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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 14, 1912)
TOE SUNDAY OHEGOXIAX,' FORTXAXD, JANUARY 14, 1913. OLDFIELD FAVORS . CASH REPAIR 10EA New System Tends to Elimin ate Much of Present Kick ing, He Says. OVER-CHARGING PREVALENT Speed King Declares Manufacturers Sbxrnld Make More Determined Effort to Replace Horse With Power Vehicles. BT BARN ST OLDFIELD. fropjTUht ltl br Barney OldfUld.) Cash for all repairs In the future Is the err of a great many dealers and garage-owners that I talked with last week. From all over the entire United States and Canada the rash system seems to hare rained favor. The Idea Is not only (coins; to be widely dis cussed, but It wlil be widely adopted. Three of the biggest and most pro gressive automobile manufacturing- cor porations hare announced that the cash system will In the future prevail at all their branch houses. I am positive that a cash for repairs and supplies system will revert to the distinct benefit of the car owner. In the first place, he will be more care ful of the prices charged, and In the second place he will not be obliged to pay for a lot of bad debts the garage mu may have accumulated on his books. 1 have fought a lot of battles with garage men over the bills they have presented at the end of the month or week. I cannot recall ever having won the decision even once. I am strong for the cash syatem. Bring it on. "It Is up to us manufacturers to show that economical delivery or such mat ter la not only possible, but absolutely certain. said a prominent manufactur. er. while discussing the parcels post movement the other day. "It would be out of question to use horse-drawn ve hicles for this service, and I am frank to admit that the postoffice officials are not aware nf what ran be done with the automobile delivery line. "Despite the opposition of the ex press companies, 1 believe the parcels post bill would pas If the official really knew how cheap they could do the collecting and distributing of the matter with light delivery automobiles.' I heard so much logical talk that I wished Postmaster General Hitchcock had been In my seat. He could not have evaded many of the points made la the discussion. Which reminds me that there many light delivery automobiles on the market at prices ranging from $700 to $100 and they are not toys elthilr. I often wonder why so many of the large concerns, progressive In every other line, are using so many horse drawn vehicles In their delivery serv ice. I believe the factories should go after this business direct, crediting the local treut- with The commission he Is entitled to, after a deduction is made for the cost of the factory man. It Is seldom that the local agent looks suf ficiently 'big to the concern using close to 100 delivery wagons to land the business. I cannot believe that the motor delivery wagon proposition Is being put up to the big concerns in an aggressive manner. A benefit will be held In Los Ange les for two race drivers who were hurt in accldeots during recent race meets. One of the drivers had excellent grounds upon which to base a suit for damages against his employer, for whom be raced the car. Hut he found that the entry blank he was forced to sign before racing, carried a clause re lieving the National Association and the owner of the car from all blame In case of an accldent. A steering knuckle, a defect in man ufacture, caused the csr to run Into a fence around th track, the rules of the National Association providing that no such fonce be allowed around the track. Both the maker of the car and the association sanctioning and offi ciating the race meet were to blame instead of the drivers. Hut they had to sign away all rights to make the others pay for negligence, before they could enter the meet. And the sanction-granting association had the nerve to charge 1100 for the sanction cover ing the benefit meet to be ran. what Is the Drivers Association, formed almost a year ago, doing for such quire United States Government sanc tion to make the movement legal. Without waiting for National help, Texas and Oklahoma have set aside millions of dollars to build new roads and repair old ones. CHASE HAS TWO-CYCLE MOTOR Simplicity Is One of Chief Assets of Latest Truck Here. One of the peculiarities In motor-car construction that Is causing consider able comment In Portland automoblle dom Is the most, recent arrival to aug ment the commercial vehicle division. It Is the Chase truck, handled by the Keats Auto Company. This machine differs from Its com petitors in that its motor represents an entirely different school. It is of the three-cylinder, two-cycle type, air cooled, and is said to have 187 fewer parts than any other engine on the automobile market. Simplicity is the keynote of Its design, and, according to C. H. King, the sales manager, it la "fool proof." The Chase has been man ufactured since 1S08 by the Chase Motor Vehicle Company. Syracuse. N. Y. One of the features of the Chase Is thst the lubricating oil and gasoline are mixed together, one and one-half quarts of oil going to five gallons of gasoline. This precludes the machine of ever being run without lubrication, for there must be oil circulating VALVES SI SHOW Many New Motor Designs Give Students Much to Study. NOISELESS SYSTEM SHOWN Advancement Made la Elimination of Xolse Proves One of Chief . Topics of Discussion at Xew York Display. During the past year great Interest has been awakened among motor en thusiasts In engine valves and valve action, and the massive twelfth Nation al automobile show at Madison-square Garden baa produced several cars with alreve valves. The Stearns. Btoddard- rotary disc carried by the crank shaft to admit the new charge to the crank case much as another type uses the disc in the cylinder head, and the El more uses a rotary rotating cylindrical valve to admit the new charge to the case and then to transfer It to the proper cylinder. Some designers of the two-cycle prefer the vsJveless form. while others recognlxe that the inlet valves, being always cooL are not ob jectionable and prefer the certainty of action which these insure at a wide ransre of SDeeds. Even In the poppet valves of the five- cycle engine there will be found ad' vancement. The sizes have been In- creased in some motors, while in others the valve material has been changed. Heads of SDeclai alloy steel, able to resist heat, and electrically welded to carbon steel stems, are now quite com mon. Nor is valve diversity all that is to be seen. Users are learning that little oil on the valve, even though It be a poppet valve, helps to seat more quietly and tightly. Ana so me prac tice of feeding a Uttle oil with the fuel Is growing, particularly in air-cooled and racing engines, where the neat is great and the maximum service Is -desired. In all, the motor student has found much of Interest In valves at the New York show, and will find the other Interesting features at other Important exhibits that are to follow. Cost of Introduction Is Heavy. Trying out and introducing- an In vention Is usually a difficult period.' LA GRANDE ATJTOISTS jrrt.l. 29 BABBITS IN THREE HOURS. TT - This Is the season of the year for elections In most automobile clubs. Politics and clique doetruy nearly SO per cent of the usefulness of the aver age club. Frequently there Is friction between the social organizations of mo tordom and the dealers' associations. I have visited many automobile clubs during my 10 years of globe trotting and I know that the petty Jealousies and bickering between factions retard the progress of the sport and holds park reforms that are badly needed. This Is not as it should be. Forget politics and work together for the good of lb sport Is my advice. I notice that plana are being made to erect a concrete icrandstand at El gin, near Chicago. This Is the place where more than 100 spectators were hurt last Summer when a flimsy circus seat "grandstand" collapsed during the running of the National stock chassis champlonshlca Trying to race a 100- horsepower car over a bad road also killed a driver and his mechanlo during the race and two others were killed In practice for the race. .ut the promo ter are not worrying much aboat the road course. They want to build an expensive grandstand where the public can pay tbetr money Into the strong box. There will be plenty of foolish drivers to enter for a race over a dangerous courses but a substantial grandstand will have to be provided It the crowd will take another chance. It's a great game. 1 am glad to see that the Quaker City Motor Club has applied for a sanction for the 191J Falrmount Park road race. This time the race Is to be run Octo- S. If the Vanderbllt cup race or the Grand IT lie Is to be awarded any tton aside from Savannah, give Philadelphia the pick. The Quaker City Is entitled to the beet there Is in the way of road race prestige, even If the club there did dare to use an "anti- Tracing trust" starter. Then give Min neapolis the remaining event. I belle-re the Minnesota crowd can prove Just as good in the race promoting line as Philadelphia baa And both can cer tainly make New York look ashamed. There is a movement on In Mississippi to convert the top of the levee on each bank of the Mississippi River Into roadways. This Is an excellent Idea should be carried out. It will rt- ' ; ; r, : - 4 -'it tV - Xi M I A -?, -vN ..'V - ' , 11 KADI" Q FROM LEFT TO RIG ITT, ARTHUR WEIGEL, FAA5K BAT, HATE IWEIFFEL, CLATTDB MACKET. LA GRANDE. Or, Jan 13. (Special.) One of the unique and successful hunting trips of the many un dertaken by La Grande automoblllsts was that of last Sunday, when four men bagged 2 Jack rabbits In three hours, which Includes the time required to get the machine from town to the hunting grounds and back to town again. The picture shows but half of the "Dag." for the opposite side and ends of the machine are covered with rabbits. through the motor machine when gaso line Is In the tank. Mr. King declares there are only three moving parts to the engine. These are the connecting rods, the crank shaft and the magneto gears. It has three speeds and Is made In 1600-pound, one ton, one and one-half tons and two-ton types. "The Chase Is one of the simplest ma chines constructed." said Mr. King. "It Is on of the foremost arguments In favor of the three-cylinder, two-cycle engines and has proven Its economy and durability. Its simple construction makes It possible for an Inexperienced driver to operate It with the same suc cess that an expert nanaie a iour- cyllnder car." SIGNS TO GRACE ROADS Al'TO CLTTB SHOWS OFFICIALS OKEGOX'S GREATEST XEED. County Authorities Pledge Support to Adoption of Uniform Sign Selected by Motorists. Th movement for better and ade quate state-wide highway sign-posting Is being revived by the Portland Auto mobile Club and there Is every as surance or the undertaking meeting with pronounced success. Oregon's lack of sufficient road signs to guide foreign travelers has been brought be fore the attention of county officials In a strong way and they bav awoke to th realization of the Imperative need of more signs, v When the County Judges and Com missioners were In annual session her recently, they pledged their support to E. Henry Werame, a director of th motorists' organization, toward placing signs at every cross roao. They seemed to be enthusiastic over th movement and declared that If th club would take the Initiative they would aee that the plans -sere carried out. John 8. Be&ll and w emm were ap pointed by President Clemens to take up the sign question. Arter consider ing several designs and different ma terials, they decided that a board sign. Hit, on inch thick, covrd with wa terproof paint, the lettering In black on a white background, would beat serve the purpose. "Th advantag of this kind of a sign Is In the economy of its first cost snd subsequent replacements," says Mr. Wemme. Road signs. In some sec tions last only as long aa they escape th eye of th youthful hunter seeking target: the better the sign the quicker Its destruction. It follows. therefore, that a plain, moaest sign. easily read from a vehicle traveling li miles an hour. Is what our roads require." Printed rac-simiies or tn sign rec ommended by th Portland Automobile Club bav been sent to all County Com missioners. Judges and commercial or ganisations. They are being Informed by letter that the club will superintend th filling of all orders for signs In- rusted to Its car and will see that th names of towns, mileage and di rections are properly marked. Interstate tourists, when comment ing on Oregon's attractions. In th same breath that they praise Its won derful scenery, complain of the ab sence of signs on the roads. Oregon owes It to the touring public, espe cially to strangers, to placard all its roads. Th Se America First" slogan is Impelling many wealthy Eastern peo ple, who put la their leisure time trav elled, toward the Pacific Coast. Many of them have their cars transported to California, where they know to a certainty that th roads are rood and properly marked with signs Indicat ing distance and directions. When Oregon follows California's lead, a goodly share of th touring autolsts will visit this atale, declare th auto club officials, j Dayton and Columbia staged the Knight double-sleeve device, which has set the fashion for many other similar styles. Another company, which has been ex perimenting with a revolving disc for some time, put on exhibition a disc valve which differs materially from the sleeve Idea, but no less effectively gets rid of the poppet valves, so long the accepted form. A few foreign manufacturers brought out similar en gine designs. In the same line of thought, although It may seem as an opposed Idea, Is the two-cycle engine, with Its piston acting as Its valves. This gets an action aa smooth and noiseless as the sleeve valves and without the parts employed. This form of engine has not been de veloped so generally as the four-cycle, but has been on the market for a num ber of years. The Chase light delivery truck, which arrived here a few days ago. Is on of the three-cylinder, two cycle type. The new machine is being handled by the H. L. Keats Auto Com pany. In the Amplex cars the two-cycle en gine la very large and powerful, and, with a apeoial carburetor. Is capable of action comparable to the very best of the four-cycle motors. In smaller cars, like the Atlas, for Instance, the engine contains some special features and Is giving special results. Nor are the varieties mentioned all that Is to be seen In the engine line. The quietness of the sleeve valve, rotary and valveless engine has made the makers of the usual type of motor look to their laurels, with the result that many of them have enclosed their valve actions behind covered plates. This serves both to keeD out the dirt r"and keep In the noise and oil. This construction Is particularly adapted to motors employing block cylinders, and with both sets of valves ou the same aide. While a very few examples, as the Evert tt, were to be seen a year ago, the Increase In numbers Is notice able and follows th lead of th for eign manufacturers, ' who have almost universally adopted such arrangement. While the two-cycle engine usually Is thought of aa valveless. It Is to be remembered that the Atlas uses a and the fact that this period eats up huge sums of money undoubtedly tends to keep a number of clever conceptions from ever getting to market- Charles Y. Knight, who Invented the silent Kclght type of gas engine for motor car use. was most fortunate In his choice of L. B. Kllbourne as a partner, for Mr. Kllbourne always had confi dence In both Knight and his motor, and staked him to a total of $150,000 before th tide turned and a dollar returned. Pronounced Success Cadillac Self -Starter Proves Worthy of the Name Tests No. 2 and No. 3 with the electric self-starter -were made .Wednesday last in- our salesrooms, as per notice in the papers January 3. Two prominent and well-known citizens of Portland acted as judges, and their signed statement follows: "We hereby state that we acted as judges in the two tests made with the electric starter on two different stock Cadillac cars. In test No. 2 the self-starter cranked the motor continuously 1267 times length of time consumed being twenty minutes. After stopping long enough to test the compression on this car, the self starter had strength enough left to start the engine, which it did. "In' test No. 3 the self-starter started the motor several hun dred times in succession, and as there was no indication of its not doing so forever we decided that the demonstration was suf ficient and a decided success. ,' (Signed) " "E. A. KING, 186 King St. "A. J. FARMER, 660 E. Madison St." Dated Jan. 10, 1912. ... No Portland dealer would accept challenge to participate in test, so Cadillac demonstration was made alone If you want to buy a car that is built Right, by the Right kind of people, with the Right kind of a self-starter and lighting system, buy one from us and you will be Right; also, you will be treated Right. , Announcement of the Outside Demonstration Will Be Made Later s Covey Motor Car Co. Washington Street at Twenty-First DEVICE STAVDS HARD TEST Cadillac Sol f-Starter Proves Effi ciency in Demonstration. Demonstratlng the reliability and ef ficiency of the device which cranks th Cadillac the Covey Motor Car Com pany held a publlo teat Tuesday, turn ing over the engine 100 times in three minutes, 170 times in five minutes and 1011 times in 16 minutes. The full motor was started successfully 100 times in 12 minutes. The judges were E. A. King and A. J. Farmer. It was planned to give an outside demonstration of what the Cadillao self-starter can do, but weather con dition would not permit. It Is the con tention of Mr. Covey that the Cadillac, carrying capacity load, can be operated at least ten blocks on the power gen erated by the storage battery that sup plies the power to operate the self starter. The Cadillao dealer burled a defl to other Portland automobile agents handling cars equipped with a self-starter to put their cars in open competition with the Cadillac. Two cars were used in the test made Tuesday, both being stop machines. Mr. Covey declares the same feat can be performed with any 1911 Cadillac In the city Vancouver Bill Introduced. WASHINGTON. Jan. IS. Representa tive Warburton today Introduced a bill authorizing the erection of a publlo building at Vancouver, Wash., to cost $250,000. The Government now owns the site at Vancouver. GAR BRINGS INDIAN JOY CHIEF WHITE EAGLE ROMPS OVER PLAINS KV ATJTO. First "Redskin" to Own Motor Car Obtains Heart's Delight in Unique Manner. Juat two short years ago there oc curred the first sale of an automobile to an American Indian. Though hun dreds of Indians own cars now, there Is no more enthusiastic driver among the red men than the one to whom falls the honor of being- the first. This unique distinction rests with Chief White Eagle, of the Standing Rock Reservation. North Dakota. Early in 1910 White Eagle purchased a tour- inor car in a most novel way. as tne head of his tribe he was the proud poa- Bessor of a rare colleotlon of treaty medals which had come down to him from his great-grandfather. They were the consideration for an exchange of land entered Into between the old chieftain and General Jackson. Side stepping the ties of sentiment which made these medals of value to him. White Eagle converted them Into cash. As soon as he had sold a sufficient quantity of the relics to net him the price of the automoDiie, ne -nit tne trail" for the salesroom. Not long after came back the proud owner of a Reiral touring car. Today Chief White Eagle is a most enthuslastlo driver. Though by nature Inclined to be reckless, he handles his car remarkably welL . When safe in the land of his birth, where "scorching cops" are an unknown quantity, and tV sign. "Slow-moving vehicles keep close to the curb" are unheard of, he scoots across sagebrush and alkali ap parently as much at home In his auto mobile as when on his bucking broncho. It Is White Eagle's belief now that the Indian pony Is going with the city horse, as the worth of the automobile becomes generally known. He is a confirmed motor car enthusiast, and, as an owner, is a decided favorite with the "cow punchers" In the surrounding sections. AUTO CHUG CHUGS PAY-AS-YOU-ENTEE" AUTOMOBILE 'BUSSES NOW COMPETING WITH STREETCARS. OME OP THE FIHST PAV-AS-YOr-EJfTER" MOTOR BUSSES TO BE OPERATED. The latest and most complete thing In the line of motor busses has Just made Its appearance on the streets of Watertown, N. Y-, where a considerable number of them have been installed to compete with the streetcars. They are to run in the exclusive residential sections and look more Ilka private Umoulslnes than passenger cars. The capacity of the buss Is 28 passengers. They are the first pay-a-you-enter" mo tor busses to be put in operation. Th driver is conductor and motorman in one. He occupies a separate vestibule. In the door of which Is a fare box and change window. The operation of the main door is controlled by means of a lever reach ing to th driver's seat. Th busses are heated by leading the water from the motor through pipes under the seats instead of through the radiator. The temperature Inside- can be regulated by the driver. Push buttons notify the chauffeur when passengers wish to alight. A complete electrlo lighting aystem la Installed, which is controlled by the driver without leaving his seat. ORB than 1200 automobiles w imported through the Port of New York during 1912. Their value aggre gated 13,360,000. In 1910, 1371 cars were imported, valued at $3,650,000, and In 1909. 1S81 cars, valued at 14,486,000. Comparison shows that not only have the American manufacturers cut down the sales, of foreign cars, but that the average Is not quite as high as three years ago, e The increasing n- mber of Canadians who can afford motor cars Is counted as one of the signs of prosperity in that country. Over 7000 cars are now owned In the province of Ontario, greater number than in any other part of Canada. Of the total number of automobiles in use in Canada, Toronto possesses 1953. The smaller cities are buying machines quite as rapidly in proportion to their size as Toronto. Of Ontario cities Ottawa has 129 cars Hamilton, 196; London, 127, and Brant ford, 61. It la sometimes disastrous to assume that when water has ceased to drip from the drain-cocks of the cooling system there Is none left In it. Often a little will remain In the low parts of the bent pipes, or In the bottoms of the cylinder Jackets, where It will freeze if the temperature gets low enough. Carbureter water jackets should be remembered when draining off water, and also circulating pumps. According to statistics Just published, one motorist and seven pedestrians were killed In the grand duchy of Baden, Germany, In automobile accl dents during 1911. During the same period 51 motorists and 85 other per sons wene injured. Twenty-four chauf feurs and two owners were sentenced to Jail for having caused the accidents. Fred V. Forbes, salesman for the Howard Automobile Company, is tour ing Western Washington In a Bulck, looking after prospective purchasers In that section. Forbes Is a recent ar rival tn the Northwest, having come here from Phoenix, Ariz., where he was Interested in the Bulck agency. The National Motor Vehicle Company, of Indianapolis, Ind., has just issued an interesting booklet, "How I Won the Desert Race," by Harvey Herrick. It contains a complete story, profusely Illustrated, of how the famous driver won the Los Angeles-Phoenix road race in his National "40." His time was 20 hours and 23 minutes. Government figures based upon actual statistics for the first 10 months of the year indicate that o-er $20,000,000 in American automobiles were exported during 191L Ten years ago the total was less than $1,000,000. So Impressed were the 65 automobile engineers and manufacturers, who re cently returned from a visit to Eng land, with the hospitality extended them, that a return call on the part or the British hosts is already talked of. Mel G. Johnson, manager of the Port land branch of the i.oward Automobile Company, went to Centralia last week In the Interest of the buick ana na tional cars. London, England, has between 7000 and 8000 motor cars plying for hire at the uniform rate of 16 cents for the first mile and 4 cents for each addi tional quarter-mile. ' Colorado is now circled by an auto mobile road 1000 miles in length, cross ing several ranges of the Rocky Moun tains and winding Its way through most of the cities. The year's' registration of cars in the 35 states which require it, is placed ap proximately at 517,000. The total fees collected passed $3,700,000. On cars which are poorly designed and constructed of low-grade materials, it sometimes happens that the brakes fail to retain their adjustment for any length of time. In many cases this difficulty can be traced to one or more connecting rods which have been bent In order to afford clearance for other parts. Under stress of operation such rods occasionally straighten out, alter ing the adjustment and ultimately in terfering with the application of the brakes. Part of the insulation used in high tension spark coils conslsta of wax, which melts at a temperature of about 125 degrees Fahrenheit. For this rea son great care must be taken to keep coils away from heat. The melting of the wax not only results in the loss of Insulation, but allows the colls of wire to become loose and short-circuit the coil. H. L. Keats, Howard E. Covey, L. H. Rose and Frank C. Rlggs are in the East, visiting the factories they repre sent and taking in several of the im portant automobile shows. W. H. Gray, manager of the local Diamond Tire Company branch, is also In the East. Greases Pay attention to- the ball and roller bearings of your car, especially when laying it tap for a time. If the old grease is dirty, clean it out and repack with fresh. Polarlne Fibre Grease and Polarine Cup Grease are the best greases on the market. Cheap oils and greases do more to de preciate the value of a car than actual service. And if you want to get the best service from your engine, use Po larine Oil. It is free from carbon, holds compression, and reduces friction I and wear to the lowest possible I point. Read " Polarin Pointers "tram post-paid. It will pay you to write I for it today ; any agency. I Standard Oil Company I (Incorporated) l Ids on 3le