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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 26, 1919)
THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN, PORTLAND, JANUARY 2G, 1919. B M1Y DEVICES USED , TO INCREASE POWER Some Adulterants Declared Be Worthless. to FUEL SAVING IS CHIEF AIM Proper Carburetor Adjustment Proves Better Than Compound, Auto Expert Points Out. announced, although it has been sub jected to every conceivable test during the past two years, and has set up some new records in efficiency, power and durability. "The Essex, although a light car In construction," says C. L. Boss, of the C. L. Boss Automobile Company, dis tributors, "was built by the designers of the Hudson super-six, to meet the demand for a car having the comfort. durability ar.d power of the highest priced automobiles on the uarket with the further advantages of greater ef ficiency, minimum depreciation and low first cot. ' "Aside f m its ease of operation and the luxury of Its riding qualities, the most marvelous thing about the car Is the motor, which, although only 29 inches in length, develops more than 50 horsepower. "This is the quality that-has been the source of wonder to those who have seen and ridden in the Essex the fact that a four-cylinder car can possess such acceleration and power. It is a mystery to all of us, but the qualities are there." "Just why a motorist whose engine will give him all the power he ever needs will wish for more power is one of the unsolvable problems of automo bile engineers," tieclares an authority on the subject. "The more power that Is given the more is wanted, and that is why so many power-increasing de vices and substances flourish on the market. There are thousands and thousands of motorists who buy these things to get more power, thousands more who don't care for the power but want fuel economy, and still others who don't care for either, but look for removal or prevention of carbon, or both. , "The owner who is looking for more power ought to get a racing car, be cause there are few cars on the market which do not show enough power for even unusual conditions of ordinary driving. The carbon-preventing and fuel-saving features of fuel adulterants are those worth while. "But now as to the adulterants and their virtues. Let it be said in the very beginning that in nearly every case that has come to my attention these fuel adulterants are without any value whatever. Fifty per cent saving in gasoline, no carbon and more power is the usual slogan of the maker. No fuel saving, same old carbon, maybe less power is the frequent complaint of the user. Moth balls sometimes are used In this way, and these are composed of hydrocarbons. The addition to the fuel of kerosene would in most cases give you the same results whatever they might be. I do not doubt that in Isolated cases some change would take place, but as a general thing the moth balls will not give a saving in fuel. They will increase carbon if anything, and add little to the power. Many Compounds on Market "There are on the market, however, aome dozens of compounds, mostly liquid, which when added to the gaso line are supposed to do all sorts of things. Where the claims are reason able there is a good theory surround ing the action, but since most of these compounds are simply some hydrocar bon made incognito by means of some other ill-smelling substance you can use almost any theory in explanation of the action. I do not believe that the money expended for these substances in the main brings an equal return unless there is a proved combination of re sults. That is, fuel must be saved and carbon prevented from depositing or more power had with either of the others. "A great many manufacturers of these substances recommend that when the substance is used the carburetor should be adjusted to give a leaner mixture, or smaller nozzles installed. Why not try the carburetor aljustment or the smaller nozzles first? They claim the presence of the substance allows of the use of a leaner mixture, but how do you know you cannot now run on that leaner mixture without any addi tion to the gasoline? Try It and see. In one instance only did I find that the substance really allowed of a still lean er mixture being used after the car buretor gave the leanest possible mix ture of gasoline without misfiring, but this substance gave almost as good re sults without the change of adjustment. The thing I am trying to bring out is that any such claims as 50 per cenl saving in fuel by the use of an adulter ant are simply grossly exaggerated or clear attempts to mislead. "I can readily understand how an in crease in power can be had by the use of some substance in the fuel. If the chemical structure of the fuel Is al tered by some action of the substance, the power can be increased. This can be easily explained on the theory that the fuel burns strata by strata and that each strata gives its own individual results. Same Results With Oil. "If the strata, or series of compounds composing the gasoline are changed chemically a certain way, they can be given a higher explosive force individ ually, so that the maximum Impact on the pistons also will be greater and the result will be in evidence in more power from the engine. "In regard to the carbon question. I tnlnk you will find that these fuel adulterants will not remove a deposit already hardened, but In some cases they might prevent depositing of car bon, but that practically the same re sults might be had by feeding a little oil with the gasoline. The trouble here would be, however, in gettii.g an oil that would not burn up with the ex plosion. If it wet the piston, too, then the carbon would not have a chance to deposit, or it would at any rate be of the loose sort. I believe the carbon re moving feature a sham in nearly every case, because the carbon once caked cannot even be removed easily by scraping. Often we must use a chisel. so hard and flinty and smooth has the deposit become. "One thing more about these adulter ants, their price. Where the maker does not give a money-back guarantee, and where the manufacturer has no recog nized standing, I think the motorist is gambling, and such gamblers nearly al ways lose. The usual price for these substances is high, not because the in gredients warrant it, but because the maker wants to make more money than he is entitled to. The can or bottle is usually worth more than the contents It would be wise for the motorist be fore purchasing any of these substances to find out from the dealer If he will return the purchase price if the stuff does not live up to the maker's claims. AUTO BUYERS INQUISITIVE PROSPECTIVE OWNERS WANT TO KNOW ALL ABOUT CAR. Chandler Dealer Pays Tribute to In telligence of Big Motor of Motor Prospects. "The automobile buyer of today is asking new questions about cars," says A. H. Knaus, of the Twin States Motor Car Company. "We have seen this change taking place from the early days, but more es pecially so since war economies have caused careful study of automobile val ues. In the early days people bought paint and body lines. They never looked under the hood and never want ed to. But now people are studying automobile values, and the resul. Is that we may expect a more intelligent selection of motor cars. "People today want to know what the car will do more than what It looks like. The motorist has had a peek at the working parts through making minor repairs himself during war times. "The Chandler Motor Company appre ciates this new attitude, for it allows us to explain in detail the many supe rior points which our engineering de partment has so carefully worked out to make the Chandler lighter, mor eco nomical and easier to operate. "To be sure, the motorist appreciates beautiful body lines, but this decision does not begin and end there. 'How many miles to the gallon?' the buyer asks. This gives an excellnt opportun ity to explain why Chandler cars use less gasolne. How the cylinders are cleared o all dead gas and leaves an open track for the incoming .charge, and why this gives more power and means a decided fuel saving, are easily explained. 'We may explain how the frame of the Chandler has been lightened and simplified, and why this is another economy. "We are talking to a more Intelligent audience these days, and these people can appreciate more fully what our continued efforts mean in economy and convenience. 'I predict that the tendency will be toward a more careful "Study of cars. and this la decidedly good news, for the more the automobile owner studies the working parts of his car, the more he appreciates the skillful design of the Chandler and the greater satisfaction he feels throughout his entire period of possession of such a car." GENERA URGED L PLANE USE FOR AMERICA Orville Wright Makes Appeal for Recognition. SAFE LANDING IMPORTANT TRACTOR SCHOOL SUCCESS MANY OWNERS IN CLASSES AT HILLSBORO. ESSEX SHOWN FIRST TIME NEW CAR MAKES HIT AT AUTO EXHIBITIONS. O. Xi. Boss, Oregon Distributor, Calls Attention to Powerful Motor in Hudson Product. When the curtains are rung up at the different automobile shows of the country which take place In the next few weeks they are expected to usher in the greatest period of prosperity ever experienced Dy the .Nation s third largest industry. Although it is believed that the at tendance will be greater than ever be fore and the number of exhibitors prob ably will break all records, only oin car, the Essex, will be shown for the arst time. This newcomer, which i expected to arouse considerable Inter est because of the remarkable claim made in its behalf, waa only recently Power 3Iachinery Distributors Send Expert to Lecture on Oper ation of Vehicles. Washington County's tractor school. conducted at Hillsboro January 16, 17 and 18, was the first school of the kind in the state and probably In the United States, according to the Wash ington County Farm Bureau and N. Jamison, county agricultural agent. who assisted the department of farm mechanics of Oregon Agricultural Col lege in conducting the work. Fifty-eight students, 44 of whom were tractor owners, were in attend ance. The tractors used included the Kussell, Moline, Cleveland, Allwork, Waterloo. Nelson, Parrett, Fordson, Avery and International Harvester. The tractors were loaned by Portland nd Hillsboro distributors, each of whom sent an expert to assist in the Instruction. These men went into the details of adjusting and repairing their tractors, laying emphasis on adjust ment of bearings, lubrication, timing valve and magneto. They also called attention to the results of overloading. the cause of trouble in starting and why tractors sometimes fail to carry loads. The speakers included W. J. Gilmore, department of farm mechanics, Oregon Agricultural College; W. G. Munro, of the standard Oil Company, who spoke on i-.uDncation ana (jarDureuon, ana Mr. Peters, of Keene & Peters, Port land, whose subject was "Magnetos and Their Repair." Mr. Golf. Forest Grove dealer, spoke of the advantages of such a school from the standpoint of the dealers. Mr. Gilmore, of Corvallis, expressed ap nreciation of the excellent feeling ex isting between the tractor companies and users of farm tractors, contrasting the present conditions with those of a few years ago when he said it was not uncommon for salesmen to sell tractors and then pay little or noat tention to helping the buyers get proper results. At the close of the three-day school County Agent Jamison thanked the lo cal tractor agents and the Portland distributors for their assistance In making the school a success. The students expressed satisfaction with the work and arrangements were made for holding a five-days' course at Hills boro next year. Dean of Elvers Says Blachlnes Will Be Used for Defense, Sport and Transportation. Immediate and practical use of the airplane In peace time for national de fense, for sport, for the transportation of mail and light merchandise and for limited passenger service is urged by Orville Wright in a statement on the future of aeronautics In America, made public through the Manufacturers' Air craft Association. Aviation in the United States, it Is declared, has reached a most critical stage, and for this reason the lnvntora and designers, whose genius underlies the great Industry which was a decisive factor in winning the war, have pre pared a series of statements bespeak ing the co-operation of trie American public in developing mechanical flight. Glenn H. Curtlss, Glenn Martin, John A. Gallaudet. G. C. Loenlng and other Inventors join Mr. Wright In making this appeal. The statement of each will subsequently be made public Pioneer Certain of Future. Orville Wright, who, with his brother, Wilbur, proved to the world that men could fly and that Americans, first of all men. had actually flown, believes that the airplane has a commercial fu ture, but before this future develops, he infers, the people must co-operate with the Inventors and manufacturers in providing safe landing places. Just as it is with a ship at sea. so with a machine in flight, navigation is fre quently less difficult than making port or landing. Some day in the near fu ture airplaines carrying freight and passengers, it is declared, will traverse many routes, and whether a city is to have the privilege of this new means of transportation, whose possibilities for service are beyond estimation, depends on terminal facilities. Mr. Wright's statement follows: "It Is most difficult to foretell all of the future of aviation. No doubt many uses will develop which are now en tirely unforeseen. The most Immedi ate and practical uses will be for na tional defense, for sport, for transpor tation of mall and light merchandise and for passenger service supplement ing special trains. Commercial Demand Predicted. "A commercial demand will be quick ly created when safe landing places for the present high-speed machines are provided at frequent intervals or when a type of machine is developed which can safely land on any ordinary ground. "I believe that the failure of the air plane for sport and commercial uses up to this time has been entirely due to the lack of facilities for safe landing at any and all times. "Many of the present military ma chines can be utilized' in mall service between cities where the Interlylng ter ritory provides frequent landing places. "I believe the peace-time uses of the airplane will be In proportion to the safety provided." IOWA AFTER GOOD HIGHWAYS Most Elaborate Road Plan in His tory of State Mapped Oat. DES MOINES. Ia.. Jan. 25. That the present session of the Iowa Legislature will see the most determined fight for good roads In Iowa the state has ever known is now an assured fact. The most elaborate good roads plan ever proposed In Iowa has been mapped out by Representative Neblker, of Burling ton. Neblker has already completed the draft of a bill which will be Introduced early In the session which would do away with the present State Highway Commission and create a State High way Department, with headquarters In Des Moines. Present headquarters of the State Commission are at Ames, the seat of the btate College. The highway department would be headed by a commission of three men appointed by the Governor and with powers far outstretching those of the present commissian. In addition there would be a highway engineer and as sistant highway engineer, with salaries of J4000 and 12500 a year, respectively Salaries of the three commissioners are fixed at $3500 a year. SWISS OWN 6140 MOTOR CARS TORMEY IS DISTRICT MANAGER Keaton Tire and Rubber Man Re turns From Army Service. J. S. Tir-ney, who has been absent from the city for eo:.ie time assisting Uncle Sam In the ,-rosecutlon of the war, returned to Portland during the week. Mr. Tormey was formerly manager of the Keaton Tire & Rubber Company, of this city, and is now Northwest dis trict manager of this company. His territory includes the states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Heavy Oil Faucet. Many motor car users have experi enced difficulty in getting heavy oil to flow from the storage tank in which it is kept. A way around this is to solder what is known as a molasses faucet on a five-gallon can. This faucet works on the principle of a gate valve and the heavy oil will be found to flow easily. French Autos Are Most Numerous, American Third. At the end of 1917 there were 6140 motor vehicles In Switzerland, of which number 4!34 were touring cars and 1Z06 motor lorries. Of the total. 256 motor cars were of Swiss origin and 25 i 5 were imported vehicles. Acording to these statistics, for which the Automobile Club of Switzerland Is responsible, there were 15 motor car firms in the Helvetic confederation. The number of foreign makes represented in that country is 43. The foreign firm having the largest number of cars In service in Switzerland is Fiat with 283 touring cars and 15 motor lorries. Al though It is an Italian firm which heads the list with a big margin, France Is rirst in the list of nations, with Oer many second, America third, Italy fourth and Belgium fifth. British-built cars are not listed separately. Is Don't' start motor with wide-open throttle or advanced spark. A Complete Service Stock of all Sizes NEW DEPARTURE Bearings ALSO O andTIMKEN Portland Branch 24 N. Broadway Phone Broadway 1799, A-2444 ' V. i i i Let's Go" Under all weather and road conditions, the Overland Model 90 has won its present high reputation as a car that is easy to start, easy to run, and economical to maintain. This reputation is founded on ten years of constant effort to merit the appreciation of the public. The Over land car today is more deserving than ever of that prestige which ha grown from the enthusiasm of 600,000 owners. Willys Overland Pacific Co. Broadway at Davis St. Model Ninety. Five Passenger Towing Car, J9s5 f. o. b. Toledo. STUDEBAKER BUILDS PLANT NEW FACTORY CONSTRUCTED AT SOUTH BEND. Capacity Will Be 100,000 Autos Per Annum a nd Will Double Firm's Output. If nothing unforeseen intervenes, the construction of the modern r.ew auto mobile plant, which was started by the Studebaker Corporation at South Bend. Indiana, in l'jle, will be completed Jan uary 1, 1920. according to information received here by the Oregon Motor Car Company. Considerable progress in i the construction of the new plant was accomplished In the execution of orders for military supplies for the Govern ment and. when finished, the new plant will have a capacity of 100.000 cars per annum which with the facilities of the Detroit plants of 65,000 cars per an num, will double the capacity of the corporation, and give It manufacturing advantages unexcelled In the country from the standpoint of efficient and economical manufactura. The new plant at South Bend will be devoted to the production of the new light-four cars, while the Detroit plants will continue the production of six-cylinder cars and automobile parts. The layout and design of the buildings and equipment of the new plant are the concrete result of the experience and study of the engineers and manu facturing experts of the corporation, assisted by the engineering staff of James Stewart & Company Inc., of New York City, whose long experience and engineering reputation are world-wide. The buildings are of modern type, concrete and steel construction, and are grouped to promote the simple, quick and economical movement of work In progress necessary to quantity manu facture and low costs. Adequate and convenient stockrooms are provided for finished products. Every known and proven mechanical device for reducing costs and eliminating handling, such as a standard-gauge railroad with Stude baker equipment. Industrial railways, traveling cranes, magnets, power and gravity conveyors and labor-saving ma chinery are introduced in the best known arrangement. The total area of the buildings will be 2.384.500 square feet, consisting of a machine shop, assem bling building, foundry, forge shop, heat treating building, stamping plant, tool room, car test building, storage building and shipping platform. Another building belonging to the same group is (he 8O00-H. P. power house already completed and equipped with 16 boilers with automatic stokers. This noteworthy expansion of Stude baker manufacturing facilities, coming at a time when the whole world ia faced with problems of reconstruction, la ample evidence of the corporation's un bounded faith In the future of the auto mobile industry. It offers most strik ing proof of the solidity and perma nence of this world-famed institution and its determination to keep abreast of the times, and maintain the highest possible degree of manufacturing ef ficiency. Oil Hard on Insulation. Rubber Is very quickly disintegrated by oil and at the same time It has a most unfortunate capillary affinity for the oil. For this reason It is very Im portant to keep oil away from the rub ber insulators that are used In connec tion with the conductors and wires of all circuits of the magneto. Although oil Is not a conductor of electricity. It ruins the Insulation and the result la the breakdown of the insulation and brt circuits. TIRE SALES MANAGER COMING Miller Rubber Company Man Leaves lor Western Trip. F C. Mlllhoff. general sales manager of the Miller Rubber Company, left the factory at Akron, O . January 22 for a swing around the circuit. He Is scheduled to visit Portland and the Northwest Auto Company, dis tributors of Millar Urea In this terrU t ory. TIRES SPECIAL PRICKS. STANDARD MAKES FIRSTS. 3500 - Mile Guarantee. 28x3 30x3 30x3 32x3 Vi 31x4 82x4 33x4 34x4 32x4 V4 33x4i 34x4 1 35x4 36x4 37x44 36x5 36x5 37x5 Non -Plain. Non -Non -Non -Non -Non -Non -Non -Non -Non -Non -Non -Non -Non -Non -Non - Skid.. Skid.. Skid.. Skid.. Skid.. Skid.. Skid.. Skid.. Skid.. Skid.. Skid.. Skid.. Skid.. Skid.. Skid.. Skid.. $12.75 10.50 14.95 16.70 . 23.25 23. SO 2- 4. 50 25.25 27. SO 38. 50 33. OO 30.00 3- 4.50 38. OS 37. OO 42.50 38. OO Tobrl. 1S2.90 2.-10 2.05 3.25 3.65 3.65 3.00 3.25 3.65 3.00 3.25 4.95 5.10 5.35 6.00 6.00 6.20 Specials -While 30x2 Rib 30x3 Non 30x3 Non 32x3 Non 31x4 Non 32x4 Non 33x4 No 34x4 Non Tread . - Skid.. Skid.. Skid.. - Skid.. Skid.. Skid.. . Skid.. Tbey Last. Miles. 12. 50 5000 18.SO SOOO 21.75 2-4.75 29.00 6000 31. OO 6000 27. SO 5000 35. OO 6000 6000 eooo MALCOM TIRE CO. Goods Shipped C. O. D-, Parcel Post Expi'LSh Money Refunded on r.odv Returned Within Ten Maya. 83 N. Bronilna. , Portland, Or. Near New PnMtoffiee. SO Branches. Mr. Truck Buyer: Are you looking for a sound business investment? You will find it in the GMG TRUCKS Because i i wa n w mu m m wi ;rem ri i w Wentworth & Irwin, Inc, Second and Taylor Streets i