Page
TRUST THE
CLOUDS
CARS HAVE MOODS
Remarkable Weather They Should
Prophets
can
Rain and bad weather spot thany a day's enjoyment. and although we may tap, the barometer before deciding whe- ther or not to venture out, most of us ignore weather "signs as Infallible as the glass.
The clouds are remarkable pro- phets, for they tell us what is going on in the higher regions where "most of our weather originates.
The highest of all clouds are what are known as cirrus, and. these clouds are usually wisps and curls of white against a blue background If the citrus clouds spread and cover the sky with a network of threads, bad weather is likely, and the rapid move- ment of these clouds to the west is also another sign of the ap- proach of bad weather. When while clouds form shapes similar to sheep lying down, or to the scales ов mackerel, fine dry weather may be expected, but not for long. As two old saws have it. "A mackerel sky, not twenty-four hours dry." and "Mackerel clouds in sky: expect more wet than dry.”
A sky which is covered with a dull white cloud means rain, and these rain clouds. formed of ice crystals, are usually at least six miles high. The great mass of dark cloud known as the nimbus is an infallible" sign of rain, not sharp storms, but steady, un- ceasing downpours which last all day and effectually damp the ardour of even the most harden- ed and enthusiastic tourist.
The great rugged cumulus clouds
"a round-topped that sail along like ships at sea do not always mean rain. In fact,
if their tops melt away as you watch, you can depend upon the presence of some warm above which will ensure a rain- Jess
air up
perlod for several hours. The countryman says of cumulus clauds that "a round-topped cloud with flattened base carries rainfall in its face." but scien- tists tell us that the cloud of
this nature will hold its rain f the top melts away as described.
Another country saying refers
to cumulus clouds:--
"When
but
clouds appears and towers
like
The earth's refreshed by fre-
quent showers;"
here. again. the "melting away of the towers may be re- garded us hopeful
In the evening the presence of red clouds is proverbially the shepherd's delight, although the presence of the same clouds in the morning is the shepherd's warning, but best of all evening clouds are those blue-grey bars which, sometimes can be seen paralled to the horizon: these tell
of fine weather for the morrow.
الذکر
In addition to the proverbs quot- ed there are many other coun-
try sayings which are easy-to remember and which, generally speaking, are to be trusted
If clouds be bright twill
clear to-night.
of
Be Treated
Like Humans
HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, TUESDAY, MAY 22, 1934.
MOTOR JOTTINGS
"RUNNING-IN" - THE MODERN METHOD
Harm May Be Done By Over-Care
Why is the
average motorist content to regard his car merely as an assemblage of insensible, if intricate and prized, mechanism
mounted on wheels? The most un- 'couth seafaring man does not deny human qualities to his ship. even though she be the humblest tramp afloat. Is it then irration-thoughtless handling. This al and superstitious to believe that a car is equally capable of moods and pschological reaction to an owner's treatment?
Consider the hands through which it passes on its quick grow- th from babyhood to complete- aess. Is it possible that all those hands can touch and yet leave no mark of human mood and Feeling upon it? Well, even if you "are so materialistic as to refuse to concede that cold metal can absorb impressions and retain the spirit of the craftsman, you will
New engines, like young chil- dren, can be just as badly harm- ed by uver-solicitous care as by is
one of the most important de- ductions that can be made from the latest research resuits-re- searches which have materially altered our ideas as to the best way of carrying out the run- 'ning-in process,
The engine of a new car turns stimmy for two reasons: Orsh, the bearings and pistons are atted tightly, with minimum clearan- ces. and, secondly, the working surfaces, however, carefully ma- chined, are actually marred by microscopic irregularities. In the
by:
at least admit, that even an in-course of running-in these sur- animate object must inevitably be affected in some way by the kind of human handing it receives.
faces are burnished until smooth and, as a result. the "clearances increase; both these changes terid towards a reduction of
Take the case of Sam Stock. Sam Stock is in a motor manu-friction. facturing works: One morning. for lunch, he has a dripping-cake that disagrees with him. Hls temper is thereby much roughen- ed, and in consequence his eff- ciency is in some degree reduced.. He does not work with his accus- tomed vim and accuracy.
Burnishing produces heat "and yet, if the surfaces are to be smoothed with reasonable rapi dity, a certain amount of pres- sure is essential. Consequently, the first and most important re- quirement is an adéquate supply
of lubricant As B
direct result, one little part of a certain car is just a little less than perfect. Sam Stock's in- digestion has been passed on- Dermanently to the car!
From Virtue to Vice Multiply contingencies such as this but favourable ones as well as undesirable and you begin to realize how readily receptive to human moods is every part of a
car,
This is true, too, of a car throughout its later career, when it has left the factory and has become private property. Many a car has left its birthplace equ- able in disposition and slow to anger, only later to absorb and reproduce all the vices of its ow ner, to become a spiteful and vic- lous scapegrace on wheels.
The wise owner will regard his car as a sailor regards his ship as a sentient thing. Humour it, coax it, and generally intelligent- ly study it. It needs and deserves
all this.
which will reduce friction and carry away the beat generated. Not only must" the owner-driver maintain the pro- per level in the sump, but in ad- dition it is essential that he should use a reasonably light all
of the right grade.
Particular
care is necessary when starting 2 stiff engine from cold, because the of is the thick and sluggish. It has to flow from the pump through a filter. a number of tiny passages and a series of tight bearings. before" it is thrown into the cylinders by the rotating crank- shaft consequently very little of reaches the bores and pistons during the
..first couple of minutes."
Over-Cautious Owner Apt to Make Mistakes,
This is where the over-cautious owner is apt to make his Arst mistake: he sets the engine at ́much too low an idling speed when allowing it to warm up. In so doing he extends the time required and reduces the quan-
If clouds be dark twill rain tity of oil thrown into. the boxes.
d'you Hark!
If woolly fleeces overspread
the heavenly way
Be sure no rain disturbs the
summer day.
When the clouds of the morn to the west fly away You may conclude on a fair
summer's day:
and, lastly, the sailor knows he is in for trouble on the appear- ance of a mackerel sky, for he
has a couplet:-
"When clouds, look
scratched by a hen
Get "ready to reef your
topaalis then!"
SACHS
Outboard-
Motor.
The small engine
of highest Power
Speed
Simplicity
Reliability
Economy
For 'free demonstration apply to:---
F. FELD & Co., Ltd.,
Pedder Building, HONG KONG
*
The proper speed is from 1,000 to 1.200 .p.m., which can be roughly judged from the fact that it is about the rate which
REPAINTING THE CAR AT HOME
When and old second-hand car has been purchased, and the state of the veteran's paintwork begins to worry the owner, recel- tulosing is considered, but often. turned down as being too expen- sive in proportion to the original cost of the car. Recellulosing may well cost as much as, or even more than, the car itself,
Some solution of the problem is offered by an inexpensive Cel- amel paint-spraying set, which will give a continuous spray and and enable the, owner to repaint his whole car at home.
an
Gelamel spray cans of various sizes have now been available for some time, but the most am- bitious model yet produced is their latest with which it is, claimed, the whole car can be re painted with comparative ease. The dificulty in keeping up even and continurus spray has been overcome by the addition of 2 separate chamber. outfit now consists of this compression air tank. valves. rubber tubing, and a half-pint capacity Celamel Sprayette can containing black spraying lac- quer. The price is reasonable at 12s. 6d., or, if supplied with col our instead of black, lacquer, is. --extra.
>compression
An ordinary motor tyre pump can be attached to the compression chamber, although postana Morley Brothers and Birties, Ltd., Trevor Street works, Birmingham, who sell this new outfit, also supply a special pump for an additional charge of 10s. 6d. It is a high class pump, which has been produced for this type of work, but it can also be be used as an ordinary tyre pump.
the engine revolves when pulling the car at twenty m.ph. on top.
Too low a working tempera- ture does an engine far more harm than running too hot. The products of combustion' con- dense on the cold walls of the cylinders and set up a corrosive action which has been shown to be one of the most Ukely causes. of undue wear. Themostat de- vices are of great assistance in this connection a good alter- native being the radiator muff.
The golden rule for running-. in a new car on the road, is to avoid sustained periods of hard". work, which will raise the oll temperature to an unsafe Agure. Provided that this is remember. ed, short bursts of speed, at in- tervals, "will be found advant- ageous. Otherwise, general run- ning can be done with an engine speed not greater than 2,000 representing about 33 m.p.h. on top and 21 m.p.h. on the third →gear.."
On the other hand, while over- revving is harmful, the engine should not be allowed to labour at full fhrottle: It is, therefore, better to change down on a stif hill than to hang on a top gear," always provided that an exces- sive speed is not maintained.
י:
ROAD ILLUMINA TION IN FRANCE
New Systems in Use
French motorists are rejoicing at the new road-lighting systems on the Paris-Versailles road be- tween the level crossing of St. Cloud and the old Picardy Gate. The first stretch of road, from: the St. Cloud level-crossing to the Villa d'Ivray, is illuminated by means of incandescent electric lamps. The standards are set 50 metres apart, and the lamps are at a height of B metres.
Each light consists of a double- fliament 400-200 watt Mazda lamp. Special automatic adjus- ters reduce the lighting, after midnight, by passage through the first to the second Alament. The lighting device utilised on this stretch of road is identical with those
now in common use for urban lighting. two asymmetric reflectors in slivered glass or re- fractive globes.
I
The aptly named "Pont-Noir," under which runs the stretch of the St. Cloud-Villa d'Ivray, road, is well known to motorists. It les between a curve and a gra- dient, is 65 metres in length, and was dreaded by reason of the almost inky darkness which re- igned there. It is now the most brilliantly It portion of the whole route. The installation comprises twenty-five enamelled steel reflectors with 300-100 W. double. Alament lamps-the 300 w. power being utilised during the day and the 100 w. at night. It is necessary for the lighting to be more intense during the day so "as to minimise the con-2 trasts between the entry and `ext
On the second stretch of road between Villa d'Ivray and Ver- saules sodium vapour lamps have been employed: These lamps are made
Phillips under" the Patents, and were installed by the Compagnie des Lampes as. an experiment. The principal advantage of this new system of lumination lies in its economical
After 500 miles have been covered it must not be assumed that the
suddenly engine has become transformed into a free-. running unit. Care is still re- quired and the best method is to increase the load and speed bit by bit, with more frequent. full throttle perlods, so that by the time 1,000 miles 18 reached the car is being quite freely used. At this stage it is very impor- tant to have the filters clearned, the sump thoroughly drained and to refill with fresh lubricant. The running-in 'process results · consumption.
the abrasion of a certain amount of metallic-dust which mixes with the oil and is harm- ful to the bearings.
In
The whole process is Endoub- tedly asalsted by using one of. the many special running-in compounds now available, which contain colloidal graphite in the form of tiny particles in suspen- sion. The graphite forms greasy film on. the
metal sur- faces safeguarding them from seizure and helping them to attain
a smooth, long-wearing *skin."
CAR RADIO SPECIALISTS
B.
The increasing popularity of wireless sets built into cars has fully realised by the National Radio Service Co., which has kept" a service station devoted to car radio ever since such sets were first imported into this country. Now, when, there are many types of sets for sale, it is useful to know of the "existence in London' of this service station, which can deal with repairs and general service work on any make of set.
Their real speciality, however, is the actual fitting of wireless sets to cars, and in this respect, they handle a large quantity of work for car-dealers.When-a- customer orders a car and wishes a wireless set to be fitted, the car can be deven to the National Radio Service Co., at 15, Alfred Place. Tottenham Court Road. London, W1, and they will carry out the work competently. The satisfactory fitting of a wire- Tesa set to a car is by no means easy. The problem of over- coming "interference" con only be tackled successfully by exper- iment allied with experience.
One important factor is the mounting of the aerial, A few makes of cars, such as Hillman, supply all their saloons ready wired with an aerial in the roof but when an owner of a car which le not provided with an aerial decides that he wants a wirless Atted, it may involve dismantling the roof lining. National Radio Bervice have developed a special “i form of aerial, called the Enaress for fitting underneath the running boards, which is sold 1or two guinear The cost of stripping a roof lining and atting. an serial is likely to prove appre- clably more.
CLASSIC SCOTTISH TRIAL
Successful Two-day Trial
A classic event in Scotland is the Highland two-day trial or ganised by the Scottish Sporting Car Club. Several members of more southern clubs competed: there were entries from members of the Cambridge University, the Lancashire and Cheshire, the, 'Edinburgh- and District, and the M.G. clubs, and it seems certain that they did not regret their entry in spite of the 400 miles" strenuous motoring.
First Hills Easy
The first three hills, Colllum. Logie Kirk and Fernought, prov- ed easy and merely in the nature of engine wariners, but they were followed by a special, test at Stoneybrae. This also locked easy and consisted of quite a gentle gradient with two hairpin bends which had to be negotiat- ed non-stop. However, fve valuable bonus marks could be gained thereby which were essen- tial to success.
was Hudson, and most of Aber- feldy assembled to watch the ears climb its narrow, grassy slopes Prosser's all-black Hornet Special made very fast and quiet.&- cent, but Murray, who was equally fast with his Frazer Nash, falled · at the very top, as did Smith's Singer. Not so the latter's Lari- cashire team-mates, who were fast and conadent, -
Imperceptibly, the possibles for premier awards were whittling down, and a really big slice was made in their numbers on "Mon- day morning by a hill which was”, a treasure in the eyes of the or- ganising committee. It has a short approach leading to two perfectly fair but dificult, hair- pins, continuing in a sort of speed hill-climb.
The earlier numberą were a little, uncertain, but thế later numbers gained confidence. and student Fraser, secretary of the Cambridge Club, made a ter rific ascent, his Magns scream- ing with power," Prosser with his Hornet made a quiet and beauti- fully judged climb, and Playfair successfully employed similar tac-
J. K. Nisbet led the way, taking his 32 M.G. round as if on rails. His team mate. Hepburn, followed with an equally good perforties with his Singer andoon. Por- mance, but the third member- Chalstison-falled. A particularly
Stout effort was that of Clarke Reld, who took his J3 M.G..up & bank and nearly turned it over in his attempt to overcome an unlucky lurch caused by 2 boulder. Although Sharp and Mitchell, his team mates, made their usual perfect showing with their J3 M.G.s, it put their well- known B team three points down. That the huge army of Singers: could have been taken round cleanly was demonstrated by Murray Frame, Cockburn and Scott-Browna team with a re- putation. The other drivers elected, however, to take one re- verse. Then came calamity for the Singer team; for a yokel way. ed Scott-Brown down the wrong. road, and so the Bingers came level with the B team of M.Gs. A praiseworthy showing was made by K. W. B. Sanderson, who • made a clean circuit with his big Speed, Twenty Alvis.
so much for the special test. The worst hl on the first day
ter's Magna had bad luck to fall on account of a chafed battery lead, and Anderson unfortunately switched off with his aleeve whist cornering. The heartiest cheer. Was reserved for Sanderson's..... Speed Twenty Alvis, which hurt- led up with only inches to spare.
Climax!
The climax of the trial was fitt- ingly reserved for the last sec- tion; on which a huge crowd of holiday-makers assembled to watch the special tests. Although the long run down from Oban had only managed to "fail" one car, Anderson's Morris-Cowley did not appear for the special tests, nor did Harinah's Morris Ten. Two others were then elf- minated, Anderson with his cle- ver "Special," which broke an axle shaft, and Stuart, whose Ro- ver developed clutch trouble.
8o to the finish of a most suc- cessful and enjoyable Easter event. The visitors from the South were loud in their praises. A. A. M. McL
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