Evening Star Newspaper, June 2, 1929, Page 61

In the Motor World BY G. ADAMS HOWARD. HE installation of nearly 500 additional traffic light sig- nals is proposed by Traffic Director William H. Har- land, who will ask the approval of the Commissioners and an appro- priation of $150,000 to be paid out of the money derived from the re- newal of driving licenses. Mr. Harland is occupied now with drawing up a list of the in- tersections where the lights are to go. If this list is favored by the city heads, actual installation will be under way by July of next year. For Congested Area. ‘The proposed new lights will fill the congested area, as well as some of the outlying sections. Mr. Harland’s plan calls for the erec- tion of lights on Pennsylvania avenue between Fourteenth and! Sixth streets, Fourteenth street between Pennsylvania avenue and Thomas Circle, H street northeast between Second and Fifteenth streets and Q street between Wis- consin avenue and Rhode Island avenue. It is believed that having a erosstown street controlled by the signals will be helpful to those who have heretofore complained of not being able to go east and west without being halted by so many boulevard stop signs. A traffic light is proposed for the Intersection of Massachusetts and Wisconsin avenues. A great amount of traffic passes by this lace daily and such a control has een needed for a long time. ‘The purchase and installation of four lights at an intersection costs $1,040. The electric cost per intersection is about $20 annually. Inasmuch as the minimum salary for a policeman is $1.800 a year, Mr. Harland points out the econ- omy of the lights. Renewal of Permits. Application blanks for permit renewals are now being printed and will be ready for distribution at the various precincts within the next few weeks. These blanks properly inscribed and with an accompanying check or money or- der may be mailed in. The Traffic Bureau, if the applicant be found worthy, will mail him or her the permit, which will be good for three years. Mr. Harland warns the motor- ists to be careful to obtain their new permits before going away for the Summer, if the perforation on the old ones show that the time limit is up. Failure to do so may cause many a vacationist trouble, for on the date of expira- tion the old permits become just a acrap of paper. Building Superhighways. Ground was broken in New York City last week for the con- struction of an aerial roadway that will connect downtown and uptown Manhattan by a stream of fast-moving vehicular traffic. The idea of grade roadways over surface streets is being planned in other cities. The plan, although very expensive, is worth its cost and is the modern way of reliev- ing traffic congestion. Traffic moves slowly over most city streets—so slowly as to take away much of the usefulness of motor vehicles. One of the chief obstacles to reasonable speed on city streets is cross traffic at in- tersections. The same conditions exist at highway intersections in the suburban areas surrounding the cities, but the remedy is more easily applied. The two highways may be seperated at the intersec- tion by having one pass over the other. Suitable provision can be made for traffic turning from one highway into the other. . Wayne County, Mich,, in which Detroit is located, a com- prehensive program of separating | highways and superhighways at | their intersections has been un- | dertaken, the Michigan-Southfield superhighway grade separation | being perhaps the first and larg- est of its kind. The project involves the con- struction of five concrete bridges {and a_channel change of the | River Rouge. Both intersecting | highways have two strips of 40- foot concrete pavement separatec | by an 84-foot esplanade. Two of the bridges will carry the Mich- igan superhighway over the Southfield superhighway. A third will separate the Michigan Cen- tral Railroad tracks and the Southfield superhighway, while the two remaining bridges will carry the Southfield superhigh- way over River Rouge in its new channel 500 feet away from the existing course of the stream. Left turns will be entirely elimi- nated in the diversion of traffic, | allowing uninterrupted movement along either of the superhighways. Ample pavement widths, consist- ent with possible future needs are provided. At superhighway cross- ings, such as the Southfield-Mich- igan separation, the upper road- way is carried on a bridge of four | spans. The lower roadway passes through the two outside openings. | The roadways have a clear width of 30 feet and the sidewalks 10 feet. Corner drives diverting traffic from one superhighway to the other will be paved 36 feet wide. New York Plans. The Westchester County Park Commission of New York is now engaged in building and perfect- ing one of the largest park and parkway systems in the world. The county has already built many miles of parkways of ade- quate width and type which are serving as relief arteries for other important trunk line highways in the county. Traffic on these trunk line highways is tremendous, be- ing in some instances as much as 40,000 vehicles a day. Notable among the relief thor- oughfares already developed are the Hutchinson River and Saw Mill River parkways. The out- standing feature of their develop- ment is the elimination of grade crossings at all principal inter- secting highways. Already many miles are free from grade cross- ings. Eventually the entire length of these parkways will be sepa- rated from important intersect- ing arteries with reinforced con- crete structures. Self-preservation should be na- ture’s first law. Automobile ac- cident statistics, however, indi- cate that thousands of motor vehicle operators drive over the highways only semi-conscious of the existing dangers at raillway and highway intersections. In train operation caution is the first lesson which every employe must master. Motor vehicle operators, however, are turned loose upon the highways by the thousands without the slightest regard as to their ability and experience in ob- serving the rules of caution. Safety must, therefore, be built into the highway. Large volumes of traffic on main thoroughfares cannot meet on the same level with an appreciable degree of safety. “Stop and Go” lights serve as a partial remedy, but they breed congestion. Congestion re- duces the highway capacity and tremendously increases traffic de- lays and transportation costs. The only safe solution to the prob- lem is a separation of grades at the intersection —a permanent structure of adequate proportion. Washington should not let Michigan and New York get too far ahead. STORAGE SPACE BECOMING By H. CLIFFORD BROKAW, Automobile Technical Adviser Where to put things in & closed car sppears 10 be a problem of one of the readers of these automobile articles. He says, “I have always driven an open ear and have had plenty of pocket room in the doors for such things as road maps, paper drinking cups, paper towels, dust cloth, whisk broom, gloves and overalls for changing tires, first ald kit, etc. In the closed car I am con- templating acquiring, the only storage spaces are two little shirred pockets in the rear doors, about as large as a lady’s purse. Also a dirty inaccessible place under the front seat, for tools that come with the car. “Can you suggest any way convenient pockets can be supplied? A modern closed car is much more beautiful and comfortable than an open one, but ap- pears to be more meagerly supplied with pockets. Of course, I appreciate that an open car has room 1in its door panels for spacious pockets, as there are no glass windows to go down into them, but it would seem to me that the closed car might have its interior arranged with some thought of such pocket con- yeniences. I should be interested to hear your opinion on this subject.” Numerous Possibilities ‘This writer has hit upon a situation which it is well to consider. In the first place it should be noted that the latest, cars show considerable improve- ment, from the standpoint of affording facilities for putting away this and that article. At present there are numerous possibilities which are not usually recognized. It might be said first, however, that the space which used to be available under the seats was in the main a nuisance. Whenever anything went wrong and a wrench or a piece of cloth or something was needed, peo- ple who were in the car were required to disembark entirely before the seat could be raised up and the object de- sired, secured. Of course, if one hap- pened to be carrying considerable bag- gage in the back of the car, instead of passengers, the difficulty of getting under the seat was further increased. ‘There is in most cars space under the cowl on either side, in which pockets or other receptacles can be arranged for carrying wiping cloths, small tools, maps, etc. Room for the larger tools and accessories, such as tire pump, jack, rim wrench and non-skid chains will be found under the front seat. Under the floor boards there is a good deal of room which can be utilized for carrying articles of one kind or an- other. In some cars this is where the battery is located, but a battery does not by any means take up all the space which might be available for carrying articles. A similar box might be con- structed, such as often holds the bat- tery. . Space is also usually available along the side of the car under the apron, which stretches from the bottom of the body to the running board. It is pos- sible to have a container at such a IN AUTOS REAL PROBLEM point, which is in_the nature s dnmmemm:t,bewuedauto;ln above the runn . It is also possible to put & tool box or a spare tire. To have a trunk on the rear of the automobile is a common practice and increasingly so. These containers can be quite I in size and capable of carrying a large amount of stuff. The rumble seat is another development in automobile de- sign mostly of sport models, which af- fords room for carrying various articles. Of course, there is plenty of room for strapping on to the two running boards any amount of baggage which, in fact, is taken advantage of by many. Upholstery Takes Space Due to the fact that bodies are be- ing set lower on the chassis, the back seats of an automobile come fairly close to the floor and consequently do not provide much for any space under the | seat for storage purposes, Also, the fact that upholstery is made nowadays, | deeper and more ‘luxurious, fully ac- counts for the loss of space under the seat. There is, however, in many closed cars, quite some space behind the back cushion of the rear seat. This back cushion is sometimes on hinges at the bottom, so that it can be opened at the top and_articles can be placed in this space. This cushion is usually on a wooden frame, and if it is found to be rigidly fastened, it is a comparatively simple matter to loosen it and provide hinges for making the space at the rear easily accessible. Pockets on the inside doors, if too small, can be replaced by much larger pockets, which can be made up of heavy material and attached to the space below the window of the doors. ‘Where slip covers are used such pockets are usually provided, but if these covers are not desired for the entire upholstery the pocket in the slip cover idea can be applied as wanted. It is probable that the bootleggers have used the greatest amount of ingenuity in find- ing possible spaces about an automobile which can be used for carrying ma- terials. However, it is hoped that the above ideas which will appear practical, to the writer who asked for information on this subject. e NEW AUTO SIGNAL DEVICE. TULSA, Okla. (#).—An automobile signal to eliminate the necessity of bhand signals at curves and stops has been invented and patented by E. B. Smith of Tulsa. ‘The device consists of a lamp on a metal arm that may be hinged to windshield supports on open cars, or directly through the glass itself on closed cars. A friction switch turns on a red lamp on the arm, which swings into the sight of drivers approaching from the rear, | (T 1S ESTIMATED THAT 3,567,491 LAY WALKERS ARE: SAVED YEARLY (< AND CAREFUL DRIVING- HOW RECKLESS THE DRIVERS ARE WHO DONT % OBSERVE THE TRAEFRIC L\GHTS AND YOURE "IT" Souders Watches Indianapolis Race From Sidelines COLUMBUS, Ohlo (#)—George | Souders, the youth who jumped from Purdue University campus to | the Indianapolis Speedway to win the 500-mile motor race in 1927, watched from the sidelines this year. He is through with racing and glad of it. Souders was thrown from his rac- ing car in Detroit about a year ago and was in a hospital several months. He now is an automobile accessory salesman here. “I'm not so homesick for the smell of gasoline that I'd ever drive again,” he said. “It's & tough racket and I'm glad to get out of it.” MILADY’S MOTORING By FREDERICK C. RUSSELL Man is foolish enough to criticize the woman driver ahead but is just wise enough to keep out of the lime- light by staying behind. When you buy your new car, or assist hubby in the task, you are apt to hear a lot about one-way and two- way shock absorbers. There's even a three-way kind, so a little school- ing in shock absorber technique may be apropos at this time. Shock absorbers are not properly named because in their present form their chief function is to control the gs which are the car's natural absorbers of road shock. With or without these devices a spring naturally compresses when the car strikes a bump and recoils afterward. It is the recoil, or rebound, that fur- nishes the jolt, 80 most of the control devices act to check this. They are the one-way “shock absorbers.” A two-way device adds the feature of controlling the compression of the springs. It makes for a still easier ride, and any device that operates on this Pt:’;?lple «does absorb some of the shock A three-ypy device is intended to al- low the springs to act free when the car is not going over rough pavements, tly & woman asked me what she would do if the stalled on a steep hill and the holding brake did not work well elough to keep the car stationary until the motor was re- cranked. “I need the right foot to press the starter button,” she explained. “How can I press the foot brake at the same time?” Some time ago I explained to another woman who asked a similar question that the trick could be accomplished by transferring the left foot to the brake pedal as the right foot is moved over to the starter button. After the engine is cranked the transfer of feet should be reversed. The whole pro- cess is quite simple and can be done in less time than it takes to tell about it. Some of the upholstery cleansers are also useful for cleaning and polishing the window glass. Never use any gaso- line with tetraethyl lead in it for cleansing purposes. “My car made an extremely loud noise when I cranked the engine the other day,” says a woman of about a year's experience at the wheel. “I should almost call it an explosion and there was a great volume of black smoke from the exhaust to make it seem very real. Is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening again? I must admit it frightened me.” ‘There is no need to be fearful of an explosion in the muffler. It's noisy but harmful only to the muffler. It's the result of accumulation of unburned gas in the muffler suddenly igniting, and since such a condition may occur under varying circumstances there is little the driver can do to prevent it. The thing to beware is the genuine backfire through the carburetor which is never more noisy than the familiar “pop” and sometimes merely a “mushy” hissing _accompanied by smoke under the hood. This is the situation that often results in fire. It's usually due to operating the engine with too lean a mixture, There is a designer of smart frocks in New York who gets her inspiration for color combinations from the latest hues extracted from the rainbow by the cus- tom body builders. That’s only fair, be- cause the automobile industry has bor- rowed many an idea from the delicate clash of colors in the most exclusive evening wrap. Incidentally, “high hat" is being taken out of names for special hues. An $8,000 car now comes in “two shades of tan.” Just plain tan. America sings praises to sunshine to the extent that most automobile owners are tempted to forget that a car can have too much ultra-violet as well as too much aqua. We rush to get the car out of the wet but seem to feel that it is entirely safe standing in direct rays of the sun. Sunlight is particularly harmful to cars finished in maroon. A carefully balanced diet of sunlight | in industry as one of the chief enemies | | to profits. Countless cases are on record | Advantage of Concrete Roads Seen Over Materials of Other Types| ‘Death Head’ Signs In Safety Zones Not long ago a manufacturing com- more money to travel over inferior roads pany in Cleveland startled the business | rather than good, just as it costs & | world by advertising its willingness to | manufacturer more to use a plece of | pay well for machinery improvements of such efficlency that scrapping old equipment would be justified. Obsolescence has come to be regarded wherein companies on the verge of | | bankruptcy have saved themselves by | | discarding both new and old equipment of low efficiency. | A report presented recently before the | | American Soclety of Civil Engineers | makes known some facts that again point out that the application of this businesslike procedure to Government operation would, in many instances, save the public considerable sums of money. Estimates Big Saving. The report, prepared by H. J. Kuel- ling while the State highway engineer of Wisconsin, concludes that an average mile of concrete road, over which 500 to 1,500 cars pass daily, will save rough- ly $172,000 over gravel in the 20-year period. g He declares, “if $4,935 is deposited in a bank every year, drawing interest at 515 per cent, compounded annually, it will amount to $172,000 at the end of 20 years. In other words, under the traffic conditions assumed a concrete road plus $4,935 saved annually is the equivalent to the cost of a gravel road. ‘These figures are so stagge: that they appear quite fallacious. This is because of the habit of neglecting to recognize the indirect taxes paid for highways. Bills for tires, e and are part of the operating costs.” Kuelling bases his conclusions on facts derived from comparing the first cost of gravel with concrete, and the cost of maintaining them, of the tire and gasoline expenses over both high- way types, all for a period of 20 years. Cost of Motor Travel. This saving includes interest. How- ever, if interest is eliminated, the sav- ing over concrete for the same period 1s still $99,000. Motor transportation is & business, & tremendous business, but its success and economy are now largely dependent n_the thwa, It costs the public MUSSOLINI HELPS ITALIAN BUSINESS U. 8. Auto Maker Declares Auto- cratic Methods Have Aided Country. The inflexible rule of Benito Mus- solini in Italy, autocratic as it may be, has accelerated the progress of Itallan business and industry to a point equal, if not superior, to that of other European nations, Returning from an. European trip, G. M. Williams, president in the automo- tive Industry, makes this observation after visiting a dozen and more coun- tries abroad, surveying business condi- tions in general, and particularly study- ing the export market for American automobiles. “Mussolini’s methods have been called dictatorial, domineering and even despotic,” Mr, Williams pointed out. “It is scarcely within the premise of a business visitor to Italy to judge the truth of these assertions, yet the fact stands that Mussolini has ‘snapped Italy into high gear, in the field of world commerce and, has accomplished an improvement that is outstanding among European nations. “Industrial and commercial leaders in other countries of Europe as well as the United States, however much they may dislike Premier Mussolini’s system of his ‘way of doing business,’ agree that the result of his leadership has been for the common good of Italian business. That, of course, is to the best interests of Italian people who are learning to enjoy the better and more modern conveniences of life and consequently are keeping step with the march of world progress. “Singling out developments in auto= motive transportation from general ine dustrial improvement in Italy, there is marked progress in road construction and automobile sales. American-built motor cars are finding a market that unperfected equipment. A locomotive company reports that on one division of a certain railroad, 35 new superpower locomotives have re- placed engines, most of which were but five years old, because the new design operates at a 34 per cent reduction in ton-mile costs. Certainly the private citizen. the engineer of his own personal engine, is worthy of the greatest possible highway efficiency. oday ' Detroit Discards DETROIT (#)—Detroit’s “death’s head” safety zone signs have been discarded by police. Psychologists felt that, although the skull and cross-bones left a strong impression on the mind of the motorist, the warning of safety was obscured. After several weeks of trial the “death’s head” signs have been replaced by rectangular Kd l'sneon signs, visible for several locks. 5 'FRONT WHEEL DRIVE IS HELD Special Dispatch to The Star. INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., June 1.—The 500-mile automobile race brought to Indianapolis this week a group of transportation leaders whose activities both on land and in the air are being watched by the Nation. Among them were Harry Miller, de- signer of engines for racing cars, air- planes and motor boats, and Capt. E. V. Rickenbacker, president of the Indian- apolis Motor Speedway Co., chairman of the American Automobile Association contest board, sales chief of a division of the Cadillac Motor Car Co. and envoy for General Motors Corporation in acquiring a foothold in aviation. Mr. Miller announced formation of & $5,000,000 company which will be a large factor in the production of air- craft power plants. Rickenbacker, in leader of the automobile racing fra- aviation banquet. Miller's Engines Are Individual. Mr. Miller designs and builds high speed gasoline engines in Los Angeles. | His shop is celebrated. From it have come in the last few years no fewer than 75 power plants of various kinds, but most of them for racing cars. Each has been an individual creation, built to either Mr. Miller's own or some bodying new mechanical ideas. Most of all, Miller is responsible for the de- velopment of the front-drive car as they now have it on the speedways, from which it soon may be transplanted to the highways. In a conversation here he said front- drive cars were coming fast. In addi- tion to one being produced by inter- | ests centering in’ New York, another |1s soon to come from this section or | Indiana. Other interests have under | construction & front-drive bus, and still others, which include one of the largest of the present companies manu- facturing several makes of cars, have front-drive production plans in the formative front-drive patents, which he has disposed of to the Indiana builder whose front-drive models are now on the road and soon will be announced. He says that, contrary to prevailing opinion, front-drive cars will cost hard- 1y any more than rear drive to produce. “At first,” he sald, “I thought they were going to cost more, but that is | wrong. The front drives that will be built as stock cars will be sweet-run- | ning jobs that pull rather than push | the chassis over the ground. Going through sand, heavy mud or rough | going they will be much more effective than the rear-driven cars, because the power is all in front and under better control than in most of the passenger cars we have now. | Claims Easy Steering. “They are good cars to put bodies on because they can be hung low. There are no universal joints to interfere or drive shafts to allow for in building frames. we begin with addition to maintaining his position as | ternity, appeared as a speaker at an other person’s specifications, and em- | Miller was the developer of certain | PRACTICAL FOR PLEASURE CARS Miller Declares Cost of Autos Will Not Be Increased—Rickenbacker Sees Aviation Gains. “And front-drive cars certainly can climb over curbs and sweep around corners and curves, because the power is pulling right that The steer- ing is so easy that it can be done with the pressure of two fingers. Any one | who has ever tried a front-drive car marvels at its ease of operation.” With regard to the future of the | 91-inch racers that made their final ap- pearance at Indianapolis Thursday, Mil- | ler believes a race for them should be held next year and in the years to | follow, in addition to the contest for | the stock cars of larger engine dis- | placement, for which new rules will take effect in 1930. Miller does not favor the return to the two-man type of racing car because he contends that operation ot a racing car with two persons in it is more dangerous at high speeds than when only the pilot is riding. Modern power plants, he points out, require only slight mechanical adjustments even in long- distance operation, and therefore the necessity for mechanics to ride with drivers is lessened. Years ago mechanics who occupied the second seats in racing cars were there largely because the contests of that day were road races in- volving repairs and replacement of parts at times. and also tire changing. Capt. Rickenbacker recently has borne a part in negotiations which have given | General Motors a slice of the Fokker Co. and its airplane production, as well as of the Allison Manufacturing Co. of Indianapolis, which G. M. C. has acquired for the Diesel and other research carried on by the organization. As a side issue from the 500-mile race there was an aircraft show in In- dianapolis during the week, and Capt. Rickenbacker was the speaker of the evening at a banquet preceding it. He referred to the General Motors Corpo- ration as having picked Indianapolis as the scene of its concentrated aviation interests of the future. Sees Railroads Doomed. “Aviation is a real service to man- kind,” he said. “I doubt if 15 years from now there will be any raiiroad passenger transportation. This is not my own statement, but that of one of the largest raflroad executives in the country. All mail must go by air in the future. This will include parcel post and express. “We have millions of Lindberghs in America. Every mother's son is 8 po- tential Lindbergh, if only he gets an opportunity. “A cruising speed of 150 miles an hour will be developed in three years, putting Indianapolis four or five hours from New York, and moving the Pa- cific Ocean Eastward as far as Indian- apolis, so far as hours are concerned.” (Copsright, 1929, by North American News- paper Alliance.) — The automobile dollar in 1914 is worth $1.13 today, compared with the eost of living dollar in 1914 being worth only 62 cents today, according to figures of the National Industrial Conference Board, Ine. GRARAM-BAIEE We take pride in announcing our appointment as Graham-Paige dealers in this community, Graham-Paige sixes and eights, with the new refinements and improvements, and the time. proved four-speed transmission (two high speeds —standard gear shift), are now on display at | our showroom—and we shall strive to offer you GRARAM] RAIGE | I is expending as rapidly as_tariff re- strictions will permit, and Italians as a people are becoming motor-minded in the sense of recognizing the value and convenience of automobiles for business as well as pleasure. an indication of the wooden parts be- ing dried out too thoroughly. Carrying children along in a car is often a bit risky when the guardian has to take the wheel. It is a good plan to snap the door locks so that there is far less possibility of one of the youthful and moisture is best for any car. Many body noises are simply the result of too much while many others are passengers opening a door and falling e (Copyright, 1929.) Gnh.m-P:g,_ offers a variety of body types, i olets, service facilities which measure up to the Graham-Paige standard. We believe you will appreciate the beauty, modern design, sound construction, fine per- formance, and substantial value of these motor cars. You are cordially invited to see them, and to enjoy a demonstration. including coupesand sport phaetons, on five it a wide range of prices. LN Mayflower Motors, Inc. 2819-M St. N.W. Georgetown