The Omaha
Bee.
SECOND SECTIO.
AUTOMOBILES
FAOEI ORE TO XIOKT.
unday
f OR ALL THE NEWS THE
OMAHA BEE
ntsr IN THE WES I
VOL. XI, NO. 10.
OMAHA. SUNDAY I )!!NIXU, OCTOBKK 2,
SLNULKVCOPY FIVE CKXTS.
as Ml if
7
9
ART OF AUTO DRIVING TOLD
Many Essential Points Can Be
Learned in Garage.
MUST FIRST LEARN TKjS PARTS
DrlTer Caa Get Brat Knowledge by
Setting; Ragta Into Action and
Watrhlaa; Mechanism Work
- Itulrs of the Hoad.
Though skllllul driving; can be learned
only by experience on the roads, there are
many essential preliminaries that can bu
bent acquired In the privacy of the private
parage, or ground, according to N. New
man Davis.
The bent method for the novice In learn
ing to drive a car Is first to master the
use and rationale of the "omponent parts
of the driving mechanism; then block the
front wheel of the car by means of a Jack,
and raise the rear end till the driving
wheels are Just clear of the ground, sup
porting the rear axle carefully at both end",
so that there may be no danger of the car
ajipplng down. Having done this, and re
moved the footboard so us to expose the
clutch, start the engine in the following
manner: having turned on the cock from
the gasoline tank, set the spark lever back
to the full extent of the quadrant and the
throttle-lever about midway; clone the
sparklng-clrcull by means of the switch on
the dashboard, and proceed to crank. In
case of a car which Is fired by a magneto
generator only, It will be necessary to
"spin" the engine several tlrues to obtain
Ignition; when butteries or storage cells are
used, a half or quarter turn will often suf
fice. Cranking should always be started
with an upward stroke, never downward,
and directly the engine has begun to act the
spark lever should be advanced about half
way and the throttle lever brought back to
the utmost consistent with regular running.
When the engine has not been standing
long It may usually, unless magneto-fired,
ba started "on compression." that Is. with
out cranking, by, the following method: Ad
vance the spark lever to the limit, set the
throttle half way open, switch on the cur
rent, and then draw the spark lever back
ward till an explosion takes place. With
engines fitted with both cells and magneto,
witch an the latter aa. soon as steady
running Is Indicated. When the engine I?
started, the driver should take his place In
the driving seat. Ills first efforts should
be confined to manipulating the spaik and
throttle levers so ,i to les:n the lelative
positions which gie definite results in
sped and rnulne control; t 1 eml.ci Ing al
ways to attain speed in the engine as much
ns possible by ndvai eing the spark !eer.
not by Increasing the foil supply beyor.d
the minimum at which the engine inns sat
isfactorily. WKt "Kiwka" Mean.
T "knock" in the engine indicates that the
spark Is too far advanced, and weak and
Irregular explosions show a paucity of gas
oline, an excess of which is Indicated by a
smoky exhaust having a strong smell of
partially consumed gasoline, which Is very
Irritating to the eyes.
'When he can adjust the engine satisfac
torily to various speeds, I he beginner
should turn his attention to the clutch,
practicing thrown it In o gently that it
does not start with a .lerk. and throwing
it out again, till his foot Is so perfectly
familiar with the pedal and the movement
that he knows exactly where the cluch is
without having to look at It; having ac
quired this facility he may replace the
footboard.
The next step Is to attack the gears, go
ing steadily from neutral to first spetd.
then to second and third and from neutral
to reverse, being absolutely certain that
the clutch Is completely disengaged before
the change Is made: also practicing slow
ing down the engine simultaneously with
de-clutching, and speeding up again after
the gear is changed and at the moment
the clutch Is thrown In again. It must be
remembered always that in changing to a
higher speed It Is desirable to attain con
siderable momentum before the change Is
made, and conversely in changing to a
lower gear that the speed should be dimin
ished to as nearly as possible , the lower
speed desired before the change. These
operations, especially the former, require
considerable practice before they can be
performed smoothly; In fact, the action of
speeding up, checking the engine to pre
vent racing, changing the gear, and again
speeding up the engine so that there may
be no Jerk when the higher gear comes
Into piny, Is the most difficult thing for. a
novice in the whole task of controlling the
car; It seems so cotripTexT In tftrte; how
ever, the movements become entirely auto
matic and are perfoatpsd withoutfconsclous
effort; then, but not before, is the driver
fit to take the car. on public roads.
In order to understand the necessity (or
V
We have received 25 carloads of Buick automobiles at our, Lincoln
Omaha and Sioux City branches. We expect in the next three months
to sell and deliver nearly two hundred cars.
Ak-Sar-Ben Week at Omaha
You cannot afford to stay away from Omaha this week. It's the one hig week at Omaha.
Drive your old car in; it may he you are tired of it and would like to trade it on a reliable Buick
the one car that has made good and will always he good. Satisfied customers everywhere.
We Are Now Ready to Write lOll Contracts lor Agencies
Neb:
Lincoln
II. E. Sidles, Gen. Mflr,
the matmeuvers d"'ii!iei1 ohjve. one must
he conversant with the chauses of m-han-l.-tn
involved In changing i-peeds. We have
two spur-grsra of unequal ure revihlng at
unrqunl p 'ed and wish to 'mesh" t'.ittn;
olivlou'ly the fit t 1 h I n r to do Is to reduce
them to. as near y an equal sp ed as pos
(.be. W'hen runi.it -t cn the low Hie
spur-w I eel on tiie clutch-shaft., being
smaller than that on the counter-shaft, re
volves at a much greater late than the
latter; therefore the rale of the counter
shaft should be Increased by speeding up
before the clutch is eleael: the release
alltws the main-shaft to slow down, and
thus an equilibrium is ohtatn-il during
which the change Is made; the clutch must
then be Instantly thrown in again and the
engine at the same time quickened by ad
vancing the spark, so that when the new
gears, the relative s-lo of which Is the
convtisc of that prior to the change, come
Into play, the main shaft may lie driving
the counter-shaft, not vice vrsa.
Failure to get sufficient speed on the en
gine before full) rec Hitching means a Jerk,
a strain on the mechanism, and often a
stalled engine.
The rationale of the opeiation of coming
to a lower seed Is exactly the opposite of
the above. The effects Just described are
much more perceptible op the road than
when the wheels are running free In the
air. 'The ease and smoothness with which
gears'ate changed Is one of the best tests
o? the efficiency of a niotcr driver; ex
perts can change the gears' w ithout the oc
cupants of the car being aware of the ac
tion. Though no force must be used, the gear
lever must always be thrust in boldly and
decisively; hesitation is fatal to success
and produces" a grinding of the spur-wheels
which is detrimental to them and disagree
able to the passengers.
While the car Is stationary it is well to
practice the use of the brakes so that both
band ami. foot may become efficient in find
ing and applying them without the aid of.
the eyes. Mistaking t lie gear lever for the
brake lever, when flurried, has proved a
costly error to more than one novice on
the road.
When facility In all these manipulations
Is attained, the car may be taken out on a
level secluded road.
Should Mesh l.on Gear. .
Having ascertained that. the gasolene,. oil,
and water tanks are well .supplied and the
engine running smoothly, 'the driver should
mesh the low gear and, letting the clutch
slip In very gradually, start the car at a
slow apeed. Increasing the momentum, as
A
P3Ls.jc
a
ite feels i Is eonfiiienep tv.
.The clang,- to second speed may now
be made, provided that the tar Is not climb
ing an incline. It will be well to run on
the second speed for some distance, not
throwing. In the third till confidence In
st-1 : ing ; established, because. although
the i i glne will run best on thl"d speed,
throttling it down lo run slowly requires
consult fable expetiente. and to run at
more than seven or eight miles an hour
is ne'ther desiiab'.e nor safe at the first
attempt. Frequent gear changes should
be mad-, and stopping, starting, reversing,
and l.aking sho.ild be p.acticed
to test the efficiency obtained by the pre
vious experiments on the stut. unary car.
The fet should be kept constantly on the
pedals of the" clutch and foot-brake tespec
thely, tind ability to slow down and to
pull up suddenly should be cultivated above
I all other tat tics.
There are two recognized ways of holding
the steering-wheel, which a'e shown in
the accompanying illustrations, and both
have their advantages.
The accelerator." or foo-th:ottle. found
on most cars lias been putposely omitted
from the foregoing directions, because it
should not be used until complete mastery
of the car Is attained: many drivers, bow
ever, drive by it alone and disregard the
band-throttle entirely.
Unties of Driver.
The motor driver's duties to the public
are: To drive his car on bis own side of
the road and at a moderate speed, especi
ally when negotiating curves and turns; to
keep a good lookout ahead, to sound his
horn vigorously when he cannot see far
ahead, lo signal to vehicles behind when
about to stop or turn off; to respect the
rignts of pedestrians and other users of
the road; to avoid a smoky exhaust and a
cut-out muffler; to carry efficient lights
at night, and to watch for frightened
horses. This last precaution Is generally
superfluous in the cities where n'.l horses
are Inured to motors, but In country dis
tricts It Is one of the most important items
in the list. -
I always make a rule In country districts
of watching the ears of every horse I meet;
should they be pricked up at the sight of
the car I slow down, switch off the engine
and try to run past noiselessly; if the hors."
still shows signs of alarm I stop and await
developments. Failure to extend this
trivial courtesy ,1s - responsible for nine
tenths of the prejudice against motor cars
'In rural .districts. When a frightened horse
IB overtaken It is generally safe to shut
off the engine and. glide-noise least? past
IBraick
Lee Huff, IVl0r.
A a
' I'lti iiiih ss he shows siis ,. i.'.nicn;
! away. In which' case the cur should be
I kept ut a resoectful distance Ithind him
j until the dri er has rero'-ered control.
In negotiating bills the driver sbo lid al
;wavs hae his car under co nplcte control.
' hen facing a loin ucehne It l a jrcnt aid
to control, as welt rs.i sa.lnit of bi:ike
' drums, to cut off the eur" rl and iu ikc
'the wheels tuiu the eiicine. additional
braking, pow ei being obtained if reqatr.-d
! by throwing In the second or firs'. t eeii,
j using the brakes. If at all. ns a supplemen-
tary check only: no hill turd be f : r-l If
! this method be etiiplo ed : should the throt
! tie be left a little bit o;.rn. the gasolene
(passing thiough the c llnders has a I'eans
! Ing effect on them. I! switching li: Hu
I lunltlon current at the bottom of ;io bill.
! before the car has lost lt" momentum
the
lioimal conditions of running will bt
stored without an check. .
Subject of llrnkra,
W hile on ttie subject of brakes, 1 would
strongly tune my readers to avoid skiihllng
the wheels; a brake gives Its highest effect
Just short of skidding, so that skidding
means tuc loss, of biaking power as well as
undue wear on t lie tires. Another thing to
be avoided Is pullliii; up so close to ti e
curb that the trout wheels cannot be turned
away without rubbing against th? ed:,e of
th atone.
t
Turning round in a street, the width cf
j which precludes a complete semicircle, 1
always emiiarrassing to ine novice, espe
cially among traffic. Instead of starting
forward to the opposite curb, which Is the
usual method, run backward; on starting
agaui, the car can be turned in the de
sired direction without further maneuver
ing. Of course care must be taken to see
that the roail is char before starting the
backward movement.
In negotiating cornets and sharp turns
It is best to throttle down the engine, de
clutch, and tun round by momentum only
at a moderate speed; this not only reduces
the strain on the tires, but Is also much
more comfortable for the occupants of the
car.
lu case of side-slip never apply the
brakes; this will only aggravale matters;
Counteract the slipping by steering, and re
duce the speed, but keep a little driving
power on the wheels; ns a ar always
travels In the line of least resistance, the
fact of side-slipping shows that there Is
more resistance to a forward, than to a
lateral movement; ' braking w ill only In
fcreasa 'this 'disparity', ' bin a slight drive
Aunt
Sioux City, Iowa
S. C Douglas, Mar-
will obiiMiJlv tPnl to I
ci. Ir.l the w lo rh
overcome It.
In crossing railway tracks nlwavs run
diagonally so that the wheels strike the
tails singly and tint in pairs, thereby dimin
ishing the jar fiom unevenly laid rails
Nrrr Mart Near Horse.
Never slat t the engine close to a horse
without first acquainting the driver with
your intentions, anil never leave the car
without having flist set the emergency
brake and put the gear lever at neutral;
If the car is to left unattended It Is safest
to lock the Ignition switch so that no un
authorized person can start the engine.
NEW USE FOR MOTOR TRUCK
fB rk I iinlmi'lnr I sea i) e
Kq nipped nllh a Humping
lloil).
A suitable dumping body has at last been
designed for the motor truck, and is placed
in opctation by a firm In New York City.
This fit tn has a contract In New Yolk City
for hauling coal, ashes, giavel and similar
city work, and the White company were
asked to design a suitable dumping body
which would rapidly, handle and make the
motor truck feasible ami economical.
The first truck has now been In opera
tion some two months and has proven a
revelation In efficiency and economy of op
j eration. This truck is carrying wet ashes
from a ower hoiise situated on the Harlem
i river at Two Hundred and Twenty-fourth
1 street, to a new street which Is being filled
In at Uroadway and Two Hundred and Kor
I tleth street.
. The truck carries a load of seven cubic
yards of ashes a distance of a mile. In
comparison with horses the regular teams
which have been used on this work have
been hauling three and a half cubic yards
to a load. The dally trips average from
five to six trips. The truck has been car
rying twice as great a load and has aver
aged from ten to twelve trips, or double the
number of trips. In other words, It has
easily done four times the work. "or taken
the place of four horse-drawn wagons.
Of course there can. be no comparison
of expense of the tip-keep o four teams as
compared with one motor truck.
Nun Never Seta ou tutoa.
Burton J. Westcott, president ' of the
Weslcolt Motor Car company of Richmond,
Va., Is authority for the statement that the
nun never sets upon the reign of the West
cott motor car. and In proof of his asscr
"Uon, snows : a" letter from a prominent
C
i
i
I
wholesale merchant of l'cru. which states
that the first automobile, a Westcott, ar
rived In that country a few weeks ago. and
that already he has received numerous ap
pllciitons from merchants of the country,
both wholesale and retail, offering good
references, who wish to oh1 a in aencie. of
good low -pi iced runabouts, and that fiiey
firmly believe a good markcfcaii be devel
oped In that country for low-priced Ameri
can motor cars.
GOTHAM NATIONAL AUTO SHOW
Klrventh Annual Inhibition Wilt
tnirr T Weeks In Madi
son !iinre lnnlen.
That the Association of Licensed Auto
mobile Manufacturers propose to make the
eleventh National Automobile show, to bn
held In Madison Square Cat den January
7 to 21. 1!M1, the most Important in the his
tory of mntordom was made evident this
week by the Issuance of floor diagrams
showing the arrangement of space for ex
hibitors at the double show.
Although the show la some three months
distant, the show committee, consisting
of Colonel (Seorge Pope, chairman: Charles
Clifton. Alfred Reeves and Merle L.
Downs, secretary, will leave no stone tin
turned to make the forthcoming exhibi
tions minutely typical of the gigantic In
dustry they now represent.
The automobile Industry Is now one of
America's foremost keystones and It Is
proper that the great annual display of
all that Is latest In the automobile world
should be fittingly set forth In compre
hensive order for the edification of the
American public. The automobile Indus
try long has passed the embryonic stage
and the purchaser of a car today needs no
further guarantee of Its reliability than
the stamp of the Association of Licensed
Automobile Manufacturers.
j he forthcoming show will be the larg
est In the history of the trade, for no less
than eighty-three manufacturers and im
porters licensed under the Selden patent
will house their exhibits within the con
fines of the nationally famous Madison
Square Garden. Former . show-goers will
scarcely be able to, recognize the familiar
lines of the amphitheater, so radical are
the changes planned In its Interior con
struction. .
"Is Mrs.' naussip a friend of yours?"
"No; she's a friend of my wife's."
"Isn't that the same thing?"
"Not at . all. the feels vary sorry for my
wife." llttsburg Post.
