Evening Star Newspaper, July 25, 1926, Page 63

URGES DRUNKEN * DRIVERS BE JAILED Maryland Motor Vehicle Com- missioner Holds Safety of Public at Stake. Penitentiary sentences for drunken drivers are the best possible deterrent for this growing menace to human life, in the opinion of E. Austin Baugh- man, Maryland motor vehicle commis- sioner. In making this statement land official made it clear question of a man's right or mot to drink intoxicant involved in any way. Declaring that he “has vet to hear a sound argument against sending drunken automobile operators to jail,” Commissioner Baughman savs “In this connection T desire to be understood ting my _belief— based on over nine vears of officlal ob- servation and ana that no one user of the highw has the right to so conduct hims s to endanger through his own acts the lives of other users of the highways. At the same time T am convinced that the drunken driver is becomi a deadly menace, not only to pedestrians, but to other motorists also. Deaths Show “Statistics from some 85 cities show an alarming increase in automobile deaths directly chargeable to the more or less insane recklessness of intoxi cated joyriders. With others who are studying the question I feel that the hour has arrived for such organi- zatlons as the National Safety Coun- cil and its affiliate organizations, Chamber of Commerce and automo: bile clubs throughout the country to unite in a determined drive to reduce the number of fatalities caused by this particular type of ‘human ele- ment’ in the traffic problem which the entire countr and, indeed, the entire world—is’ trying to meet and Ive. “We should, fn no =oft-hearted nor mushy way, impress upon motor- ists whp are addicted to taking a drink that unless they fix and observe a dead-line which allows a wide margin of safety that they face the chance of an appreciable s behind iron bars if they attempt to drive an auto- mobile after having taken any intoxi- cating liquor. One Drink Incapacitates. ‘Even one drink of the poison that is being peddled these days is enough in many instances to incapacitate many motort If they will not see and avoid this risk then a national campaign backed by drastic fail sen- tence must be instituted to curb this the Mary- that the to ain. tatistics received from reliable sources throughout the country show that the loss of life and limb caused by drunken drivers is increasing every month, partly due to the fact that some of the courts have been lax in imposing adequate sentences on offenders convicted of killing or injuring people while driving under the fnfluence of liquo In some citles, however, where judzes have imposed seemingly harsh sentences, the number of automobile fatalities has decreased, thus evidencing that aych examples deter people from in- dulging in drunken joyri Dangerous as Gunmen. drunken driv if not more hold-up man will “The as dangerous, gunman. not hoot his victim except in extreme cases, and often does not use his weapon except to scare his victims. But the drunken driver has lost all sense of responsibility. I have yet to hear a sound argument against sending drunken drivers to jail. “Most drunken motorists should go to the penitentiary, though T think that such sentences should be op- tional with the courts, even if many of taem have been too easy with such criminals. The judge who hasn't the courage to do his duty in such cases Is & poor excuse for a magistrate. He should be replaced by a man with | backbong.” FRONT-END DRIVE IS CALLED BETTER Builder of Racing Car Tells Advantages of Method Over OId Type. ‘Will front-end drive soon be a. fea- ture of the American passenger au- tomobile? The question has been |asked with increasing frequency of late in automotive engineering circles following the success of the special racing cars which embodied this me- chanical feature In recent speedway events Harry Miller of Los Angeles, builder of this typer of racing machine, was |quizzed as to the future of the devel- | opment as it applied to passenger ma- hines at the Summer meeting of the Society of Automotive Engineers. This type of drive has many possi- bilities, he declared, among others that: Tt pulls instead of pushing the car. It permits the body to begplaced as low as desired. It is easy to drive. It steers more easily without any need for oversteering. It has all the mechanism at the front, where it is accessible. He said that as much of the car weight as possible is placed on the front wheels. All that is carried on the rear is the fuel tank, and the rear axle weighs only about 26 pounds. The unsprung weight on the front axle is only about 20 pounds more than it would be with conventional construc: tion. The transmission is carried by the frame. and a bent axle goesaround it. The brakes are on the transmis- sion instead of on the wheels. The front wheels have no tendency to shimmy if they are balanced. The universal joints rotate at wheel speed instead of engine speed, and the ex- treme up-and-down movement is oniy about 1% inch On the turning radius four ball bearings are used in each joint. On the racing cars the steering angle is about 30 degrees, al- though never more than 3 or 4 de- grees is used in making the track turns. The racing cars are driven by tiny eight-cylinder engines of 23-16 inches bore by 8 inches stroke and have a piston displacement of 9113 cubic Inches. The engines have a super- charged compression ratio of §.35 to 1 at the maximum crankshaft speed of 7,000 revolutions per minute, and de- velop 154 horsepower. A car speed of 130.8 miles per hour has been attained on the board track at Los Angeles. The supercharger, said Mr. Miller, is seven inches in diameter and the tips of the blades have a peripheral speed of 68,533 feet per second, or 720 miles per hour. This gives a supercharging pressure of 161 pounds. From 18 to 20 horsepower is required to drive the supercharger at maximum engine speed enumerating G W, o/ Narragansett | Pier COMPILED BY. THE AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF AMERICA 12 E.53rd.St. INEW YORK CITY JOURNEY TO TIP OF CAPE COD ONE OF PRETTIEST IN EAST Seafaring Atmosphere of South Coast Towns, His- torical Air of Northern Capped by Quaint Provincetown. For the motorist seeking good roads combined with scenle ‘country rich in historical and literary asso- clations, the run to the tip of Cape Cod and Provincetown should be one of more pleasant experiences on the gasoline trail to which one will return again and again. From New York one follows the Boston Post road to Providence, and thence to Cane Cod by way of Fall River and New Bedford. The first part of the trip also may be made by going to New Bedford by way of Newport. If this route is chosen, it will offer two breezy ferry rides across Narragansett Bay as a pre- Iiminary introduction to the sea that lushes the coast of the Cape Cod country, After one passes New RBedford. with its seafaring atmosphere, one comes to Fairhaven, with the*next town, Mattapoisett, typical of the Caps Cod community of clustering houses surrounded by tall arching trees. On toward Wareham the route goes, to pass through the gateway to the “Land of the Windmills."” To outline the whole cape, one goes south frem Buzzards Bay, but if th trip is scheduled so that time is lim- | ited, it may be shortened by making directly for Hyannis on the South Shore from Barnstable There are many pretty little towns on the cape which well serve as headquarters for motorists who de- sire a point from which they can make their explorations. One of these is West Harwich, situated at a point where the country is flatter, | and without the hills that are found to the westward. Chatham, called the “grav ships,” because of its treac coast ‘that has meant death to many a sailor, s added, despite its terror, to the grandeur of the country there- abouts. Chatham's white sands are suggestive of the Maine coast or the Silver Strand of California. Scenery flanking the road from the elbow to the tip of the cape is as varled as it is fascinating. Rolling ¥ hills, sharp curves and clustering pine trees that reveal the frequent glimps of the blue sea beyond are char: istics of an ideal motoring count But the scenic beauty is only part of the fascination of the Cape Cod region. There are countless other fea- tures that interest the visitor. At Welfleot the deep waters and the sheer rocks are reminiscent of stories of the pirate, Bellamy, whose crew of swashbucklers were decoyed and de- stroyed upon the rocks. Through more picturesque country and one reaches Provincetown, on the extreme end of the cape. In a region, as quaint as it is beautiful, the home of the Provincetown Players has been given a setting in a background fully in keeping with its theatrical fame, There the one narrow street is lined with quaint houses, and one must drive with due caution when the sea- sonal throng of vacationists are on hand Provincetown may be spotted many miles away because of the Pligrims’ Monument, which commemorates the first_dropping of the anchor of the Mayflower. From Provincetown, one may go back over the road to Orleans and then along the north shore. which is none the less entrancing than is the ELECTRICIANS Julius H. Rieley 656-58 Pa. Ave. S.E. Lincoln 7280 A new beauty note in the Hupmobile Six. And performance that wins and holds the ap- proval of men who really know motor cars. Built tostand up at low cost over a long period of years—toholditsown with the most expen- sive cars on the road. HUPMOBILE STERRETT & FLEMING, Inc. Home of the Certified Gold Seal Used Cars Note: New Showroom, Connecticut Ave. at S St. Champlain St. at Kalorama Road Columbia 5050 ern seacoast. It was at Ba stable, through which the road passe: that Priscilla lived, while Plymout stands out as the beginning of colonial history on the North Atlantic coast, the Pilgrims having made their land- ing there. In the old burial ground, overlooking the sea, lie the remains of the first settlers, while in a museum rich in mementos of those trying day three centuries ago, and in many land- marks scattered in and about the town, are reminders of the sturdy folk who settled the north coast. The tour may be continued north- westward along the coast to Boston and then northward or westward into more country of rolling hills and steep mountain grades, with many apparent proofs of the slogan, ee America first.” NEW DEVICE PREVENTS STALLING AT LOW SPEED| Recently Patented Transmission System Said to Eliminate Gear Shifting Altogether. Electric géar shifting arrange- ments and other similar devices de- signed to free the driver from this burdensome feature of car opera- tion have been tried on automobiles for vears. Now comes a Beaver Dam, Wis., man who has patented a transmis- slon system that eliminates gear shifting altogether. In addition, the claim is made for the Schlay product that it prevents stalling at low en- gine speeds. The working feature of the inven- tion lles in an adjustable eccentric by which the output of the engine is adapted to the load or the resistance of the traction wheels. The inventor was awarded the patent on his device a month ago. Do You Know That— The only genuine reservoir of elec- tricity in the automobile is the con- denser? The speed of an automobile engine can, and sometimes does, exceed that speed at which horsepower reaches its peak, but at a great risk? Hard riding springs are a source of power loss since the engine must com- pensate for the lack of freedom with which the car adjusts itself to the in- equalities of the road surface? John Smith and His Car BY FREDERICK C. RUSSELL John Smith is a character whom every motor; is not selfish; rather he is a motoring have exploited, in an interesting way, hi other members of the motor clan. the 20,000,000 or m: No. 160—Change as a Remedy. ““This car is getting to be somewhat of an annoyance,” Smith surprised me by complalning recently. “I think I'll have to get another Maybe 1 want just a change.” “If that's all you want," I suggest- ed, “why don't you change some de- tailed feature of the ca You'd be surprised to find what a big differ- ence it may make in the whole car.” “Oh, but the engine s a carbon collector,” he argued. ‘I don’t know what you could do to change that, unless you buy me some magic fuel.” “Another brand of fuel, or another type will make a big difference,” T replied, “but just for the present let's try a much simpler type of change.” Smith agreed to this proposal, but was annoyed when he found that I was going to tighten the fan belt. here's nothing wrong with the fan,” he sald. “It's turning all right and certainly you can't say the belt is loose. Leave it alone.” But I tightened the belt and, lock- ing the hood. suggested that he give the car a trial spin over a few good hills where the carbon ordinarily would cause knocking. A half hour later Smith came back with wonder- ment written all over his face. Trouble's Magical EXit. It seems that the engine had made all the hills he tried in high and with- out the knocking that had become such a bore to him. “A little change is good for any- thing, including itomobile en- gine,” T explained. our fan was working well enough to keep a clean engine cool, but not one that tends to overheat because of the higher com pression and the tendency to preigni- tion caused by the deposits of carbon. The extra cooling seems to be needed for normal performance when ab- normal conditions exist in the engine. A faster running fan, with no pos: bility of slippage, offers the necessary remedy.” Change is an excellent one. remedy for should welcome. Ie artyr, a chap willing and glad o experiences for the benefit of automobile ailments, as Smith learned from this simple experiment. It has been a very useful rule in my per- gonal motoring, and I never fail to try something different when the car seems to be getting into a rut of per- formance. Changing the alr pressure in the tires often will effect a pleasing change in the riding qualities, partic- ularly if variations in pressure be- tween front and rear tives are tried. Sometimes this will stop an annoying galloping effect. Changing Throttle Position. One of the most interesting changes I ever made was a slightly different setting of the idling position of the throttle. Just by fixing it so that th throttle not close as far as us the engine idled fast enough to over- come a tendency toward nolsy gear shifting. The particular car was equipped with a clutch brake which slowed down the clutch gear too quickly when the clutch pedal was disengaged grior to shifting. A faster idling engine will tend to overcome this condition. By setting the spark a little farther in advance the whole character of the car is altered. It can be made to run 5 to 10 miles faster, although it will not run in high gear so slowly as before ‘the change. The driver will have to give more attention to spark control with this arrangement, particularly when accelerating and in climbing hills, but the change is apt to make his car seem like an - tirely different machine. And it will make a new driver of him. | Suppose the car is not especially | well adapted for slow driving in high and the owner has much need for such performance in trafl Better Slow Speed Action. Under such circumstances it is a good plan to retard the timing just a little, so if the driver forgets to re tard the spark at the steering post he will get a smoother slow.speed changes, hot should ercised to avold overdoing it. Some of the best effects are obtained with the most minor changes. Carburetor adjustments are cellent example. Removal of a =mall bleeder plug in one commonly used make of carburetor will cause the en- r to be very Remove the same plug from the motor that has a snappler valve action and a higher speed motor and gas mileage will in crease without any sacrifice of accel eration. Change often involves but where the advants to the sacrifice the e Many car owners would be they would dispense with some of the things that be advantages, but of which t ve grown tired. Here is a example, a true story which Smith and I picked up from conversation at the motor club The owner of the in question complained of low mileage and excessive carbonizing of the eylinders, Some one asked him if h started easily, and in repls did, he did not realize ti confessing the reason for th ¥ plus of carbon th 2 much leaner mix ture, the choke more to facili tate starting, and by sacrificing the quick starting feature of his engine he has found what he wanted, ¢ times it’s simply the change kes a new car seem so won derful. If you don't believe it, try changing somett n the old one (Copyright.) an ex car gas Next Week, No. 161 HAWKINS MOTOR CO. Convenriently Located on Fourteenth Street Helping the action any In making any GO OVER IT POINT BY POINT /! STUDY EVERY NEW FEAT L-Head Engine, Crankcase Ventilation, Dual Air Cleaning, LANDAU 1 F.0.B. 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