Street Accidents in London.
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Mr. McKenna, answering a question in the House of Commons on the 10th inst.—nine days after we had gone to press with our last reference to this subject— pointed out that the total number of passengers carried last year in the whole of the Metropolitan police area by tramcars—electric and horse-drawn--was 746,000,000, and the approximate total number by motorbuses was 595,000,000. We take this first opportunity, therefore, to draw the attention of our readers to the additional fact that the respective total numbers of motorbus and electric tramcars now licensed are 2461 and 2661, respectively, for the whole of the Metropolitan police area, and to express our belief that for the year 1912 the total of passengers by motorbus will exceed that by all tramcars. A very small correction in respect of the number of fatal accidents due to L.C.C. tramways is required, by reason of the fact that so much as 92.5 per cent. of the tramcar accidents occur in the county of London. Mr. McKenna, answering a question ill the House on the 8th inst., pointed out that, for the six months ended the 30th June last, 69 deaths were caused by motorbuses, and 12 by electric tramcars, in the Metropolitan police area. There were four reasons which might to some extent account for the apparent disproportion.
(1) Motor omnibuses ply through the more congested streets from which tramcars are excluded ; (2) Tramway lines are laid in the centre of the roadway, which is the safest portion, but this construction to a considerable extent forces other traffic to the sides of the road and therefore congests the more dangerous portion ; (3) Passengers by tranica.r have to cross the danger zone to get to or from the car, and others often step off crowded footways in front of vehicles coming up behind them ; (4) The mileage of omnibuses is substantially greater than that of tramcars, and the actual number of vehicles licensed therefore does not itself afford a fair means of comparison.
We again ask, cannot an official inquiry be directed to show that, as we believe to be the case, the majority of the fatal and non-fatal accidents occurs in streets where tramcar traffic exists, and in which streets, as Mr. McKenna indicates, the stream of tramcars, which vehicles are unable to deviate from the rigid track to accommodate themselves to the ebb and flow of ordinary wheeled traffic, forces that ordinary wheeled traffic unduly to the sides of the road— which sides, by the way, are maintained by the local ratepayers, and not by the tramway undertaking which in effect" filches" the best part of the highway.
We have a communication from one of the school of pro-tramway enthusiasts. Mr. Stephen Sellon, in which he claims to show the tramway side of the case in impartial vein. As a writer in last week's issue of " The R.A.C. Journal" points out, Mr. Sellon is one of those who conveniently ignores ninny of the factors in this red-hot controversy, and who will not realize that he is merely adding to the evidences of " depairing efforts on the part of adherents of a cause once good, but by lapse of time a lost one." The facts that new conditions have arisen, since electric trams served their day, and a portion of the population, very well indeed, some eight and more years ago, and that. the motorbus has now proved superior to them, are among those which Mr. Sellon and his coadjutors will not get into their heads.
The Consolidation and Inter relationship of Motorvan Owners' Interests.
It is satisfactory to learn that the North and East Lancashire Commercial Motor Users Association, which body includes in its membership the principal owners of commercial motors in the Accrington, Blackburn, Darwen and Preston areas, has become affiliated with the Commercial Motor Users Association (Incorporated). This closer relationship is a step in the direction of things as they should be, and it is likely to form an important and a recognized precedent. The Editor of this journal, as Treasurer of the C.M.U.A., and as a man who has personal experience and knowledge of road-carrying by motor throughout Lancashire, was largely entrusted with the negotiations, and we are therefore particularly glad to know that they have been brought—as the result of several meetings in Preston and Manchester---to a happy conclusion. The affiliation terms provide for a large measure of local independence and self-government. At the same time, the advantage of attachment to the established and incorporated body with headquarters in London, and the body which is now acknowledged in official circles to represent the heavy-traffic side of motoring, is secured in the terms of the agreement. The North and East Lancashire Association, and other provincial centres which may hereafter seek to become affiliated to the parent body, will enjoy the full benefit of the R.A.C. scheme of free legal defence, will receive (subject to written application) a copy of THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR post free each week, will be entitled to carry the C.M.U.A. badge on their vehicles, and will be given liberal representation on the General Committee of the incorporated body. It appears to us that the time is now approaching when many individuals in various parts of the country might well turn their attention to a consideration of the manner in which they can bear a share in the organization of the campaign to maintain the existing rights of owners, to secure additional legislative benefits and protection, and to resist the attack of the County Councils Association upon axle-weights and other factors in to-day's position. We are sure that the Secretary of the Association, who may be addressed at 89, Pall Mall, will be glad to lay before the Committee any proposals which will tend in the direction of bringing owning and using interests more closely into line one with another, and with the incorporated body itself. . Already, during the month of July, fresh applications for membership of the C.M.U.A. have been very numerous, but the Committee is fully prepared to recognize any groups of owners who may themselves be brought together in a particular district through the offices and enterprise of a capable local worker with secretarial qualifications and tendencies. There are undoubted openings, now, for the exercise of talents in that direction.
Turbine versus Reciprocating Pumps for Fire Engines.
An old tradition dies hard, and the alleged low efficiency of the centrifugal type of pump is no exception to the rule. In spite of numerous demonstrations of its superiority, the centrifugal or turbine pump is still frequently attacked by inspired or interested but misguided fire-brigade officials and others. The reciprocating principle, except for very slow-speed engines, is being rapidly superseded by turbines in every branch of engineering, and as the centrifugal pump is nothing more than a turbine reversed its ultimate adoption by fire brigades to the complete exclusion of plunger pumps is in our opinion assured. In a turbine pump, the water enters the chamber at the centre and is given a rapidly-increasing tangential velocity as it passes along the pump vanes, so that it issues from the vortex chamber without having once changed its direction of motion, and without having been submitted to any check whatever, whereas, in a plunger pump, the water is first sucked into the barrel through the suction valve, then, for a brief but distinct period, while the plunger is in its maximum outward position, it is inert, and finally it is discharged through the delivery valve into the delivery pipe or hose ; thus, the momentum of the inrushing water is first arrested then re-established, clearly involving loss of power and efficiency. What this means in fire-brigade work may better be understood when it is pointed out that, with the turbine pump, the pressure of the water in the pipes of a town service is initially utilized by the pump, whereas that pressure must first be reduced to zero and then re-created if a plunger pump be employed. Independent tests with both types of pumps have shown that each has a maximum efficiency of about 70 per cent., but when under light load a plunger pump's efficiency falls rapidly away, whilst, under similar conditions, that of a turbine pump is relatively higher. It has been clearly shown that a multi-stage turbine pump delivering about 650 gallons of water per minute against a head of 200 ft., and sucking from still water, has an efficiency of 68 per cent. Can makers of plunger pumps show equally-good results in regular work ? We say they cannot.
The evolution and development of turbine pumps have occupied the attention of many eminent men, and a most-interesting contribution on the study of this subject was a paper read by Dr. Ed. Hopkinson, at a meeting of the Inst. Mech. Eng. early this year, of which paper we shall next week give a short précis.
We Inspect the French 1912
W.O. Subvention Trials.
With the temperature at something over 95 in the shade, and with almost every available Frenchms delirious with joy, if not prostrated with the heat, it was perhaps not surprising to find that, last Sunday —the commencement of the Juillet guatorze French National Fetes—the pare des camious industriels at Versailles was deserted. Other business of importance having necessitated a visit to the French capital at a time when the national rejoicings and la vague de chakur were concurrently at their height, we seized the opportunity to inspect the French set, vention vehicles which are now in the middle of their tests at the hands of the French military authorities. In our last issue we drew attention to some of the special mechanical features which are noticeable in oonnection with the various contesting machines.
It cannot be said, judging by appearances last Sunday, which was a rest day for the machines and their crews at Versailles, that the present trials are an occasion of great public enthusiasm. Even the taxidriver, who was eventually persuaded that any sane person could want to go anywhere but to the review at Longchamps on the 14th July, was with difficulty constrained to stand by while we inspected.
Arousing the sleepy sentry, we found that both the avant-parc and the pare, which were nominally open for public inspection on the production of the necessary card, were quite deserted with the exception of the military guard, and even they seemed mildly surprised at a visit of this kind on such a day. Nevertheless, we were able usefully to spend an hour examining the various machines which have been offered for the subvention grants this year, and consequently we can, for the benefit of our readers, draw certain conclusions as the result of our investigations.
The most noticeable departure in connection with these military-type wagons is the fact that there is evidence that the driver-over-the-bonnet arrangement no longer dominates the designs of French industrialvehicle constructors. As we intimated in our last issue, the success of the Saurer bonneted vehicle in trials both in France and other parts of the Continent has perhaps had much to do with this. Of the 60 machines which were paraded on Sunday last, 34 were bonneted and 26 Itad the driver's seat over the engine.
In almost all cases rubber tires are used, the twin variety being adopted on the back wheels. In connection with this last, it is interesting to note that several makers provide extended steel rims, with the object, presumably, of ensuring some protection to the outside walls of the tires. The steel wheel does not seem to have paught the eye of the French constructor like it has in this country, although the Peugeot machines—which, by the way, were not in evidence on Sunday last for some reason or other— have tubular cast-steel wheels. The Clement-Bayard large fleet is fitted with pressed-steel wheels. All the rest have wheels of the wooden-spoked artillery type. Some few of the heavier models are fitted with steel tires.
The La Buire couple, as was illustrated in our last issue, has oscillating steering wheels, and this is a simple innovation which will undoubtedly be watched with great interest by constructors of all types of road vehicles. Briefly, the type of wheel mounting which is adopted may be said to consist of a central hub which, in its lower portion, is mounted on the stub axle proper, whilst the wheel itself revolves on a centrally-located pin attached in the usual position. The result of this arrangement is that the weight of the chassis is carried by the wheel below the main journal, so that the wheel is free to articulate in a vertical plane about the lower suspension. Perhaps interested readers will again examine this form of suspension, which was illustrated on page 429 in our last issue.
Of general construction there is not much that is new, and, in our opinion, there is much that might be improved in view of the experience which is available in connection with British design. There is no uniformity as to draught hooks, these varying in shape and size from patterns corresponding to ram's horns to simple and apparently far-too-small loops. Some of the machines have ridiculously small chain sprockets, Whilst not one has the most suitable form of radiator. This last component, in almost all cases, is of the cellular or gilled-tube variety encased with sheet metal. Only faint-hearted attempts have been made to spring-mount the radiator, or otherwise to save it from shocks. Cooling arrangements vary in size to an amazing extent. The huge and ungainly cooler adopted on the Clement-Bayard machines is structurally contradictory to the apparatus on the Panhard vehicles, whose gilled encased radiators appear all too small. The circular type of cooler, with concentric fan,. has not so many adherents as in former years. All the machines have substantial steel guards of varying shapes in front of the radiators. Our English makers appear to have learnt many lessons with regard to radiators on industrial vehicles that the French constructors have yet to assimilate.
Gearboxes and engines call for little comment. They are, as a rule, of standard patterns with which we are all familiar. We were interested to note with regard to steering gear, that the absurd lack of uniformity which is characteristic of public-service motor vehicles in Paris and elsewhere, provides a further example in connection with these W.O. machines. Each of the Schneider team, for instance, is fitted with a steerirg gear on the left-hand side of the chassis, whilst all the other vehicles have it on the right-hand side, which, by the way, of course, in France and elsewhere, where the rule of the road is "Keep to the right," is the near side. Taking it all in all, and as a result of a fairly-comprehensive detailed inspection, we are of opinion that the vehicles paraded for trial at Versailles at the present time are, with a few exceptions, inferior for general industrial purposes to the best of our own models in this country. Our own Paris correspondent has been instructed to watch the course of these trials with care, and we shall in due course publish a summary both of our own and his conclusions when the trials are completed. We are of opinion that moredetailed description is unnecessary.