Evening Star Newspaper, March 2, 1930, Page 61

THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, MARCH 2, 1930—PART FOUR. 13 Capital who are contem- plating the purchase of automobiles are somewhat in the dark as to the procedure of secur- ing the 1930 license plates for their new cars. January 1 was set as the date for establishing the valuation of cars for the imposi- tion of the personal property tax payment which was a prerequisite to the obtaining of the tags. Through the American Automo- bile Association it is learned that uire situation had been anticipated by the office of the tax assessor and that detailed instruction has been made out for interested narties. Many cars, however, are Hought as the result of deals be- tween individuals, and it is thought that these transactions form the principal number of in- quiries, as instructions are already in the hands of the majority of automotive dealers. The follow- ing information is received by the 4. A. A. from C. A. Russell, assist- #ut tax assessor. &fequirements Listed. Cars taken from the average stock of dealers that were in their possession on January 1, 1930, are exempt from the payment of per- sonal tax if a memorandum is zent from such dealer that the car sold was in his stock on Jan- uary 1. In the purchase of used cars proof must be submitted that the car being purchased was in the average stock of the dealer on January 1, 1930, or that such car has been taxed under a 1930 registration plate; otherwise the tax must be paid by the new pur- chaser. Dealers should require from persons trading in their cars to them either their registration certificate of 1930 for that car, or at least have the number of such tag, so that the office may facili- tate the issuance of the tags when such car is repurchased. On new cars all that will be necessary will be the bill of sale or a copy of the office invoice show- ing the date of purchase of such car. Unless it can be shown that the tax on the car that is traded in was paid, the applicant wil be required to pay the tax on the traded-in car before the tag on the new car is issued. It must be shown in all cases of used cars that the car was either in the stock of a dealer on Janu- ary 1, 1930, or that a 1930 license plate has been procured, other- wise the tax must be paid before 1930 license is issued. Spring Harbingers. The warm days of last week have caused. many to think of taking short trips outside the city. At hand is an inquiry from one of thnr:e so minded, which follows, in part: “There are numerous lady drivers who do not know the new roads and many of the old ones adjacent to this city, that it would be a great benefit and assistance to hten us. Is the new road from Bethesda to Silver Spring finished and passable? How about the road from Hills Bridge (or near it) to Sutherland, on the road to Solomons Island and Plum Point, to shorten via of Mt. Zion by 12 miles?” Answering this communication, one of the first harbingers of Spring to be received, it may be stated that the road joining Sil- ver Spring and the Sixteenth street extended section with Con- necticut avenue at the Columbia Country Club is finished and in perfect condition. The road that comes in on the old Annapolis highway a few miles beyond Up- per Marlboro, and will consider- ably shorten the way to Solomons Island, has not been completed as yet, but will be by early S‘Frlng. The lights at Georgia and New Hampshire avenues are now on again. It is the opinion of the office of the director of traffic that with the making of Rock Creek Church road a one-way street ghe situation is very satis- factory. William H. Harland de- plores the action of the Virginia Legislature in not passing the bill requiring driving permits and ex- aminations necessary for Old Dominion drivers. He is well pleased, however, with the action of the United States Supreme Court, which recently declared that a driver whose license has been revoked in this city cannot drive here on the license of an- other State during the period of revocation. Inspector E. V. Brown, head of the Traffic Bureau and assistant superintendent of police, states that the other day an applicant for a driving license during an examination declared that “Pres- byterians” have the right of way at intersections. The Crash Absorber. Much interest is being displayed over the recent demonstration of the Schleiff crash absorber. Auto- mobile engineers, insurance offi- cials and safety experts witnessed the experiments in New York a short time ago. Inventions for safety have the greatest impor- tance, and it is to be hoped that this recent invention may aid in cutting down the yearly toll of death and accidents. A descrip- tion follows: At 34.10 miles Ber hour Capt. Franzcarl Scheiff, one-armed former ace of the German air service and originator of the Schleiff principle, drove a Schleiff- Q(}\llpped touring car into the rear of a very slowly moving Schleiff- équipped touring car; at 21.77 miles per hour he drove the same car inso the concrete-sheathed base of a steel pillar of the River- side drive viaduct. In a third event, not officially timed by the A. A. A, Capt. Bchleiff drove a car head-on into & stationary sedan, equipped with an ordinary steel bumper, at a &peed he said was between 30 and 35 miles an hour. As Capt. Behleift’s speedometer readings in the two other events closely coin- cided with the official A. A. A, times, his reading on the third ent was accepted as reasonably curate, -welghed before the demonstra- tion by Paul Dumas, A. A. A. rep- resentative in charge, the first car, with the driver, scaled 3320 unds and the other 2,920. No EMBERS of the moto M public of the National In the Motor World BY G. ADAMS HOWARD. of the cars was rendered by the A. A. A, as the demonstration was not staged for technical pur- poses, although photographs of the machines before and after each test revealed that: In the first test the left head lamp and tip of the left fender of the first car were bent. The first car’s crash absorber, previ- ously used the same day in a practice collision against the via- duct pillar, was so little affected that it was straightened and used in _the third test. In the same test the right rear frame horn of the second car was slightly bent. Homemade fittings by which the crash absorber was attached to the rear of the sec- ond car nltogether failed in this event, permitting the crash-ab- S%l'bfl'. slightly damaged, to fall off. In the pillar test, or second test, the mud guards, lamps, radiator and other front surfaces of the car were unscratched, although the rim of the left headlight came off and the forward end of the left chassis frame buckled at the point where drillings for bolts to affix the crash-absorber had been made. In the third test, the third of the day for the crash-absorber on the first car, the front of the first car was damaged by an arm of the demolishing steel bumper on the second car, which punctured the radiator and smashed the lens in the right headlight. The sec- ond car sustained major damages, including crushed-in radiator, broken front wheels, shattered glass and bent axle. None of the tests disturbed the shatterable glass in the two cars and in none of them was Capt. Schleiff at all injured. In the pil- lar test, breaking of the steering wheel in his hand and opening of the front door caused Capt. Schleiff to tumble to the ground after the car came to rest. Description of Invention. In general appearance and in its position on the car, the crash- absorber resembles the usual met- al bumper. It consists of a 3-inch bar of solid rubber, attached hori- zontally to the chassis by two pairs of claws suggestive of for- ward-pointed, partly opened scis- sors, with their swivels where they join the chassis and their ends clamped immovably to the rubber. Collision, causing wider opening of the scissors, stretches e elastic, its lateral extension and recoil spending the impact progressively to left and right be- fore it reaches the body of the car. In the dissipation of this living force, under the Schleiff principle, the crash - absorber’s swiveled juncture with the chassis frame is the zero point and is called upon to bear only that small frac- tion of the impact necessary to start the scissors’ spread. Be- cause of their slight outward curvature and the manner of their attachment, the scissors must inevitably open and the rub- ber stretch, no matter from what angle the impact may come. Thus there is no rigid connection be- tween the point of impact and the chassis. q Unless struck at excessive speed, the Schleiff crash-absorber may be restored to its original condi- tion after collision merely by straightening the rubber, Capt. Schleiff having used a single crash-absorber for as many as 18 demonstrations. For trucks, buss- es, fire engines and weightier ve- hicles, a heavier type is provided. Capt. Schleiff said he would leave New York shortly to make a demonstration tour of the coun- try at the invitation of automo- bile clubs, traffic officials and oth- ers concerned with reducing America’s staggering motor car casualty list. His itinerary is to be announced as soon as the many invitations already received are considered. As he has already done in 15 European countries, Capt. Schleiff said he would dispose of his pat- ents in the United States only when he was given a guaranty that the crash-absorber is to be properly manufactured and that it would be retailed at a price placing it within reach of the au- tomobile owner of most modest circumstances. MANY ACCIDENTS DUE TO AUTO HEADLIGHTS Counsel for District A. A. A. Stresses Importance of Properly Adjusted Lamps While Driving. Who is at fault if an approaching automobile with dazzling headlights temporarily blinds a driver and causes an accident? This is a much discussed question and one on Wwhich there is considerable conflict in legal opinions, according to Charles C. Collins, counsel for the Dis- trict of Columbia Division of the Amer- ican Automobile Association. “Nevertheless,” he continued, “it serves to emphasize the importance of properly adjusted headlamps and bring home the fact that blinding or badly focused lights are in most instances the result of carelessness. ‘“The large number of testing stations maintained by the A. A. A. motor clubs the ease with which adjustment can be made and the importance of proper headlights in the fleld of safety serve ;n :n&ke unsafe lights symbolic of neg- lect.” Pointing to some of the legal opin- fons on the question, Collins said: “In the case of an accident where the driver was blinded by street car lights, the Supreme Court of Maine held: ‘It is the duty of a driver of an automobile to stop his car when for ln:rn reason he cannot see where he is going.” “This language was likewise quoted by an Ohio court, “In a case in the State of Washing- ton the Supreme Court of that Com- monwealth held that ‘to proceed at all. in the face of those conditions, was at his (driver's) peril.’ “However, the general theory seems to be that whether it is negligence to proceed driving an automobile in the face of blinding lights depends upon the circumstances, to be decided by a Jury and not by any specific rule of law. “Because of the importance of proper lights, the District of Columbia Divi- sion of the American Automobile Asso- ciation maintains a free testing and adjusting service for its members as one of its eonmbufi.?m to safe driving here cport on the structural condition | in Washin: 4 DOWN THE ROAD—Exasperating Motorists. —By FRANK BECK XCopyright 1990 by Prusk N. Bock, Youds Mark, g, U. 8. Pt OF) MILADY’S MOTORING BY FREDERICK C. RUSSELL. The woman driver soon finds that many a modern car still carries a crank. There is a natural tendency for a woman who is proud of her car to let it stand in front of the house unused after it has been greased and serviced, but that may be the worst thing for it. A few hundred miles of hard use are needed to make the service “take.” Oil that is poured over the spi cannot work in between the leaves un- less there ample spring action. Grease does not get into the shackles s0 as to protect all wearing surfaces unless the car is used. Even a battery suffers after addition of distilled water unless the car is run so as to generate current. Automobile men say many drivers have a sort of dread of cranking the engine and that women are es 10 pecially afflicted with this fear. That it is a fear born of inexperience and inade- quate understanding of the job of handling the controls is demonstrated by the fact that in cases of complaint salesmen usually are able to go out to the customer’s and start the cranking process drivers invariably forget certain special rules for starting of the particu- lar car operate. In one case it was found that milady cranked too long with the choke out before turning on he ignition switch. This flooded the cylinders with gas and made the rest of the effort useless. One way to overcome the fear is to and deliberately. itting nd resting a few min- utes, after the failure of the first at- tempt, often permits the over-choked engine to clear its cylinders. Even though it is small the feminine foot is apt to get into the biggest kind of motoring trouble. A case in point concerns a woman who was waiting at a street ‘Intersection while pedestr! filed by. She had the car in low the brake off and the clutch pedal to the floor. To make matters worse she was impatiently accelerating the engine. Suddenly her foot slipped off the clutch and the car jumped ahead. Akdllll}ty foot can kick up a lot of grief. = gear, held Following a valve grinding job the manager of the service station usually will ask milady to come back in a few days to have the tappets gone over for a final adjustment. Unfortunately he does not always explain that he means a few days of normal driving and the result is many a woman customer comes back without having driven far enlouih to make the valves seat prop- erly. Anywhere from one to two hundred miles is about right for the interim be- tween the actual service and the final adjustment. A “few days” for some owners may, therefore, be a week or more of driving. If the rear brakes lock and slide the wheels and there seems to be no other way to keep the car from skidding into a collision try the plan of pressing the brakes a little more vigorously. The system on your car may be such that the front brakes do not come into max- imum action until the is well down. A four-wheel slide is apt to be short enough to spare a collision. After a woman has been driv a car long enough to have trouble with it she begins to wonder about some of the unseen parts to which the service men refer. One of these is the clutch “brake.” ‘The clutch may be considered as com- posed of two parts—the driving and the driven plates. The first is connected to the engine, while the latter joins the main driving gear of the transmission. In the engaged position the two plates press together and revolve as one. To disengage them the driver presses down on the clutch pedal. The action is such that the driven plate moves backward away from the other. If the gears are in neutral, however, it is free to spirfaround and unless this speed is checked or at least controlled, and the MOTOR DON'TS THERE IS ALWAYS DANGER OF BEING SCALDED. ALSO ANTI-FREEZE SOLUTIONS MAY DAMAGE THE CARS FINISH. gears are to be shifted, there may be a clash. In moving rearward, however, this driven member of the clutch press- es t a collar which serves to slow it down. And that—to clear up the mystery—is the clutch brake. Speaking of clutch brakes reminds me to add that the clutch itself can, but should not, be used as a brake to check the speed of the car. If you are parked on a slight downgrade and have PricELEss PrROTECTION AT NO EXTRA COST/! OMPARE the new Nash Twin-Ignition Eight to other cars sold at its price and you'll instantly see its extra value and desirability. € One very important feature of this new 1930 Nash “400 Duplate non-shatterable plate glass in every win- dow, door and windshield — priceless protection at no extra cost. § And this is only one of many superior features which account for the superior performance of the Twin-Ignition-Eight. ¢ The per- formance of the straight-eight, Twin-Ignition motor WALLACE M Robert J. Nash Motor Co. 1419 Irving St. N.W, . Potter Nash Co. \ Silver Spring, Md. THE MEMBER WHO S.05!D THE CLUB WHEN HIS PNEUMATIC-TIRED BABY BUGGY GOT A FLAT «~ the gears in reverse, let us say, you are using the clutch for braking pur when you coast forward a little and then engage the clutch with the engine accelerated. The clutch plates have to absorb the shock of changing the direc- tion of the car’s motion. In turning a corner in close traffic the natural tendency is to pay too much attention to the scene ahead and not enough to what is transpiring at the right rear of the car. Not a few drivers have been accused of running over pedestrians’ toes. One woman follows a rule that seems to solve this problem. When she has nearly completed the turn she stops and ing the horn at the same time. This seems to catch their attention and she reports that most of these who are off the curb immediately look down to see if their feet are far enough away from the wheel. (Copyright by the Russell Service.) About Starting the Car. Start your car in second gear if you want to, but remember that to do this strains the motor more than starting in first. And you can make quicker get-away in first speed, too. o Fifteen per cent of the value of cop- | to form an airtight joint, since the | cordance with the amount of heat gen- looks around at the pedestrians crowd- | per shares and bonds is due to the ing toward the right of her car, sound. Retail Salesrooms auto. you will know it instantly. COST PER MILE FOR OPERATING AUTOMOBILES IS OUTLINED Technical Adviser Says Actual Figurcs Are Undetermined, but Amount Is Higher Than Average Motorist Suspects. BY H. CLIFFORD BROKAW, Automobile Technical Adviser. How much it costs a mile to operate automobiles is an amount which has to | be figured for each kind of automobile. | In fact, each individual automobile | would have to be studied carefully in order to get anything like an exact fig- ure. The amount, however, is probably higher than the average motorist sus- pects. One person who has a small six- cylinder coach type of car has figured out a cost of 1173 cents a mile. Of this amount he has estimated 2.4 cents for depreciation. H2 is a man who | takes rather good care of his car and | consequently his depreciation is doubt- less lower than most. Some car owners are certainly experlencing a deprecia- tion of their machines of from 3 to 5 per_cent. There are certain items in operating an automobile which one cannot well eliminate. For instance, it is necessary to buy a certain amount of gasoline to get over a certain number of miles of highway, and gasoline costs about so much wherever you buy it. Even here a person can cut down the gasoline expense by seeing to it that the engine is working so as to get the most num- ber of miles out of every gallon of gasoline, Depreciation a Factor. In the item of depreciation, the auto- mobile owner has the greatest oppor- tunity for eliminating useless expense in his automobile experience. By tak- ing unusually good care of his car he can get many additional years of serv- ice and consequently greatly reduce the depreciation item. | In a new automobile engine the in- | side of the cylinder is a perfect circle, | but after a few years of service the | cylinder most likely will need to be reground. When the automobile en-! gine is built the piston cannot be fitted | temperature of the engine varies in ac- erated in the engine, these temperaturs | varfations in turn causing the pisto: and the cylinder to expand and .con- tract, although not to the same degree. In this way a piston which at a certain | v.emrernure fitted the cylinder per- | fectly would expand enough to stick fast in the cylinder at another tem- perature. It is possible that at yet another degree it would fit the cylinder loosely, causing a great deal of noise and loss of gas through leakage past | the piston during the compression period. To secure a gas-tight contact with the cylinder wall, the piston has several flexible rings which expand outward, forming a rfect contact with the cylinder wall. They have sufficient elas- ticity to keep this contact, as the cylin- der expands and contracts because of the changes in temperature, The power for operating the engine is produced through the pressure of the expanding gas which forces the piston straight out of the cylinder. Through the resistance of the crankshaft, which is connected to the piston by means of the connecting rod, the piston is forced with considerable pressure inst the side of the cylinder, because during the power stroke the crankpin is traveling through an arc at one side of the cen- ter of the piston. instead of directly under it. It is this side thrust on the pisten which tends to wear away one side of the cylinder wall. How quickly this wear takes place depends upon sev- eral factors, probably the most im- portant being the perfection of the lubrication of the parts. As the wear takes place.the cylinder loses its original circular shape, becom- ing oval, and the piston rings not being flexible enough to fill in the worn space naturally allow leakage of the com- pressed gas. Due to this ulklnTg.guv- eral kinds of trouble follow. gas which is being compressed passes by the piston, in this way reducing the power generated by the engine, and as the gas condenses in the crankcase the ofl is diluted and its lubricating quality somewhat impaired. On the suction stroke too much oil may be drawn past the piston into the combustion cham- ber, where it burns, causing smoke and forming carbon, which causes knocking of the engine. This carbon gets under the valves, resulting in loss of com- pression, and short circuits the spark glugs, which makes the engine miss re. Plan to Effect Relief. Restoring the cylinder to its original form of a perfect circle and fitting new pistons and rings to it will relieve these troubles, the best way to accomplish this being by having the cylinder re- ground. This is done by the use of emery or carborundum wheels on a mnck!'tmeddle‘alg;ned pnrtt’lcuhrly for this work, a delicate operation requiring the skilled service of a high-grade mechanic in this line. NP s One advantage in takin, of a car is that it will hef one to be able to own two cars, which is becom- ing increasingly desirable. When a car has given several years of service, if it is well taken care of, still has sev- good care eral more years of possible use. By this time the owner is probably able to buy a new car, but having the old machine still in gnod shape so that it can be used when road conditions are not so favorable, he will not only get additional service out of the old car but also a much longer and better use of his new automobile. with its g-bearing, integrally counterweighted, hollow crankpin crankshaft and aluminum connecting rods is so superiorto that of the other straight eights and the V-eights € The oil-cushioned chassis (Bijur centralized chassis lubrication and permanently lubricated springs) improves riding ease immeasurably. o” . iIs e a0 Distributor 1709 L Street N.W. ASSOCIATE DEALERS Hawkins-Nash Motor Co. 1529 14th Street N.W. ¢ See this car, ride in it, familiarize yourself with its superior performance, before you purchase your aew carl THE 1930 NASH 400 Decatur 2280 Decatur 3320 TWIN-IGNITION EIGHT TOR COMPANY Birvon Nash Motor Co. 650 Wilson Boulevard, Clarencos, 3%. Hall-Kerr Motor Co. 131 B St. S.E: 4