Page
HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1931.
SPARKS
FROM THE PLUGS
REAL MYSTERY OF BROOKLANDS, 1908.
MOTORCALS.
ONE OF THE OLD BRIGADE
PRACTICAL HINTS ON THE LIGHTING,
[BY "CRIB."]
While a group of motoring engi
LOOKS, BACK.
REMINISCENCES OF EARLY DAYS AT THE FAMOUS TRACK
I
of 88.5 m.p.h. "But it was all a great thrill, and es
enused a great deal of excitement amongst those
present.
returning (HE
Some Great Drivorn.
To return to motor racing, there Leonard. Geach, und Jimmy Valen Two more well-known and pept was one very fanious car, which, tine They were to make Anal ar rangements for the next day's most- tar exponents were Bill Mcor- however, only put in one appearing, at which various Sunbeam pars houan, who won the first V.C.inance at Brooklands. That was the were to run, and at which most of the Royal Flying Corps in the Warsight cylinder engined so long train after train was ramning them were going to perform. All day S.F. Edge and Naplers."
and was mortally wounded in so Darracq, which for a long while along the line towards London That year there took place a doing, and Graham Gilmour, one held the world's records for the Territorial troops
sums of money between cars noreplane pilots, who was killed and driven by "Algy Quinness, with days before. Naturally, the air was succession of matches for consider of the most famous of our enrty flying miles and kilomstre, owned haste from their annual training, which they had-only-started- ---two made by the Napier,Fiat, and flying & Martin-Handysidu mono- whom often rode 'as mechanio his thick with every kind of rumour nears were discussing the idiosyn- [BY CAPTAIN E, J. NEEDHAM] | Metallurgique companies. I think plane in Richmond Park in, I think, brother Bill, the famous K.L.G., of story degree of wildness Hot was the discussion we all had at erasies of car owners, the question
"Bill" used to race. To later to become one of our most the olub during lunch as to what I am right in saying that S. F. ]' 1011, was asked: Want is the moat
Edge challenged the world with hip. Flat, a din. Darracq, and a successful nud: skilful drivers. Algy would happen to all of us. The neglected part of a motorcar ?'"
Napier, cars in any of the four wonderful little 10 hp. Isotta and Bill did not like the Track, next day war was declared, and within a month the two Guignesses The answer was the lighting system.
officially recognised classes for cars: Fraschini. This latter car, was an but Algy once drove the 200 round wore patrolling the North Ben in There are few motorists to-day
of 20 h.p., 40 h.p., 80 b.p., and 90 exact replica every way of a big pretty quick for a bat or acme their yacht Parlons each was
Metallurgique ac 100 h.p. racer of the period. "B" thing of the kind, and did about similarly occupied in a destroyer
Jimmy Valentine was in cn on his throughout the sunimer just ended,
Fint in the class for the large cars stunts in the way of skidding on
ing car; it had eight enormously afterwards; and I was with my their car and topped it up with
cf 90 h.p. and over. This class was this car on the dusty waste ground distilled water whenever necessary.
won by the 180 h.p. Fiat Mephin in front of the then aeroplane han- There are fewer still who can claim
topheles," driven by Folico Nazzare, gars, He was always at hand to that at any time during the last
at that time the champion driver amuse the crowd of aviation en- twelve months--umless they have
of Europe. I happened then to bothusiasts whiting for the wind to had trouble-they have examined
employed by Fints, and was lucky drop and Aying to begin, That was the wiring and connection of the were among the drivers: Warwick enough to spend a day at Brook-in the days when the very slightest
My earliest experiences of tending Brooklands? were in
nt-
1005
At that time cars competing thors
who can claim that regularly. were of all sorts and Bizos.. For hip. and over.
STRIP CONTROL OF TRAFFIC.
FIRST COME FIRST SERVED SIGNALS.
CITY OF LONDON EXPÉRIMENT.
principle to that just introduced
An electrical device similar at Brooklands for timing motor recorda will shortly be used in the City of Lendon for controlling traffle at eross-roads and economis ing police.
to
they have examined the battery of instance, at one meeting at or abous cepted in the first three classes and used to perform the most, amazing 116 m.p.h. That was a truly amas way to Russia, where he died short operate light signals for itself.
electrical system.
for
the time there was a raca omnibuses, and another for London taxicabs, driven by various well known racing drivers and motor trade personalities The race was over a full lap, and the following
Wright, Huntley Walker, d'Arcy lands with Nazzaro while he was breeze made flying impossible except
Every owner of a car which has Baker, George du Cros, and Char- tuning up for this match. A some to the absoluto experts. He was
seen some service-and indeed of new cars as well-would be well ad- vised to spend an hour or two in their garages tracing out the wir ing.
be checked up. A service station
can quickly discover whether all the plates are functioning properly, and whether there is any sign of impending failure.
les Jarrott,
what amusing incident occurred one of my very greatest friends and The Brocklands "aces" of those that day; the great Italian "ace" most delightful personality, a days included the late Dario Resta, always insisted on driving in black magnificent driver and pilot, al afterwards killed there on a Sun-kid gloves-and no other kind would ways cheerful, and up to any de beam car, who used to drive big do. As luck would have it, after vilment that was going. Graham Mercedes cars for FR. Fry; Frank we had been working on the car Gilmour used to race AN eight-
MRS. STEWART.
Known as strip control," it. enables the vehicular traffic Traffle reaching control point from one direction holds the cross- ing against traffic arriving from another till it is clear.
Across each roadway about fifty yards short of the crossing, electrio Cables will be laid just below the. surface, ao that the weight of a vehicle passing over it will close an electrical circuit and signal the vehicle's approach to the master ap- paratus at the junction, where the appropriate light signal will ap pear in response.
Suppose traffic. were approaching the junction from north and past. If that. from the north 'roached Ite atrip first, the north-south traffic would get the green "go" light.. and simultaneously the east-west traffic would be stopped by the red light Then, after an interval sufficient for the safe passage of the north-south traffic, the lights would automatically change and give the east-west traffic the right of way.
First in Europe.
It is always a good idea about this time of the year to send theNewton, the Napier head driver; all the morning and had got every-cylinder V-engined Adams (the 'battery away to a service station to Frank Cundy, another Napier thing ready to go out on to the pedals to push" car), and got driver; Huntley. Walker and War-track, the tragedy occurred! Naz-quito a useful speed out of it ar wick Wright, who drove Darfazqazaro could not find his gleves! After it seemed in those days. the Inte Percy Lambert, the first a frantic search, into a touring
cylinders for a tiny chassis fitted, regiment wearing out my boots on The early days of man in the world to cover 100 miles car we all' got, and, with the grent Brooklands were most entertaining, (no reverse. The ear consisted of the reminiscences of old days will give experimental trial by Sir Hugh
fying at with only two speeds Forward and the road between Mons and Meaux
I can only boph that, them. few. and a wonderful crowd of would huge engine, a chassis frame, tiny as much pleasure to those who read be aviators used to foregather there.goar box, four spidery fixed wire them, and perhaps remember thes Aviation at Brooklands really wheels, absurd little brake drums days, and all those good sportsmen on the rear wheels only, of course,me in the remembering and jotting of pre-war days, as they have given two bucket stats, a steering column down of them.-From the Autocar
A Fire Peril.
1
The next task to trave out the main leads, examining, every inch for any sign of chafing, Where
there is bad chafing the lends should
be replaced..
Where chafing has just begun, protection can be given by wrapping the affected portion with adhesive tape.
4
in the hour on a 2 h.p. Talbot just before the War; Jack Hutton; Charles Lane: Sir George Aber crombine; "the Mander brothers, Lionel and Alan, the former now
famous in the film world an Miles
man driving, proceeded into We bridge, where we visited about eight shops before we at last fonad a pair of black kid gloves. The back to the track we sped, ac
out I went and proceeded to put Mrs. Gwenda Stewart surmounted by an correous wheel;
Mander; Bobby" Tate; the late in a lap at about 116 m.p.b.—n Lord Vernon; "Otto" Astley, and pretty wonderful, performance for many others. A regular roep at the year 1008. Mephistopheles baa most meeting was open only to fed into Sir George Abercrombie's members of the Brigade of Guards, hands, and he won several races their leading lights being Sir with The engine was running George Abercrombie, Geoffrey Moss at Brooklands about four (now a well-known novelist), and ago, when the cylinder block came
S. Keating.
to pieces.
The switchboard should be enzo- fully examined for any signs of loose terminals. Many serious fires have been caused by shorting through live wires becoming loose. on their terminal.
Satisfied that the twitchboard is in perfect order, the owner-driver should then turn to the leads carry ing the current to the lamps.
Once every wiring point has been checked, it is a good plan to test the focusing of the headlamps.
This is best achieved by utilising the blank wall of a garage as a
Fears
Other cars that were very popular in those days were the 50.8 h.p. Grand Prix Napier, owned and driven by Otto Astley, the two 120 hp. Mercedes, owned and driven by the brothers, Tionei and. Alan Mander, and also their "Grand Prix Itala: the two 59.6 h.p. Grand
The O'Gorman Trophy. At the August Bank Holiday meeting in 1909 was run off the Arat, longdistance race on the track the O'Gorman Trophy, for racing ears of any size, over a distance of 100 miles. The course was straight round the track, as for the present Prix Mercedes, owned and driven 500 Milen Race; the pits, too, were by
IN THE WORLD'S FASTEST (BABY CAR ATTAINED A SPEED
OF 109.13m.p.h.
ON
and a huge brass petrol tank bel hind. The complete outfit weighed only 19 ewt.
duty night and day. The light signals will release him during the night, and the "strip control" Das old the additional economy that it only functions when there is traffic
14
Tarubull, the head of the City Police, is the junction of Cornbill
The site selected for the first
and Gracechurch street
anctioned by the City Corporation As soon as the installation is the work will be put in hand. It will be the first in Europe, and the experiment will be watched witht much interest by other traffic au- thorities, especially the Metropoli- tan police, who have recently been. examining the system themselves. If antisfied, Sir Hugh intends to adopt the device at other points.
The Home Office is pressing for
Coming of the War. My last recollection of the Brooklands was on the Sunday the about. day before war was declared. 1 A strip control installation costs increased use of automatic control had gone down to lunch at the about £300 to Iny down, and the in the interests of economy. Heath Club with Algy and Bill annual upkeep is negligible.
A the Cornhill Gracechurch street Guinness, Louis Contalen and his constable coats, all told, more than crossing a constable is now on point wife, Dario Resta and his wife, £300 every year.
(Continued un Previous Column.)
Mobiloil Why not a
VACUUM OIL COMPANY INC.,
sarean on which to align the lamps in the same place as they are for non; and the 50 hp. and 60 h.p.tively started in 1800, when Lowly
Babby Tate and Lord Ver The car should be driven up to the latter race. It was a grilling Kapiers driven by Frank Newton Paulhan was there for a week giv within, say, aix feet of the wall, the hot day and tyre trouble was much a magnificent driver, whom I lasting exhibitions on a Henri Farman handlamps, switched on, and thein evidence. I am not to-day able
saw running a garage in Nor biplane, although A. V. Roe nat
one or two other pioneers had been experimenting there for some time previously,
bulbs moved backwards and for- to remember the number of starters, thampton just before the War:
wards until a clear, white circle is shown on the wall. This white cir- cle for each lamp should be devoid of any shadows.
Road Tast.
but I am sure there were at least
a dozen of them, and a very te
and representative let of racing cars
A Fiest of Mercedes.
I must not forget the feet of
of the day they were; at least three Mercedes of all types owned by
The
Lard Trenchard. Amongst many others who learnt
The car should then he taken, to tered by the late Lord Harmsworth,
big" Mercedes of 120 p. (one en Gordon Watney; entered by him for to fly at Brooklands were Air Mar- a long, straight, dark road, and the
a large number of races at every shal Lord": Trenchard, who after lamps so set as to give the best rond:
one by R. Ery and driven by mesting, and on which he put up wards for so many years comidand- Dario Resta, and a third driven by various illumination, This is usually
young
amateur drivers ed the R.F.C. and R.A.F.; Major.. Charles Lane.) achieved by setting the offside head.
with very successful results. And General Sir Frederick Sykes, now lamp so that the beam strikan the latter car act the pace. Alas! there were some very odd cars rac.Governor of Bombay; -Major-Gener, roadway about three and a half after it had covered about seventying, such as, for example, the T.Tal Sir Sefton Brancker, killed in telegraph poles distance aboad.miles and was easily leading the Arrol-Johnston owned and driven the appalling disaster to the Riot; The near side lamp should be fixed field, coming off the Members by Geoffrey Moss, in the control of and many others due to become so that it points slightly inwards Banking it suddenly swooped down which he adopted an abaclutely re-famous as high commandere, in the to hit the near side kerb about two from the top and dived at the par cumbent driving position, with his R.E.C. and R.A.F. and a half telegraph pole lengths apet of the bridge cvor the Wey, feet up in front of him on the pe I must not forget the famous and ahead-the car meantime being set hit it, and turned a complete nomor dala and the steering wheel above wonderful exhibition of looping the exactly parallel with the straight sault, The mechanic was,
unfer his head Nobody could ever loop given by the French aviator roadside and about two feet from tunately, killed instantaneously, make out how he managed to con-Begoud, the Ars, man the world the kerb..
but Lane got off with concussion trol it at speed; he would certain to loop the loop in an aeroplan When this has been antiafactorily and various braken bones. A se.ely never be allowed to drive it to This was, if I remember rightly, accomplished, the car should he h.p. Napier, driven, I think, by day with the present safety ra. in either 1912 or 1913. He driven back to the garage and the
gave lamps again switched on. Two cir. "Cundy, burst a tyre on the Rail gulations
exhibitions on three cons.cutive Malcolm Campbell was another days, and he drow such a crowd
eles should be drawn on the wallway Straight, and crashed, but
round the two light beams. The naither, occupant was seriously of the regular competitors from a bas never beer seen since at the position where the car is standing at the time should be carefully damaged. A very old friend of about the earliest days on Blue Track Cars were parked, the noted, so that if at any time in the mine, Douglas Pigot, had rebuilt Birds of various vintages: His whole way round the Track, two and future it should become necessary to re-focus the lamps, it can be done an old 100 h.p. Darracq. This car famous sprint down the finishing three doop. His performance crent- in comfort in the garage without duly went down to the post in this straight with both off-side wheelsed tremendous excitement and en- tho necessity for going out on the race, but the falling of the star off, in which he carried away sever.thusiasm among the 'spectators... I road again.
A set of spore bulbs should boter's flug was too much for xt). It al yards of the iron railinga along. think I am right in saying that the carried in the ear. If all this is burst into flames on the line, and side the track, waan wonderful late Gustavs Hamel was the first dons, the averagr driver should be was more or less completely desight, and a thing to be remember- English airman; to perform this able to look forward to a winter's molished! Frank: Newton won theed for long by those who witnessed feat, but many others were, soon running without any lighting troubles
reco on a 30 h.p. Napier at a spood - the sight.
doing it.
that will LAST
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