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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1921-09-29, Page 7and the Worst i imeseitteeeezee MORE ADVICE ABOUT TIRES. If you collect automobile racing sta- tistics you will find that the average l'ife •of a high grade tire on a racing ear is under 500 miles—which is about one -twentieth of the•life of a tire op- erated under ordinary conditions. This difference in tire service is due di- rectly to a difference in heat devel- oped. Effect of Heat. Heat exerts a deteriorating effect on vulcanized rubber in proportion to the intensity and length of time the rub- ber is exposed to it. The source of beat that does most damage is that produced• at high running :speed by the internal friction of the tire car- cass. The heat developed by frictional contact with the road when traveling rapidly also has some influence. Tires are so designed as to resist the effects of heat produced by ordinary every- day car operation. But tires cannot long remain intact when highly heat- ed by continuous or even intermittent speeding, and the results of such practice are rapid loss of elasticity and flexibility, which leads to com- plete tire carcass break down. From the standpoint of tire life, mechanical ,upkeep • and gasoline economy car !speeds should be kept within pre- scribed limits. Among the factors which have an intimate relation to tire mileage is v.heel alignment. The free rolling mo- tion of a tire is affected by a small wheel misalignment and the result is excessive tread wear. When the two opposite wheels are not parallel there is a diagonal grind at the point where the tires come in contact with the road surface which wears off the rubber al- nt^st as fast as if in contact with an €2nCry wheel. Front wheels may be out of align - meant clue to cross rod, axle or steer- ing knuckle becoming bent by contact with a curb or some •other obstruction, or the crces rod or knuckle may he im_ rcee:•ly adjusted: Also the tiro alone cr the tire and xim may be im- prc; erly mounted on the wheel. - Checking. Up Alignment. Because of the tendency •of front wheels to spread daring driving, car manufacturers set the wheels- at a toe -in of from three-eighths to one half inch, and when thus adjusted the wheels are properly aligned. The ineasurentents showing these differ- ences should be made between the feliio•es of the two front wheels at • points inside and ,on a level with the axle: • Alignment or the toe -in of the wheels should not be confused with dish which is setting the wheels • further ,apart at the top than :at the bottom. Frequent checking ,wheel alignment saves tire wear. I It is a factor that should not be neglected. Rough pavements and erossings tempt the Motorist to drive on street car tracks. While it is admittedly true that the occasional use of car tracks where road conditions are al- most impassible is justified, it is also true that the strain on 'certain parts of the tire due to continuous running on car tracks will not only quickly wear a depression in the tread. rubber, all around the tire, but the sharp bending action and overloacP on the fabric directly under this depression will produce eventually an inside fabric break. Running on• car tracks is an expensive habit and should be indulged in only in extreme necessity. A barefoot boy appreciates the need of quick attention to his surface cuts and bruises which, given temporary protection, are self -healing. Tire tread cuts are also self -healing if promptly treated with heel -a -cut material. If not thus treated the elasticity of the rubber .allows the cut to expand under load compression with every turn of the wheel. Dirt, glass, sand and peb- bles wear and tear away the rubber until the cut has reached the first layer •of tire fabric wheret'the foreign material creeps along and piles up 'be- tween th-e ,tread rubber and carcass, forming sand lumps. Cuts Can Be Avoided: Most cuts are avoidable and the re- sult of tire contact with sharp edges of railway tracks and crossings, with worn horseshoes, broken glass, wheels spinning on wet pavements and in mud holes, and by skidding the tire by sudden brake application. The remedy is to examine the tires at regular intervals, with the object of removing all penetrating objects, such as nails and tacks; to wash out the holes and cuts and close them by properly prepared healing prepara- tions. Investment in tires does not end with the original purchase. To the first payment should be added a re- latively much smaller but important care investment. The use of chains or other anti-skid devices is advisable under certain con- ditions. Willie a well designed non- skid tread is, where care in driving is exercised; • generally sufficient •insur- ance again-:. slipping on .wet "pave- ments • and: "hard surfaced 'roads, yet there are conditions of ice, --mud or deep snow when chains are •a neces- sity, and for : such Jione' they •should be carried as regular equip- ment. You Can't Hoodwink Ants. All insects and a certain number of other animals are provided. with ap- pendages which the ordinary man tails feeler,a. These feelers provide their owners oath a mysterious sixth sense which tit -e cul....''-ves lack—a sense which is ceatsinly not sight, bearing, or smell, though possibly it may be a very slight sense of touch. It is -by stroking with their feelers that -anti di criminate between friend and foe. Yea may paint an ant blue or cover hint -with a strange smelling compound, but his fellows will never make a m'atake. Tae lobster, the prawn, and the shrimp use their feelers to guide them when they are swimming tail first at top speed. Bees and butterflies seem to use them for examining flowers be- fore they begin to sip the honey. The whiskers of the cat and the rat are ,atilt hairs to the roots of which are attached very sensitive nerves. It is supposed that they act as 'guides when their owner is moving in the dark. If they touch an obstacle, an instantaneous message to the brain enables the cat or rat to make a quick movement to one side or the other. There are ten stringers of pearls 'in London. Ideals. We -built a shrine with bleeding hands, 1 We laid it carefully stone on stone, I And thanked the God to whom we built I We worked together, not alone. I We had no time for idle word, For tree nor flower, for sky nor sun; No rest from graying day to day: . . We wrought until our work was i , done. \Ve spent our lives in building thus; But when at last the shrine was there The God to whom we built looked down, Looked down and found the altar bare. 1 Ashes we bad, but never fuel To kindle fresh a living flame---- , What could we give when this our God, i -Expectant through the morning came? t We linked • our weary, roughened hands,- :. With lifted heads as if to sing IWe proudly brought our ageless love Unto our. God as offering. Love has failed when we espy no- thing but faults. Shining Through Beecher used to speak of sunny na- tures who moved through the world like cheering music, spreading joy and . gladness wherever they went. • We have all met rare souls who live in the sunlight all the time. They are not 'aways prosperous, surrounded by Wearies and the things of the world that most•peeple are seeking; but no, matter what reverses or sorrows come, they manage to keep joy in their heart. • No matter what plight they may be in, they see something to be thankful for, They are always helpful, hopeful, encouraging, happy. Wherever they go they scatter sunshine. I know a girl whose laughter and buoyant cheerfulness are so appealing, so catching, that it is impossible for any Cue to feel blue, or out of sorts in her presence, There seems to be no end to her flow of good cheer. Her joyous, bubbling laughter is contagi- ous, All the clouds of despondency, discouragement, and gloom disappear when ,she is around. Site makes you laugh in •spite of yourself --even if you seem dejected beyond all hope, Her face is an inspiration. It is so animated, so happy, so radiant that one coli scurcedyi keep• one's eyes off hof'. 'roti fool the joyous thrill of her preseece ili;i;fu you ant of yourself, She goes along, shining her way through life. As we move along our separate ways, we all leave a great stream of something behind us, just es ea ship leaves a great white band of seething foam fn its wake when speeding through the water. We can leave a stream of blessings, of sunshine, of gladness and joy, or we can leave a poison stream of pessimism, of nega- tive thoughts, of bitterness, of envy and gloom. We can shine through life, or we can gloom through—whichever we please. It has nothing to do with ourcondi- tion, whether we are rick or poor, homely or handsome, fortunate or un- fortunate, We can be a Moonier or a ,shiner, just as we please, Most of Paul's wonder ul eel ties were written in an unclergrouiid cluit- geon. Yet there is not a despondent, discouraging word in therm; not- a single unkind expression In regard to his persecutors. There is no trace of grtunblieg, fault-finding or self-pity anywhere in then. Through all his sufferings end persecution. Pani' made the best of everything. It is said that he never wrote a lino with a groan in it. 14e Won immortality by shining through,• -.Success i ago zine. yet to crime IT`----\ t ---- i t: r -. aittat rum ifts FROM Tufo-90)-i-Ae Bbl -4•- . IAUtR1I(lp. ,.+�.' ,•+"-_. trot"r.r="-= rums n���, �;-�r II�IIifr. �IIIcfCt gior vim: 1 � , ` { •R1tI11 ntllll11W - ,4,1710“0„0000.0007:01..1.L.111:10.110 �rnt nmtiau Site of Magna Charta Sign ing for Sale. The exact location of the spot on which Ring John and the 'confederated barons stood at Runnymede' at the signing of Magna Marta has becomea, live issue in England with the dl's covery that the traditional site of the concession has been offered for sale by the government, says a Londondes- p,h. The meadow in Oxfordshire, which has been called "the cradle of English liberty," was placed under the hammer last month, but owing to tile lack of suitable bids the transaction was not concluded. • The Marquis of Lincolnshire• called attention to the fact that "Lot 8, color- ed yellow," a section of the land offer- ed to the highest bidder for the sake of "raising every shilling" and reduc- ing the taxpayers' burdens, was actual- ly the field on which the barons wrested from Icing John the signature limiting his pow_ ers. Strenuous pro- tests against the sale, which is still be- ing contemplated by the -officials have been made by the press, while the vicar of Egham has gone so far as ;to say that a 'group of citizens will throw the - auctioneer; into the river: Lord Lincolnshire, opposing the sale, has replied that the actual signing of the charter took place on an island in the centre of the river bordering the; meadow. An important piece of his- torical evidence has been cited to this effect. Two other documents, how- ever, including the charter's text, des- tribe the signing as having taken .place in the meadow itself. It is on "Charter Island," that the stone is found which through the centuries has beet's reputed to have served as "the. base of English liberty." Lord Lincolnshire opposing the sale of the historic landmark along with the rest of the crown lands, urges that the government meet the anti -waste cry, not by selling the lands, but by holding them and donating their re- venue to the ex -soldiers. • When An Elephant Has the Toothache. • Few of us think of elephants having the toothache, but they often do in captivity, and soon let their attend- ants know it by little meanings and tos'sings of the head. Now comes the difficulty of having the bad tooth extracted. The huge creature has to be •thrown on the, ground, and he must be shackled to. four stakes driven so deeply into the ground that there will be no chance. of their being upheaved by struggles during the operation. The "job" is often done with a huge pair of ,, blacksmith'•s pincers. After the operation more time is taken up by unshackling the animal and remov- ing the stakes, The teeth of elephants differ 'con- siderably, the enamel on the molars of the African animal being in five or six diamond-shaped folds, while the formation on. those of the animal from Asia is moulded like a number of nar- row ribbon bands. ' Unlike ourselves, the elephant has 'six or seven sets of teeth during a lifes. time, a new tooth replacing the :old ane as soon as it wears away. How many of us wish we resembled the elephant hi this matter! How English and American. Differ. "I speak four languages," proudly. boasted the door man of a, hotel in Rome to aft American guest. "Yes, four --Italian, French, English and American." "But English. and Atnerican are the sante" ' 'Retested the guest. "Not at all,' replied the man. -"If. 'an lenglishmail should cone up now, I should talk like this; 'Olt, I say, what extraordinariy shocking weather We're having! T dare say there'll be a bit of it ahead, But when you canto up I Wet just getting ready to say: Por the lova o' Mike! Same clay, ain't it? Guess this is the second flood, all right.' „ Bats With Eyes and Ears. How can a bat, flying at top speed in a room, successfully avoid contact with any of a.number of fine silk threads strung across the room? The bat's wings (according to Prof. Hamil- ton Martridge, of Cambridge, Eng- land), produce by their vibration sound -waves tao high in pitch to be audible to human ears, but which send back echoes from all solid objects nearby. Tho bat has ears peculiarly attuned to catch these echoes, and so may said to receive sound pictures of surrounding objects. In other words, It "sees" with its ears. Bata, while abnormally sensitive to 'such sounds, inaudible to human ears, have little or no capacity to hear cer- tain much louder sounds. Experiments have shown that they are not disturb- ed by the voices of persons speaking loudly, but are greatly disturbed when hands' are clapped or paper is torn: Tearing cf paper causes thein to flut- ter and slacken their speed. Bats move their wings very rapidly, mak-. ing ten or twelve strokes per second. This produces' a eveyhigh note :that is not generally audible to man, bat which easily becomes so with -the aid' of the microphone.• Naturalists• have long. realized that the bat must possess some extraordinary means of guiding its flight, but they failed to realize the true nature of the apparatus. Cuvier thought that the creature's power of finding its way about in the dark was due to an exceptional development of the tench sense residing in the deli- cate membranous wings. The hearing of bats seems to be more acute than that'of any other kind of animal. and it is -observed that the outermost parts of their ears are movable and extreme- ly sensitive. Interesting Stories ou Animas The eagle, according to aeronautists, tion of the Cub and Orange rivers to remains not 'merrily the king of birds see the monster if , possible. He. but in flying quality the swiftest of all writes: "At the Cries of the natives I birds. A French "flyer" from the saw solnetliing black, huge and sinu- French naval station at Saionaca in ous swimming rapidly .against the curs February, 1918 had a match with an rent in the swirling rapids. The mon- aaglo near Mount Olympus. The eagle ster kept its enormous body under. competed of his free will, water, but the neck was plainly visible.. "1 was followed by the eagle," "The monster may Have been a very ' writes Commander Larrowy, "at a dis- gigantic python, but if it Was it was tante of about 100 feet, our machine of an incredible size. This monster was making her full measured sixty may have lived for hundreds of years. nautical miles an hour, In comparison Pythons approaching it in size Have with us the bird seemed so perfectly been said to have lived that long." ata standstill tb•at 1 was able to photo- * * * graph it with an exposure of a half One naturalist considers that it ia. second, as the sky was cloudy, and the pretty certain that at least same mem- plate gave an absolutely neat repro- bers of the crow tribe possess a mea - duction. sure of reasoning power, and he re- lates an incident in this relation that ly did not move its wings, and seemed occurred in bis own household. to glide, except every ten or twelve A crow had been captured by the seconds, when it made a very slight children and brought home and tamed. and careless sort of rowing motion as They were very fond of it and, of if to keep Sit. course, treated it with kindness. As • "When the bird abandoned all in mast houses where there are child- • thought of attacking its strange rival ren, there was also a pet cat. The cat it went full speed ahead, and cover- ing much mere than sixty miles an hour soon disappeared." * * * * P. C. Cornell, Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, who recently re and the crow had to resort to strafe turned to England after spending gem. twenty years in practically unknown Disappearing through the open door, parts of South Africa; is author of a he returned in a few minutes with a story about an unknown monster that Lang string that had been ravelled had been seen near the Great Falls of from au old sweater. Placing this on the Orange River. It bas a !loge head the floor., some little distance in front and a neck ten feet long like a bend- of the cat, he proceeded to wriggle it ing tree. It seizes the native cattle as he had seen the children do when and drags them under water. The na- playing with Tabby. The cat instant - tines call it "Lyman," or the Great ly jumped to catch the string. This Thlna was, of course, exactly what the crow Last May Mr. Cornell, accompanied wanted, and he, with equal dexterity, by two white companions, W. H. pounced upon the coveted morsel and Brown and N. B. Way of Capetown, flew away with it, leaving Tabby to and three Hottentots, went to the junc- the enjoyment of the string. "Far two minutes the bird practical - and the crow were friendly. One day an unusually nice morsel was given to Tabby. This the crow not only lookedat with•. envious eyes but made several attempts to secure, Tabby beat off eachattempt, however, France Ready. to Try War Criminals. German war criminals on France's list will be tried before courts martial in military districts where the crimes were committed instead of before the civil courts. The Ministry of Justice here has already prepared for the first trials in Nancy early in November, says a Paris despatch . The first of the Germans to be sum- inoned—and they will be tried in their absence if they refuse to cross the frontier into France—will be General von Oven, who is accused of ordering his troops to make attacks on the in- habitants of Names,- and Jarny during the burning and pillaging of Nancy suburbs; General von Mantgelas, who :directed pillaging bands in Alsace- Lorraine, and Major-General` Riedel, :whose, order to the Bavarian Eighth Brigade was to "burn all the houses, kill all the males and force the women ,and chidren toward the French lines." Legal experts here are still divided whether if the Ministry of Justice ratifies the military judgments of the courts martial it will be possible for France to demand the extradition of the men convicted, but the consensus is that the trials will give France an additional lever to be used against Germany In case there are in the fu- ture evasions of other clauses of the Versailles treaty. Mottoes on Money. The Germans have adopted the ,idea of stamping a e epybook motto on the fate of the new fifty -pfennig piece which h.as just been issued. Thts coin, worth about a halfpenny at the present rate of exchange, 15 very light, and appears to ben nickel alio;,, The device illustrates a sheaf of wheat,. across which is. struck the simp e German phrase.: "Sicht regen bringt Segeu." This means, "Self-help brings blessing." A Saving Clause, "Pa, why is a wife called the better halt?" "I11 order, city son, that she may not get the impression that she's the whole thing, , A Friend or Two. There's all of pleasure and all of peace In a friend or two; And all your troubes may find release With a friend or two; It's in the grip of the clasping hand, On native soil or in alien land, But the world is made—do you under- stand?— Of a friend or tura. A song to sing and a crust to share With a friend or two: A smile to give and a grief to bear With a friend or two; A road to walk and a goal to win, An inglenook to find comfort in, A pipe to smoke and a yarn to spin With a friend or two. A. little laughter, perhaps some, tears, With a friend or two; The days, the weeks, and. the months and years, With a friend or two. • A vale to cross,, and a hilt to climb, A mock at age, and a jeer at time— The prase of life takes the lilt of rhyme With a friend or two. • • A Third United States.. Yet another nation has been born. Its official title is "The 'flnited States of Central America, and it comprises at preseut the farmer independent and separate republics of Guatemala, Sal- vador, Honduras, and Costa Rica. These four States have already signed Articles of Federation at San Jose, in Costa Rica, for their union in one Federal Government, and a fifth— Nicaragua—will join in shortly. For the time being the capital of the new nation will be Tegucigalpa City, in Honduras. When, however. the new constitution has been drawn up, and a national congress elected, a brand-new Federal capital will be built, following the precedent set by the Austraian Commonwealth. There will thus be three "United States" in America: the third one be- ing the United States of South Ameri- en, which is the official designation of the Republic of Brazil. Not the Answer He Expected. Proud Citizen—"So you've been visiting our schools, elf? Splendid, aren't they? Magnificent discipline, superb buildings, beautiful :furnish- ings. By the way, I want to ask you what was the first thing that struck you on entering the boys' depart- ment?" Visitor (truthfully)—"A pea from a Rea -shooter." London, nk Holds Royal Carpets. In one of London's largest banks are ten wonderful carpets, valued at more than $40,000, which have had some curious adventures, says a Lon- don despatch. A certain Russian count, fatuous in the days of the Czar, was forced to flee from 'the Boisheviki. • He escaped with his carpets. 'These hall '3)een given to one of his a tceetors.' liy a former Czar of Russia; who, l edere- ceived them from a Shah of .Peisia`0! that time—several Int dreds "of. years ago. The Shah probabiee had them made for his harem or castle. The count eventually arrived at Ba- kunt; and, discovering that he was • without money, -.aided over chis tree.- ' ree.' eneed -pessessions tea -a---avirssfatt Je who was on his way toEngland, strutting him to ,sell' them. :rhe Jew took the carpetste paying the count a substantial deposit, -and brought them • with hint to London. The carpets are still here, and uo one knows what finally will become of them. At presant their trustees have considered• the only safe place for them is the strong vault of a bank. Servants in Eternity. Recent discoveries in Egypt have disclosed curious burial customs cf the ancients among the most intercatieg, perhaps, being a large number of ser- vant groups. These consist of little woollen ser- vants to serve their master in a:ter- life. I A boat formed the pr:aeipin item in one of those groups. Five or six little wooden figures make up the crew. The boat is, of course, sail -driven, and is steered by a long rudder oar from the in. Anochsterair for the spirit's use when it tires. ther group is seen carrying a 1 Fan -bearers accompany the chair party. Cooks kneading bread form the subject of another group, while a fourth group depicts a cellarer and :as- sistants with wine -jars. The wine - jars have even the year of vintage in- scribed an them. Woman Cabinet Minister. The new farmer Premier of Alberta, Mr. Herbert Greenfield, bas included a farmer's wife, Mrs. Mary Iroise Part - by, in his new Cabinet as Minister without portfolio. Mrs. Parlby is the second woman to hold Cabinet rank in a Canadian pro- vincial Parliament, Mrs. Ralph Smith, of Vancouver, having been chosen as Minister without portfolio its the Bri- tish 'Columbia Government. Near Neighbors in the Sky There are so ninny stars in the sky its parallax, that it was only six and a that it is possible to devote special third "light years" distant frolic the ' study only to a relatively few. Thus, until the other day, no par- ticular attention was. drawn to Bar - nerd's star, as it is ;called. That it finally attracted notice was clue merely to observation of the fact that it seen! - ed to be travelling through the heave, ens at extraordinary speed. A. passenger on a railroad train sees the telegraph poles flying rapidly past. Houses in the middle distance seem to move more slowly: a steeple i11 the fat' background of the landscape much slower yet. The effect would be the same if the train were standing still, and the..pales, houses and steeple all in motion at equal speed. The inference, then, in the {arae of he star, was that . it was probably rather near to us; but it was a sur - prism to discover, on .measurement of earth. It is a small sun much less, i11 size than our own solar orb and our near- est neighbor in the heavens, with the exception of Alpha Centauri, whish four and a third light years distant ft'Wiii sus. Jpita 6enianr is ,a "'double" or two suns, each about the same size as ours, which revolve about 11 Corn- pian centre of gravity, The next nearest star is Sirius, which Is the brightest stellar luminary la the northern henvene. It is nearly nine light years distant. Next come Discos Australis, twenty -live light years; Arcturus, forty-three light years; Beta C'rucis, sixty-four light years, and Alpha laridani, 100 light yearn. A light year is the distance travelled In a twelve-ntonlli by a ray of light moving 1.Sti.000 miles a second.