THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH, MOTORING SUPPLEMENT.
MOTORING IN THE NINETIES—AND AFTER.
When Motorists Were Not Welcomed.
[By S. F. Edge]
To compare motoring of to-day houses to try to minimise its un-travelled along; no fortune with that of 30 years ago is just pleasantness.
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made from this invention, Enter Fairy Tar.
F.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1929.
and
Tyre.
SEVERE TESTS.
Under the most adverse condi-.
required. First, strength to re-we never moved from the same GOODYEAR TESTS. volve the engine many times to get spot, as we could not keep all four| it firing, as if the platinum tubo tyres with air in them, and during was not hot enough a start was the whole period we were helped impossible, wind the engine how by strangera who remained with The "Double Eagle" you might
us and asked
questions Courage was required, as if the proffered useless advice, but show tube was too hot then a back fire ed their sympathy and interest in was the result, and the engine what was called the new locomo- revolved the wrong way, with ation by their continuous presence. grave risk of broken wrlät or arm. We were not always welcome at However, when the motor started, hotels, as motor-cars of those days tons as far as tyres are concerned, then our trouble began. Some were thought likely to burst into the "Goodyear" Fleet of Test Cars was times the lamp for heating the flames spontaneously, This re- were driven on a series of cross tube burnt feebly, and the engine putation was earned from the blow country dashes from Akron to Los Impossible. We drove long la The motoring community of
produced litle power, and if it was lamps for heating the tubes used Angeles and return. tances then but it took a long time those days were much concerned'
The route taken was across windy the lamps often blew out. for the ignition, which I mention- and we really worked our passage, with the dust nuisance, and from The remedy for all this trouble
Then tyres, pneumatic and solid, ed earlier in these remarks, and It Arizona and New Mexico Descris In those days the first disadvan- various points. To keep the dust came from "Fairy Tar," and tar-You who motor to-day from 10,000 to easy to undersland,
by mountain ronds, where harsh, tage we had was the roads them from themselves was one problem; bound roads are the basis of host to. 20,000 miles on a set of tyres A Fine, Big Blaze-Up.
rough surfaces, and the extremel ronds selves, mainly sharp flinta bound it was tackled by placing large of our marvellous
hent combine to break down any The lamp fuel was vaporised together with water and mud, the canvas screens behind the car to today: amooth and dustless, we can hardly visualise the day when
The experienced drivers of the result beleg much deep mud and keep down the dust, and the in- simply could not dream in 1900 of gold tyres came off or split if one petrol, and if for some reason they in which weakness may exist. exceeded 20 miles per hour for a petrol did not vaporise the, liquid test ears average, under ordinary stones in winter and loose stones dividual defence was linen coats the road perfection of 1928. It few miles, and as for pneumatic petrol ran about the engine. Then conditions, 600 miles per day, but and dust in summer..
For men and women, while the seems too good to be true.
Then the cars themselves, and tyres, a puncture, burst or "blow when a light was applied to the in making tests of the new "Double This latter state of affairs meant
out" once in every 100 miles was burner a Gne, big blaze-up took Earle tyre they improved on this clouds of dust following the pans
their technical limitations. First There were all kinds of weird ignition: the most usual and popu- quite a good average; and then place, not really very dangerous, average reaching 800 miles every ing of every horse and cart, motor, or even cyclist. This dust trouble ideas to keep down the dust; one iar type was a platinum tube kopt remember there were no spare but frightening to look at by the 24 hours, in order to give the
inexperienced,
imaximum punishment to the tyre was so bad that most people who bright intellect pattented a water at a red heat by a Bunsen petrol wheels or detachable rims.
When trouble came it meant To start these engines' dwelt on dusty roads actually tank, to be carried by ali motor burner.
These are just a few examples equipment. levering the tyro off the wheel, of the trials and tribulations of watered the road in front of their lears, to water the road as they strength
which took considerable effort, motoring in the nineties and carly Then the tyre had to be pumped nineteen hundreds. up with a small and feeble hand pump. Only the strong could motor those days.
latter also wrapped their heads and hats in big, heavy veils.
Economize with
and
courage
Firestone
Scientifically Designed BALLOON TYRES
When Firestone engineers were developing the Balloon Tyre they found it necessary lo design a troad altogether diff rent from that which is required by High Pressure Tyres.
The Firestone tread was not designed with large, massivo projections for appearance or to make plausible sales argument. On the contrary, the projections of the cross-and- square troad are small and the rider strips narrow, permitting the trond to yield to irrogü- larition and cling to the road, giving the greatest, non skid surface. This tough, pliablo troad has the wear-rosisting qualities that give thousands of extra miles of service and Have you monoy. Let us supply your neers.
MOST MILES PER DOLLAR
THE DRAGON MOTOR CAR CO., LTD.
Telephone Central 1246 or 1247.
33, WONG NEI CHUNG ROAD, HAPPY VALLEY.
AUTO
SUPPLY HEADQUARTERS
The most complete stock of Auto Acces- sories in the City are here at lower than elsewhere prices.
No matter what you might want in acces sories we have it. -
The Republic Motor Co. of China
(Successors A. LUNG & Co., Auto Dept.)
30-32 Des Voeux Road, Central.
of
were
What a difference to-day if one nas the necessary bank balance
The Tyres are still in service some having already given more than 40,000 miles and ao' success- fully has the "Double Eagle" with- stood these and other factory test,
A visit to a manufacturer's show that the producers are confident in Then. If mechanical trouble rooms and B beautiful road their claim that this is the best came, there was no garage or carriage is, yours at once which tyre ever constructed. manufacturers service atation. will give trouble-free road trans- One had to depend on one's own port for tens of thousands of miles) ability plus a blacksmith for the with hardly any technical atten- reparation of road springs; ation; in fact, the less it is meddled fairly common form of breakdown, with the better It will go as a rule. the collapse of a road spring,
The motor-car is the most won-i
I well remember when making derful piece of mechanical a car to compete in the Gordon machinery for use by the ignorant Bennett International race, one of which has ever been invented; and, the conditions was that every part it is well to call attention to the of the car had to be made in the fact that it is almost the only country of origin of the car. article that is half the price it was Now one of the problems I was up before the war and much better against was the manufacture of in every way... rund springs,
France, in those days, was far ahead of the world in the manu- facture of automobile road springs,; Lemoine was the great man who stood at the head of their indus- try in France. So I cast about and heard of a spring smith In Long Acre, then the centre of the borse carriage industry,
A blacksmith was presented to) me as the leader in his craft, and his reputation was sustained and put forward
unassailable, UR because his grandfather had made
JOIN
the springs for the Duke of Wel-||| THE HONGKONG AUTOMODILI
lington's carriage, used at Water-
n
loo. Well, I tried his springs, and the result was the first time I renched 80 miles per hour, I hit n eharp bump of bridge near Sedan. So my chanco' for that But year's race faded away, to-day England makes read springs that lead the world, almost un- breakable, but with unbelievable' flexibility.
Real Tyre Troubles,
Again, in those days, when one) stopped, which was often, it was amazing how a crowd collected, and so quickly; in the most desert- ed country people appeared as if by mngle.
I remember one occasion in Norfolk, with Charles Jarrott. We started real lyre troubles of such a character that for 24 hours
NOTHING
BETTER THAN
Six
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A Fow Advantages:- 10% Off Motor Car Insurance Fres Legal Advice. Reliable Drivers Supplied Free Mechanical Advios Associate Membership of the B. A. C and A. A. London.
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O/o "Hongkong Telegraph"
Used Cars
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16, Connaught Road, 0. Telephone : 8120.
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THE HONORARY SECRETARY H. K. A. A.
c/o The Hongkong Telegraph.
A C
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