Southern Oregon miner., December 28, 1950, Page 2, Image 2

T H U R S D A Y . D E C . 28, 1950
SO UTHERN OREGON
PAGE TW O
N E W S R E V IE W
-J E W
D O N 'T S'KID YOURSELF
W inter Tests Indicate Chains
Are Safer Than New Safety Tires
There has been an alarming upswing in traffic accidents during re­
cent years. And the most disturbing aspect of the highway accident
picture, according to the automotive safety foundations, is the mount­
ing ratio of rural fatalities. Excessive speed and inadequate control
by police and the courts are cited as the underlying factors in last year s
record, showing rural traffic deaths outnumbering urban fatalities by
about two and a half to one.
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Winter, the most dangerous sea | --------------------------------------- ■— ------------
son of the year on American high­
ways, is in full force throughout the
nation. Highways in many areas
have never been so dangerous.
__ / .
How slippery and dangerous is an
Icy road compared to a snowy one?
How safe are '‘winter” tires? How
do they actually compare with tire
chains?
In an effort to answer these and
other important questions for the
benefit of the puzzled motorist, the
National Safety Council's commit­
tee on winter driving hazards con­
ducted a two-week series of tests at
Pine Lake, near Clintonville, Wis.,
last winter. Results are now
m-
Keep your windshield and
piled and are being made public for
windows clear of snow and ice,
the first time.
fog and frost. Be sure your
headlights,
windshield-wiper
2,000 Tests Run
blades, and defrosters are in
Nearly 2,000 individual test runs
good working order. You must
were made to test 22 representative
see danger to avoid it.
tread designs of various tires for
stopping, ‘‘go” traction, and corner­
Results of the “ performance sum­
ing ability on snow and ice. The spe­
cial “winter” tires fall into three m ary” showed:
classifications: (1) Those with spe­
Conventional natural rubber
cially impregnated treads containing
tires, 100; conventional cold
“breakout” m aterial such as saw­
synthetic tires. 89; winteriied
dust, peanut shells or rock salt;
tires, 108; mud-snow tires, 113;
others have steel wool, chips or steel
winterized mud-snow tires, 126;
coils embedded which is intended to
tire chains on ordinary tires,
be “ abrasive” ; (2) surface tre a t­
286.
ment consisting of multiple lacera­
On some tests, and on some
tions, knife or saw cuts, and (3)
surfaces, Wilcox noted, some of
various shapes of knobs, studs, lugs
the special winter tires actually
or ribs. All are supposed to give
were inferior in performance to
surer footing on the variety of slick
regular tires.
or impassable surfaces encountered
The test revealed that changing
by winter drivers.
temperatures or sunshine made a
Ross G. Wilcox, traffic en­
big difference, as much as 130 per
gineer for the National Safety
cent, in skid distances on ice. At
Council, in summarizing the re­
four degrees below zero, for ex­
sults, said that in general, while
ample, tires without chains may
the performance of some of the
stop in about 110 feet; but the same
specialized tires showed a def­
care, at the same 20 m.p.h. speed,
inable improvement for some
takes about 250 feet on the same ice
specific conditions over regular
at around 30 degrees above ’ zero.
tires, their over-all improve­
This variable has led many a driver
ment was not great enough to
to disaster. He thinks he’s pretty
warrant less care or elimination
skillful, after no trouble on near
of tire chains when driving on
zero ice, only to lose control a little
slippery surfaces.
later. When the sun comes out, for
“As an example, the stopping dis­ example, and puts a moist film on
tance on glare ice of the best spe­ the ice or hard-packed snow, then
cialized tire tested is still about eight look out. This, engineers point out,
times the stopping distance on dry is another reason for chains. Their
concrete,” Wilcox said.
performance is comparatively con­
“ We found that steel tire chains sistent from zero to melting point
of the reinforced type are far su­ on ice or snow.
perior to the best of the special
winter tires tested on snow and ice, Other Tests Made
and show a consistent improvement
The special winter tires were not
over conventional natural rubber .tested on hard packed snow. That
tires averaging 46 per cent in stop­ will be done in official tests this
ping ability, and 475 per cent in winter. Previous committee tests
tractive ability."
showed that regular tires skid about
The tests also showed, he said, 75 feet on traffic-packed snow at 20
that natural rubber is 10 per cent to m.p.h. after brakes are applied,
50 per cent superior to cold syn­ and tire chains about 38 feet.
thetic rubber in stopping and trac­
“ The tests likewise showed,”
tion on snow and ice, although syn­
Wilcox said, “ that cars with
thetic is about 7 per cent superior
hydraulic and fluid couplings
to natural rubber in cornering speed
(resistance to side skids) on ice.
with standard, automatic, or
Most passenger car tires in use to­
s e m i-automatic transmissions
day, and those now being manu­
lend themselves to better con­
factured have treads that are all
trol on ice than cars with con­
or part “ cold synthetic rubber,"
vention clutch and transmission.
which wears better. Truck tires need
and do have more natural rubber.
“ With the conventional clutch and
Tests Summary
Averaging test results of all types
on both glare ice and loosely packed
snow, both for stopping, turning,
and forward traction ability, the en­
gineers established a system of
“rating” the over-all performance
of each type of equipment. In all
cases comparisons were made with
a convention rib type tread of natu­
ra l rubber, or a duplicate tread of
cold synthetic. Results of the con­
ventional natural rubber tread were
considered the standard or baseline
for comparative purposes and it was
rated at 100.
Use tire chains on ice and
snow. They cut braking dis­
tances on cars and trucks 40 to
70 per cent and provide needed
“ go” traction. Even with def­
inite help of chains, careful
driving is necessary.
transmission on wet ice, which is
very slippery, a hard brake applica­
tion can lock the rear wheels just
long enough to stall the engine,
which w ill hold the rear wheels in
a locked condition and may cause
the car to go into a spin. This ac­
cidental stalling of the engine is not
likely to occur with a hydraulic or
fluid coupling, and if it should occur,
will not lock the rear wheels.”
In conclusion, while the perform­
ance of several of the specialized
tires used in the test showed defi­
nite improvement for specific con­
dition over conventional tires, their
over-all improvement is not great
enough to warrant less care or pre­
caution when driving on slippery
surfaces with these tires than with
conventional tires. As an example,
the stopping distance on glare ice of
the best specialized tire tested is
still about eight times the normal
stopping distance on dry concrete.
And it must be stressed that ex­
cept for several specific and un­
usual surface conditions, tire chains
of the type used in the tests are far
superior to the best of the tires
tested on snow and ice, showing an
improvement
over
conventional
natural rubber tires averaging 46
per cent in stopping ability and
475 per cent In traction ability.
These tests by the National Safe­
ty Council's committee on winter
driving hazards were made to end
confusion over conflicting claims
which involve traffic safety during
winter months.
Smart Motorists G et the Feel of Road
A smart motorist will drive carefully in bad winter weather.
It is good for the driver to get the "feel" of the road by trying
his brakes while driving slowly and when no other vehicles are
j near. And it is important to adjust speed to road and weather con-
i ditions. Slow down on wet, snowy or icy roads so the automobile
! can be stopped when needed. As a final caution Motorists are
warned to follow other vehicles at a safe distance— remembering
that without chains it takes from three to 12 times as far to stop
on snow and ice as on dry concrete.
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2T.
Robert Burns'
Auld Lang Syne
New Year Boon
ULD LAN G SYNE” has be-
* * come such an integral part
of our modern New Year’s eve that
no celebration, however gay, would
be complete without It.
The music sheets for those nos-
I talgic strains simply say “ Robert
•V
| Burns—Scotch A ir,” and Robert
Burns generally is supposed to
have written it after he had settled
I down on a farm and taken himself
a wife, following the sweeping suc­
NEW YEAR F L IN G . . . Typi­
cess in 1778 of the second edition
cal of Scotland’s genius for un­
' of his “ Poems.” Well and good,
inhibited fun Is this Highland
but Auld Lng Syne was not exclu­
dancer performing a traditional
sively Burns’ product, nor did he
Scottish reel. The tartan kilt,
velvet jacket and lace ruffles
claim It to be.
add color and grace to the
In a letter to George Thomson, a
Scottish Hogmanay
celebra­
publisher. Burns explained:
tions. Hogmanay, incidentally,
“ It is an old song of olden times,
is the Scots’ name for New
which has never been in print. I
. took it down from an old man’s
Y ear’s.
singing."
Modern scholarship has discov-
j ered that Burns was wrong when
he told Thomson “ Auld Lang Syne"
never had been in print. Its refrain,
at least, was printed obscurely long
before Burns heard his “old man
; singing." In Watson's collection of
The custom of making short calls songs (published in 1711), these
on New Years’ Day was in full verses were attributed to Francis
swing in the United States around Sempill, who died in 1682.
the turn of the century.
Further, the original song often
Newspapers carried columns of has been credited to Sir Robert
‘at home notices specifying the Aytoun <1570-1638». Aytoun was one
hours during which visitors would of the earliest Scots to use the
be received. Hosts and hostesses, ! Lowland dialect as a literary med-
having duly received, closed their ' ium. Multitudes of Americans de­
open house to become guests at scended from non-British stock are
somebody else’s.
, perpetually mystified by this dia-
‘Open House’ on New Y ear’s Day ! lect, nor does it seem to make
was introduced into America by much sense in the standard English
the Dutch who settled in New , translation which comes out “Old
Amsterdam. Friends were accus­ i Long Since."
tomed to dropping in to offer the
Regardless of Its original author
compliments of the day and re­ i or origin, it was Burns who gave
freshments centered around home­ | “Auld Lang Syne” its im m ortality.
made snacks, plus the host s fav­ And though the bells now welcome
orite concoction of punch.
the New Y ear with joyous peals
The custom grew with the coun­ symbolizing mankind's hope for a
try, finally attaining the newspa­ bright future, the nostalgia of
per announcement stage, with its i “Auld Lang Syne” summarizes an
eventual time-table and scurrying 1 inherent reluctance to leave the
from one ‘open house’ to another. security and friendships of the past
It was inevitable that some guests, and embark upon a future which,
after a succession of nine or ten , however promising, may not be
punch bowls, sometimes embar­ ' more pleasant. Thus, it remains a
rassed their tenth or eleventh host­ part of the English speaking heri­
ess; and receptions sometimes were tage to
’crashed’ by total strangers tempt­
“ Drink a cup of kindness yet
ed by the possibility of free punch.
For Auld Lang Syne.”
Perhaps it is just as well that
the publicly announced New Year
reception is no longer a la mode.
I f only a small percentage of city
dwellers inserted ’at home’ notices
In their favorite metropolitan news­
papers,
what
colossal
editions
would result, what headaches for
everybody,
from
the swamped
linotype operators to the stagger­
ing newsboys.
h w
New Year Calls
Were All the Rage
In US. in 1900
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ASK REDS HALT AT 38th P A R A L L E L . . . Representatives of lour of the 13 nations who appealed to the
Chinese Communists to halt their offensive at the 38th parallel huddle at a session of the general
1 bly. Seated are Lambertuse Palar, Indonesia, and Sir Henegal Hau. India. Standing: General Carlos
Romulo. Philippines, and Myanaung Tin, Burma. General Romulo denounced Soviet claims that t htnese
Reds fighting in Korea are volunteer units. He said. “ All the official Information that has come to~ss
j from the front confirms the presence of Communist troops and exposes the fiction of volunteer troops.
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VOTES C H IN E S E AGGRESSION ON AGENDA . . . In an extraordinary meeting at Lake Success the U.N.
assembly turned aside Soviet opposition and voted 51 to 5. with four abstentions, to include Communist
China's intervention in Korea on its agenda for “ urgent consideration.” Delegates to the session are
shown during intermission in an Informal conference. Left to right in the group are Arne Sunde of Nor­
way, Sir Gladwyn Jebb of the United Kingdom. Kenneth Younger of the United Kingdom, and Jran Chau-
vel of France. The man whose back is directly to the camera is Ernest Gross of the U. S. delegation.
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Ten Days Were Killed
In Calendar Change
Many things have been suppressed
in this world, but the strangest was
act of Pope Gregory I I I when he
suppressed 10 days in 1852 by or­
dering that October 5 be called Oc­
tober 15.
It came about like this. January
1 was designated to be New Year's
day when Julius Caesar established
the Julian calendar in 46 B.C.. How­
ever, the calendar year thus estab­
lished was 11 minutes longer than
the astronomical year.
For this reason the Pope ordered
the 10 days suppressed.
England and its colonies, however,
did not adopt the Julian calendar
until 1752. For almost three cen­
turies New Y ear’s was celebrated
twice every year—both times on
January I.
But New Y ear’s isn’t always New
Y ear’s day even in these modern
times.
The actual date varies
among the Egyptians, Chinese,
Jews, Romans and Mohammedan»
from September 6 to March 1.
Danes Eat Doughnuts,
Toss Broken Crockery
What the Wassail Is to Scotland
on New Y ear’s Eve, coffee and
doughnuts are to Denmark.
The Danes also observe an unique
crockery tossing tradition in con­
nection with their doughnuts and
coffee. Every piece of crockery
which comes to grief during the
year is saved for tossing against
the doors of friends and neighbors
on New Year's Eve in anticipation
of being invited in for doughnuts
and coffee.
The old calendar sign for the
winter solstice was a circle with a
dot In the center, representing the
wheel of the sun. Could It be that
the doughnut has come to repre­
sent the circle and the dot—well,
there is a hole in the doughnut!
American New Year
New Y ear’s day has long been
celebrated enthusiastically in the
United States, and from colonial
times to the present it has been
a day of great significance. The
custom of visiting friends and rel­
atives is one which has survived
until the present. In the gay 90’s
this visiting back and forth attained
a tremendous vogue and the young
blades looked forward to it with
keen anticipation.
G R E E T IN G S . . . Some people
■it around In night shirts,
house slippers, and with their
hair up In curlers waiting for
the New Year.
This picture
Is submitted as evidence to
prove that other persons take
a different view of the matter.
Well, everyone to his own
taste.
Tokyo Is Converted
Into Green Forest
Six Days Every Year
For the first six days of every
year it has been the custom of the
Japanese to convert Tokyo into a
green forest. And although events
have changed in Japan in the last
few years, much of the city will be
decorated.
On each side of the gate of every
household that can afford it w ill be
pine trees and bamboo, while ropes
of rice straw and other decorations
will grace the lintel.
I t is a custom that goes back
900 years or so, this planting of a
forest in a city for the space of
six days. The pine, with its ever­
green branches, is emblematic of
eternity, and the straight trunk of
the bamboo symbolizes truth and
manly courage.
The third of this trio, the plum
blossom, signifying womanly v ir­
tue, is not used in the out-of-doors
decorations, but is within the house.
A pine tree stands on either side
of the door, and with It are three,
j five or seven bamboos. There are
! other decorations peculiar to the
New Year tide which are to be
seen on every hand,
B U FFA LO H U N T E R . . . He'll celebrate his 80th birthday soon, but
Dale Bumstead, Peoria, Ariz., rancher still was spry enough to bag one
of the largest buffalo bulls ever killed In the southwest, as Arizona’s
1950 state-supervised buffalo hunt opened for more than a score of
hunters. Hunters were allowed to keep one quarter of the meat and the
head and hide. Bumstead’s kill dressed out at more than 750 pounds
and was estimated to weigh more than 1,000 pounds on the hoof.
ROYAL BRIDEGROO M . . . King
M aharajadhlraja
Gyanendra
of
Nepal was wed recently to the
granddaughter of the hereditary
premier of Nepal. Here the king
gives a salute. He became king
when his grandfather was deposed.
P A R T N E R S H IP DISSOLVED . . . The partnership of French General
de Lattre de Tasslgny (left), commander of Western Union ground
forces, and Field Marshal Viscount Montgomery, chairman of the
commanders In chief of Western Union forces, seems to be at an end
with the appointment of General de Lattre as supreme French m ilitary
and civilian chief In Indo-Uhina. It Is believed this is first step to dis­
solution of Western Union.
NAVY H ERO AND G IR L . . . Navy
hero, Hob Zastrow, shows his fian­
cee, Miss .lunette Pfuehler, where
he scored Navy’s first touchdown
against Arm y. It was his playing
which enabled underdog Navy to
down West Point, 14-2.
New Year Evokes
M any Superstitions
There are a number of old su­
perstitions and customs that have
been observed for centuries and
have come down almost to this day.
To bring good luck one must wear
something new on the first day of
the year, according to an old Eng­
lish custom.
In some parts of England and
Scotland it is supposed to be un­
lucky to leave a house until some
outsider has first entered it.
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