THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAN, PORTLAND, FEBRUARY 17, 1907.
ROADS IDEAL FOR
LIST AT L
NEW AUTOMOBILES PURCHASED BY PORTLAND PLEASURE SEEKERS
Factories Conceal Actual. Ca
pacity of Engines.
Linnton, Section Line and
Base Line Thoroughfares
in Fine Condition.
GIVE AUTOS PRECEDENCE
x.- .x-fy M-v $0og.
36
DW POWER
MOTORS
i" f1 Hri,rnn n.Hay
41 A A M
WW?"
f ii If II , T
MANY NEW CARS ARRIVE
Kew 60 IXorse Power Thomas Flyer
tar Livery Business Everything
That Could Run Has Ex
ceedingly 3-usy "Week.
Considerable activity In the automo
bile line was witnessed last weelc and
a number of new cars have reached
the city. Te pleasant Spring; weather
made It Ideal for motoring, and many
of the suburban roads are now In good
condition, especially the IJnnton, Base
Line and Section Line roadB.where the
macadamised bed has been worked Into
rood shape during the sunny weather.
The Fulton road Is In fair condition,
but there are still a number of places
on It where the mud has not dried.
The light rain during the latter part
of this week did not damage these
roads, but helped put them In better
condition. On tho downtown streets,
however, mud caused considerable
trouble and It became difficult to run
B- car at any speed.
Good Week for Auto Liveries.
In the auto livery business the men
were rushed' all week .and some of
them considered themselves lucky to
find time to sleep. In the daytime
there were many sight-seeing parties
around the city, and in the evening
pleasure-seeking parties who wished to
visit the different roadhouaes. All the
private cars that could be pressed Into
service were nauled out of the garages
and shops for runs. A number of rel
ics of the days when the double cylin
der and rear entrance tonneau wore
In the height of their popularity were
seen on the roads. In fact about all
the private cars In the city were out..
The garage men were also rushed by
quick repair tabs.
The Auto Dealers' Association,
formed last week, expects to do some
good work this Summer. The organ
isation claims to be not a trust to
force up price of cars, but a union of
the dealers to work for the best In
terests of fche automobile trade. One
of tho objects Is better roads, and all
the men propose to do everything In
their power to get and keep a better
system of roads in and around the city.
Road races, endurance runs and hlll
cllmblng contests will be started this
Summer, and everything that will fri
any wny help the motoring sport Is to
be done.
A meeting of the Automobile Club
will be called in a few days, and the
members will organize for this Sum
mer's work. Nothing has been done
so far, but in the course of a few
weeks the club will be reorganized
and ready for the season.
New Cars of the Week.
Among the new cars that have reached
the city this week, the most attractive
perhaps Is R. Becker's new 60-horsepower
Thomas Flyer. This machine Is a marvel,
both for finish and practical work. The
motors run quietly, and once under way
are as quiet as an electric runabout. The
machine was out of the shops several
times last week, and whenever it was
been on the streets, attracted much atten
tion. The machine will he used to the
livery business, and will be out an the
etreeta In a few days.
H. M. Covey received last Tuesday a
carload of locomobiles that are as pretty
a lot of cars that have reached the city
this year. The machines are all of the
same type, 20-horsepower, and fitted with
the Make and Brake low tension "magneto.
The cars are all light touring cars, with
four cylinders, 3 by 4'i, and capable of
developing 20-horsepower. They are
especially adapted to hlll-cllmbing work
and In long and hard runs are said to
stand the abuse better than most of the
high-power cars.
Two of these machines have been sold
at J3100 apiece. John Matthlesen, pro
prietor of the Hotel Matthlesen, purchased
one and L. H. Hoffman the other. Mr.
PORTLAND'S BOY CHAUFFER OWNER OF BIG AUTO
XvNfe' Tate - J
fcJV. -'AJk&&,4 X- t .r:' ; :::"; . ,'.uv"'
WIIXIAM EASTMAN.
William Eastman la oos of the best-known driver hi this city. He la only 15
years old, yot he has a record for fast and darinr driving that any of the older
drivers would be proud of. Ha Is some what touchy as to his age, and replies
with a Jaunty air that even If he is only a kid, he can manage a car as well as
any ef the old-timers. He owns a 80 horsepower Stevens touring car. when ne
need a little money, he goe in the livery Dullness tor a few hours, and gets
enough spending money for a week.
Eastman is a born mechanic, and many times when his parents think he is In
school, h can be seen in the repair room of some garage, busy at work on a car.
V -v v "s,5'-"f' ii '' - . Jiff- " 3
THE ONE OH THE LEFT WAS THREE . MkW ' I.QCOMQB IIK''' AMirTHSOMB CM
SOLD lST VSIZJZK TO W , , , Ji TMEfJPl&JfT TO
. Off A M"A TTTfr r.SZI-rfr"' " -l.aainii.,,-.m, HOITFTTfiN. w
r J- TVH7f f . .:;- - JII .
rr-
Govey has sold a number of other cars,
one to E. FJlmwood Wiles, a cement con
tractor. This last machine was a 20
horsepower Cadillac and the price Is
stated as 3000. W. F. Wright, of Union,
Or., purchased another car of the same,
ts'pe at the same price. Neither of the
cars has 'been delivered yet and It
may be two weeks before they reach the
city.
Sales of Ford and Reo Cars.
Fred A. Bennett, agent for the Ford and
Reo cars, has made a number of sales
this week, and one of the cars has betn
delivered. John Gibson purchased a 1S
horsepower Reo touring car for $1350.
George Flanders, superintendent of the
Standard Oil Company, a Ford runabout,
and" A. 8. Ellis, another car of the same
type. These cars have four-cylindered
motors, capable of developing 15,-horse-power.
The price In each case was $700.
A Limousine, ordered by the Cook Motor
Company, is now enroute, and will arrive
here about the first of the month. The
car will be the only Limousine In the
city, and will attract attention among
the "smart class."
The freight blockade on automobiles
eeems to have broken up and most of
the cars are now Jn the city. No less
than 25 07 cars are around the town, and
by April 1 It Is expected there will be
about "5 new machines spinning around
the streets. . ' .
v
KCN OFF IX TWKXTY SECOJfDS
Detachable Without Deflating Tire
by Practicable Appliance.
One of the leading exhibits at the New
Tork show was the first practical Ameri
can made detachable rim, shown In the
Flsk exhibit. The principle on which this
rim Is based is totally different from any
foreign detachable rim in use, and to all
practical appearances appears lnfinately
superior. The rim can be removed, with
out deflating the tire, in twenty seconds
by simply loosening six nuts on the face
of the rim itself. These nuts hold in
place a narrow steel strip which operates
on the beveled edge of the frame over
the spokes. When the nuts are tight
ened these steel strips, running sepa
rately from bolt to bolt, work up against
the frame and from a ridge, which
wit-h a second immovable ridge at a dis
tance of two Inches, form a grove Into
which the rim fits and Is held fast by
the screwing up of the nuts over the
bolt. The mechanical process Is remark
ably simple and rapid and withal Is of
the utmost practicability.
sr. 1" -r-av pit-C- ' 1 1
SEW THOMAS Fjrrzeri
PULLS UP STEEP GRADE
AUTO CARRIES NINE ON SAN
JUAN HILL.
Disappoints Youth Who Makes Live
lihood Taking Horses to the Re
lief of Stalled Machines.
The apparently impracticable feat of
one automobile carrying nine persons over
the San Juan grade without even stop
ping to wheeze has been accomplished by
a 1907 Thomas Flyer; and thereby hangs a
tale of financial disappointment to a
thrifty young man who has been coining
money this Winter by being "Johnny on
the Spot" when machines get stuck In
the mud, says a San Francisco exchange.
The sight of an automobile heading
for the difficult grade, after a heavy
storm fills the young man's soul with
Joy and his pockets with a fat fee for
giving first aid to the mechanically In
jured. It is his practice to lie in wait
with three horses. When a machine be
gins the muddy ascent he trails It on
horseback. Inevitably the car gets stuck.
Then "Johnny" makes his little financial
deal and his horses do the rest.
J. G. Thompson, the well-known mining
man of Nevada, recently made a trip to
Paso Robles, accompanied by L. A. Sav
age and eight others. One of the two auto
mobiles used was a 1907 Thomas Flyer,
for which Mr. Savage paid a bonus of
,350. The capabilities of the machine had
been demonstrated to the owner before
he purchased the car, so he had no doubt
that It would climb the hill without diffi
culty. Fearing that the other machine
would not be able to negotiate the grade
with all its passengers, it was decided
A Swift Night
THE ride of Tarn o'Shanter was tamer
than a slow mule race at a country
fair by comparison with the wild
midnight dash all the way to Scappoose,
twenty-odd miles away, made by auto
mobile one night last week.
It- was Tuesday morning at 12:10 when
Floyd Cook and a party of newspaper
men composed of Arthur D. Sullivan, C.
H. 'Williams, Eugene A. Howe, J. R.
Lake and Arthur A. Greene, left The
Oreganlan corner in a big 1907 model
Royal touring car to make the first long
road run of the season. Owing to a
wholesome respect for the speed ordi
nance and Portland's police, 1VA minutes
were consumed In the run to Claremont
Tavern, a distance of six miles. But
Auto Runs in
IN the big snow storm that swept
Philadelphia last week, some automo
biles proved themselves better storm
vehicles than steam trains and trolley
cars. An excellent example was a trip
made by Charles Barker, from Potts
town to Philadelphia on Tuesday morning
when the snow was the deepest. There
was about 13 Inches on the level then,
and anything up to six feet in drifts.
Barker's machine Is a 80-horsepoweT
K, L
that the entire party, excepting the
chauffeur, ride in the new machine.
Close in the wake of the machine rode
"Johnny," waiting for something profit
able to happen. It looked like easy
money. Nine people bunched in one car
on the grade, and the road as soft as a
custard piel He winked to his friends
near by as he .proceeded after the deluded
tourists. But he laughs best who laughs
last. And they do say that the echo of
Mr. Savage's laugh, when the machine
reached the summit easily and he turned
to see "Johnny's" look of grieved aston
ishment, might have been heard half way
to Faso Robles.
TOBACCO BAD FOR CHAUFFEURS
Accelerates Heart Action and De
stroys Motoring Benefits.
Experimenting with tobacco In various
forms to see and Judge Its varying effects
on the system while driving in motor
cars, a London specialist finds that the
general effect of tobacco in an appreciable
quantity was to accelerate, the action of
the heart.
One cigar was smoked after dinner in
a drawing-room when the heart was beat
ing at 82 per minute. The cigar lasted 40
minutes, after which the pulse was again
tested and the rate per minute was 120,
an Increase of 38 beats in the minute.
Next evening, when the heart was. beat
ing normally again, a run was taken on
a fast open motor car, and the experi
menter sat on the front seat by the
driver. He- smoked again for 40 minutes.
In which time he had consumed two ci
gars and a third part of another.
On testing the heart a further accelera
tion ofr 15 beats per minute was noticed,
while there was apparent a slight Irregu
larity as well and In addition the state
of mind was not nearly so restful nor the
sense of enjoyment so strong.
The doctor thinks It always advisable,
therefore, to smoke as little as possible
under these circumstances. n,.
Ride Over Scappoose Road
after that well after that, only the more
prominent high places were touched. On
the going trip there were no untoward in
cidents save that the acetyline gas for
the lights acted badly and all hands were
piped forr"ad to light matches.
The staid and early-retiring household
ers of Scappoose must have sprung from
their beds in terror with visions of King
ston earthquakes, comets and' aerolites
before them when the big car dashed
down the village street at SO miles an
hour driving before It all-encompassing
quiet.
On the return trip the fearless Cook,
with stern, set face ana piercing eyes, de
termined to tear all past records into
paper snow and was in a fair way to do
It until by unlucky chance, in attempting
to jump an unusually wide mudhole, the
Snow Drifts That Stop Trains
about 7 o'clock for the 40-mile trip, al
though some of his friends tried to dis
suade him, insisting that be never could
get through. In addition to a companion.
Barker carried about 1000 pounds of iron
castings in the car.
"As far as comfort is concerned, that
trip was awful," said ' Barker. "The
thermometer hovered about zero and the
wind was drifting snow in our faces all
the while. But the car performed, finely.
Jt plowed; it thjougiv .(talXtft a
X4x x.r it
omo-
PERMIT FOR ROAD RACE
FRENCH AUTO CLUB ALLOWED
SPEED TRIAL.
Regulation.- Permit Sufficient Gaso
line for Hungriest Racing Car
and Insnre Fast Contest.
PARIS (Cable to the Automobile.)
Thirty liters of gasoline for every 100
kilometers of distance constitutes the new
and principal clause In the regulations for
this year's Grand Prix race in France.
M. Clemenceau, the Prim Minister, act
ing in his Cabinet capacity of Minister of
the Interior, has Just granted to the Au
tomobile Club de France authority to run
"a grand speed race" on a closed circuit
of roads in France in 1907. Application to
the Minister (who is branded by the op
position as the Dictator, the government
al anti-Godhead, responsible for the
movement to crush religion of out
France), with a certain period of sus
pense, was only a formality. It was a
foregone conclusion that the permit would
be granted refusal in the face of France's
"greatest industry" would cause a crisis,
auto. If not ministerial.
With permission to use 100 liters of
petrol, the automobile firms entering ma
chines for the race will not feel that they
are being narrowly restricted. This quant
ity will amply answer the appetite of a.
racing monster, so that the contest Is not
likely to resemble a touring Jaunt to
Jersey City. A sort of minority commit
tee in the French auto world has been
advocating a reduction of racing machine
powers. Many numbers of this coterie
are constructors of vehicles that are very
Infrequently arrested for "scorching."
After all, why shouldn't automobiles be
great machine fell short and burled Its
wheels tire-deep In the mire. The morass
was wide 'and deep, and vainly did the
powerful engine throb and struggle to
extricate the car, but In vain. Ones
more the stern commanding voice of
Skipper Cook ordered the excess baggage
out of the luxurious tonneau. In spite
of the moans and mutinous mutterings
of Williams and the protestations of
Sullivan and Howe, they were compelled
to wade out Into the yielding surf, attach
a cable to the prow and warp the machine
ashore. This done, the run was resumed
and in the small hours of the false-dawn
the party returned to that dear Portland,
having accomplished the first successful
run over the Scappoose road during the
present year In record time.
as the top of the hood at a good rate of
speed. Occasionally we would strike a
snow bank from four to five feet high,
then we had to get out and dig a path.
but most of the time, thn car just pushed
its way through. But my Autocar has
always performed so well before that I
had faith in it or I would never have
undertaken the journey. On the way
down, we passed two or three trains that
were blocked by drifts, and the trolleys
Tvere not running at all,''
I
handicapped In races? Horses are handi
capped, cyclists are handicapped.
ana many automobile manufacturers
are handicapped in their work
of producing machines to comnare
with those of their competitors In the
trade. Limiting the fuel consumption to
. certain quantity gives everybody
cnance to start scratch, so that the man
who comes up the road with a smaller
quantity or gasoline practically grants
mmseir me opportunity of starting be-
mna scratch, so much the worse for him.
Thomas A. Edison, whose close relation
ship with, automobillng is widely known
on account of that very small electrics
battery which has not yet been used to
run the biggest automobiles, is to be hon
orea in France, contemporary with his
celebration, en famine, in America, of his
40tn year as an inventor. M. Emlle Durer.
a local author of reputation, who figured
as envoye from President Carnot when
Mr. Edison was invited to come to Paris
on the occasion of the exposition of 1SS9,
has written an '"electric" play, embrac
ing chief events and episodes In the life
or me wizard. This play will be sung.
(lanced and pantomimed. It Is to be
called "Edison," and the music has been
composed by a "grand musician." whose
name has not yet been divulged. "Edi
son will be produced at one of the lead'
ing Paris theaters in the form of an elec-
trio fairy scene, and "on lines of elabora
tion heretofore unheird of."
Among the "unpatriotic" Americans
who have recently purchased automo
biles in Paris are Mr. Chlsholm, presi
dent of the National Paper Company,
40-horsepower Blanchl; L. H. Spauld-
lng, of New Tork, 40-horsepower Rochet-Schneider;
Frank Gould, 14-horse-power,
C G. V.; Stewart Browne. 70
horsepower Rochet-Sohneider; S. S.
Keyser, 20-h.orsepower Renault; Er
nesto Fabbrl, 75-horsepower Mercedes;
Oeorge Gould, 10-horsepower Renault;
Frank Tllford, 40-horsepower Rochet-
Schneider; Mrs. Katherlns Giles, of
Pittsburg, 24-horsepower Fiat; Captain
Bell, of New Tork, 24-horsepower Pan
hard; Jefferson Sellgman, 40-horsepower
Rochet-Schneider; the Misses
Brice, of New York, 20-horsepower
Renault
A banknote that passed throurh the Chi
cago fire la on of th curio preserved in
the Bank of En ir land. The Daner wu con
sumed, but the ashes held together and the
printing Is quite legible and It Is kept under
glagw. The bank redeemed the note.
FORD".
SIX-CYLINDER 40 H. P.
PRICE, S3000
A Demonstration in This Car is a Revelation.
Let the other fellow take you out; then let us take
you over the same ground. This will prove the
pudding.
If you buy a six-cylinder car this year, you won't
have to buy a new car next year to have a modern car.
A carload of Ford four-cylinder Runabouts just
in. Two of these are not sold. Do you want one of
these
REO CARS
iWe have just received our first carload of '07 Reo
light Touring Cars. All we ask is to have you get a
demonstration in this car, and then we will leave it
to you.
Reo 8-H. P. Runabouts with Folding Seat. .$700.00
FRED ATBENNETT
DISTRIBUTOR FORD AND REO CARS, . .
Washington and Oregon.
471 Yamhill Street, Portland.
718-720 Front Street, Spokane.
By Announcing Horsepower Lower
Than Real Strength of Machines,
Manufacturers Gain Ad-vantage
Over Rivals of Same Class.
The practice of understating the powers
of engines Is becoming so general In
France that it is quite impossible in the
majority of cases to attach any meaning
to the usual system of rating. The lead
ing firms have always adopted a com
posite figure which gives the normal and
maximum powers developed; for Instance,
a 24-30 horsepower engine develops the
lower power at its normal angular veloc
ity, while the higher figure represents the
maximum power obtainable. This is an
intelligent and very useful system of rat
ing, and if it were strictly adhered to
comparison between the different types
of engines would be greatly facilitated,
says the Autocar.
Of late, however, certain makers have
been increasing the powers of their en
gines, without altering the official rating,
in a way that is; entirely misleading. The
reason for this 1s a purely commercial
one, and Is intended to give the owner
a higher opinion of the value of the car.
So far as the limit of power is concerned,
it is generally conceded that a 24-horsepower
engine is all that is necessary on a
touring vehicle. The public has come
down from the high powers that were at
one time in vogue. They consider that
these big powers are unnecessary; that
the increased consumption of fuel con
siderably augments the running cost, and,
what is of still greater importance, the
purchasing cost of the car increases so
largely with the power that the average
buyer is satisfied with a cheaper vehicle,
which fulfills his purpose equally well.
Nearly all the French makers, therefore,
are giving attention particularly to cars
propelled by engines rated from 12 horse,
power to 24 horsepower, but having con-
fined themselves within these limits, the
commercial rivalry compels thern to make
the engines as powerful as possible.
Supposing the owner of a 24-horsepower
car of one make finds himself passed on
the road by a 24-horsepower of another
make; he naturally concludes that the
rival car is the better one, and when the
time comes for giving out another order
he may think of placing it with the rival
firm. The other maker has therefore no
alternative but to slightly increase the
bore of his cylinders, whereby the car
gets the reputation of being a vastly im
proved vehicle. Having started on this
system of Increasing powers, there is
apparently no limit, and it Is now a
common thing for a car rated at 24 horse
power to develop 35 horsepower and even
40 horsepower. As the manufacture of
an engine with a bigger bore entails lit
tle extra expense, the maker does not
find It necessary to increase the price of
his car. even if he were able to do bo.
and the only risk and it is a sufficiently
serious one is the narrowing down of the
margin of safety of the propelling mech
anisms which were designed for the pow
ers at which the cars are rated. On the
whole, it cannot be said that the prac
tice of giving a purely artificial value to
rating is to be commended.
Why Wagner Carried an Arsenal.
After 14 days In New York. Louis Wag
ner, the Vanderbllt victor, last week re
turned to his native land on La Qascogne.
A little adventure on the eve of sailing
almost caused Wagner to miss his pass
age. Held up by a New Tork policeman
for speeding, the Frenchman was dis
covered on being searched at the police
station to be the possessor of a revolver
and a big knife. His explanation of the
presense of the flrbiddon arms was that
be had bought the revolver to protect a
large- sum of money he was carrying
back to France, and the knife was one
he regularly used to rip off punctured
tires. Evidently the explanation satisfied
the authorities, for the case was dis
missed and Wagner was able to sail as
he had Intended.