Evening Star Newspaper, April 13, 1930, Page 59

In the Motor World BY G. ADAMS HOWARD. ! ARYLAND is contemplating H a law against the so-called hitch-hikers, who gain free transportation from mo- torists along the highways, often to the latter’s peril. Pending such legislation by the State, which would align it with four other States and the District of Columbia, who have drafted and adopted similar measures, H. H. Lucius, secretary of the Auto Club of Maryland, states that if his advice is followed there will be more hiking and less hitching. According to Mr. Lucius, many thumb tourists, as those who solicit free rides by jerking their thumb in the direction they wish to travel, already are finding it diffi- cult to induce motorists to give them a lift, and are now turning their attention to truck drivers. The club secretary points out that as a measure of safety and as a precaution against picking up those of criminal intent, commer- clal concerns should advise the operators of their trucks of the need for ignoring those soliciting free rides. Majority Are Wanderers. Although several courts have decided that the operator or own- er of a car is not responsible in case of an accident in which free transportation is given, there is widespread sentiment for adopt- ing legislation in the State mak- ing it unlawful for such solicita- tion. He states that there are numerous well meaning persons who stand by the roadside and solicit free transportation; they are in the minority. The majority are wanderers, in many instances youngsters who have run away from home, and criminals who have it in mind to fleece the kind- ly motorist at the first opportu- nity. Therefore, he concludes the only safe way is to ignore the signs and calls of those who seek ‘free transportation along the highways. Mr. Lucius remarks are well put and Maryland should not delay any longer in passing a law to protect her citizens or visitors. Almost daily some newspaper car- ries a story of some kindly mo- torist being held up after he had given a traveler a helping hand. Recently a motorist in Virginia was fatally injured while pursuing such a course. It may be hard to pass up some weary pedestrian along the road, especially if there is plenty of room in the car. In days gone by, any one who might refuse a re- quest for a lift would be regarded as a cold-hearted, selfish indi- vidual. That day is past, and no mo- torist, however kindly disposed, can afford to take the chance. A oung boy and young girl along he roadside falls in the same category, for often they are used as a plant. Don’t take anybody you don't know in your car! Auxiliary Motor Fuel. A card in the form of an adver- ment comes along with much interesting material, that is, if tory. authentic. Excerpts from the card says that “Am writing you about an amazing new auxiliary motor fuel that equals gasoline at only 3 cents a gallon. This prod- uct has re(l)entedly been given the most rigid tests in all kinds of motors, under the most variable eonditions, and in every instance has proven its merit beyond all expectations. “The manufacturers of this product are planning a gigantic advertising campaign, in which they are going to give away thou- sands of dollars’ worth of this mo- tor fuel, besides making it possi- ble for any one interested to make per month.” An address is given, which will not be disclosed here. If a sub- stitute for gasoline at 3 cents a allon is found the card advertis- g is a curious way to advise any one of such an event. Why so much money is to be given away seems rather unusual, too. One would like to believe a lot of things that one hears these days, but at that it is often the best plan to be a little doubtful at first. Talk on Junking Interesting. ‘There has been much talk about the junking of cars this year. Comments from the Motor and Equipment Association, through its medium, the Leader, is of in- terest, as well as what the Auto- motive Daily News has to say on the subject. The Leader gives out the fol- low statement: “Fifteen million dollars will be spent by the automobile industry in 1930 in removing unsafe cars from the highways, according to the details of a program indorsed by the directors of the National Automobile Chamber of Com- merce, as announced recently at the Chamber offices. This pro- gram calls for the junking of 400,000 old automobiles, in addi- tion to the normal scrapping which is constantly going on. “‘This widespread experiment will strike right at the heart of the unsafe vehicle problem by eliminating a huge block of those cars which are in the poorest con- dition,” said Alvan Macauley, pres- ident of the Automobile Chamber of Commerce, and former chair- man of its street committee, in commenting on the program. “The junking program will greatly relieve the used-car situa- tion, because it will remove from all consideration the large number of worthless vehicles which deal- ers ‘heretofore had to contend with and will leave to the used- car field only the vehicles which have a legitimate resale value. Good used cars will sell more readily because the stigma of worthlessness and unreliabilit; will be greatly reduced througl t.hfl;yatemnuc elmination of the culls. “Preventive maintenance, which is the keynote of ‘Care Will Save Your Car’ plans, also will bring stability to the used-car market because it will help to conserve car values. Car manufacturers want their customers to get the utmost in satisfaction and service out of their automobiles, because they understand that a better realization of the sound 'values which are built into their product will result in greater prestige. The car that is taken care of will be more warmly received in the used-car market and the owner will benefit accordingly when he talk# trade in. “With more than 26,000,000 mo- tor vehicles now registered in the United States and with estimates that this year’s total production will be somewhere between 4,000,- 000 and 5,000,000, the field for pr ventive maintenance continues to grow.” Grounded on Fundamentals. The Automotive Daily News de- clares: “Public benefit and sound eco- nomics are closely related. The automobile industry’s highway safety plan, which will scrap 400,- 000 unfit cars in a year, is an ex- ample of large-scale benefaction, which is solidly grounded on busi- ness fundamentals. “Every one knows that the used car falls into two classifications. ‘The first class comprises the serv- iceable automobiles which are salable by the dealer and of value to the buyer. The second class are the rattle-trap used-up cars which are a menace to all users of the highway and are an eco- nomic nuisance. They spell loss to the dealer and loss to those ‘who operate them. “The various companies partici- pating in this program estimate that they will spend a total of $15,000,000 for sending such cars to the scrap heap. “Those who are concerned with the national problem of accident prevention—and the motor execu- tives are in the forefront of that movement—will greet enthusias- tically this actvity to clear the roads of unfit vehicles. “Alvan Macauley, president of the National Automobile Chamber of Commerce, which fosters the project, characterizes the effost as_‘perhaps the greatest single salet,y move in industrial his- “The fact that the highway safety plan is good business sense strengthens its humanitarian val- ue. Economic soundness is usual- ly essential if any move is to be continuous rather than radic. The use of the automobile con- stitutes a vast democratic trans- portation system in which the have a common interest. The re- moval of unfit cars will serve to clean up a situation prejudicial to the industry and the trade. It will be a boom to the Nation of car owners by removing from the highways a huge amount of un- desirable rolling stock. “American industry has again proved its ability to deal with major problems by methods which are comprehensive and far- visioned.” Fatalities Continue to Rise. Automobile fatalities contiuue to rise, according to the Department of Commerce, which announces that during the four weeks end- ing March 22, 1930, 78 large cities in the United States reported 576 deaths from autombile accidents. ‘This number (576) compares with 523 deaths during the four weeks ending March 23, 1929. Most of these deaths were the result of accidents which occurred within the corporate limits of the city, although some accidents occurred outside of the city limits. For comparison, the number of deaths due to automobile acci- dents within city limits is desir- able. Such figures are available for the four-week period ending March 22, 1930, and for the cor- responding four-week period of 1929 for all of the 78 cities, the four-week figure in 1930 being 486, as contrasted with 452 for the corresponding four weeks in 1929. anlldering by four-week peri- ods 'since May, 1925, total deaths from automobile accidents for 78 cities, regardless of place of acci- dent, the lowest total (346) ap- pears for the four-week period ending March 27, 1926, and the highest (840) for the four-week period ending November 2, 1929. TRUCK USE GAINS IN MOVING FRUITS AND VEGETABLES \ total consumption of these fruits and vegetables in the rural districts which formerly were poorly supplied.” The term “second grade” was ex- maker, thé dealer and the owner |18 *HE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, APRIL v13 1930—PART FOUR 5 rrANK BECK. | |AUTOMOBILE REQUIRES FOOD DOWN THE ROAD—Oh, For A Dog’s Life. _ ~—BY TRAFFIC TOLL 1929 INCREASES DEATH RATE OF PEDESTRIANS UP 20 PERCENT —_—— SAFETY. COUNCIL BELIEVES THAT FIGURES COULD BE REDUCED BY OBSERVATION _OF PROPER THIS ENGRMGLS "€ ANG AND YET MOTORISTS WiLL EVEN TURN OVER THEIR CARS TO AVOID = HITTING A DOG =« MILADY’S MOTORING BY FREDERICK C. RUSSELL What the neighbors say about yuurl ney car as you roll by is one knock | that need never worry you. As a tule women are not especially troubled by tappet noises, a situation | that is both an advantage and a dis- advantage. The more optimistic side of it is that by not insisting upon maxi- | mum valve quietness they do not en- courage mechanics to go to dangerous extremes in adjustment. At the same time tolerating too much valve noise may mean running with the engine be- low par in efficiency. If there is too much tappet clearance—evidenced by too much noise—valves do not open far enough for best results. T have just run across something new in driving pillows. It is of leather and made to fit at your back so as te make you more comfortable when at the wheel, but when you zip open a slide fastened at one ¢ there is revealed a handy pocket for the tour book, gloves or other small articles. An; woman who drives would appreciate Despite the fact that there are cer- tain dangerous places to park, many ‘women are d to leave the car wherever there is an opening. One of the worst spots is the first space just around a corner. Spaces on either side of a commercial driveway also are risky. Pedestrian traffic is another matter to be taken into account. One woman left her car just ahead of a crosswalk on a rainy day and later found that the back of the body had been badly scratched. Umbrellas, of course. A tire often looks softer if the car standing on a gravel driveway. Also if the road isn't level where it stands & tipping of car weight may lead to borrowed trouble. ‘There is no questioning the fact that fear plays an unnecessary role in fur- ther confusing the women who can't recrank a stalled engine. I watched one driver struggling with a balky en- e the other day and was iterested note that all dus the rocess she kept looking around at an audience of critics instead of watching the instrument panel. Aside the expense of having with constant 3 ‘frelr.ly lessened by learn- Irive in such a way as to thing, avold running into water-filled holes in the road. Also keep a greater distance behind other rars, them, run for pai amount of traffic and where the streets ll"ne h"l the best eondllxu%mh i ore garaging, raining af the time, let the machine stand ou’ for & while. A shower will help it. Don't be in such a hurry with serv- ice work that you haven't time for the mechanic to take the car out for a short test. There have been any num ber of cases where owners who over- looked this little formality have experi- enced trouble because som on the car hadn’t been replaced or properly gll;md. Let the ‘Though it is one of the most monplace things on the ranel. the speedometer is perhaps the least understood. Any woman doubts this has only to ask a men for an explanation of its operation and observe 12 blank faces. All eters are alike in that they are driven by a flexible shaft which is connected to some moving part of the chassis. The drive orl(lnafl; was taken from one of the front wheels, but in modern cars this flexible speed- to the shaft ometer shaft is connected {:l‘t behind the transmission. There Lhom:een mol;c or lel:‘ concentra- tion on the magnetic type of speedome- ter, but- many ts have been MOTOR DON'TS f, DON'T : N DIRTY PLUGS WILL VI SAS CONSUMPTION. T T AND POINT ADUUETMERT. BRIDGE NOW OPEN Highest Suspension Structure, Near Canon City, Completed. ‘The highest. suspension bridge in the world is l‘:ow g’pe’nllq“l‘n lu;omobflc !{l{.fic Toss colorful al Gorge of the Called the odomcer, but the Word 1| \ mees Rons: Doar G Olty. Come seldom used except by those Who are ,leted last December, it is 1,053 feei sticklers or accuracy. However, in Com- | above the stream and the tracks of the plaining of some trouble with the com- | penver & Rio Grande Western Railway. plete instrument it is well to eXplain | The main span is 880 feet long. It i ‘o the service man whether you mean | ide ‘enough for two cars. Interesting the'odometer' oF the speedometes. new scenic areas are made accessible (« e motorists by the structure. The Roy Farmers' hauling time is reduced one- | Gorge is on the route between Pu b' quarter by use of motor cars, | and Colorado Springs via Canon City ———————— such a kick out of hitting the dash with his fist and making the car show speed when it stands stock still. is free to move that little Willie can letl Every speedometer is in reality two instruments, since it includes a counter to record the number of miles the car made that operate on centrifugal, air| has gone. This part of the device is and liquid principles. ‘The popular tyre of speedumeter head utilizes a magnetic ring, which is made to revolve with the flexible drive shaft. from this by an air gap it a metal cup on which is marked the scale of miles per hour. This is gen- | erally made of aluminum, so that it will be light and more responsive to speed changes. It is because this cup Separated FOR EFFICIENT OPERATION Gasoline Is Drawn From Tank by Means of Vacuum Tank and Fed to Engine. BY H. CLIFFORD BROKAW, Automobile Technical Adviser. ‘The automobile is like the human be. ing who owns it in that it requires regular supply of food to keep it worl ing effectively. After the enfi:ll 18 stalled in the automobile ti intake manifold, a piping arrangement for dis- tributing equal quantities of fuel to each cylinder, is connected| Usually the intake manifold is designed so as to heat the gasoline vapor before it enters the cylinder. This is an advan- tage, since heat is a help in the efficient combustiion of the automobile’s fuel. A carburetor is bolted to the lower end of the intake manifold, the purpose of the carburetor being to mix fu— oline with air in the correct proportions before it is burned in the cylinder. The vacuum tank is the next item to be installed in the fuel system. This is an Inkremnsndevwe. which causes the gasoline to flow uphill. The vacuum tank is for the purpose of supplying the carburetor with gasoline drawn from the fuel ‘aak. To eom&lm the assem- bly of ti.. fuel system, the gasoline tank is added, which is a container for the fuel which is used to give the automo- bile its power. Function of Vaguum Tank. ‘When the engine is running the gaso- line is sucked by vacuum from the gaso- line tank into the vacuum tank, where it is strained and stored for future use. If the main gasoline tank is at the rear of the car and lower than the engine, which is generally the case, the vacuum tank is intended to insure a steady flow of gasoline to the engine, regardless of the pasition of the automobile. ‘The gasoline flows from the vacuum tank into the carburetor, where it is mixed with air and then sucked into the cylinder in the form of vapor. If the gasoline is stored in a tank at a higher level than the carburetor, the fluid flows by gravity directly into the carburetor instead of through a vacuum tank, otherwise the fluid is fed to the carburetor by air pressure produced by a small compressor that forces air un- der pressure directly into the fuel tank. When the piston travels down in the cylinder, creating a partial vacuum, the gasoline-air-vapor is sucked from the carburetor to fill the space; this vapor is then compressed by the upper stroke of the piston and burns with great ra- pidity when ignited. The intense heat thus developed expands the gas and produces the power needed to drive the piston to the bottom of the cylinder. ‘The vacuum tank is comprised of two tanks combined in one. There is an upper tank. the actual vacuum tanl nd the lower one. which is a reservol | When the vacuum is created in the | eylinder it is put to work sucking air | from the * chamber of the vacuum s fine as money can build or huy It is natural to want the best. Public preference invariably follows the ar- rival of a superior product. And there is a best. Always, there is some manufacturer unwilling to be satisfied with an average result. In motor cars, one manufacturer who insists upon a superior product is Nash. No manufacturer has finer facilitles to produce fine cars than Nash. None lays down any more rigid standards for materials and craftsmanship. None has learned how to buijld with more skill and precision, or with less waste. This must be very evident to anyone i SINGLE SIX TWIN-IGNITION SIX $935 to $1155 $1325 to $1745 7 VASH WALLACE MOTOR Retail Salesrooms, 1709 L Street N.W. Distributor . Robt. J. Nash Motor Co. 1419 Irving St. N.W. 1529 14th Street N.W. Birvon Nash Motor Co. Clarendon, Va. E.-.t'- rage. Territory Dealers Vo RN 73 Ticar Md: Nash Features You Should Know tank. 'l‘hlslldunethrwhlem tube which connects the uj ;er chaml of the vacuum tank with the intake ‘manifold. Gasoline Fills Vacuum, When the vacuum is created the gas- oline in the main gas tank rushes in to fill the vacuum. The copper tube which connects the main gasoline tank with the upper chamber of the vacuum tank is an instrument through which the gasoline from the main fuel tank flows on until the fuel in the upper chamber reaches a level governed by a valve. ‘This valve is o] or closed by the rise or fall of a hollow metal can which floats in the gasoline. As this float reaches a certain fixed level the suction is automatically cut off and air is per- mitted to enter this chamber h an air valve, and thus tem eliminating the vacuum. The fuel in the upper chamber then flows by gn- ity through a valve into the lower chamber of the vacuum tank. When the motorist is driving his car and runs out of gasoline he will find 1t necessary to prime the vacuum tank. Gasoline poured into the upper tank flows through the valve into the lower tank and su’gplles the carburetor. When the engine is started the vacuum again begins to operate and the flow of fuel from the main tank is resumed. Fuel Is Vaporized. ‘When the gasoline rises in the float chamber of the carburetor the float rises until—when it has reached a cer- tain level—a lever closes a needle valve at the bottom and stops the flow, The gasoline level is then even with the top of the spray jet in the mixing chamber. Suction then draws the air through the air-intake pipe and through the mixing chamber. When the air rushes pasi the spray jet it sucks a small amount of gasoline, which is vaporized and mixed with the rapidly moving air in the proportion necessary to produce the desired combustion. This combination of air and gasoline is then drawn through the manifold into the cylinder as needed. ‘The amount of this vapor fed to the cylinder is controlled by the movement of a valve operated by the foot acceler- ator or throttle lever. When a rich mixture is needed, as in case of starting the car on a cool day, the desired re- sults are secured by using the choke, which reduces the proportion of air which makes up the vapor. Mr. Brokaw will be glad to write on any subject pertaining to the automo- bile that a reader may request. Forty million gallons of denatured alcohol are used during the Winter season as an anti-freeze. who knows fine motor cars and who studies the Nash “400.” The Twin-Ignition Eight, the Twin- Ignition Six, and the Single Six repre- sent three cars in three popular price fields as fine as money can build or buy, designed by an engineering staff recog- nized by the motor car industry as one of the most capable in the profession. Centralited chassis lubrication, bullt-in, automatic radiator nh\;:ten. and the world’s easiest steering in le front seats. Steel spring covers everymode! with lifetime lubrication in the Twin-Ignition Eight and Twin-Ignition Six lines. The priceless protection at no extra cost of Duplate, non-shatterable plate glass in all doors, windows, and windshields thruout the Twin-Ignition Eight line. This glass is also avails able at slight extra cost in all other Nash cars. TWIN-IGNITION EIGHT $1675 to $2385 All pricesf. o. b. factory—Convenient Monthly Payment Plan if Desived 400 COMPANY HAWRKING-NASH MOTOR CO. Decatur 3320. Potter Nash Motor Co. 131 B St. SE. Silver Spring, Md. R e 0 fh, 0 Decatur 2280 Hall-Kerr Motor Co. 4-13—(1'48)