THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH.
MOTORING IN
ARABIA.
A Desert Journey from Mecca to Medina,
By Leopold Wels.]
MOTORING SUPPLEMENT.
for his bodyguard, enables the King to journey from one city to the other in a few days. There are no roads at all in Arabia, but, luckily for the royal chauffeurs, their automobilca arò nomehow able to get through the desert country.
"I have already, asked you, to visit Nejd," Ibn Saud said to me one day, "but it is "far away. Won't you come with me in my au- tomobile to Riyadh ?"
+
is a desert country devoid of chorm. The food is bad-just rice and ment every day. But if you really want to ride on a camel, 'so' be it; and perhaps you will not regret the experience once you mako, the acquaintance of my peo- ple. They know nothing, and they don't amount to much, but their hearts are full of good faith."
The following journey was there. I was to fore planned for me. travel by automobile to Medina by "May Allah lengthen your days, way of Jiddn, and I was to remain King," I replied. "Why should at Medina some two weeks. The Why Emir or Governor was then to furnish me with camels guides, who would bring me to Hull. The Emir of Hall would then arrange for the continuance of my journey for the rest of the way to Riyadh.
Thus it came to pass that after the King had departed for Riyadh we found ourselves setting forth on our journey by automobile.
Summer in Mecen is alowly Communications, make it neces- drawing to a close. The terriblo sary for him to maintain two I need an automobile? hent of the past few months is capitals. During the aix months should I climb into a machine here gradually turning to a lingering that pilgrims from all over the in Mecen und arrive at Riyadh only warmth that makes the shut-in world pour into Meces that city five or six days later without hav city oppressive enough, although automatically becomes the centre ing scen any more of Nejd than the air is at last breathable. Dur- of the Arabian Kingdom. It is deserts, mountaing, and sand ing the pilgrimage the heat was so also the permanent seat of ad- dunes, and perhaps a few faint Intense that it almost dissolved mialstration, on account of Its probaman ngures on the horizon? If the countless thousands of visitors ximity to the const. Ibn Saud it is agreeable to you, I would in their own perspiration. But spenile the other six months of the rather have a camel-may Allah now that they have gone away one year in his native city of Riyadh lengthen your days-than all forly can breathe freely again and walk Automobiles have made the move of your automobiles." peacefully through the quiet between his two residences easier streets. Meanwhile Ibn Saud is than ever before, and a squadron preparing to go home to Nejd. of thirty or forty machines, in- The extent of his kingdom, and cluding touring cars for himself the lack of propar telegraphle and his court, as well as trucks
/
Ibn Saud laughed, and replied: "Are you so eager, then, to see my Bedouins? Let me assure you in advance that they are a dirty peo- ple, and that my country of Nejd
A NEW TYPE of
GARDNER HEAVY-OIL ENGINE
Starts from cold without the use of starting lamps, electric
Or
other pre-heating
Ideal for the propulsion of all classes" of Commercial and Pleasure Craft.
SOLE AGENTS :--
device.
Direct. Reversing controlled by one hand wheel.
Variable Speed · Governor, ---range from 3 to full speed, " Fuel Consumption 4 lb. per BHP. hour.
Built in many sizes. 36 to 500 B.H.P.
NORRIS, HENTY & GARDNERS.
LIMITED.
(Propriciers: L Gordner & Sons, Ltd.)
DODWELL & CO., LTD.,
HONGKONG and SHANGHAI
STIGATE WHAT GENERAL MOT)
GENERAL MOTORS
Chassis
$745
powered by the
New Series
PONTIAC
Bix Cylinder Engine
TRUCKS
The
Lowest Priced 6-cylinder Truck
of 2000 pounds pay load capacity
Powered by the New Series Pontiac engine. Four wheel brakes. Four speed transmis sion. A sturdy truck-modern in perform ance and appearance. Be sure to see it-- another extraordinary value made possible by the resources of this great organization! Offered with a factory built body for every haulage purpose.
Powered by the
PONTIAC
Six Cylinder Engino
1000-tb. chaels.
Wista Screen Body
" 8583 6760
3 Great Series
Powered by the
BUICK
Six Cylinder Engine
Chanels Pricam
Ona Tan -
$1005 Oneonatalip 1185 Two Ton‣ • • #1050
(pumale theen)
Berzi gour drive)
With Panel Body
6770
Two Ton
2000-40, chanda ve
9745
wor-ger derive)
Boll thre
4il tricen f,o. I. Pontlar. Mich
Powered by the
BIG BRUTE
Heavy Duty Engine
234 sons to 15 tona expacity; prices ranging for
$3690 to $5820
The Dragon Motor Car Co., Ltd.
Telephone Central 1246 or 1247:
33, WONG NET CHUNG ROAD, HAPPY VALLEY.
SA TRUCK FOR EVERY PURSE AND PURPOSE
and
In two days' time we traversed the stretch of country that had taken us @vo months of painful plodding to negotiate on camele when we had entered the city. All around, us lay the sunlit desert, with distant mountain peuka to our left and right. From time to time pebbles would rattle against the mudguards of our machine, and occasionally our wheels would sink into the soft Bund. The desert flow past us under a heaven' of ateely blue, and the stillness was only broken by the wind whistling
in our ears.
To the eastward we see the ruins of old watchtowers on the tops of hills. They date back to bygone centuries when brigands ruled the Hedjaz and even the messengers of the Emir of Meeen had to guard their lives with wea- pons and pistols. But under the Iron hand of Hbn Saud all these robbers have been transformed Into peaceful peasants, and the old watchtowers, now nothing but runed anachronisms, smile down upon the peaceful plain. Then we pass a caravan of camels, with fired pilgrims who regard ua en- viously from the back of their lazy animals, especially since the noise. we make always scares those beasts of burden.
Al sunset we come upon a rocky hi and enter a rocky, valley full af holes.. This is a pass that the robbers ance used na ʼn toll slation, for it in so narrow that two men could hold up thousands of travel. urs. Nowadays such a state of affairs seems legendary, and as we are making our way through the Barrow pass we notice a piece. of bright silk cloth from Java lying upon the roadside, half-dis-
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1928.
FIRMod
lod 520.
NO FURTHER COMMENT NEEDED!
Boic Agents for Hongkong; Canton ard Macao SOC. ITALIANA. IMP. ESTREMO ORIENTE, LTD, Managers -A, GOEKE & COMPANY.
SHOWROOMS AND OFFICES
67. Dei Vœux Road C. Tel. C. 4221.
FIAT 520
NOW ON SHOW
WORKSHOP:
67. Das Vaux Road C. Tal. C. 4821.
enloured by the winter rains. One THE CAR OF THE that of D. Seusnud de Lavaud, a directly from the engine, and ra
of the numerous Javan pilgrims
must have dropped it in this spot
laat year, and an one has yel dare.j.
to pick it up, since according to
the laws of ibn Saud anyone who
FUTURE.
keeps what he finds is guilty Interesting Discussion. robbery and therefore must lese
in Canada. his right hand,
French engineer, who described tutes an Inclined "inertia hub," his invention of a new transmis- which changes the rotation of the sion that eliminates gear-shifting shaft into reciprocating metion. and automatically changes speeds. Connecting the inertia hub with He said that the operation of au- the drive of the rear axle are rods
tomobiles on the streets of Paris which, by acting on roller rat- with the new transmission had chets, translate the back-and-forth convinced him of Its practicability, thrusts into rotary motion applied Because, with ordinary gearshift by the axles to the wheels. The curs, the driver never operates trick of the transmission conelats continuously at the most efficient in the variation of the inertia hub relation between speed of engine with the engine torque and road and wheels, M. de Lavaud claimed realstance which automatically that the automatic transmission varles the throw of the connecting will increase the average epeed roads, consequently the rotation: possible and effect a fuel saving of the wheels and the speed of the of more than 20 per cent. in gen cor. This automatic transmission eral and some 40 per cent. In the is combined with a gearless differ One of the addresses that at dense traffic areas of elties." A ential and a planetary tracted widespread interest was long transmission shaft is driven gear located on the rear axlo.
We spend our second night it
What is likely to be the auto- Bir All, and at sunrise set forth mobile of the future, at least in on the last leg of our journey, fol-
a number of particulars, was re- lowing the stony bed of a broad cently discussed at Quebec, Cana- dried-up stream, where thorny da, at the summer meeting of the bushes and wild neneins grow. Society of Automotive Engineers,
On our
right the landscape The various speakers talked about widens out, and during the last details of development which pra stretch our engine begins to boll.mised motor car. improvement Wo come upon an ancient read long several lines. What goes over one of the moun- taina. Couturies ago men hewed steps in the rock so that the pil- grim caravans could climb more easily. But to-day this carefully built street has fallen to, pieces, luckily for the automobiles. Rain, wind, and the 'passing years have! warn the steps so smooth that it is now possible for an automobile to pass over them. When we final-} ly reach the crest of the hill we Mee Medina in the plain before us. It is a big city full of plantations and palm gardens, forming a com- plete contrast to the dry, wasted appearance of Mecca. A high cupola juts out, of the mass of house roofs. It's the mosque where the Prophet is buried. Five lofty minarels in the Turkish style, with conelike roofs, watch over it. They rise slender and proud into the soft air.
A SUPER-SEVEN.
Triumph Further Improved.
While the price of the Triumph Super Seven Popular Tourer re- mains unchanged for 1920 the equipment has been improved by the inclusion of a hand operated windscreen wiper, and accommoda- tion provided for the side curtains at the back of the year squab. Footwells have been let into the rear. compartment.
Despite the obvious improvements the price of the Triumph Tourer de Luxe has been reduced. In addi tion to footwells In the rear com- body has been partment, the lengthened to give more leg room for the rear passengers. Appear- ance has been further enhanced by rounding the body panel on the top edge and by fitting wire wheels. The Instruments are grouped In an oval panel over which is a shaded lamp wired in circuit with the rear light. Pneumatic upholstery, a five-lamp Ughting set, cellulose, finish in dual colours completes & very smart ensemble,
BARGAINS USED CARS
FIVE SPECIAL OFFERS.
STUDEBAKER STANDARD 6
MORRIS
OXFORD
MORRIS
COWLET
MORDIS
COWLEY
STUDEBAKER LIGHT 6:
Touring Car 1926 Model," S-venter 27.34 h.p.. Owari Driven, Mileage 8.397.
E.K. $1,500.00
Touring Car 1924 Model, S-xater 13.9 h.p. Owner Driven, Mileng J8,000........ .............. H.K. $1,000.00
Touring Car 1926 Model, 5-senter. 11.9 .p. Owner Driven, Mileage 10.127.
..H.X. $800.00 Touring Car 1924 Model, 5-seater 119 .p. Owner Driven, Milenge 15,000..
.........H.K.: $100.00 Touring Car 1922 Model, S-senter 25 .. Owner Driven, Miliate 23,000..
H.K. $500.00
тоустве-
THE HONG KONG HOTEL GARAGE
25 Queen's Road Central
Tel. Central 4759.