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.