and carburettors to suit them. The company promoter has been quick to take advantage of the situation, and one finds our old friend benzol being widely advertised in connection with an equally old carburetter as the latest and best means of evading the effect of the fuel tax. Benzol is a product of tho coke ovens in gasworks, and is a cheap and excellent motor fuel thar will work in any good carburetter by simply increasing the air supply. It has hitherto not been pushed for motors owing to the competition of the petroleum fuels, which are mainly of foreign origin. The word to travel comes to us from the French "to work," and that is what we forget sometimes (writes Max Pemberton). Just as Dean Swift declared easy writing to be d d hard reading, so is travel that is not work rarely noteworthy. Motorists make monotonous iourneys upon long stretches of irreproachable high road, and then stay at home for a year or two. But

J T the true traveller frets in idleness ; the road - habit -has caught- him, and he must be up i and doing. _ France makes it delightfully » easy for us in many ways, and none more t, so than in the skill of her motor engineers. You may enter a lowly garage in the wilds . and yet discover a workman who would be . a treasure for • the cities. The genius of . Frenchmen for engineering is not suffia ciently recognised, nor their thoroughness. " We are learning this now in our own factories, and ' the success of the British- ." built car is the result ; but we took overj long to get the lesson, and our blindness j cost us much. . j Professor Hergesell, who has been largely connected with Count Zeppelin in his e^poriments, recently laid before the fc Kaiser a scheme which has been drawn up , for exploring during next year unknown . Arctic rclions by the aid of a Zeppelin airship. It is proposed to build the biggest ' dirigible yet designed, and to take it under . its own power to Cross Bay, on the west coast of Spitzbergen, which has been de- * eided upon as the base for the expedition. I From there, trips will be made with the - object of exploiting the unknown regions 1 of the north of Greenland and Francis 3 Joseph Bay*. The Kaiser is keenly inter1 ested in the projeot, and has promised to accord his patronage to it. Particulars' are tb hand by the latest English files of the English amateur 24 hours' bicycle track race, which the cables' ' recently informed us was won by J. H. Bishop. The" event was held at the Stadium, and attracted 12 starters, including CoonYbos and Pognard, two French • long-distance riders; sinjele and tandem pacing was allowed. From the starfc Coombes dashed to the- front, and was a Tap to the good' at the end of two hours, when he punctured, enabling Bishop to regain his lap. From this out up to 200 miles these two riders fought for the lead, the_ Frenchman then having to retire for a while through cramp At 12 hours Bishop's tally was 284 miles, with Coombes second, and an English rider named Pett third. At 18 hours Bishop had ridden 378 miles 1200 yards". Coomnes being seven miles behind, whilst big distances separated the rest of the field. At the end of 22 hours nine were still left in, although the race was a foregone conclusion for the vegetarian, Bishop, who passed the 500 mibs mark in 23hr 17rain 48sec— English record. Bis-hop eventually finished an easy winner, with 513 milee 1430 yards to his credit, a rider named Grubb finishing second (492 miles 1720 yards). with Coombes third (406 miles 1100 yards). The winner's record is 37 miles ahead of the previous English record, standing to tho credit of F. R. Goodwin. Judging by the popular acclamation, a motor cab-race recently decided at Brooklands appealed strongly to the spectators, whose enthusiasm rose to a high "pitch owing to the close order of running. Driven by ten well-known motorists, the vehicles were standard Fiat cabs destined for service in London, and each carrying two passengers. The distance was abouti four miles, and the highest speed equalled 21ar" miles an hour, the winner being Mr Harvey dv Cros, jun., his brother, George dv Cros. coming jn third two-fifths of a . second later,, with Mr -Charles Jarrott" a very close second. There was also a motor cycle handicap, in which 27 riders competed. Run. over* distance of 8a miles, this proved a- fast" race, the winper^ H. A. Collier, o"n a-Bh.p. M»tehk«9v- averaging close .oiis,7o miles atr Tvowr.- - By- -the '.way * it-i s • interesting to note that the police came to watch - the motor cab lace, probably with a view to finding out "what speeds these vehicles are capable of. Henry Sturmey, the well-known English aiithoiity en" motors and motoring, in discussing the possibilities of tho £100 motor car, says that, so far as external design, is concerned, he is inclined to think that it will be only by following in come respects the lead- given us by the American manufacturers (referring to tho unconventional motor'buggy), who have, some of them, eliminated at one fell swoop pump, radiator, fun, lay-shaft and engine gearing, volvos and tappets, differential gearing, .■"id, indeed, gear-wheels of all kinds, as well as the pneumatic tyre, ■t'hit we snail meet with success, and thet,euch a car at such a price can be produced v <* Provided that a, car can do what is required of it, amiwill not look too singular, if it c*n be sold at the price <L°sired, the £100 pub Lie, when efficiency, reliability, ami durability have' been proved, will p.rpfjabjv not be too particular as to the hidden cletaiJ6. But it will be only possible, even with these, to produce and successfully market ap acceptable vehicle at the price mentioned" by systematic production on a sufficiently large scale, which -mean*, of course, the installation of a large plain* and the equipm«n.t of a large factory, which, in it's 1 ~n. calls' for the> investment, of a substantjaF sum of money. All told, Mr Sturmey 'V not enamoured of the prospects of the #100 car.' for which sc manj people are patiently waiting. AEROPLANES WHOLESALE. H<:.lf-pago advertisements published in New York describe the delights of avaa- ' tion aimd the desirability of buying a practical aeroplane, ready for delivery within 40 days. The price is not mentioned. In America over 8000 inventcrs have flying* machine designs in hand, and eeveral hundred rjpes of machines aie actually in process of building. The plans for the firs* airship ga-rfge in New York — it is on tht summir. of ? lofty, fashionable hotel — have been fiJed. | In the meantime, the brothers 'Wright, while expressing tlhe belief that there is a great future for aeronautics, announce that thsy will not sell 3 -.nachine to any6ody unless hs signs an agreement not to fly ovetf cities. Aviation, they admit, is still in the stage when one should only eoaa over «oft> placDS, and that is the reason why tney dislike the Government tests )f their -.eroplanc near Washington. So far, there has beer no rush in America to buy flying machines, but publio interest has been aroused, and one big New York firm, Messrs Church and Partridge, has just established an " aviation, department," where you can buy aeroplanes and accessories.