Evening Star Newspaper, April 13, 1924, Page 65

GASOLIN DANGERS *ASEREAT ASEVER Auto Association Head Warns Against Growing Contempt of Motorist. Warning motorists that gasoline is now a greater hazard because it is less feared, the American Automobile Asso- ciation has issued a bulletin from its national headquarters in Washington that marks the beginning of u drive on what is termed “contemptusus lessness." Because “nothing happens,” the bul- letin - states, the average molorist caches the hazardous conclusion that nothing will happen,” and as a con- quence he lets down on precaution tnd_actually encourages trouble. “'Gasoline is mueh more dangerous to motorist than it ever wi the A. paper explaine, ‘for'the simple rcason that the majority of motorist take undue libertics with it. The story ot out that gasoline is less volatile, and from this the motorist seems to have reached the conclusion that he can be reckless with gasoline and still be safer.’ Fire Losses Excessive. This explanation is said to dovetail with the experience of the leading in- surance companies writing automobile fire coverage. While the companies en- joyed a more jprofitable year than for- merly, it ie stated, the losses by fire are still excessive and still far beyond the conception of the average motorist. “We are out to forestall the sort of carclessness that develops from con- tempt,” declares Thomas F. Henry, president of the A. A. A. “When a motorist feaches the point where a danger no longer looks like one to him he has reached the danger line. Knowl- edige of the facts is the only thing that will keep him on the safe side. “Investigation of accident causes has developed the fact that many drivers are deliberately careless in the belief that so long as the other fellow has #9004 brakes there's nothing to worry care- the A Auto Unknown In Venice; Use Is Impossible| One might think that there could hardly be a ecity in the worla of any Importance where the auto- mobile had not by this time pene- trated. Yet there is one well known city in Burope where they are unknown. for the very reason that one cannot u: there. Thix s in the Venlce where, according Firestone News Service, with the exception of a few automobiles seen at Lido during the summer, there are none whatever on the Venetian Islands, so one must con- » his highway tours to the pro- verbial gondolas. vever, in the Venice district co ituting the provinces of Padua, Fudine and t ig estimated there are 0 automobiles. about. This same reasoning—or lack of reasoning—applies particularly to the matter of the gaspline hasard. “It has come to the attention of the A. A. A. that one moterist actually went o far as to light a match when seated in a Ford sedan in order to read the number of gallons of gas ‘in the tank as Indlcated on a measuring rod Nothing happéned, but that is just the trouble. This motorist will take further liberties next time. And that will be the end. “A very large percentage of automo- bile mechanies now smoke while work- ing on cars, even when tinkering with carburetors ‘and vacuum tafiks. Motor- ists see this and conclude that gasoline has ceased being dangerous. Because nothing happens they acquirc a certain | I contempt for its known hazards. It isn't long before they apply the straw that breaks the camel's back According to the bulletin the vapor from a gallon of gasoline, when mixed with the right proportion of air. p duces a hazard equal ‘to cighty-five pounds . of dynamite. Because this vapor does not always develop when gasoline is exposed, it is pointed out, a lot of tricks can be done with the gas tank without any immediate resuits. What happens, however, is that the full hazard Invariably asserts itsell when the motorist treats gasoline with the greatest contempt. The A. A. A. contends that contempt is the worst form of carclessness and that if motorists were as precautious as in the old days hundreds of lives would be saved annually. THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. 0., APRIL 13, 1924—PART The Sunday Motorist An Abridged Magazine for Car Owners. EDITED BY WILLIAM ULLMAN. Aprit Jobs, If you cam't learn to be a good driver, at least try to bo a good traffic citizen when you walk. illogical situations dom Is to Aind a motorist getting run He should know enough about | tho driver's problems not to act like | the sort of pedestrian who knows notliing about the control of a car | misjudges speed, direction travel, street conditions and most down. and of forth. ‘When is nearest thought who, stopping distances, showers bring May paint When You Walk. accordingly, you walk try you. of when the suddenly stepped into your member pjng an whether and sca the diffi d how you would sound y re him out of his One of the in motor- to think of yourself as a driver of the car that Recall the things you last pedest Ity You had in stop- u “deliberated as to wit take your chances on the pos: f hix getting out of your w ¢ time. 1 Etepping t acr driver in just such a dilemma When you walk past blind drive- ways st nothing ning your member By all rules of logic the good driver ought to be the good walker in traffic for he advant frequ ing t nes: able conditi horn, o, how of a out rivewny but that soinetimes you s You put what's golng a walker, alone knows the ze to which the put when mpensate f redestrian of street KT driver W ring, to a dead stop and sounding | you should also re- fail to look ahd be sure there ot [ i so | |.HuI]V don’t it it | make traffie | The 01d fieohanio Says: “This ‘accesslbility’ the auto sales- men talk so much about reminds me to tell you that the very layout of the parts of an automobile is enough to throw you off your guard when It comes to caring for the car. “Maybe you baven't noticed it, but you soon fall into the habit of g} too much ention that are a fan bearin’ shot Into the motor. You tighten up a few things here and there and fiddle with the horn in order to change itx tone. At least onee a w the fan bels, ar many times I'v with the carbure thing that ain gocs hegg “How about the valve tappets, the valve stéms and the valve springs? Don't you think they would be help- ¢ “a little oflin” now and generator me with your The ds of the front ones and the rear ends of the rear ones get 0 much attention that 1 wonder you don't drown m_in il It ain't because they all this or t any better off,f . but they're springs rward 3 to Keep in mind is that every time e handy part you kill one nd kil the e to b 1 This and That. Dobbin still has tomobile both ir tions" as well the exporte whi attention | casy | over the same period of time exported but_ 987,550 cars, Including those eent to Bouth America, Australis, Asia and Atrica. In 1923 some 101,400 Ameri- can cars were sent abroad in sections, being assembled at their destination. Dobbin, however, was sent over com- pletely equipped, which makes a dif- ference, Automobile underwriters profited by | the prosperity of the automobile busi- ness last vear. Voiume was high and loss ratios reasonably low. Some Idea of the number of cars that are stolen, | burned or damaged by lightning, tor- In.‘ulu or stranding, exclusive of colli- sion, may had from the fact that one New York company pald out $2.- {130,914 in losses in 1923. Five other { companies paid losses In excess of $1,- 000,000 each. Exclusive of those ready listed and some not listed In | the published reports ten oth 1 $600,000 each. The business for the insurers was r a matter of increased volume | of business with the honest and care- ful folks, who aiways predominate, helping (o widen the gap between premiums and losses paid. In rendering erdict of $1.296 in avor of a motorist whose self and ar were injured as a resu't of an un- arked obstruction on a public road, supreme court of appeais of Vir- ginla has established a precedent of interest to all motorists. According to the ruling the automobile driver hista right to presume that the high- way at nigl in a reasonably safo | condition u rned accordingly. rivers, however, will proceed safer assumption that any- ¥ happen. Did You Know. That the oversizing of balloon type tges that fit your present rims does actually raise the car a little many people are contend- balloon type tires, in ower air pressure with alls, do not “stand up” ght and for that rea- raise the car. on the thing n These on horn button on the steer- closes the negative or cuit and not the positive, son any “short’ the horn” and not ? Thug if the horn do not_con horn but| cutrent fuse the positive le box or ecircuit ve connection on rs paid | P O you fail to note that each time you | cross the curb line on vour way In or out of the garage driveway you falil to slow down sufciently to prevent horn and ' try | again. | That if you apply the brakes as the car starts going downhill it is much | the front fendcrs 1ess likely to get away from you th: down on the tires. P t \ If you defer braking it until half way | tion of this sort of th ! or further down? The average hill is| have its effect upon the treads of th steepest near the top. 1f you apply | tires—and eventually the pocketbool. | the brakes most vigorously at the (Cop ht, 1924.) 1 £teepest point momentum Is naturaily better checked, Three Trafic Trioks. When slowing down in traflic, shift to second before stopping. Acts as a brake, enables you to run slow with- out danger of stalling and gives you the advantage when traffic picks up again. When signaling to an officer at night, never have the headlights on. If you blind him, how can he see your { signal? n turning a_right-hand corner it is aqually important to watch the on- coming traffic, for in order to clear the projecting apex of the curb you must sometimes swing the front end of the car into the path of ohcoming traftic touching the button FEDERAL AID ROADS. | Ten years from now, according to | the law now in effect. wa may ex- |t pect to have 200,170 miles com- pleted. well-paved highw country. At present thero | about 00 miles of such ro federal-aid system calls for th in_co-operation with the sta Now Yu; Know. Tieve you ever been mystified by | worn spots on the treads of the front { tires? \When these appear on rear tires, the motorist invariably concludes that he has been sliding hie wheels in lock- ing the brakes; but this could not be a cause of front-tire “spot wear,” even where front wheel brakes are used, inasmuch as brakes that are on all four wheels do not lock, and therefore cannot slifle the tires, front or_rear. | Still those mysterious worn places on the front tires. You probably go to a lot of trouble to see that the wheels are in proper alignment. You may even remove the tites and set them back on the wheels carefully to make sure that the rims are not distorted through uneven tightening of the rim lugs. Having coneidered every possibility vou doubtless figure that there is something wrong with the tires, and never consider the possibility ' that the fenders are doing the damage. More properly speaking, the trouble e e originates with careless handling ol the car over rough places. Perhaps | TWO TOURING TIPS. Tire inflation should be in accord road conditions d from the tire keeping them recommended Over rough roads experi shows that the ance with lo | Best resul on up pressure. ence longer. 1 are again the On long tours where litt] o license plates to their cn | 10080 would not he n be avoided by ?.'J'.'.' XXX X S Y YN e DURANT § “Just a Real Good Car” Harper Motor Co., Inc. Open Evenings and Sundays 1130 Connecticut Avenue Liberal Allowawces on Used Cars :'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-‘-'-'-‘-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'.'-' % Oakland .is the only Light-Six with 11,E 4~Wheel Standard Equipment on All 1924 Models at no extra cost You wouldn’t knowingly buy a car that wasn’t up-to-the-minute, any more than you would pay good money for a house lacking essential modern features. By the same reasoning your new car should certainly have four-wheel brakes —a proved safety essential in a truly modern automobile. The owners of hundreds of thousands of cars thus equipped would never go back to any less effective braking system. The True Blue Oakland is the only light- six on which you get four-wheel brakes as standard equipment. These brakes— sound, simple, easily adjusted—give a new and satisfying assurance of safety under every possible driving condition. Many Other Exclusive Features - Oakland also is the only light-six with permanent top, special Duco finish, con- trols on steering wheel, special glass enclosures and many other exclusive features. If ever there was a car which sells itself, it is this year’s True Blue Oakland Six. Don’t choose your next car until you see [it. If you haven’t examined it— ridden in it—you haven’t any idea how much ability and goodness you can purchase at its low price. District Oakland Company Distributors Wholesale and Hetail 1709 L St. NW.. The Powerful Paige Walks Up-hill in Hig Now Paige Performance is Yours for $1795 RY this test with your car and know what it means. It is the great prover of power—slow climb- inginhigh. Then try it with the New Paige—prove its superior power by its slower climbing. For further proof —press the accelerator and watch the New Paige gather speed on the climb. Spirited Performance The well-known, big 70 h.p. Paige motor is the motor of the New Paige. ‘With added improvements for even greater performance, smoothness, silence. Here’s power beyond all need. Such reserve power means a motor that’s not overtaxed—hence long-lived. And the high-pressure oiling system keeps it smooth and quiet, postponing wear. You’ve never known such han- dling ease as in the New Paige! With power so flexible that you can drive 2 miles an hour in high, gear changing is rare indeed. And then the silent, easy shift and smooth-act- ing Paige clutch remove all effort. In turning, or parking, or all-day driving, Paige steering ease knows no equal — thanks to ball-bearing steering spindles. Paige rides as you have hoped your car would—insured by 11-foot wheelbase, 5-foot rear springs and snubbers, front and rear: New Low Price Consider all you get in Paige. Such performance; comfort; strongly built, well-finished bod:es; prestige of ownership unmarred by cheaper, smaller carsof the same name.Then consider the new low price. Only last year the Paige sold at $2450. The New Paige Phaeton, improved throughout, sells for but $1795. The De Luxe model, completely equipped, at $1995. The Reason Such a low price is made possible only through greatly increased pro- duction,—an increase made possible by an enlarged plant with a capacity 300% greater than a year ago. The important savings through larger purchases and lowered overhead, amounting to hundreds of dollars, have been spent in bettering the car, —-and lowering the price. Let us demonstrate how the Paige walks up-hill in high. You drive if you like. Just telephone or call and we’ll arrange an appointment at your convenience. (03-5) Main 7612 Adams Motor Company Retail Dealer 1612 14th St. N.W. Potomac 1742 . True Dlue Touring Car Roadster . .8 995 Sedam . . . $1448 Sport Roadster . 1095 Glass Enclosures for Touring Cars $60— for Roadsters $40. All Prices 1. o. b. Ponsiac Standard Models 7-Passenger Phaeton. . $1795 4-Passenger Phaeton. . 1795 S-Passenger Sedan. . . 2595 7-Passenger Sedan. . . 2595 Prices at Detroit. Tas estrs De Luxe Models 7-Passenger Phaeton. . $1995 4.Passenger Phaeton. . 1995 S-Passenger Brougham . 2395 5 or 7-Passenger Sedan . 2770 Prices at Detroit. Tax estra x WASHINGTON - VIRGINIA MOTORS, Inc., 16th and YOU STREETS DEALERS FAIRFAX SERVICE STATION Alexandria, Va. BALLOON TIRES Optional at Slight Extra Cost For Standard models (4 tires) $75.00 additional. For De Luxe models (5 tires) $95.00. Disc wheels—rycessary with balloon tires—for all models $35.00 additional. o FRYE MOTOR CO. 2105 14th St. N.W. FRAZIER MOTOR CO. RICKETTS GARAGE : . 518 10th St. N.E. Rockville, Md.