Evening Star Newspaper, January 25, 1925, Page 80

4 Bus Taking Lead in Bettering Motoring for All Types of Cars Growing Popularity of Coach Idea Noted Everywhere—Improves Traffic Behavior and Regulation. Motor busses and coaches day by day are rapidly transforming street and highway transportation, but few motorists have stopped to consider how this transition is affecting the operation of passenger cars A few years ago the oversize ve- hicle on the highway was considered a danger and a nu tious drivers dared not at ass it unless the road wa fde and clear ahead for a qu mile. It was hazardous to be behind one of these hill and bazardou ad of when > n is belng reversed e modern were of all sizes and capable of all varieties of speed. When street and highway trafic is all of the motor type. and all mod- ern, traffic management will be a far | stmpler matter for every one, includ- 1 the passenger car driver. The rotor bus Is thus doing its part in eliminating the need for other varie- ties of traffic units. Busses in Commecticnt. This {a particularly well illustrated in case of the Connecticut Com- pany, which now operates over 60 busses in the Nutmeg State. These busses are already diaplacing the street car, to the material advantage »lof the average motorist, who now and handled quite killfully their smaller verstons along the road. d when it comes to hilly they powered for t ing re un ntrol in desc Safe on Down G i T general ell de s, are the rades. Watch to' stop his motor coach a’s plone ordered fro for use in Prospect ould hardly | ped 1 ) motor oaches ths into service { over the country v. Natural- en no- passenger On Six-Cylinder Chassis. motor coaches are built on six- ha the power plants in nces being equipped with rs to further increase thelr ncy. Four-wheel brakes are be- the rule, with air-brake tvpes as mechanical and The center of gravity Is or safety. Steering has been ped to a high point of precision and security. Springs, and spring sus- nsion, are of the latest design. And some of the busses are appearing with x wheels, a development that is sald )y some to presage a similar develop- ient in the passenger sutomobile. The specifications of some of the west models in motor coaches read Ilke the specifications of the average 10bile of tomorrow. Mechanical- they are abreast of the most mod- passenger cars and a little bit 1ead of the average car. In one in- ice a manufacturer is using four- wheel brakes on his busses before ng them' on his passenger cars, ch suggests the possibility that the experience gained will redound to the materfal benefit of his passenger car customers, who have learned to place confidence in the value of the changes he makes from year to year. Curb Loading a Factor. But the motor bus, as we now have it, is of greater interest to mo- yrists because of the time-honored problems it is rapldly eliminating. Drivers of passenger cars who for- merly feared the consequences of sub< tuting enormous busses in place of street cars for city transportation use now find that, because the motor bus takes on and discharges passengers t the b trafiic has fewer causes for del The Philadelphla Rapld Transit Company, widely known for ts efficient management &s one of the orld’s largest transit scrvices, has inds h streets greatly simplified an muny hazards eliminated. Since motor busses have been In operation the company has been in & better neial position to Improve all transit service in f{ts territory, which benefits the motorist in a num- is able to employ ormen well as ced bus drivers. Equip- nt {3 better and more modern. ix- street car tracks can be kept er condition. Co-operation in € projects is possible motor busses are in Connecticut. in addition 0 those owned by the Connecticut Co. These have a seating ca of 5000 and operate over 780 r te miles. In the Yellowsto Park bus service there is a fleet of 279 busses, all of one make. These statements can be repeated for every section of the ountry. Isn’t this gome hint to the passenger car owner as to how the busses will help him in his wor ot seeking better roads? Operate Easily in The Jefferson Highway Transporta- tion Company of Minneapolis operated 15 ches of. a particular make throughout last winter and reported that the machines operated through the snows better than had been an- ticipated. Tsn't ft obvious that the operation of busses throughout the Winter will result in more systematic snow removal methods In those States where Winters are severe? It is teresting to note that there never was any effort to keep the main highways open or to sprinkle dirt on ice-covered mountain Toads in one New England State until the motor bus came into vogue. Not only have the modern busses demonstrated their ability to cross the o inent safely and rapidly, but companles overrating transcontinental busses are already in operation. This should have a very significant effect apon general transcontinental motor touring, with better highwaye and touring conditions the inevitable re- sult.~ Tickets Interchangeable. The Spokane, Portland and Seattle railroad is the first steam road to offer patrons a choice of transporta- tlon facilities. A single rate and 1 terchangeable tickets prevail One does not have to have very much Imagination to see how much single ownership of rafl and road facilities will result In carrying out some of the plans of the recent National Confer- ence on Street and Highway Safety with respect to the elimination of grade crossings. The taxes that will be paid by the | bus operators out of the profits should g0 & long way toward putting the State highway departments in a bet- ter position to build bridges or under- passes, and where railroad-owned busses net increased profits the steam roads themselves should be able to carry out their grade croseing elimi- nation work at a still faster rate. Motor busses are becoming a motor ald in a variety of ways and their coming can be halled as a distinct advance in transportation. It begins to look as if the motor coach will be- come the passenger car owners big brother of the highway. (Copyright, 1923.) H. AUBINOE | | tng to Mr. Hannum, in its factorles. | The enginoers of the more progres- NEW CARS ARE SAFER. Late Models Embody Best Points in Construction. Depreciation, that worry of car owners, is much less feared If con- sidered as the price of safety. Bvery new car that comes on the market, or new model of standard make, 15 safer than its predecessor, both in con- struction and in new features of de- sign. When a motorist dcoldes to sacrifice his old car in order to ac- quire the new he is, in eftect, invest- ing in additional seourity on the streets and highways. It {5 somewhat the same principle that encourages a business house to tear down its trame bullding and erect a fireproof structure SAFETY IS MOTIVE INCAR DESICNING Engineers Doing Much to Pre- vent Accidents by Their Research Work. Manutacturers of automobiles are building their cars with a view to eliminating as as possible the probabllities of accidents. This s the opin'o! { George H. Hannum president al manager of the Onk r Company, who points out some of the problems of the manufacturer in their relation to_accidents, automotive industry, through ny asso: ons and afiilations, helping to teach the public how to prevent accidents and is doing all in fts power to have proper and more generally uniform State laws and city ordirances enacted throughout the country It s doing more than this, accord sive companies are constantly study- ing to improve the parts of their cars which will help to minimize traffic dente. Human Element Streswed. “The human element fn driving,” states Mr. Hannum, “Is the most im- portant one. Just as in learning to the knowledze gained only by e as to what the other fel- vou ‘meet on the road is going do Is really the most difficult to acquire, so arc the features of a car that enable a driver to devote all his faculties all the time to the single task of watching the road more im- portant than the ordinary mechanical safeguards. “We are prone to overlook the many onew features of motor ecar chassis and body destgn, which, while not so obviously apparent as factors of safely, nevertheless belong in this category. “Generally speaking, these features which tend to make for additional safety are more flexible power plants, added efficiency in braking, improve- ments In body deslgn which give driv- ers clearer and wider range of vision, accessible and easlly manipulated controls which permit a motorist to operate his car with a minimum of effort and without interfepence with his steering, advancements in design which allow the lowering of the cen- ter of gravity and the consequent Bottom: minimizing of turning, and discoverte: field which incorporation strength witheut the danger of in the metal- New Series 80 Pierce-Arrow 4-Passenger Coupe. Center: One of the L Packard Eight Sedan Limousine. made possible engines so flexible that the automobiles containing them can be handled in the heaviest tra almost as eca. a child's k car, More effictent ways of stopping an automobile in time of emengency (2 L4 interested more other during the year or so 1as been due to the spectacular performanc tion of cars equipped with four-wheel sily seen and in decelera- HINTS ON PARKING CAR. ‘Wise Motorist Gives Homely Tip in Getting Space. To avold getting wedged against the curb when leaving a parking space, back up a little with the front wheels out. That places tho rear wheels a little farther from the curb, making it easler to get away when the car 1s next run stralght forward and then backed th the front wheels pointing in toward the curb. Sometimes 1f you pass a good park- ing space and cannot immediately back up because of traffic, the drivers of cars behind will assume from the stopping of your car that the streets are too crowded to think of parking, and will pass by the space you are after. mply a case of practical psychology mooted question a year ago, now is accepted as a necessity. “It has long been & recognized fact that vision is the most active of the five senses, and recently car designers have been glving special attention to increasing the range of vision for the driver. The Fisher Body Corpora tion made one of the greatest con- tributions along this line by the per- fection of a full-vision one-piece windshield. The permanent top has also helped by making possible the use of larger light panels held tightly in place in the side curtains. Ideal Car Explained. “The {deal automobile, from the viewpoint of the general public, would be one with only two or three very simple controls Perhaps the in- dustry will be able to realize that ideal some day. At any rate, it is working its way toward this goal as rapidly as possible The placing of all hand controls on the steering wheel, under the fingers of the driver, has been & long step towurd the greater ease and safety of operatio “Advancements in metallurgy have not reached the ultimate and here we can expect improvements. Any new discoveries made in alloys will be reflected (n chassis deslzn. In fact, improvements In the metal industry have really made poseible the sturdy low-hung, safe, yet not overweight automobile of today. Car Seldom Causes Wreek. “It must be borne in mind that the automobile Is the heaviest, spcediest and most powerful piece of mobile machinery ever put iuto the hands of untrained persons of every rank of intelligence. In spite of this, auto- mobiies have been made so well and with such care that an accident due to an inherent weakness of the car is as rare as is & runaway horse in the city of Detroit “The automobile manufact done much to ellminate acc sofar ae the production of ¢hicle Is concerned. He also is read and willing to spend time and money without stint to do more. He is standing shoulder-to-shoulder with every agency advocating safety and he has gained a good start the task by putting his own house in order.” Many a bridal pair have old shoes on their car before the merrymakers get busy. j A Straight Tip STUDEBAKER For Satisfactory Tramsportation Auto Club Engages Children to Teach Gospel of Safety A Western automobile club has en listed the interest of children in the public schools in &preading the gos pel of safety on city streets. Safe curricula bave been Installed in the schools and the children have cor tributed some practical hints for p destrians. The following lines wers contriby ted by @ girl in the fifth grade “Let ‘Safety First’ be your motto, To keep you safe from every autor Look both ways when you cross the street, Or else great dangers you may meet REMOVES BUMPER RUST. Fresh rust on the bumpers can be removed without the ald of nickel polish if the latter 1s not handy when the car has been brought in at night. Dampen the end of a rag and rub the parts affected. Then dry. Sometimes a little moisture on the bumper, 1 the car is brought from the cold intc @ heated gaurage, will answer the pur pose of a temporary cleanser if rubbec with a dry rag. Common sense takes the guess oul of driving and makes safety certain. have bought it ~ yours is HERE / OLDSMOBILE DISTRIBUTORS 183514th St. Potomac 1000 \ \ \ | { | '500600000= A vyear ago the Chrysler Six awoke America to the knowledge ordered 200 busses for delivery early Repairing of Automobile Bodies, 1956, Pt motorists will # A T e A & ey rbore o Doors, Fenders, Radiators, Gas lerly fashion on many streets where Tanks, Lamps and Mafflers without the bus, it would be neces- ry to construct new street car lines. xperience has demonstrated that ||| Brobea sad Rottes Weelwerk oplaced traffic can be better regulated when Cars Damaged in Accident he units are more nearly of the one kind. Railroad trafic would never A Specialty have been able to reach fits present stage of efficlency had some of its v units run on rails, some on roadsand Sher e B aw. some crossing these lines of traffic on the seme plane, and f these units that a new school of motor car engineering and performance had arrived. The public clamored for this car—which brings new ad- vantages you see and feel and experience—and Chrysler was swept into the most sensationally complete success a motor car has ever achieved in its first year. 32,000 Chrysler cars were built and shipped in Chrysler’s first year. The public in the same period eagerly paid over Fifty Mil- lion Dollars for the kind of motoring only the Chrysler can give—and still the demand was not satisfied. In the homes—on the streets—in stores and offices everybody is talk- ing about the new Buick Six models that set a new standard of quality and price. Space 8, Auto Show H. B. LEARY, Jr., Distributor MAXWELL-CHRYSLER Salesroom Open Evenings and Sundays North 4296 CHRYSLER SIX Maxwell Showrooms 1221-23 14th St. See It for Yourself Northwest Chrysler Showroom General Office and Service Department 1612-22 You St. N.W. At the Auto Show Space 12 STANLEY H. HORNER 1015 14th St. Main 5296