404 



RECREATION 



real interest, however, at the Boston show, 

 not shared by the others, was the large num- 

 ber of steam cars and the interest shown in 

 them. For the past few years steam cars 

 have not been as popular as gasolene cars, 

 but some of the new models shown at Bos- 

 ton, however, were exceptionally good and 

 sold well, and although Boston has always 

 been a big steam car center, the interest this 

 year was obviously greater than ever before. 



This is important, as it shows that many 

 thinking automobilists appreciate that steam 

 power has certain peculiar advantages which 

 are too great and too many to allow the 

 power to be discarded. 



The disadvantages of a steam car are really 

 few ; a certain definite time is always needed 

 to get up steam ; there always must be a 

 flame underneath the boiler ; the water sup- 

 ply to the boiler is something that has to be 

 regulated carefully by the operator, and the 

 vehicle has a limited radius on a tank of 

 water unless the condensing system is used, 

 in which case undesirable complications are 

 introduced. On the other hand the advant- 

 ages of the steam car are many: it climbs hills 

 wonderfully; runs with absolute quietness; 

 and there is little shock or vibration from 

 the machinery. Steam power is well under- 

 stood ; there are no mysteries connected with 

 it, and troubles can be easily located when 

 they occur. As to reliability, steam undoubt- 

 edly stands at the head of all powers. 



THE SIDE ENTRANCE. 

 This year the side-entrance tonneau body 

 is the most popular style, and in fact has 

 swept everything else before it. The form 

 of body is a good one; it provides two places 

 for entering and leaving the car, whereas the 

 rear entrance tonneau or the front entrance, 

 tonneau has but the one ; further than this, 

 the seats can be more advantageously ex- 

 posed, and the entire space under the rear 

 tonneau seat can be used as a storage place. 

 It would appear that the craze for side en- 

 trance bodies and long wheel bases is being 

 carried somewhat too far, for there is no 

 great advantage in the elongated wheel base 

 beyond the fact that it insures easy riding, 

 but for that matter it is likely that beyond 

 a certain point the long wheel-base doesn't 

 add at all to the comfort of the passengers. 

 The disadvantages of the long wheel-base are 

 that the car is harder to manoeuvre ; it is 

 more difficult to drive it in or out of a 

 crowded garage; and I have heard that on 

 some narrow country roads drivers of cars 

 having exceptionally long wheel-bases have 

 found it practically impossible to turn 

 around. Abroad the automobile manufac- 

 turers and the body-makers are endeavoring 

 to reduce the length of the wheel-base and 

 at the same time, use a side entrance body. 

 There is no doubt that there will be a re- 



action in favor of a moderate wheel-base, and 

 for that matter a more or less increase in the 

 use of the rear entrance tonneau, which is 

 certainly very compact and can be made very 

 light and still have great strength. The side 

 entrance body is weakened in the middle 

 where the greatest strain occurs. However, 

 the side entrance body seems to have won 

 the heart of the public, and will doubtless 

 always be the more popular form. 



CAPE CART HOODS. 



One noticeable feature about automobiles 

 this year is the falling off in popularity of the 

 canopy top with sliding glass front and mov- 

 able side and rear curtains. This form of 

 covering is being substituted very largely by 

 what is known as the cape-cart hood, — a light 

 strong folding top made of khaki or some 

 form of water-proof cloth specially suited for 

 the purpose. Doubtless the reason for this 

 is that the cape top is very much lighter than 

 the canopy top, and anyone who has driven 

 an automobile very much realizes the great 

 importance of keeping a car light and the 

 disadvantages of overloading it. 



The point is simply this : the automobile 

 is more or less of a sporting proposition; 

 something like riding a horse, and anyone 

 going out for a horse-back ride doesn't take 

 along an umbrella, a mackintosh, and a pair 

 of rubber boots. Most automobiles carry 

 storm covers of rubber cloth, and few tour- 

 ists fail to provide themselves with poncho 

 coats — a combination which keeps out the 

 water better than any combination of glass, 

 wood, and rubber curtains. Wind resistance 

 is something that must not be forgotten and 

 a heavy canopy top with the glass lowered 

 and all of the curtains closed in affords much 

 resistance to the wind. Thus the power re- 

 quired to drive the car is greater, and the 

 mileage on a charge of gasolene is propor- 

 tionately reduced. 



GOOD ROADS AND BAD ROADS. 



An automobilist who does a great deal of 

 touring told me, the other day, that he pre- 

 ferred dirt roads to the best macadam. "I 

 always feel a sense of pleasure and relief 

 when I leave one of the main traveled mac- 

 adam highways and drive my car over a dirt 

 road," said he. On questioning him, it did 

 not transpire that he preferred the home- 

 made road because it was pretty or more se- 

 cluded or because he could drive his car fast- 

 er over it or for any other similar reason. He 

 simply liked to drive his car over the soft 

 country dirt road rather than the macadam. 

 I wondered if many automobilists shared this 

 peculiar point of view. It doesn't seem likely, 

 and it is to be hoped not, most decidedly. 



A large amount of money and energy has 

 been expended in this country not only to I 

 improve the roads but to try and arouse some \ 



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