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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 4, 1912)
THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX. PORTLAND. AUGUST .4, 1912. FOUR-SPEED PLAN MOTOR TRUCK STEADILY PLOWING ITS WAY ACROSS .CONTINENT WITH LOAD OF MERCHANDISE The New 1913 ve: UPHELD BY CRITIC 'The Car for You" Is Here i Three-Forward Speed .Gear h Box Soon Will Be Obsolete, " Writes Authority. - BETTER CONTROL IS URGED 6 IF LIE "32" Jdea Xow Prevalent In Europe More Sl-oglca-l and Destined to Become .T-' Popular Here, Is Predlc tlon of W. II. Cameron. . "It may sound strange when I make jth prediction that the next radical 3 change in automobile engineering will e the general adoption of the four "forward speed transmission," writes W. iH. Cameron, a prominent member of .the Society of Automobile Engineers. "By that I .mean that in my opinion the four-speed transmission is bound i to become generally used in all good American cars. Today it is round m this country only in the higher-priced ! cars. You can count on the fingers of ; one hand the cars selling under J3000 that now have four speeds forward. ! Abroad, where special reasons have forced the use of the four-speed trans ; mission in the large majority of cars. Its advantages are better understood. "One reason for its use on foreign cars is the extremely small bore of cylinders, due to the fact that the tax is graded by the size of the bore. An American car of more than four-Inch bore has little demand in England, where a bore of three Inches and a fraction Is generally used with an ex tremely long stroke, to give the mail mum horsepower. Four-Speed Plan Kconotaleat. ; "X'nder such conditions the four speed transmission Is positively es- sential, both to economize the power t and to gain the required flexibility of '' control. Its use under these conditions, "however, only serves to Illustrate the r actual money-saving In fuel and less strain upon the machine, as well as the ' advantages In driving which will come with the widespread adoption of the four-speed g-jarbox in America. For the same engineering principles apply . in our case as in theirs. "Before passing the point of econ omy, let me say I believe that the ten dency in America will be decidedly to smaller bore. This is due to the fact that everybody knows gasoline Is be coming scarcer, and is sure to mount In vtrtA T thlnlr thA small bore Is coming, even with the effort to popu larize the six-cylinder car. The popu lar six-cylinder car of the future will be one with about the same piston dis placement as the standard fours of the present. "The four-speed gear box has been confined to high-priced cars In Amer ica, primarily because of Its prohib itive cost. Engineers, and I may say manufacturers, almost unanimously ad mit the great advantage of four speeds over three, but the cost question has caused the delay until the demand ef car buyers has become imperative. It means a complete change of design more gears wider gear centers a big C JLJic lion iui t. ii a iiiiyn yj t iiit-ii., i.LH are totaled. Advantages Are Manifold. "The advantages to be gained from it are certainly so manifest, so great, that " It Is a question of only months when it will be generally accepted. And with our roads, the four-speed transmission comes to general practice none too soon. "Motorists e-enerallv realize now that .the life of a car depends upon its use and abuse. It does not take a car owner long to reason to the fact that making a. car put forth every ounce of power on frequent grades Is highly detrimental. "Learn to control your" car exclu sively by the gas. as far as possible." says the instructor in motoring. The salesman says the same thing to the beginner who has purchased his car. Everybody who gives advice on run ning a car says it, thereby admitting that something is wrong, or lacking in -the transmission. Yet everybody realizes on a moment's reflection that the transmission Is the logical first moans for the control of the speed. . .."Now, it takes long experience and special aptness I may say genius for driving to know lust how far to throttle in regulating a car by gas. : Few ever learn It perfectly. The driv er who does it with any degree of skill knows his car like a heman friend and brother, and is also guided by some sixth sense of Intuition. Fallacy at Gaa Control Cited. "With the big majority this depend . ence almost entirely on the gas for regulating the car Is a matter of guess Iwork. It Is disastrous not only to the pocketbook, but in not a few cases to human Ilfs. "It costs money to pull the engine speed down until the car almost quits ' on high, and then to race the engine to pick up on second, as is so com : monly practiced. "We have grown used to" the sight of the driver on high gear, killing his motor at street crossings, streetcar tracks and railroad tracks, by throt tling down before he can get his clutch out. If Instead he slips into third speed on a proper four-speed transmis sion, be has a gear ratio which is prac tically the same as a 4H to 1 rear axle by having which the car can easily be throttled down to two or three miles an hour, and still pick up quickly. "By this time it should not be neces sary to explain that the basic purpose of four-speed transmission is not to satisfy a mania for more speed. This was a common error when the four speed transmission was rare practice. Driving Blade Easier. "Four-speed transmission provides an efficient, feasible and logical control of the car a control not - based on guesswork, but upon an accurate, proved and dependable' gear-box, built in accordance with universally ac knowledged mechanical principles, and In accordance with the best engineering practice the world over.- It provides this control without wasting the fuel, without racing the motor, and conse quently with far less vibration. It re lieves the motor of undue strain, es pecially in taking heavy grades. With four speeds (the direct drive being on the fourth), the long sand, stretches, the heavy mud roads, the miles of axle deep slush, the hills' and mountains may be negotiated without fear of punish ing the motor, in the way that now works havoc, and shortens by years the life of the best car built. "Unless one has actually driven with a four-speed transmission he does not know the satisfaction and pleasure that It adds to driving. "To those who have not tried It I would say: Make a test of two cars, sne with a proper four-speed gear-box, nd the other with three speeds, both Saving the same top-gear ratio, and :hus having the same speed possibili ties. You will be amazed at the differ ence in efficiency of control the cer tainty of having Just the speed you want when you want it the reduction of the work of driving. You will never want to go back to a three-speed trans mission. "Grade climbing Is one of the prob- t7 ff rZ' DQ AA - rx Li x V j-w v. X 1 Jr -ssa mfnti itfei'4 S?L .f-iA A III Jicjuosznc? Si..'' .-. W1J- ' till il'H 1 JYixd Sri SVis&sssca Men vitally, concerned in solving the transportation problem are watching closely, the work of the Alco truck ow on its way across tne continent with the first consignment of mer chandise ever shipped by motor truck to the Pacific Coast. The run is being made between Philadelphia and San Francisco. Present road . conditions make impossible this method of trans portation, as a general thing, and the test now In progress is simply to snow the worth of the modern motor truck and what it is capable of doing. Thus far the truck has made fine progress, road conditions considered, and is plainly demonstrating that the auto mobllo of today Is of such Improved nature as to be fit to cope with any emergency that may arise. lems most satlsfactqrlly solved by the four-speed gear-box. Every motorist knows that unless he has an engine which he can depend for a practi cally unlimited pull, he will find the inclination of many grades Just a trifle too much for his top-speed. On such a grade, with a four-speed gear-box he can drop to third speed and it takes his car up like a bird. "With a three-speed car he has to drop from top speed to second and he makes an awful drop in tact, almost 50 tier cent lower than high. "The same condition Is encountered 'm many roads which are Just a little too heavy for top speed. The funeral pace then has to be taken on second speed, although the car is actually capable of much better speed on these roads. "We shall understand the necessity of the four-speed transmission more perfectly, if we say that while the speed ratios of a proper four-speed car are 1. 2, 3, 4 (the fourth being the top speed) the speed ratios of a three speed car are really 1, 2. 4 the gap between second and high being so great that there is really no third speed. So when we put In a four-speed gear-box we are actually adding a third speed to the car. "I have talked to many veteran mo torists, and they agree with me that the four-speed gear-box is needed everywhere, everyday, not only to climb grades and not only to do away with unnecessary engine racing, but to provide a really essential speed, be tween second and high where the gap1 now exists."' TRIP IS EAST FOR. MITCHEXIi Portland-Medford Rnn Sfade in 23 Hours. When William Von der Hellen was in Portland recently he selected a five passenger four-cylinder Mitchell from the stock of Mitchell, Lewis & Staver Company. . On account of the high freight rate to Medford he decided to drive his new machine home. Making the start from Portland he drove to Cottage-Grove In a day and porceeded on to Medford the next morn ing, arriving' there that evening, hav ing -covered the 3S4 miles In 23 hours' running time, an average of better than 15 miles per hour. Mr. Von der Hellen says the Mitchell behaved splendidly, .taking most of the hills on the high , and seeming to be perfectly at home on the rough roads. He says the roads between Portland and Medford were dusty. ELECTRICITY GAIXIXG FAVOR Makers leaning Toward Xew Light ing: Systems, Says Hudson Man. In another year every automobile above 31000 will come from the factory equipped with a self-starter and an electric lighting system, is the predic tion of Eugene Bemb, Western repre sentative of the Hudson. He was in Portland last week . visiting Neate & McCarthy, who have the Oregon agency for the car. "Electricity is the cheapest, simplest and most efficient form of lighting an automobile," declared the Hudson man. "Take the lighting system on the Hud son, for Instance. It Is simple, efficient and economical. "Electric headlights are by far the best. Manufacturers generally realize this and thpv will fill Via iinlne. thA electrle system next year, as well as sen-starter. MEETING OPENS TODAY PACIFIC HIGHWAY ASSOCIATION TO DISCUSS ROADS. Third Convention Attracts Many Delegates to San Fronclsco, Business Is Important. A meeting that promises to be one of the most important good roads con ferences ever held In the West will be opened tomorrow morning In San Francisco, when delegates to the third annual convention of the Pacific High way Association get together at the St. Francis Hotel. Men prominent in the good roads movement from Mexico, California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia will participate In the session. Samuel Hill, of Portland, will addres. the delegates Tuesday night. He will show, by picture and story, the won derful natural beauty of Western scenery. He Is a leader in the "See America first" campaign and takes ad vantage of every opportunity to dis play and dilate upon the beauties of Oregon's scenery. Following is the programme of the convention In detail: Monday, August 5 10 A. M., invo cation. Right Rev. Bishop William Ford Nichols, of San Francisco; California's welcome, Lieutenant-Governor A. J. Wallace (acting Governor In absence from state of Governor Hiram W. John son); welcome. Mayor James Rolph, Jr.; address, "A Transcontinental High way," John Brisbane Walker, director of exploitation for the Panama-Pacifto Exposition committee; appointment of committee on credentials; appointment of committee on resolutions. 2 P. M., annual report of president; address. A. B. Fletcher, California State Road En gineer; report of committee on creden tials; report of committee on resolu tions. 4 P. M., bay trip as guests of Panama-Pacific Exposition committee to inspect exposition grounds from the water side. 7:30 P. M., business session. 8 P. M., presentation of first to Mexico medal and addresses by Chester Law rence and T. J. Beaudet, with stereop ticon views; account first to Hazelton run, with stereopticon views by P. E. Sands. Tuesday,. August 6-r-lO A. M., address. Hon. Thomas Taylor, Minister of Pub lic Works, "The Roads of British Columbia"; address, W. J. Kerr, presi dent Canadian Highway Association, The Canadian Highway." 3 P. M., business sessslon, committee reports and short addresses from delegates. 4 P. M automobile tour of exposition grounds as guests of Panama-Pacific Exposition committee and San Fran cisco Motor Car Dealers' Association; review of United States troops at the Presidio. 7:30 P. M., business session. 8 . P. M., address, Samuel Hill, with stereopticon views. Wednesday, August 7 10 A. M., ad dress, Hon J. N. Gillette, ex-Governor of California; address, J. A. Marsh, president Motor Car Dealers' Associa tion of San Francisco, "The Pacific Highway as a Pacific Coast Asset" (de ductions from personal experience). 2 P. M., San Mateo County, on behalf of the State of California, entertains the members of the Pacific Highway Asso ciation at a Spanish barbecue at San Mateo, in celebration of the beginning of first actual construction work on new 318,000,000 California state high way, cars furnished by courtesy of San Francisco Motor Car Dealers' Associa tion; informal Jollification; Godspeed. PATHFINDER TO BE WELCOMED Band and Motorists Will Escort Westgard Into Portland. Royal welcome Is planned for A. A. Westgard, American Automobile Asso ciation map maker, who will arrive here this week. E. E. Gerlinger, Ore gon distributor for the Pathfinder, the car In which Westgard is mapping trans-continental automobile routes, will escort a party of Portland mo torists to the Washington line to meet the noted pathfinder. Gerlinger has engaged the "Hungry Seven" band to make Westgard's entry into Portland tuneful. Before finishing his present good roads campaign Westgard will map three automobile routes across the Con tinent. All his trip will be made with a Pathfinder car. On these trans-continental Journeys Westgard is the field representative of the Government's good roads department. He will com pile valuable data for the officials at Washington, D. C, and also for the Three A officials who are fostering the Federal aid plan. Westgard will arrive here from Se attle and will 'proceed on his way to San Francisco. He will take another route to New York. His final trip will be to route the southern passage from New York to Los Angeles. High Average Maintained. . In more than 2000' miles of cross country going, C. F. Blumberg, In his "Texas Long Horn" Studebaker E-M-F "30," averaged 18 miles per gallon of gasoline and 200 miles per gallon of lu bricating oil. -J The Only Popular-Priced, American -Made Car Using Silent Chains Instead of Timing-Gears C Roomy, five-passenger body; Op eCinCatlOnS. Motor, 334-inch bore, 5y2-inch stroke; Dual ignition; Thermo-Syphon cooling system; Cir culating Oil system; Silent chain cam and magneto shaft drive; Double universal joints; Unit Power Plant with clutch and motor enclosed in single case; 113-inch wheel 'base; Underslung rear springs, giving low body line and center of gravity; 34-inch wheels; Demountable rims; equipped with mohair top and envelope, high-class wind shield, all lamps, self-starter, gasoline pressure system and complete set of tools. An extremely quiet, smooth-running and comfortable car. It's "A YEAR AHEAD." Price, fully equipped, $1525 F.O. B. Portland Dealers Wanted in All Unoccupied Territory John Deere Plow Co. Bast Second and Morrison Phones: East 1034, B 6125 XASH MADE VICE-PRESIDENT OF GENERAL MOTORS. Successful Reign Over Flint Plant Leads to Supervision of Big Cor poration's Interests. There are things doing in the Buick domain. Advices have been received by Manager Mel G. Johnson, of the Howard Automobile Company, announc ing the appointment of Charles W. Nash, vice-president and general man ager of the Buick Motor Company, to the office of vice-president or tne uen- eral Motors Corporation. The appointment Just made does not mean that Mr. Nash will relinquish the management of the Buick Motor Com pany, which he has held for the past tvo years. It is simply a recognition on the part of the General Motors or ganization of the splendid work he haB done as manager of the subsidiary plant in Flint, Mich., and is in line with the corporation s policy to reward merit and ability with promotion. It Dlaces him in a position wnere nis ability and managerial Judgment, which have been devoted exclusively in the past to the extension of the business of the Buick Motor Company, will now be used to assist President Neal in carry lng forward the projects of the big automobile enterprise. It is not surprising to those who are acquainted with the operations of the Buick Motor Company lor the last two years that Mr. Nash should have re ceived the appointment of the General Motors Corporation. under his man agement the Buick plant has main tained its place in the front ranks of the automobile business and its prod uct, both in quality and quantity, have been worthy of the world's biggest au tomobile plant. Within the last year the Buick Motor Company produced and sold 20,000 cars, the largest aggregate business for one year in its history. Not content with the record for 1912, fir. Nasn has ae- slgns upon the establishment of ft. new record for 1913. The factory Is well on the way of preparation for the product of 1913 cars and there is. a likelihood that the production will be increased about 50 per cent within the coming year. LtJRE OP PILOT WHEEL GONE Beaudet Deserts Road1 for Prosaic Job at Cadillac Branch. T. J. Beaudet the man who drove a Cadillac car down the west coast oi Mexico through a territory never be fore reached by a motor car and who holds many western road records, nas .i4JBfe':"'l ! rm in i r n-iii n n m ml given up driving . to become the me chanical superintendent of the San Francisco agency of the Cadillac. Beaudet will take charge at once and his valuable services will hereafter be at the disposal of Cadillac owners in that territory. Mr. Beaudet is credited with being one of the best mechanics in the United States. He is a French-American who has grown up with the automobile in dustry. He worked on the earliest car and received his education in America's largest factories. He knows every nut and bolt in the Cadillac car. Each Sum mer Mr. Beaudet has spent several weeks in the Cadillac plant at Detroit, studying every part of the car and Its construction. So proficient did he be come that he was sent out on a lec ture tour. Among his recordo as a driver are the following runs: Oakland to Sac ramento, San Francisco to Del Monte and return around the bay and Los An geles to Santa Barbara. He was also one of the drivers of the Cadillac that now holds the San Francisco to Los Angeles record. ELECTRIC CAR MAPPING ROUTE Flanders Machine Pathfindlng Way for Next Glidden Tour. Gradually the electric car Is widen ing its scope and gaining the confi dence of the gasoline men. Last week a Flanders electric left Detroit to path find the route of the next Glidden tour, which will start at the hub of the automobile Industry and terminate at New Orleans. This is the first time that the notable endurance run will be mapped out by an electric car. The Flanders car is well equipped for the gruelling experience. Two speedometers are placed In front of the driver's seat. One will be used to check the other and make accuracy In mile age certain. The car will be on the road at least three weeks and W. O. Westgard. of ficial representative of the American Automobile Association, has a big Job on his hands making a minute road map of the entire distance from De troit to New Orleans. Every school house, church and distinctive dwelling, as well as every road crossing, river and bridge, will be down on the fin ished map. New Goodyenr Branch Opened. San Francisco's automobile row was given an added tone of elegance recent ly, when the magnificent new branch of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Com pany was opened. The two-story build ing now occupied by the tire concern is located at the northwest corner of Van Ness avenue and Butter street. It Is one of the most handsome structures along the row. Marshfleld-Portland Trip Made. Mr. and Mrs. William Grimes, of Marshfleld. motored to Portland from their home town last week. Mr. Grimes declared on his arrival at the Cornelius Hotel that the roads, for the most part, were fairly good. He found few really bad spots and had no par ticular difficulty in making the trip. Packard Agent Returns. Frank C. Rlggs. distributer for the Packard, returned yesterday from a six weeks' trip through the East. He was accompanied by his family. Mr. Rlggs toured extensively and spent a few days at the Packard factory. The peaiant girls of Runsla sell their hair for a sum which amounts to less than a dollar a pound, and their trestes bring $1 or fl5 In th Iyondnn hair mnrket. Get a Little TELEPHONE HERALD You know what it is, don 't you 1 No ! Well see full explanation, page 6, section 1. REPUBLIC TIKE CO. 344 Sumside Street Self Starter. Certainly! Speed with safety power with easy control The Cartercar has speed for the good roads and plenty of power for the bad with such easy control and comfortable design that it rides and drives easily at all times. A tremendous pulling power is provided by the friction trans mission. It has no gears and is jerkless and noiseless. You also have any number of speeds controlled with one lever. This adapts the car especially to country conditions. The self-starter makes driving very delightful especially for .ladies. Full floating rear axle, chain-in-oil drire, three strong brakes and many other features combine to" produce the remark able Cartercar efficiency. Five splendid models, touring cars, roadsters and coupes. Priced at from $1200 to $2100. Let us send you complete information. Cartercar Company Pontiac, Michigan. CARTERCAR SALES COMPANY 603 Washington Street, Portland, Oregon. Phones: Main 2320 and A 7207.