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Motoring West Volume 1
Automobile Pioneers, 1900â"1909
By Peter J. Blodgett UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA PRESS
Copyright © 2015 Peter J. Blodgett
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-8061-4977-6
CHAPTER 1
Touring in Automobiles
BY HENRY R. SUTPHEN
[Outing: An Illustrated Monthly Magazine of Recreation 38, no. 2 (May 1901)]
SEVERAL YEARS AGO THE BICYCLE SUDDENLY MADE A PRODIGIOUS leap into public favor, a result largely due to the fact that it provided people of moderate means with an entirely new and fascinating amusement—the exploring of the particular locality in which they lived, but about which they had usually known little or nothing.
For the natural man, only one means of locomotion is available—his legs, and their radius of action is necessarily limited. Given the use of the four legs of a horse and we can of course go much farther afield, but the cost is at once tremendously increased, thereby placing this mode of locomotion out of the reach of the average citizen. But the bicycle rider can easily compete with the horse in the matter of distance covered, and the only expenditure is that of his own strength and energy.
And so everybody took up bicycle riding and enjoyed the novel sensation of becoming acquainted with the outlying country about his home. In short, it is the touring capabilities of the bicycle which account for its popularity.
Touring in itself is a pastime of which one may never tire, provided only that we do not have to work so hard to obtain the pleasure as to be unable to enjoy it. And to be popular, the cost must be moderate. The automobile of today offers itself as a factor in touring. It cannot be said that the ideal has been evolved, but the manufacturers have at least put practicable machines upon the market and each new model shows an improvement upon its predecessor. It is the history of the bicycle repeated, even in the matter of high prices and slow deliveries. But the manufacturers have learned something by their experience in the bicycle trade, and the development of the automobile should be proportionately hastened.
France and Germany have given most of their attention to the development of the gas engine or hydro-carbon form of power, while inventors in England and in the United States have worked more particularly upon the steam and electric types. Then there are the imperfectly developed alcohol and liquid air motors and half a dozen other forms of power that are still in the "blue-print" stage. For all practical purposes, our choice of a touring automobile must be made between the gasoline and the steam carriage.
Electricity is manifestly out of the question for touring purposes, its radius of action being absolutely limited, and its cost of operation comparatively high. The same objection applies to all similar systems, such as the widely exploited liquid air motor. The successful touring machine must be a prime mover, or one that develops its own energy from the raw fuel.
Gas and steam then are the alternatives, and how shall we decide between them?
Casting up their respective merits and demerits, we find that in the matter of first cost, the steam automobile has a decided advantage. But, on the other hand, the hydro-carbon vehicles are much less expensive to maintain and operate, and are therefore cheaper in the long run. In this connection, it may be remarked that the figures put forth by the manufacturers, as to the cost of operation, are apt to vary widely from those obtained by users in actual practice. Furthermore, one operator may get better and more economical results from a given machine than can another, presumably of equal intelligence. The personal equation enters here.
Safety is of course a paramount consideration. Both the steam and hydro-carbon systems use the highly inflammable gasoline or naptha as a source of power supply but the method of application is different. The steam automobile employs a gasoline flame to turn the water in the boiler into steam. This gasoline or naptha is carried under pressure in the fuel tank, and any leak or overflow is liable to start a fire which may do great damage to the vehicle, and result in serious injury to its occupants. In the popular view, it is the boiler that is the dangerous part of the steam-driven vehicle, but this is erroneous. A tube boiler, made by any reputable firm, cannot possibly burst, like a shell boiler. The most it can do is to blow or burn out a tube and a slight leakage of steam is the only visible result.
The hydro-carbon system, too, uses gas which is generated from gasoline within what is called a carburetor. After being mixed with air, it is drawn into the engine cylinder, compressed and exploded by an electric spark. The principle of expansion of gas to move a piston is the same as in the steam engine. But the gas engine dispenses with the boiler, or rather combines the boiler and cylinder in one piece. It is therefore a one-unit motor as opposed to the two units, boiler and engine of the steam carriage. No flame of fire comes near the gasoline itself, but great care must still be used in filling the fuel tanks. No system that employs gasoline as a fuel or motive power can ever be absolutely safe. The gas engine with electric ignition reduces the danger to a minimum, but it is still there. The manufacturers realize this defect and inventors are constantly at work trying to overcome it. What is particularly wanted is a successful kerosene oil burner for the steam automobile and the corresponding development of an internal combustion motor, using kerosene oil gas as its motive power.
In order to determine the best forms of power for long distance touring in England, the Automobile Club of Great Britain arranged last year for a thousand mile endurance run. During this test the hydro-carbon system made the best showing on the three points of reliability, speed, and low cost of operation. Following this example the Automobile Club of America intends to arrange for a five-hundred-mile endurance test run between New York and Buffalo, sometime during the coming season. This test will be open to all vehicles seating two people side by side, awards being made upon the following basis: Fewest stops, greatest carrying capacity in proportion to weight, and least cost for repairs. An average speed of twelve to fifteen miles an hour must be maintained during the entire run. This is the sort of experimenting that is certain to yield profitable results, both to the manufacturer and to the user of motor vehicles, and such a test is assuredly of more value than a dozen so-called road races. If the data for the New York–Buffalo test were at hand today, the tabulated results would materially assist the intending purchaser in determining which form of automobile is most likely to answer his purpose for touring on the average American roadways. In the absence of such data we can only draw our conclusions from private experience and theoretical knowledge.
With American roads as they are, the question of construction becomes important. The prevailing type of steam vehicles is too light to stand hard usage. The makers of gasoline machines have more generally realized the futility of attempting to put heavy motors on bicycle running gear and the present type of hydro-carbon vehicles is consequently more practical for touring use. But there is no reason why the steam automobiles should not be built to fulfill every requirement.
In the matter of repairs, the liability to breakdowns, and general efficiency, there is something to be said for both types. Both the steam engine and the hydro-carbon motors need careful and intelligent attention, if they are to give the best, or even satisfactory results. They are each liable to unexpected and annoying breakdowns, but it is certainly easier to locate the source of trouble in a steam engine than it is in a gas motor. In the first place, the steam engine is more familiar to us, both in theory and practice; and secondly, the gas engine is complicated by its electrical sparking apparatus, and electricity is a notoriously elusive fluid. The man who really and thoroughly understands the working of the petroleum gas engine must be a well-equipped mechanical engineer and something of an electrician as well. The old dictum that "knowledge is power" was never better exemplified than in the handling of a hydro-carbon motor. On the whole, when a breakdown occurs, the owner of the steam carriage has the better chance of reaching home under his own power. Locomotion is possible even with smashed water gauges and leaky tubes, but the gas engine will not run at all if there is anything radically wrong with its essential functions. And it is often a labor of hours to find out just what is the matter with a gas engine, let alone repairing it, with no tools at hand but a rusty spanner and a bicycle screwdriver.
In general efficiency, the steam vehicle has the advantage in ease of control and possesses decidedly greater flexibility of operation. The reversing process is perfect, since the locomotive link motion is used, and the engine can be started by simply letting steam into the cylinders. The gas engine cannot be reversed, and back motion can only be obtained by means of gearing. Moreover, the internal combustion motor will not start itself from a state of rest. The initial impulse must be given by hand or through some auxiliary mechanical device. The steam engine's speed can be governed with perfect certainty, either by throttling or by the cut-off, while the gas motor generally works best at a certain high normal rate, which must be reduced by gearing. Against this, the internal combustion motor is much less delicate in its fundamental working parts, it works on a one-unit system as opposed to the two units of steam or electricity, and, generally speaking, it can do rougher and harder work than the steam engine. Moreover, it needs but one fuel, gasoline, as against both water and gasoline which must be supplied to the steam engine. It is true that water is used for cooling purposes on all large gasoline motors, but the quantity is comparatively small, and its chemical purity is not so important as though it were to be used inside a boiler.
Of course the great difficulty confronting the manufacturer is not to make a machine that will run, but a machine that anyone can run. So far as possible, it must be automatic in operation and above all it must be virtually fool-proof. There lies the rub. The makers of the steam carriages have been especially ingenious in providing automatic governors for their machinery. If everything works perfectly, the water level, the steam pressure, and the fire are all looked after automatically, and the operator has only to manage his levers and enjoy the scenery. But it is not possible to wholly dispense with human intelligence and attention, nor even to substitute for it beyond a certain fixed point. The sooner that the owner of an automobile gets rid of the idea that machinery can be built and run on the "you press the button" principle, the quicker he is likely to arrive at his destination. To the ordinary observer, the familiar type of steam automobiles that go flying so swiftly and gracefully around our streets appear like very simple machines. A sprocket chain and a couple of levers is about all that he can see, and he vaguely concludes that the rest of it is in the box. But let him open that box and look within and he will see what is virtually a locomotive engine in miniature, with cylinders, valves, link motion, and all complete. Would he feel himself competent, after reading a dozen-paged manual of instruction, to mount the foot plate of "No. 999" and take the "Empire State" through to Albany? And a locomotive does not have to be steered.
A machine is a machine, whether it is employed to peel apples or to supply the motive power to a World's Exposition, and the best results can only be obtained by a thorough knowledge of its powers and an intelligent direction of them. To be a successful chauffeur one should be able to take his machine apart, clean, inspect, and assemble it again. The famous French automobilists pride themselves upon being practical machinists and the little knowledge that may come in so usefully on the occasion of a turn in the park is simply priceless when one is really touring. It is folly to start away from home unless you thoroughly know your steed. Look at a locomotive engine just after it has hooked on to its train and is about to start on a long run and you are pretty sure to see a man in overalls walking around the big machine with an oil can in his hand. One would naturally suppose him to be the fireman, such a prosaic job as oiling should be beneath the dignity of the engineer. But not so; it is the engineer himself and the regulations especially require that he shall perform this final grooming of his iron steed in person. And the reason is that he may at the same time thoroughly inspect the all-important running gear of the machine. The oil cups are not always placed in positions of the greatest convenience for the oiler's back; in fact, they are often quite inconveniently situated, the idea being to make sure that certain important working parts shall come under the eye of the engineer.
There is certainly a happy medium between the practice of the French engineers, who build their automobiles with as much machinery as possible in sight, and that of the American manufacturer, who tries to put all the working parts into the box. It is absurd to pretend that the motor vehicle is nothing more than a horseless carriage, even to its incongruous and useless dashboard, and consequently to ignore the fact that it is a real machine. It is equally ridiculous to unnecessarily expose delicate working parts to the deteriorating effects of dust and weather. The ideal touring automobile should be neither a park trap nor a road locomotive.
It is impossible in a general article to give more than the barest outline of what the amateur automobilist ought to know before he has earned the right to call himself a chauffeur. Accordingly no attempt has been made to discuss matters purely technical, such as the respective merits of two- or four-cycle gas engines, the mysteries of the "jump" and "wipe" spark, differentials, "flash" boilers, and the like. These things the layman must learn from practical and sometimes bitter experience. But some essential points in practice may be briefly noted. Brakes are a part of the construction that should be carefully looked after. The French law requires that every motor car must be fitted with at least two brakes, one of which must work directly upon the rim of the wheel. Of course, the latter would only be used in emergencies, as it is apt to injure the tire or even to strip it entirely from the wheel. But a shoe-brake upon the circumference of the drive wheels is the most powerful brake that can be devised and it is better to lose a set of tires than to be smashed up altogether. Speaking of wheels, brings up the question of wood versus wire. The later practice seems to be in favor of the wood wheel for medium and heavy-weight carriages. Its strength and elasticity are greater, it is not so liable to deterioration, and it is easier to keep clean. The tubular steel wheel is still a third type, but it is not in general use as yet. In a touring automobile, it is an obvious advantage to have all four wheels of the same size, as then the one extra tire carried will fit in any place.
Three or four wheels? The advocates of the three wheeler claim lighter draught, easier steering, and greater flexibility in withstanding severe strains. On the other hand, the four wheels afford much greater stability and the general verdict is decidedly in their favor. In this connection it may be said that a low center of gravity is essential in any automobile intended for work over rough roads. The absurdly high electric stanhopes, for example, are only fitted for park use and are none too safe there. A high carriage is absolutely unsuited for touring, for remember that you no longer have the weight and mobility of the horse to balance the imperfectly adjusted load.
In the use of the steam carriage it is important to keep the gasoline burner clean. The gasoline itself should be strained before being run into the fuel tank as any foreign matter will quickly clog the fireholes. The manufacturers all advise the use of "soft" water in the boiler. Otherwise chemical action is set up that quickly shortens the boiler's life. Still better results will be obtained by using only distilled water, but this is naturally impracticable when on a tour. But every farmer's wife knows the difference between "soft" and "hard" water. The water-glass is of course the chief object of solicitude on the part of the steam-carriage operator. The tell-tale however, is not always accurate, and it will not do to place implicit faith in its reading. The gasoline level in the fuel tank should be looked after with equal care and the spanner and oil-can should always be at hand to minister to loosened nuts and squeaky bearings. Extra large fuel and water tanks are obviously a part of any long distance equipment; also a well equipped tool box and plenty of extra parts.
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Excerpted from Motoring West Volume 1 by Peter J. Blodgett. Copyright © 2015 Peter J. Blodgett. Excerpted by permission of UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA PRESS.
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