Evening Star Newspaper, March 23, 1930, Page 57

In the Motor World BY G. ADAMS HOWARD. installation of traffic| signal lights for the Na- tional Capital are to be continued in no small way it judged from the list prepared by Traffic Director William H. Harland, passed favorably upon by thé District Commissioners and recently approved by the House appropriations committee. The approved list for the last of this fiscal year includes: The intersection of Vermont avenue and H street, which was put in operation last week. Maryland avenue, Second street to Fourteenth street northeast; Massachusetts avenue, Fifth street to New Jersey avenue; East and ‘West. Executive avenues at Penn- sylvania avenue; Eleventh and ‘Twelfth streets at New York ave- nue; Shérman avenue and Park roa ‘The Automotive Daily News, a trade journal, blared forth in ban- ner headlines last week that Feb- ruary new-car sales top 1929. This is real news, indeed, but further down in the article the figures are shown to be based on statistics obtained from 12 States only. Then a little further down in the article it is seen that 1 of the 12 States is missing, therefore only 11 States show a gain. Still further down in the story it is stated that the thirteenth State, North Dakota, showed a falling off. What or where the twelfth State is is hard to understand. States Showing Gains. The 11 States tabulated show- ing a gain over February, 1929, are Wisconsin, Minnesota, Idaho, Flor- ida, Utah, West Virginia, Rhode Island, Illinois, New Hampshire, Capitol Plaza, Delaware avenue | Delaware and South Cgrolina. and B street and First and B| streets northeast; New Jersey avenue and B street southeast and PFirst and B streets southeast. These latter signals will be co- ordinated and will do away with the independent system now in use at the Capitol. The lights at First and B streets northeast are now being installed. Lights Scheduled After July 1. However, the News gets much encouragement from these fig- ures, and it is to be hoped that returns from the other States, in- cluding the missing twelfth, will show similar gains. The American Automobile As- sociation closed a successful four- day session last night with prom- ises for more and greater service to the great motoring public. Well wishes go to the largest of motor- After July 1, the beginning of | Ing clubs. the new fiscal year, the following lights will be turned on: Pennsylvania avenue, -Eight- eenth and Nineteenth streets; U street and Florida avenue, Seven- teenth street to Sixth street; F street, Ninth street to Fourteenth street; Eleventh street, F' street to I street; Ninth sireet, F' street to New York avenue; Pennsylvania avenue, Si¥th street to Four- teenth street; Connecticut ave- nue, Macomb street to Porter street; Connecticut avenue, Dav- enport street to Ellicott street. Isolated intersections, including Wisconsin avenue and Massachu- setts avenue, M street and Twen- ty-eighth street, Georgia avenue and Colorado avenue, New Jersey avenue and G street, Second street and Pennsylvania avenue southeast, Eighth street and Pennsylvania avenue southeast, Rhode Island avenue and Twelfth street northeast, North Capitol street and New York avenue, Stanton Park. So, according to an aged col- ored man brought into Police Court some time ago for ignoring the traffic signals, “Washington will look more like a .Christmas tree than ever. Recently Senator Hamilton F. Kean of New Jersey suggested a regulation which would prevent a motorist from parking his ma- chine for more than one hour in front of a residence without the assent of the owner or tenant. The suggestion, indeed a good one, made its rounds between the Traffic Bureau and the office of the major and superintendent of police, In each place the com- ment that such a regulation would be difficult to enforce was made. Regulation Believed Ideal. It was finally brought before the traffic council and it was de- cided that a regulation to this effect could not be legally made. It seems that the residents of the Kaye Don, the intrepid British racer, may have a competitor for his speed against time. It has been announced that Capt. Mal- colm Campbell, once holder of the racing honor, may get back into the game again some time this year. In an old fifteenth-century house near Povey Cross in Surrey, he is at work on a car with which THE 'SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, MARCH 23, 1930—PART ‘FOUR. DOWN THE ROAD—Recollections. : —By FRANK BECK he hopes to attain the speed of 300 miles an hour. Closely guard- ing his secret are 14 Alsation wolf hounds and a trusted group of workmen. “My next attempt on the mo- toring speed record will not be my last,” he recently announced, “un- less I can set up such a speed that I shall be able to rest on my laurels because it will remain long unbroken. “In my next attempt I hope to reach 300 miles an hour. I am not of the school of pessimists who, a year or two ago, stated that a car would leave the earth and rear over backwards if it ex- ceeded 200 miles an hour. We shall see that 300 miles an hour is well within the reach of human endeavor, and possibly very soon.” It would seem that for the pres- ent these racing honors will be held by subjects of Great Britain. Let’s hope that America will be heard from again, CRASHES ON LEFT SIDE| OF ROADS INCREASE Maryland Commissioner Holds Practice Due to Carelessness or Regard for Others. Special Dispatch to The Star. BALTIMORE, March 22.—Accidents due to careless drivers who operate their cars on the left side of the high- way are increasing out of all propor- National Capital do not own or have any authority over the space in front of their property to the center of the street, as in other cities. So the matter goes to the corporation counsel, William W. Bride, for further legal advice. Many laws are difficult to en- force, and it does seem outrageous for a property owner to be kept from driving up to his own resi- dential entrance all day and often all night long. Richmond B. Keech, the newly appointed peoples’ counsel to the Public Utilities Commission, re- cently combated Mr. Harland’s statement about driving to the left of a safety zone. Mr. Keech stated that such a practice was unlawful, as no one could disre- gard official police signs, and that a regulation required every one to drive as near to the right-hand curb line as possible. Mr. Harland in rebuttal de- clared that he never sanctioned disregard of official signs, but did say that a motorist might drive to the left of a zone if no official sign was in view. “It is easy enough to say ‘Drive as near the right-hand curb as possible,” he stated, “but it is not possible and, therefore, I can see no regulation being disobeyed in such cases.’ Eldrige Trailing Souvenir. ‘M. O. Eldridge, assistant traffic director, in search of the first op- erator’s permit, is getting near his quarry. Louis Albert Hill of 1707 Columbia road writes in that he is the owner of permit No. 3. He states that permits 1 and 2 went to Representative Joseph Sibley of Pennsylvania, but that those two licenses were for steam or electric automobiles. Being the former owner of a 2-cylinder Au- tocar, he claims the distinction of being given the first permit to op- erate an internal combustion ma- chine. Believing this to be what he wants, Mr. Eldridge has requested | poo, that Mr. Hill bring in the old per- mit to be photographed and framed as a souvenir for the| | bought these used cars were not critical Traffic Bureau. MOTOR DON'TS S DON'T PARK. YOUR AUTOMOBILE CARELESSLY ON AN_INCLINE ! tion to other types of accidents, ac- cording to E. Austin Baughman, com- missioner of motor vehicles. “This type of accident, resulting in head-on collisions and ‘side-swiping’ cf cars, with resulting wrecks and injuries, is primarily caused by operating on the left to the center of the highway the face of approaching traffic, Bat n said, and called attention to the death of three people this week on the Washington boulevard from driving on the left side of the road. “In some cases such type of opera- tion is preparatory to making a left- hand turn,” he continued, “but usually it is a course followed to a stop on the left-hand side of the sf or. just pure carelessness and lack of regard for the other users of the highway. “Any other trafic meeting with a driver of this kind is forced to make a quick decision in trying to avoid an accident. It is difficult at times to make the right decision. A stop may lead to a head-on collision, a turn to the left may lead to an accident when the fel- low who is on the wrong side of the road finally wakes up and then sud- denly turns to his right, where he be- longs. Such cases are on record where the driver on the right has had to drive off the road to avoid a smash-up.” SERVICE BUSINESS IS BOON TO GARAGES Good Mechanics Find It Possible to Make Additions to Equip- ment and Plants. Motordom’s silver lining at the pres- ent time seems to be the stimulus to service and the repair business. The service business, following the financial shake-up of the Fall, has been improv- ing at a rapid rate. Good mechanics are doing a brisk are finding it possible to make invest- ments in better equipment, new ma- chinery and larger working quarters. Some of the automotive prophets pre- dict that this is going to result in better running cars and thus greater mileage, eventually benefiting the new car market. During the period of specuiation re- pair men did not enjoy any comparable m in their business. People who were making fortunes quickly turned in their cars the minute they became the least bit troublesome. ~Those who enough to note some of the defects and frequently found no need to seek the help of the repairman, Many thousands ¢! people who pur- chased the cars traded in for new ones did their own tinkering. Those who found they had made troublesome pur- chases simply traded in for something else. The repairman wasn't getting his share of the new wealth, Not a few dealers reported that cus- tomers had become so careless as to lack interest in service that would pre- vent future trouble. “When this car breaks down I'll buy 50 shares of the company’s stock and ge! chine with the profits,” one motorist boasted. Many of them were able to carry out the idea. Entering the common sense era mo- tordom is certain to deal more con- siderately with the repairman, and au- tomatically the manufacturer, dealer 7 7 ““THE CAR MAY DRIFT DOWNHILL AND. CAUSE_SERIOUS DAMAGE ~ PULL EMERGENCY BRAKE TIGHT,AND LEAVE IN GEAR. and owner, L Real News! Reporter (dashing into the ecit) roomyHere's & Tesl plece of news| A truck d:lfver‘heaoc stuck in the mud at the side highway. [Editor—Well, what makes that news? business this Winter and many of them | P! THE TRIAL TRIP AS YOU REMEMBER T LOW-COST GRADE STRUCTURES Al Road Builders See Greater Safety in Stricter Traffic Separation Method. Low cost, carefully planned structures for separation of traffic at rallroad grade crossings or highway intersections are urged in a report of the grade crossings committee of the American Road Builders’ Association. It is pointed out that many such structures that were built during the past decade are how inefficient for traffic needs. Some are too narrow, others have dangerous curves at ap- proaches or over the structure. The committee has been at work for the past year on a study of low-cost grade separations, belie that the cost alone has retarded the elimination program which on every hand is re- led as vital to traffic safety. Re- location of highways is favored in in- stances where it might be more eco- nomical and result in better ali ent. | withon Chairman Morris Goodkin, bridge en- eer of the New Jersey State Highway finmhflon, declares that danger to life is three and one-half times greater at S:de crossings than on other parts of highway system and recommends the construction of the maximum num- ber of le-crossing eliminations from nhl]lro , State and local funds avail- able. Density of Population. Statistics cited by the committee show that densely populated areas have need of grade separations of ter in Eamuu highways as well as of railroads and highways at grade cross- ings. E: New York, in 1928, accidents at’ intersections were classified as follow: MILADY’S MOTORING BY FREDERICK C. RUSSELL. Conceit may be defined as the offer of & husband to teach the wife to be an expert driver. shock absorber and noise silencer. If a pin knocks, perhaps a change in the car’s speed will alter the oil pressure enough to change the situation. Any woman can apply this remedy right at I am indebted to an experienced |the wheel. woman driver for the thought that women have taught motordom it isn't necessary to climb under the car to know what's wrong with it. “You're wasting your energy,” she told the me- chanic who wanted to get under the car when she told him a shock absorber had broken off. “Just ride around the block with me and I'll show you how to diagnose trouble the modern way.” Unaccustomed to being invited for a drive so early in the day the speech- less repairman followed instructions and soon was being given a demonstration in modernized trouble shooting. He had not gone very far before he noticed that the car bobbed very badly, demon- strating that one of the shock absorbers wasn't working. By running the car very slowly over a rough street she showed him that the trouble was at the rear since the rebound of the front springs was checked instantly when the front wheels hit an obstruction. Invention of a new bumper that makes it possible for a driver to head straight into a tree at 30 miles an hour, ut serious uences, is inter- esting if only because its operation calls for striking unavoidable objects head on rather than through a glancing blow. ‘Women especially are urged to digest the theory of this device because of the feminine tendency to make sudden c};lmfu in the position of the steering wheel. When & collision seems unavoidable try to keep a straight course and hit the center of the front bumper. Even with the conventional bumper this method invariably results in less damage—and less shock to the driver—than striking at the bumper ends or directly in front ?l the points where it attaches to the rame. Speaking of safety brings to mind the importance of keeping the windows of the closed car limber by operating them 7 | frequently. When it is a matter of treet intersections Rallroad crossings. During the first half of 1929, figures in the first two groups increased con- | per siderably over those for railroad cross- ings. In 1925, the total number of ac- cidents at street intersections was 20,398 and at railroad crossings 148, so that in three years the former increased about 100 per cent and the latter about 40 per cent. This higher rate of increase was thought to be due to the fact that elimi- nation of raiiroad grade -crossings been going on at a faster rate than those of intersecting highways. Elimi- nation of both is necessary in the de- sign of modern roads to increase their safety and capacity. Out of a total of 675 motor_ vehicle fatalities in North Carolina in 1928, 54 deaths, or 8 per cent, were ca by collision with railroad trains, while an equal number of fatalities occurred at street intersections and 25 others at rural intersections, according to Wil- liam L. Craven, State bridge engineer. Standards Not Heeded. C. B. McCullough, bridge engineer of Oregon, declares that in 99 cases out of 100 where damages are sought for rail- road crossing accidents, if the plaintiff had smg , looked and listened as e standard warning sign he wouldn't have been on the crossing at the time of the accident, so that the very fact of the accident makes out a rima facia case against him. “In spite of their rather impregnable legal position,” he continues, “the rail- ways ot the United States have been very generous in their settlement of damage claims for grade crossing acci- dents and not only in this regard, but in the matter of eliminating grade crossing hazards upon their own motion, many of these companies have gone so far as to rather shame the highway group upon whose doorstep the problem Teally belongs.” The splendid progress made by Georgia in grade-crossing eliminations on the State highways is revealed in a statement by Bridge Engineer Searcy B. Slack that the number of 781 grade crossings in 1918 was reduced to 415 by the end of last year. Of these elimi- nations, 297 were by re-location, 56 by bridges over the railroads, and 13 by underpasses. Other than the good and sufficient utter necessity to lower a window in an emergency a sticking window lifter is a serious matter. Looking over & num- of cars in a public garage I found that with most of them only two of the windows operated easily. Another thing that will make for easier operating windows is to have the service man put a little graphite along the window guid Ask him to do this the day he presses out the rubber blocks on the door jams to stop the doors from has | rattling. A current report has it that there are more chauffeurs employed by women than by men. There are various ways of interpreting this, but my personal guess is that the women folk who can- not master the art of driving pocket their pride rather than miss any of the benefits of car ownership. It is sur- prisine, too, how many women who drive very skillfully employ chauffeurs in the large cities. It solves their park- ing problem. ‘Women who experience difficulty back- ing out the driveway should bear in mind that the job is best accomplished by looking ahead instead of back. After backing a little and starting to get rat- tled, drive straight ahead for about 10 feet. Then when you back up keep the steering wheel just as you had it for going forward. Some women vary this a little by looking down at the edge of the driveway, making the car parallel this. Whenever rattled, stop and go forward @ little. They try backing again. “Will you kindly enlighten me on this matter of piston pins?” writes a woman who has just been to the service station to learn that the knocking she hears in the engine originates from these . “I have been hearing about them ever since we had a car in the family. Now, what are they?” Each piston is joined to its respective connecting rod by means of a steel pin about an inch in diameter and ahout the diameter of the piston in lemgth. It fits tightly, yet must be loose enough to allow the upper end of the rod to “hinge” on it }’mxy. And therein lies part of the trouble. Two other difficalties should be ap- parent. In such a position the pins be- reason of reducing fatalities at grade crossings, Chairman Goodkind declares that another distinct advantgae gained by crossing eliminations is the facilita- tion of traffic. “Just as the standing of a railroad in the minds of its patrons depends on the safety and efficiency of its service,” sa; Goodkind, “so is the value of a high- way measured by the same character- istics, and all efforts should be made to remove the hazards as. quickly as possible.” “Spark-Plugged !” A local automobile . retailer was come quite hot as the engine operates. Added to this is the fact that they operate at a more difficult point to lu- bricate. Formerly the, pins had to rely on oll spray for what little lubrication they received, but in the pins are oiled Pins are giving less trouble now. Just a little wear on a pin will result in a sharp, knocking noise, usually of a light nature, at various times and under different driving conditions. Always read the level of the ofl in the crankcase when the car is standing charged with assault and battery, and brought before the judge. Judge (to ?moher)—whn is your name, occupation, and what are you charged with? My name is 8 I am an electrician, and 1 am with his equilib- put_this n & ‘Whaeel, o on level ground an CT d with the engine ‘When worrying over a knock in the engine, always remember that a change in the speed of the car or the tempera- mreormeurmy“fllmlmmmnn- noyance. Piston pins ma; v troublesome one day and B e:.y one could wish the next. lubrication of the pins in rtly accounts for this. (Copyright by the Russell Service.) MOTOR MEMORIAL TRIP. Pilgrimage Over Course Traversed by 16th Century Defender. GAVINANA, TItaly (#)—A motor pilgrimage is being organized to fol- low in June the historic march of Francesco Ferrucci, sixteenth century defender of the Florentine republic. The route will run from Florence to Empoli, Volterra, Pisa and Gavinana, where Ferruccl was killed August 3, 1530, and will stop at the places where Ferruccl and his troops halted. o A Real Innovation. “This is the finest car that I ever owned.' “But to me it sounds like a boiler factory in full blast.” “That’s just the point. I can't hear mfle in the back seat.”—From the AUTOISTS MUST OBEY SAFETY-FIRST RULES Court in California Requires That They “Stop, Look and Listen” at Railway Crossings. Special Dispatch to The Star. FRESNO, Calif., March 15.—Drivers of motor vehicles legally assume liabil- ity if they do not “stop, look and listen” at & railroad crossing. This was established here in a de- cision rendered in the Municipal Court compelling a local transfer company to pay the Southern Pacific and George Maas, a vinyardist, the full amount of damage they ‘sustained when a train crashed into a truck and trailer loaded with gasoline. When a Southern Pacific train col- lided with the truck and trailer at a ublic road crossing the gasoline was gnited and fire desufi!d past of the train, track and adjoining grape vine- yard. Investigation clearly established that the truck driver had driven on the railroad crossing without taking any precaution by lmflfh"lf. looking or listening to ascertal a train were approaching. At the close of the trial the court rendered decision against the transfer company, which was ordered to pay for the damages sustained by the d and the grape grower. KNOWLEDGE OF FIRST AID IS IMPORTANT TO MOTORIST What to Do in Case of Accident Is Outlined for Benefit of Tourists. BY H. CLIFFORD BROKAW. Automobile Technical Adviser. It is one thing to talk about the value of driving an automobile so care- fully that accidents are very unlikely. Of course, it is important to do just that. In spite of all careful driving on the part of any particular person, acci- dents do happen, and it is very desir- able that those who happen to find themselves a part of any automobile accident situation have some idea of the best way to act. To give some con- sideration to this matter in advance may mean the saving of human life, not to mention the incohvenience of broken bones, bruised flesh and mate- rial damage. Every motorist should have some knowledge of first-aid methods, which can be readily obtained from books on the subject. There are compact kits of first-ald material made up especially for the motorist’s use which should be part of a car's equipment, so that in case of accident first aid can be ren- dered to those who need it. Immediate consideration should be given to persons most injured. Call Medical Aid Quickly. Should serious injuries be incurred, an ambulance should be called or an- other car secured to speedily convey the injured to the nearest hospital or physician’s office. If any bones are broken, relieve at once the tension that may be caused by clothing. Have some one take care of the patient and see that he remains undisturbed and as quiet as possible, If there is a rapid loss of blood from bad cuts, tie a handkerchief or any- thing suited to the purpose between the wound and the heart, which will retard the flow to some extent. It may be difficult, but it is very im- portant that you get the names and addresses of people who actually wit- nessed the accident. Call a policeman if one is close at hand. See to it that the members of the crowd which may have collected do not change the position of anything until all necessary information 1s noted. In this connection, a sketch should be made of the exact position of the car, with measurements from the cars to the curbs or edges of the road, showing the directions in which the cars were traveling, Tf there is a mark on the road or pavement indicating that the wheels of a car were locked by the ke, this should also be noted on the sketch. Pictures of the wreckage from different points of view should be taken if it is possible to secure a camera. In this way one has a graphic account of the accident, which will serve for pur- poses of evidence. Get Names of All Involved. In the memoranda taken include the names of all cars involved, license num- bers, names and addresses of owners, all occupants and any others injured. The road should be cleared to prevent the tying up of trafic, securing a wrecking car from an available garage to_achieve this end. If a car that has become involved in an accident is covered by insurance, get in touch with the agent as soon as ible. The data that has been col- md with be of value in helping him to make an adjustment. Should it be necessary to tow in a wrecked car, the following suggestions will greatly aid in safely getting it to its destination, car to be towed should be kept as nearly as possible in line with the towing car, not t; them too closely to each other an apart. Attach 11 f the frame or 3m¢o:nnmweam-ndmmm the frame of the car which is doing the towing. If one end of the rope is tied to the left side of one car, the other end should be tied to the same side of the other car. The gears should not be meshed and the brakes on the rear car should be released. It will be necessary for the driver of the towed car to be very careful in turning cor- ners, passing cars and going down grades, The drivers of the towed and towing cars should arrange signals which will aid them in this procedure. It may hapoen that the differential gears wiil be locked and the reag wheels will not permit towing. in which case the rear wheels should be taken off and the keys holding the wheels to axle shafts removed. If one wheel is broken, by means of a small pole make a sled runner which will take the load off that side of the car. One of the primary essentials in case of accident is for those persons in- volved to keep their wits about them. This is no time for a person to get hot- headed, but is a time for cool thinking and prompt actiny STANDARDIZED BEARING IS SUGGESTED FOR AUTOS First Requirement of Metal Is That It Be Both Hard and Soft. The first requirement of a bearing metal is that it be an alloy having at least two constituents, one hard and the other soft. Classifying bearing metals according to the principal metal that they contain, it is observed that the greater part of the bearings used in au- tomobiles are made of tin“base and copper-base alloys. Representative compositions for bear- ing metals of the principal types are given, and the effects of the metal tem- perature and the mold temperature at the time of casting upon internal strue- ture are discussed. The suggestion is made that there may perhaps be an unnecessarily large number of composi- tions of bearing metals in use. It is suggested, also, that the securing of a standard test for bearing metals which will give results truly representative of their qualities is of great importance and worthy of a concerted effort to secure. Protection Against Slush. This is the season when you are likely to run through deep snow and icy slush. which makes it especially important to gtouct your tire valves from dirt ater by well fitting caps. LYS-KNIGHT 51 I P PE T Mid-City Sales Co. Distributors in 4 States 1711 14th St. N'W. Deecatur 5050—“Fifty-Fifty” ERVICE A 5,000,000 MILE DEMONSTRATION BETWEEN MARCH 24th AND 29th THE AMERICAN PUBLIC WILL MAKE A SUPREME TEST OF THE SPEED, POWER, SAFETY AND ECONOMY OF THE NEW Wi S| & SEDAN DE LUXE DOWN PAYMENT ONLY 325 Balance in easy monthly payments. List prices $695 to $850. Prices f. 0. b. Toledo, O., and specifications subject to change without notice. Come in and ~mnge for your own test. You are to judge this remarkable motor car in your own way. 72 MILES PER HOUR 48 IN SECOND GEAR INTERNAL 4-WHEEL BRAKES WILLYS - OVERLAND, MID-CITY SALES COMPANY opiiutors In the Midllle of the City—1711 Fourteenth St. ‘WOODSON MOTOR CO., Silver S , Md. Mitchellville, g . B. ORGAN, Winchester, Ve, J. A. SWAN, JR., Ouipeper, Va. COLLEGE PARK AUTO PLACE, Park, Md. BAU! MOTOE CO. Vo o 2 Remember the Phone Number, NEARBY DEALERS CATLETT MOTOR Catlett, Va. i 65 HORSEPOWER RICH BROADCLOTH UPHOLSTERY RUBBER INSULATED ENGINE INC,, HUNT uomlhcm INC., camiRanvid MoToR 0. A N MOTOR ll‘-.'ohoo" TOLEDO, OHIO Decatuy 5050—“Fifty Fitty.” C. LEO McKENNEY, GEONER BRofHERS, WA Vienns, Va.