CYCLING AND MOTORING.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 January 1917, Page 7

CYCLING AND MOTORING.

NEWS AND NOTES, ■Tust before Constanza (Roumania) 'fell into the hands of the flermans ISO,0(H) tons of petrol were stored there. This did not fall into the hands of the eneniy, for Russian sailors burnt it. A German opinion of the intrepedity of British aviators is contained in a. reissue of the Noueste Nuclirichtcn, of Kiel, in the form of a description of the Allies' air service by a Rhinelander. "The gigantic number of enemy aviators," states the paper mentioned, "exceeded anything seen or experienced in this war. By 3.30 a.m. they were already flying, and they cruised with the greatest coolness in the midst of our fire. They fly so low that we can make out the smallest details with the naked eye. Their aviators carry out peacetime manoeuvres, and are 'indifferent to all dangers. They even shoot at us in our holes and trenches with machineguns, and when they want to find our bomb-proofs they come down still lower until actually within pistol-shot. Many of them have been shot down, and when their photographs 'have been developed we have been able to distinguish the entrances to our shelters. Their artillery has much to thank them for. As a rule young English lads of from 18 to 20 years of age—quite little fellows—sit in the French machines. When they threw down that wreath foT poor Immelmann they , did it right over one of our batteries. Then they were off again;, and five-minutes later that battery was under such .fire that it had to change its position mighty quick. They are frightfully cheeky, these aviators, and" as they usually fly six together it makes no difference if one or the other is lost."

We 'have often noticed the carelessness of cyclist? as regards keeping their chains adjusted. In quite .1 large proportion of eases the chain sags to a very great extent, indicating that the tension needs adjustment. In the old days of the block chain and fixed gears such a condition of affairs inevitably resulted in the chain riding the cogs' and coming off, frequently ioing serious damage. There is much less likelihood of this occurring in the case of the modern chain and free-wheel, but there are limits.

Experiments in England, brought about by the limitation of petrol to motorists, have proved that it is possible to obtain at least 83 per cent, of the maximum power of a petrol motorcar engine by the use of ordinary coal fuel; also to the fact that it affords cheaper power than petrol. The trouble is in the storage aboard a car. It has been demonstrated that the following are the equivalents in coal as in relation to the miles per gallon obtained with petrol:—ls m.p.g. 10.5 cubic feet 01 gas per mile; 25 m.p.g. 13.3 cubic feet or gas per mile; 30 m.p.g., 11 cubic feet of gas per mile. At the price of coal gas per 1000 cubic feet, motorists can figure out how much cheapen it would be to run 011 this fuel than petrol if they could only evolve some convenient and compact method of storage. As mentioned in these columns a few weeks back, many public conveyances and road tractors are running on coal gas in England, the gas being carried in large rubber-proofed canvas bags. In one instance a Syi-ton char-a-banc carries 450 cubic, feet of gas (costing 3s per 1000) and travels a mile on 22% cubic feet of gas, representing a saving in fuel, compared with petrol, of threepence per mile. Although motorists in this country are not likely to be "petrol restricted," it is interesting to note how coal gas is supplied to the engine. The gas from the bolder is delivered at a point just above the engine throttle. A hole must be drilled in the induction pipe at that point, and the hole tapped to receive the screwed end of the ga.s pipe. The correct diameters for the gas orifice are as follows:—1-0-h.p. engine, 20-04 th in.; 15-h.p., 24-04 th in.; 20-h.p., 28-04 th in. These are maximum diameters, because.- the suction of the engine accelerates the flow of gas, but it is as well to have ample cross-section, so that there will be no risk that the engine will fail to give its maximum power when full power is wanted. The best explosive mixture is gained by the use of from 4>/ s to 0 1 /., volumes of air to gas. The admission of gas is controlled conjunctively with the movement of the throttle, though a. single link which is attached to the foot accelerator or the hand-lever control, or to both, thus enabling the gas supply to be increased 01 diminished in relation to the desired r.p.m. and power. This system of coupling up is, of course, but one of several that might be adopted. Gas engineers usually insist that the orifice shall be. actually drilled and disposed 30 that the stream of gas flows in the direction of the incoming air, and is additionally placed centrally in relation to Hie passage along which the flow takes place. The important point for the mo-tor-car user is undoubtedly how to accommodate the gas-holder. There can be no trouble with the coal-gas itself; it is a clean fuel; it is a true gas; perfect combustion is assured, and a clean interior to the engine as! well, because carbon deposit is practically eliminated.

The very latest fitment for commercial motor vehicles is the. reeordograph. The instrument records the time the car is started, trip mileage, the time each trip is started and finished, the number ot stops, the duration and exact time of each stop, the speed of travel at any time of the day, and the total day's mileage. The instrument is a clock arrangement with a tape marked off into ,ia hours of five-minute periods, and each hour is marked "0." In width the tape is divided into eight parts, each representing a quarter of a mile, in operation a straight line drawn by the pencil lengthwise of the tape reveals the fact that the vehicle has been standing still; ail oblique line shows that the vehicle was moving, and the pitch of this line gives the actual speed in miles per hour. The instrument is driven from one of the front wheels very much after the manner of the speedometer on a motor-cycle,

The lack of uniformity in the case of the cars used at the front, more especially the heavy traction vehicles have proved (says Motor News) a great handicap, and Ims caused much trouble as regards spares and replacements, due to the fact that it is necessary to lay in a stock of spares of every individual make. The authorities are now considering tlie question of getting out official designs for the assembling of the vehicles, so that the provision of spares will be vastly simplified. If this is decided 011 parts of different makes of vehicles will he interchangeable, even although they have been constructed in i different factories. The assembled motor lorry may eventually lead to tho principle, being adopted for pleasure jcars, and.should result in an ultra cheap land successful vehicle. It is in this wav that the American trade has -been develupeilj the ipigqrtajt eomn<jneiit pari?

of the cars being, as a rule, purchased from firms who have specialised in producing different components. The time is ripe fon the British industry to con sider this aspect of the question, for a vast amount of data has been gained as the result of the war. The vehicles have been put through ordeals which they would not otherwise have been exposed to. The fact, also, that already rival firms are in some, eases building parts of one another's ear?, or even the complete cars, should serve as the thin end of the wedge. At the same time it is never likely that this principle will be universally adopted in the motor trade, and it would be a disaster if this should occur. The British manufacturer is possessed of great initiative, and he is catering for a very cirtical public. In America 1 the purchaser looks upon his motor-car merely as a vehicle to covney him from place to place. The Britisher, in most cases, takes an intelligent interest in its construction and design and relies to a considerable extent on his own judgment. Hence the better class of car must be almost wholly built by the firm marketing them, and the interests of individuals must, to some extent, be taken into consideration. This means that tike output is necessarily restricted, and the buyer has to pay more for his ear than would be the case if standardisation were adopted —whether the car is made wholly by the one firm or partly assembled. The Britisher, is prepared to pay the extra price so long as he gets a vehicle which will suit his wants and possesses the features which he considers essential. It is this characteristic of the British purchaser which has largely resulted in our manufacturers showing so much initiative and turning out such super-excel-lent vehicles. It was exactly the same in the case of the bicycles in the early days of cycling, when a Becston number cost nearly £3O, and people of moderate me|ns did not hesitate to pay this substantial sum, realising that they were getting a super-excellent article. Now-a-days most British bicycles are built on much the same principle as the American cars. There is little original itv, and no effort is made to suit individual requirements. j