12
CYCLES & CARS
TRAILING THE "ORIGINAL" TOURIST
(By Robert M. Farks]
on the
"GIVE US ROOM"
MOST OVERWORKED AUTOMOBILE
Bernard, his 15-year-old bro- ther, weighed in at 312 pounds on arrival and is 5 feet 11 inches tall.
THE CHINA MAIL,
CONGESTED AREAS
WHY NOT ROADS ABOVE THE
RAILWAYS
No one who has even a super-
vast possibilities of traffic in- crease. Every day more and more vehicles-private and commercial -are being brought into service, and the rate of increase is far more likely to rise than to fall. Upon its development depends, to a great extent, the national wel- fare, and we have still a very long way to go before we reach the proportion of vehicles to popula- tion which exists in the United States.
A most overworked automobile First, to make sure of what we groaned its "weigh" into Los ficial knowledge of the road trans- are looking for, to the diction-Angeles recently. It carried what port of goods and passengers can ary. Here we find that a "tour" is called perhaps the largest but believe that the future holds is a "going round; hence a party of Kansans ever to migrate a circuit, prolonged from that State. There were six journey in
A "tourist," then, is in the party, all members of one journey." one who indulges in this diverting family!
J. T. West, Mrs. West and their activity of "going around," and, especially, "one who travels from two sons, Leonard and Bernard, place to place for pleasure or cul- constituted what one might call ture." A very simple beginning. the bulk of the party. Leonard, The very latest thing in tour- 17 years of age and still growing, ing, of course, is the air tour. A weighs just slightly more than few months ago we learned of a 100 pounds and is a mite over six Graf feet tall. A five-foot tape fails boy stowaway. Zeppelin when it returned to to circle his waist
The main problem is, however; Germany, the first "hobo of the
our roads can be made air." Air "tours" across the
how Atlantic have become rather com-
adequately to cope with the traffic likely to exist in the near future. mon. The Pacific hop to Hawaii
All the children enjoyed the Already there is distressing con- has hardly been made often enough to qualify as a "pleasure benefit of a good start. Father gestion in many busy centres of weighs 285 and mother 210. population, and the authorities tour."
But now has come the annual Their daughter, Jessie Jeanne, are finding the work of superin- National Air Tour, to demonstrate is visibly well cared for. At 311⁄2 tending this traffic increasingly In the smaller towns the reliability of aeroplanes, and years of age she weighs T5 difficult.
there is hardly only time will tell whether they pounds. That is the weight of a and rural areas presage such widespread use of normal 11-year-old girl, physi-likely to be considerable conges- the mode of travel they advertise cians point out. The baby, Patsy tion for some years to come, and as did the Glidden Tours during Ann, a year and a half old, has the trunk roads which have al- not definitely cast her log with ready been built, and are likely to the first years of our century.
the family proclivities but is giv-lhe constructed in the future, will Motor Touring Glidden really blazed the trailing evidence of continuing the probably be able to meet our early
Yet good work. She weighs 40. That needs in this direction. for us in motor touring.
total present family probably few, if any, men of his makes a time foresaw our present vast net-weight of 1,322 pounds. "We all work of highways and the cease. came through in the Chrysler,'". less movement of our millions of Mr. West affirmed. "It taxed the speeding cars. They could hard car a bit but we made it. In ad ly have envisioned the hordes ofdition to the family weight there "tin-can tourists"-following the were three well filled suitcases."
Chrysler representatives who illusive call of green pastures, no matter how far away the mirage greeted the family estimated that or how lean the pocketbook-nor the total weight the car carried the armies of pleasure-seeking from the West's home in Topeka motorists who are well able to tra- was 1,772 pounds. This means vel luxuriously and comfortably the car was carrying within 228 pounds the weight capacity of a wherever the fancy leads.
Could anyone have foreseen one-ton truck.
"It is interesting to speculate that the one-time favourite sub- ject of the cartoonist and jokester how they all got into their "70" the hobo-would largely desert two-door-sedan," mused a friend. the rails, avoid the rough man-There's only one way it could be handling tactics of freight-yard done. Father and mother or the by taking to the high-two boys rode in either the from ways and the generosity of motor- or rear seats and the two youngs ists? But there we find him to.ters roamed at large in whatever day, along with amazing numbers space, if any, was left. of hitchhikers" of a higher order they put the luggage, expect on who start out on a trans-Contin- the ruming boards, is beyond ental journey-via other people's me." The car stood the trip re-procedure can be avoided. It is automobiles with little more markably well. Mr. West said it averaged 21 miles per gallon on than a toothbrush and a smile.
The hobo the impecunious gasoline and used only four railroad traveller, the shiftless quarts of oil in crossing half the wandering workman who sneaked continent. There were no mis into a side-door Pullman or flirted haps in spite of the load. The with death to ride the rods or party didn't even have a flat tyre. blind baggage in a whirlwind of grime and flying gravel-has been suggested as the "original" tourist. However, he hardly qualifies.
"bulls,"
Where
say how much touring was done in all those ships?
woman.
The Great Difficulty The great difficulty is to obtain Access to these main arteries of craffic, and this is where a vehicle, whether it be private or commer- cial, has often to waste so much
ime. For instance, once a vehicle? is on the Great West-road it can #very fair average deep up peed, but to reach this road it as to traverse many busy, and often congested, thoroughfares. This, during certain times of the Jay, may occupy possibly an hour, although the distance is only nine miles.
To extend such a road much farther into the centre would in- volve an enormous expenditure, the destruction of a huge amount of valuable property and the re- building of a number of bridges, The same remarks apply to prac ically any other trunk road, and the problem is how such a drastic certain that something must be
one-and that quite scon.
Question of Cost
are
Our suggestion is that these main roads should be linked to he traffic centres by roads carried over the railway-lines, their inner ands being at the railway termini. The idea may seem somewhat re- volutionary, and we are quite pre- pared to admit that there many difficulties in the way of its execution, but difficulties exist to
e surmounted. The railway! companies would, no doubt, object violently. Some critics also may suggest that the cost would be so normous as to rule out the pos- ibility of such roads, but after lose study of the question we do hot believe that the expenditure would need be nearly so great as
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In default of a special agreement between the motorist and the garage owner, if an accident occurs to the car while in the garage, the garage owner will be liable for the damage or loss unless he can show that neither he nor his servante were guilty of any negligence causing or contributing towards the accident.
If, however, there is a notice plainly exhibited in the garage stating that the proprietor will not
"Safety" Bicycles
Just from hitting these few For, rightly claiming priority high spots you can see that this there are the clubs of cyclists who supposedly short and easy search used to wheel their way from city for the "original" tourist is n to city on their "safety" bicycles.local hide-and-seek affair. I And, before them, the brave lads would very likely take us back to who, perched high upon their old the very beginnings-of-human fashioned wheels, pedalled pre-existence, to the first man anc cariously whither roads per-
Certainly Adam and mitted.
Too, the paying tourists who Eve blazed trails in the Garder ride trains in the conventional of Eden, and followed them night at first be thought. Other far more readily when represent-article in "The Light Car and They would seem to havities have elevated railways, so ed pictorially, and for this reason | Cyclecar"-apply equally to a gen- fashion, inside the cars. The a clearer claim than anyone else why should we not have elevated we have included a number of uine garage and to private parking American pioneers whose oxen, to honours as the "original oads? The only reasonable place illustrations in which certain of grounds such as are frequently used snail-like in their movement, drew tourists. To play absolutely saf or such roads is over the railway, our ideas on this matter have by motorists. their covered waggons to the we would have to award them the yhere practically all the difficul- been embodied. It will be seen West The nomads of the
ies as regards property and the chat there is no reason why this desert, the mountains,
the palm,
One can only conclude that the ise of the area covered have been combined road-rail system should jungle; the wandering ante
ought out in years gone by. de inartistic or unharmonious cedents whose curiosity anent desire for travel is as old as mari
an eternal impulse that has com Such roads would merely be mak-in fact, the inner termini could foreign shores sent them down to down to us through the ages. The ng use of space which might be easily be made quite pleasing the sea in ships.
referred to as being "in the air." The ramps shown in our view of
The engineering problems in a Truly, a search for the "origin- difference is chiefly one of chang
important station could be al" would take us far afield anding, improving means of trans-
port, and of their widening use. ask of this nature may be of con utilised either for one-way or back through centuries.
Formerly, only a comparatively siderable magnitude, but are not two-way traffic, according to the Leif Ericson and Christopher few people could satisfy their tra such as would be likely to appeal conditions. As depicted, vehicles Columbus, generally credited with the discovery of America-since vel appetite, however universal to men who have achieved other are seen travelling in both direc-
be liable for any loss or damage, Tunnels
however caused, or if he states ideas as to how the Red Men got and age-old that appetite might eats which at one time would tions.
have been regarded as well nigh| be. In times not so far back, as here seem hazy-were, of course, historians reckon, great popula-mpossible.
Where tunnels are encountered this verbally to the motorist be explorers and adventurers, rather
out their lifetimes Consider what a wonderful there would be the option of rais-fore the car is left, the motor or than "tourists." They were the tions lived
ista of possibilities the carrying ing the road over the tunnel or the Insurance Co. will have to bear Admiral without getting beyond the near
the loss should the car be damaged est horizon.
ut of such a scheme would bring leaving the railway track for a
and rejoining or stolen. Drive to Golf Club
to our vision! Imagine being able short distance
It makes little difference whether But Ferdinand Magellan, the
And now? Never before have o run straight on to a trunk road where it emerges into the open. Portuguese who was first of all men to circumnavigate the globe so many people revelled in sucht, say, St. Pancras, Charing The latter procedure would only a charge is made for garaging the
Cross or Liverpool Street.
be necessary where the tunnel car or not. Unless an agreement The scheme need not necessari-penetrated -just a few years after Christo- freedom of movement. We spend
particularly high of the above kind is entered into a pher Columbus took Horace vacation weeks and months on the ly be confined to the Metropolis. ground, which could then be garage owner, will be liable to a Greeley's
When we can't get advice was not highways. Ferdinand a sure-enough Big away for long, we bowl along the The arguments are almost equal avoided by a slightly circuitous motorist for damage to, or less of, Shot "tourist," according to the boulevards to and frora work; weight when considered in re-route. Suitable ramps could also his car unless he can show that he dictionary definition? Did he, or sally forth to the nearest oper Pect of others amongst our imbe provided at convenient points, and his servants have been reason- did he not, "go round" in a big spaces for refreshing week-end portant cities, where the traffic is such as wayside railway stations, ably careful.
so that vehicles, could leave, the way? I ask you.
holidays. We drive twenty miles nearly as great as in London.
Trunk Roads
overhead road, either for the pur- Napoleon's marches into Ger-to the golf club, fifty miles to a
So far we have alluded to such pose of reaching an ordinary. many, Russia, Spain, Italy; the dance, two hundred miles to fish-over-the-railway roads as being road or for loading and unloading. hardy Vikings in their marauding ing or hunting grounds, a thou useful links with the trunk roads. We fully expect this scheme to excursions; the ancient sand miles a week on business or but, later, as conditions justify be subjected to a large amount of Romana in their
armoured professional calls. We are a na- and as finance permits, these links critics, but (says the "Commer-motorcar wheels on the cinema- chariots; the Greeks of old, crufs- tion of tourists, with over 21,000,- might themselves be extended cial Motor) we put it forward tograph screen occasionally revolve ing the Mediterranean in their 000 motor vehicles to facilitate into trunk roads penetrating as as a basis upon which something backwards, although
may be indicative slave-manned galleye these our 'going round.".
far as the railways.
even more valuable may possibly attitude 'were all "tourists" in a broad It is a common yet impressive
The main points of a new be founded, and we will welcome, Malcolm Campbell at his and military sense of the word, reminder of the automobile manu scheme such as this strike home for publication where suitable, writes Professor A. M. Low in "The but of course they "travelled from facturer's achievement in perfect-
the opinions of our readers. place to place" for a very blood-ing reliable individual transporta- thirsty kind of power-seeking tion that thousands of people step pleasure.
into their motor cars in New York or Detroit and, with no special Cleopatra toured up and down preparation, head confidently for the Nile so often and so decora- the Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific tively that the boys working on Coast, or where they will.
Richard Byrds and Pearys of their day.
Bea
On the Nile
the Pyramids and other Egyptian Within their reach lies the odd Jobs could hardly attend to means of enjoying to the full this their work for wanting to admire heritage from restless forchears her. Helen of Troy, in addition to-of satisfying sensibly, the im- attending to a fairish amount of pulse of the venturer of the touring personally, is reputed to nomad, the gypsy, the hobo, if you have bed a "face that launched a please that lies smouldering in thousand ships." And who can us all."Chrysler Motoring.
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LANE, CRAWFORD'S
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FITFAILS OF GARAGING
WHEN WHEELS APPEAR TO REVOLVE BACKWARDS
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The same effect is observed when a car is passing a fence in which there are gaps between the palings if the cinematograph shutter hap pens to operate at similar speeds
The parking regulations and the law of obstruction compel many motorists to leave their cars in a to the rate at which the spokes of publie garage when they go out in the wheel paas your eye.
Only
I believe that some monkeys seen and The result is to suggest to the blur. the evening. Cars in such garages alternate spokes are do not always receive the treatment after the spoke which should be vision that the wheel is revolving have so little retentivity" of vision that they cannot appreciate the they deserve, and it is as well for moving towards the top of the wheel backwards.
If it were not for the power of cinematograph. This criticism motorists to know legal rights supis obliterated you will see the next posing their property is damaged, spoke which has not quite reached the eye to retain an impression for would prove a god-send to producers The following rules of low-ds the position of the leading spoke a short period, the cinematograph when dealing cussed in detail in an informative when you last saw it on the film, flim would be a mere jumble and a critics!
with disgruntled