HIGH SCHOOL CHILDREN BUILD TRACTOR Enterprising high school youngsters of the Pacific coast have completed a molortractor which they are operating on one of the war gardens. The pho tograph shows the completed tractor as it first appeared on the school grounds. MOTORISTS FACE PROBLEM OF GAS Automobile and Petroleum Men Must Get Together in Close Harmonious Co-operation. INCREASE IN MOTOR CARS Said to Be Possible to Construct In ternal Combustion Engines Which Will Consume Much Less Fuel of Inferior Kind. "The perennial fuel problem will nev er be solved until the automobile Indus try and the petroleum industry get to gether in close and harmonious co-op eration," says Mark L. Itequa, general director of the oil division of the Unit ed States fuel administration, in an interview, which appears in Motor, the national magazine of motoring. "The motor fuel problem is not only a possibility of the future," contin ues Mr. itequa, "but even an actuality of the present, as will be understood by anyone who takes the trouble to make even the most cursory examina tion of the situation. In 1912 our pro duction of petroleum was 222,935,044 barrels of 42 gallons. In 1916 the out put of this basic producer of motor fuel was 300,767,158 barrels, an In crease in four years of less than 30 per cent. On the other hand, in 1912 there were about 1,000,000 motor ve hicles in the country, while in 1916 the motor population ol' the United States had risen to 3,541,738. This represents ap Increase of over 300 per cent in four years. With one side of an equation growing less than 30 per cent and the other side increasing more than 300 per cent, the ultimate situation is not hard to foreshadow. Engine Uses Less Oil. "I am not an automobile engineer, so I cannot speak from personal knowl edge, but I have been informed that it is possible to design internal combus tion engines which will consume much less fuel per mile than is now being consumed, and of a much inferior qual ity. If this is a fact and the automo bile Industry faces the Situation in co operation with the oil men to effect this saving, while these latter are de voting their best effort to increasing production, it would seem that we might cut enough off each end of our problem to solve It. "We seem to be only at the begin ning of the gasoline era; a few years ago gasoline was a wasted by-product; today it is the most important product of petroleum, amounting to almost 50 per cent of the total value of petroleum products. AY!Ih the record of the past as a guide, it would seem that the two great industries so interdependent up on each other should co-operate in bringing about the most efficient con sumption of gasoline and the most in telligent understanding of each other's problems." CARE OF WINDSHIELD GLASS Application of Strong Soapsuds Will Prevent Fog or Rain From Obscuring Vision. Strong soapsuds made from auto mobile soap and rubbed on the glass of the windshield and allowed to dry will prevent fog or rain from obscuring the vision through the glass. Kero sene is sometimes used for this pur pose, but it does not last as long as the above, and glycerin is also recom mended. AVOID FORMATION OF RUST If Car Is Used in Bad Weather Tires and Rims Should Be Wiped Clean With Sponge. If the car owner, after being out in bad weather, will take the trouble to •vipe the tires and rims clean with a sponge and then wipe them dry, espe cially along the beads, he will do much to prevent the formation of rust. Not to Come Back. An authority says, "Wet the cat with camphor and water, and the fleas will leave at once." So will the cai>-Min neapolis Journal. LUBRICANT WILL STOP SOieKllili Tighten Belts l-bre and There Around Machine and Make Liberal Use of Oil. TROUBLE IS MOST ANK3YINS Noises Frequently Occur in Springs and Spring Shackles if Neglected and Allowed to Run Dry— Hoods Are Offenders. "Squeak, squeak," said the car, and again it said "squeak, squeak, squeak," while the driver pondered unmention able thoughts. "This is one of the most annoying troubles while driving a car that is otherwise in good condition," says William H. Stewart, Jr., presi dent of the Stewart Automobile school. "The squeak may not be anything seri ous or it may indicate a trouble which may grow to be dangerous. In any case it gives the sensitive motorist no rest until it is removed. "If the noise occurs when you apply the brakes it is evidently in the brake bands, but other places are not so readily located. For instance, if the car squeaks when you go over water bars and other jounces the trouble may be in the springs, the spring shackles, the mud guards, fenders, where the body rests on the frame, or a multi tude of other places. Squeaks in Springs. "But squeaks frequently occur in springs and spring shackles, particu larly if neglected and allowed to run dry. In order to prevent this these parts should be gone over and thor oughly greased at frequent intervals. Jack up the frame to take the weight of the car off the springs. Spread the leaves apart, one by one, prying them open with a cold chisel or a screw driver with a metal handle, using a medium weight hammer. The process will chip off some of the paint, but this is unavoidable. Now spread graphite grease between the leaves, using a thin-bladed knife or a hack-saw blade. Use cylinder oil mixed with a little kerosene to reach in farther than you can force the grease. This will fre quently stop a squeak that cannot be reached by the grease alone. "In rare cases the springs will have to be taken off and the leaves taken apart to give them a thorough oiling, particularly if they have been neglect ed for a year or more and have become badly rusted. There is a special tool on the market for spreading spring leaves. This may be used to advan tage. Other Offenders. "Hoods and mudguards are frequent offenders. Inspect the strips of raw hide on which the hood rests. If these are broken or missing they must be re placed. Close down hood and see if it touches metal at any place. If it does a squeak is sure to develop. Stand on the spring hanger or the run ning board and shake the car up and down. This will ceause the squeak to start, and it is then merely a matter of injecting oil into all places where metal or wood may rub together. If possible tighten the parts and elimi nate the cause. An oil gun, with which a heavy oil may be injected with con siderable pressure is a great help. Fol low the whole length of the mud guards, the bottom and sides of the hood, the hood fasteners, where run ning board and mudguards join, the radiator supports and every likely and unlikely place. "If the brake band squeaks place a little, a very little, grease on drum in space where end of brake bands join. This will be carried into the lining and help stop the squeak. But use very little, as grease is not noted for its tendency to make ifrakes hold. "Keep at it and try again. Shake the car to draw the oil into the places mentioned, and go over the work again ; and again until success crowns your { efforts." , Making Adjustments. Never make adjustments of any kind on the engine unless it is hot. This applies as well to carburetor and Ignition work as it does to valves or | other parts. HANDLE BATTERY WITH CARE Motorist Should Economize on Cur rent and Keep Engine Tuned to Start on Second Turn. The man who has trouble keeping his battery charged will find that dif ficulty largely can be overcome by careful handling. In other words, he should economize on current. He should keep his engine tuned up so that it starts on the second or third turn. Thus he can minimize the amount of current used in starting, and, remember, this is very large. The current required is 200 to 600 times as much as required by an ordinary IG-candle power house light. He should also be economical with his lights. He should use his head lights only when absolutely necessary. He should determine the car speed at which his cutout relay makes con nection with the battery and operate the car as much as possible above this speed. If he drives much in a congested city district ami stops his engine many times he will find that his battery can be kept more nearly charged by chang ing gears in traffic whenever neces sary instead of trying to do it all on high gear, the reason being that by changing gears he boosts his engine speed so that his battery is charged, while if he tried to pull slowly on high he gets down to a speed at which charging stops due to the opening of the cut out. NEW HEADLIGHT FOR MOTORS Nevada Inventor Provides Mechanism for Operating Lights Around Curves in Road. The Scientific American, in illustrat ing and describing a dirigible head light operating mechanism, the inven tion of E. C. Smith of Fallon, Nev., says: This inventor provides a mechanism for operating the headlights of motor vehicles whereby they may follow the Dirigible Headlight Operating Mech anism. curves and turns in the road in illum inating the same, incorporating means whereby the headlight operating mech anism may be thrown into and out of operation at will. He provides a mechanism coupled with the steering gear and movable into and out of oper able relation therewith, In order that If desired the light may be kept sta tionary while the vehicle is traveling. DELICATE CAR DOOR POCKETS Wooden Strips May Be Securely Fast ened by Using Blue, Round headed Screws. Many cars are afflicted with "deli cate" door pockets, those which are made of inferior material or are Im properly fastened. These are apt to tear loose at the corners since they are merely tacked on wooden strips at tached to the door. When this hap pens they may be securely fastened by using round-headed screws, which should have blued heads when the ma terial is black. These same screws can be used to advantage in fastening the linoleum flooring to the boards, especially at the corners. FIND LUBRICATING FAILURE Car Owner Should Emulate Example of Locomotive Engineer by Using Hand to Find Trouble. The locomotive engineer frequently uses his hand to determine lubrication failure, and this is i hint that the car owner can put to good use. Failure of lubrication permits excessive fric tion, and friction generates, heat. Any part which is discovered to be too hot to the hand held near it is prob ably suffering from faulty lubrication. Music Not His Strong Point. Tht' leader of a volunteer orchestra was greatly annoyed by the 'cellist, who repeatedly at a rehearsal was in error; finally he stood near him, lis tening. "Why, man," he exclaimed, "your 'cello is not in tune!" The player screwed at the pegs, but a few moments later the discord was re peated. "Can't you tune your instru ment?" demanded the conductor irri tably. "No-o!" said the stout 'cellist, "not always." Then his face bright ened. "Rut you should See how I can skin fish!" The skinning of fish was his trade, the orchestra his side line. Invisible Airplane Wings. Wings of cellulose acetate, being transparent, make an airplane invisi ble at the height of a few thousand feet, also increasing the operator's field of vision. Sheets one one-hun dredth-inch thick are about as strong as the ordinary wing cover, and the weight of nine ounces to the square yard is but slightly greater. The rap id spread of a tear when started is a disadvantage that may be overcome with a re-enforcing of loosely woven silk. .Daily T' v t. raise is • least is saiu.—(jk « .. r./.u The Seventh Day By JUJA RICHARDSON (Copyright, ISIS, by McClure Newspaper Syndicate.) David Stirling, lieutenant-to-be, climbed the hotel steps wearily, ac knowledged mechanically the greetings of the usual porch squad of people, and dropp"d into a chair —comfortable, but far from the madding crowd. Seven times he had repeated these motions with the same dejectedness, the same absent-minded manner, the same weary dropping Into a chair. Immediately afterward, the heads of the rocker brigade would meet, and the buzz of whispering voices arise, some sympathetic, some mildly angered. Scraps of sentences drifted to Dave's ears, such as, Too bad! Poor fellow. It must have been her fault." "1 wonder what the quarrel was about anyway." Some maintained that it was not her fault, but his fault. David tried to remember their names for fu ture reference. In the meantime, on this seveutb day, Dave lit a cigarette and stared moodily out over the sea and sky. spread lavishly before him as if to console him with their beauty. For a time, the poetic half of his nature re sponded enough to Isolate him from his disturbing thoughts. The sky was like turquoise, he thought, the sea like sapphire, the clouds and foam were pearls—but at this point his mind wan dered to diamonds —engagements — girls—one girl in particular. And he was back again in the world of his troubles. For the seventh time Dave reviewed the chain of events. Two weeks ago he had come to spend a month at the quiet summer resort In Maine to be near Carol Thatcher, his fiancee, before he left for the South ern training camp. The first week had been Elysium, Utopia, and heaven all combined. Every night marked the end of a per fect day. Bathing, boating, fishing walking on soft grass or cool pine needles or luxuriant white sand, not on hot pavings or coblestones. And then —one day he was to meet Carol in their favorite spot, a large, cleared spot in the woo<Js called the Cathedral, with moss for carpet and straight pines and spruces for pillars. As he approached the place, he heard voices, one masculine, the other Carol's. Dave could not be seen through the thick growth of trees. The masculine voice said, "Then 1 am to have the pleasure of marrying you ?" Carol's laugh rang out, "You certain ly are if I have my way about It, John, you old dear. Why, I've planned It for the last four years, ever since you en tered, you know.*' Dave did not quite understand the last sentence, but the first had been sufficient. He thought he understood that perfectly. Waiting to hear no more, he turned abruptly and made his way back to the road. That evening a bellboy had given him a small package and a note, the package containing Carol's diamond, the note a frigid one to Mr. Stirling, saying that his unexplained failure to keep the appointment that afternoon seemed to the writer sufficient reason for discontinuing their betrothal. "A mere alibi," muttered David. "She wants to bo free for the other man, of course." Thus began his gloomy days on the porch, preceded by a brisk walk or a swim every morning. Carol had been playing with him, evi dently, for the sake of the good times, his companionship—and of course, the diamond. All the while for four years she had loved this other man John, curse him! Dave was through with women—absolutely! During the week the two avoided each other persistently, a fact soon noticed and recorded in the porch an nals. Carol, just to show that she did not care, flirted outrageously with young and old alike. David left the hotel rather early, taking a longer route to avoid meet ing anyone he knew. As he entered the Cathedral from one path, a figure In white entered on the opposite side. It was Carol. "Good evening," she said coldly. "Good evening," replied David in the same tone. "Allow me to congratulate you on your coming marriage." It was the last thing he had Intended to say, but in his confusion the words were spoken. Carol's eyes opened wide. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean, Mr. Stirling," she replied, trying to appear casual and indiffer ent. This was the first time the two had been together for a whole week — moreover the moon was shining, the setting ideal for romance. What each wanted most was to fly into each oth er's a'ms. But they had quarreled— hence the brave attempt at distant formality. So David explained. As he ex plained, Carol's eyes grew happier and happier, merrier and merrier untii they twinkled with laughter. "David, you goose, do you know who that was? 'John* was John Flockton, an t!d playmate of mine. Four years ago he entered a school of theology and how he's a full-fledged minister — just •eceived his degree. He's stop ping a few miles from here and had motored' over that day for a short call. Of course, I want him to marry me, that is—marry us. Do you under stand now?" "I do," *said David, happy for the -t time in stv u of the longest days REAL SPRING /^THISITA TfC— 1 Lucille's Cousin By HELEN W. HERRICK =* (Copyright, 1918, by the McClure Newspa per Syndicate.) "Lucille, it's time you finished that sweater for Jack Winthrop; you've been working on it fully three months, nnd Jack goes to France within two weeks." Mrs. Whitney addressed her pretty but slightly spoiled daughter, who was comfortably settled in a couch ham mock with a book and a box of choco lates. "Well, mother, I'm glad you are so very enthusiastic over Jack Winthrop. For my part, I am not in the least in terested in an old cousin of yours who Is such a distant relative that you couldn't trace the connection with a six-foot pole. Ido not intend to fin ish that sweater, so there 1" Whereupon Lucille arose frqm her seat, and with a decisive nod of her fluffy brown head, accompanied by a flash of her big brown eyes, she bounced down the steps toward the street. "What shall I do with that child?" thought her mother as she watched the attractive girlish figure disappear down the street. "She has had her own way so long that she is becoming quite stub born. "I suppose I ought to have told her that Jack is coming for a brief visit before going 'across,' but she seems so disinterested in him that It would only make matters worse to tell her. He Is such a fine looking chap, too. I'll bet she changes her mind when she sees him." While Lucille's mother was tnrning matters over in her mind, Lucille was likewise turning a few over in hers. "Just imagine! Why, I've never seen the fellow in my life. Why is it that mother thinks I should care anything about him? Likely as not he's as home ly as a hedge fence. If only he— My! What a fine looking soldier!" Lu. cille almost exclaimed aloud as a tall, nicely built officer swung into view. "Gracious! I hope I look all right I'd like to make a good impression.* As he drew nearer she remarked undef her breath: "If Jack Wltithrop looks anything like him. I'll finish that sweater in a jiffy. I wonder if— Heavens!" she thought. "Is he talking to me? Why—er—yes. This is Smith field avenue," she stammered to his question. "Could you tell me where Mrs. Rob ert Whitney lives?" the handsome sol dier asked, tipping his hat. "I believe the number is 259. I'm Jack Winthrop, and — Why. what is the trouble?" "Jack Winthrop!" Lucille fairly screamed. "Well, Isn't this the fun niest? I'm Lucille Whitney, and I'm real glad to see you," she said, ex tending her hand. "Come right home; mother will be delighted to see you. You came rather unexpected, didn't you?" "No, Indeed," he answered, smiling. "I'm sure you mother expected me, for I wrote her a letter saying that I was coming. I'm going across in two weeks so I thought maybe she'd like to say good-by to me. You know she is my nearest relative, since mother died," he added, with a catch in his voice. Guilty thoughts of an unfinished sweater flashed through Lucille's mind as she studied Jack's boyish figure and tried to imagine the long, lonely nights he had spent in camp without a mother's cheerful and loving letters of encouragement. "To be perfectly frank," Lucille be gan, "I've never been very anxjous to find out much about you. Mother often mentioned your name, but I had no idea as to what you looked like. I must say you present a very striking ln yonr immoral." - "And I must say." Jack answered, laughingly, "that I have a very amus ing, as well as pleasing little cousin. Ah, here we are: your mother is com ing out to meet us." Mrs. Whitney, of course, was rather surprised, and all the necessary expla nations for both sides were speedily given. Jack finally agreed to spend the remaining two weeks before sailing at the Whitney home, and the two "dis tant" cousins soon became very much interested in one another. Mrs. Whitney was Inclined to believe that there was something more than mere friendship in their attentions to each other, and Mrs. Whitney proved herself a good guesser. One day, after the visit came to an end and Jack had bidden good-by to Lucille and her mother, Mrs. Whitney caught Lucille unawares diligently knitting on a dark-colored object. "Why, Lucille, dear," she said, when she recognized the unfinished sweater, "whatever possessed you to finish that sweater?" "Oh, mother," she answered, looking up shyly, "my views towards Jack have changed considerably in the last two weeks, and, oh, mother, you know how It is! I love Jack and Jack says I'm the only girl In the world for him so when the war Is over we're going to get married." And she proudly held out her left hand with a dia mond solitaire glittering on her third finger. "I thought you'd change your mind when you saw him," Mrs. Whitney murmured as she embraced her daugh ter. Spending Money Lost. Wayburn —My uncle left $l,OOO yes terday. Woodlot —Left it to you? Wayburn—No; left it on a street car. —Judge. Oldtime News Service. In 1882 James Watson Webb, of the New York Courier and Enquirer, es tablished an express-rider service be tween New York and Washington which gave his paper valuable pres tige. In the following year the Jour nal of Commerce started a rival serv ice, which enabled it to print Wash ington news in New York within 48 hours of its occurrence. The most notable express-mail service of all was the "pony express," which carried messages by relays of riders across mountains and deserts and through hostile Indian territory from St. Louis to San Francisco, covering 1,966 miles in 10 days. Deeds and Words. Deeds are greater than words. Deeds have such a life, mute but un deniable, and grow as living trees and fruit trees do; they people the vacuity of time and make it green and worthy. Why should the oak prove logically that it ought to grow, and will grow? Plant it, try it; what gifts of diligent judicious assimilation and secretion it has, of progress and resistance, of force to grow, will then declare them selves.—Carlyle. Production Wine. Wealth does not come by the most diligent saving, but by the most dili gent producing. Men and nations who pinch the pennies hardest are never the richest Pope's Poetry. His poetry is not a mountain-tarn like that of Wordsworth; it Is not in sympathy with the higher moods of the mind; yet it continues entertaining in s~fte of all changes of mode, |*lt was a mirror in a drawing-room, hut It gave back a faithful image of society, pow dered and rouged, to be sure, and in tent on trifles, yet still as human in its way as the heroes of Homer in theirs —Lowell.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers