It was with a vehicle of the kind described in our last article that
Messrs. De Dion and Bouton obtained a conspicuous success in 1894. In
this competition they were the first to arrive at Mantes, doing the 36
miles in 3 hours, so that they made an average of 12 miles an hour;
they were followed very closely by the Peugeot and Panhard-Levassor
carriages. In spite of a series of difficult hills and bad roads, and
an unintentional detour, they traversed the 48 miles between Mantes
and Rouen in 4 hours 10 minutes. They recorded a speed of 15 miles an
hour on some of the level roads, and on several occasions touched a
maximum of 19 miles. The fact that they were able to ascend gradients
of 1 in 10 at a speed of from 6 to 12 miles an hour sufficiently
proved the efficiency of the machine.
The same constructors ran another vehicle in this competition of a
somewhat similar design, but not adapted for a traction engine; this
carried six passengers, and weighed about 3,000 lb. in working order.
It was mounted on a rectangular and strongly braced frame, and was
furnished with a boiler similar to that already described, but having
only some 14 square feet of heating surface, a capacity of about 6
gallons of water, and 18 rows of tubes. The ratio of gearing was 4.06;
the small cylinder was 3.54 in. in diameter and the low pressure
cylinder 5.51 in., the stroke being 3.94 in. About the same time
Messrs. De Dion and Bouton built for one of their clients a carriage
in which the driving wheels were entirely independent, each of them
being driven direct by a separate steam engine without any
intermediate gear.
[Illustration: FIG. 10.]
The Count de Dion was one of the most enthusiastic organizers of the
Paris to Bordeaux competition in 1895, and naturally his firm took
part in the trials. They entered three vehicles for competition; one
of these, called No. 1, was the traction engine which had taken part
in the 1894 trials, and which we have already described. For the
second time this machine gave very excellent results, as it made the
distance from Paris to Angoulème (280 miles) in 30 hours, but on
account of various mishaps it had to run very slowly from Angoulème to
Bordeaux (84 miles), taking, in fact, 31 hours for this part of the
journey, and not arriving until long after it had been ruled out of
the competition.
Their second vehicle, No. 2, was a four seated brake which was, in
fact, a modified traction engine. The boiler, which was of the De Dion
and Bouton type, had a heating surface of 36 square feet, and was
registered at 200 lb. per square inch; it weighed 550 lb. As to the
motor, it was a Woolfe engine, the moving parts of which were
carefully counterbalanced. The cranks were set at an angle of 180°;
the diameter of the high pressure cylinder was 2.95 in., and that of
the low pressure 5.90 in.; the low pressure cylinder was steam
jacketed. This motor, which weighed 330 lb., developed 11 horse power
at a speed of 800 revolutions. The engine was coupled direct to the
shaft of the differential motion, on which were mounted two pinions
for changing the speed, and which could be moved to and fro on the
shaft; the movement of the differential gear was transmitted to the
wheels by articulated shafts, such as those we have already referred
to in describing the traction engine; sufficient water and coke could
be carried for a run of 45 miles, and on a good road a speed of more
than 25 miles an hour was obtained.
[Illustration: FIG. 11.]
Messrs. De Dion and Bouton anticipated great things from this
carriage, and for the long run from Paris to Bordeaux they had
provided only three changes of drivers, in order that the machine
might be in as few hands as possible. Their hopes, however, were not
realized, for although it made a better start than any of the other
competitors, it only succeeded in running for 125 miles; after having
passed Blois the transmission shaft broke, and the brake was useless
for the time being, but the machine did enough to satisfy the
constructors of the soundness of their idea; it ran the 34.5 miles
between Versailles and Etampes in 2 hours and 16 minutes, making an
average speed of 15 miles an hour over difficult country; between
Versailles and Blois the speed touched nearly 18 miles.
The vehicle No. 3 was a tricycle driven by a petroleum motor; this was
not seriously entered for competition, but rather to show a first
effort of a new departure which the constructors have since followed
with some success. At the present time Messrs. De Dion and Bouton are
making preparations to take part in the competition which is to be
arranged for the autumn of the present year. They have a traction
engine with considerable modifications in its design, with which they,
expect to run from Paris and Marseilles, and they have the intention
of hauling with it one of the 40-seat omnibuses of the Paris Company,
which is usually drawn by three horses. Fig. 10 is a general view of
the engine attached to the omnibus. This type of vehicle is furnished
with a compound engine, which can be worked up to 30 horse power, and
which is to be capable of hauling a load of 5 tons at a speed of 12.5
miles; the principal points of difference between this machine and the
other, which we have already described, lie in the great care which
has been bestowed on the details, the precautions taken to secure the
moving parts from dust, and the oil bath in which the engine works.
The water supply carried is sufficient for a run of 25 miles over an
average road with a load of 3 tons; the manufacturers state that the
cost of hauling this load amounts to 1d. per kilometer.
Great care has been taken as to the quality of the steel employed in
the frame and other parts of the machine. By reference to Fig. 10 it
will be seen that the boiler (2) is surrounded by the fuel tank, while
the water reservoir forms a seat; the motor (1) is placed beneath the
platform as usual. The driver has all the controlling levers
conveniently at hand; the starting lever is shown at 9, while at 5 is
a small wheel controlling the steam admission; the reversing gear is
actuated by the lever, 7. The vehicle is steered by means of a turning
bar, similar to those of hand brakes on some wagons; the feed pump is
started and stopped by a small wheel marked 10, while 8 and 11 are the
hand and steam brakes respectively.
We referred just now to the tricycle made by Messrs. De Dion and
Bouton, and shown by them at the competition of 1895, although it was
not entered for the race. Since that time they have made two types of
this class of vehicle, of which we give engravings in Figs. 12 and 13.
In the former the motor is attached to the back of the frame by a
suspended connection. It will be seen that the frame is not a little
complex, and necessarily so, in order that it may carry the different
parts of the mechanism. The motor has a single cylinder and is quite
inclosed in a casing that is kept filled with oil; the moving parts of
the engine are within this casing; the main shaft drives, by means of
a pinion, the differential gear that is mounted on the axle. It will
be seen from the illustration that the builders do not rely wholly on
the motor, but have provided the usual cycle pitched chain so that, in
the event of a breakdown, the rider can propel his machine with the
pedals. Indeed, this is always necessary in starting, though a few
strokes with the pedals suffice, and as soon as the engine is started
the pedal clutch is thrown out of gear. In mounting a steep gradient
the pedals are also useful as an auxiliary to the motor. The
mechanical power provided is sufficient to drive the machine on a good
and level road at the rate of 20 kilometers an hour. It can also
travel up grades of 1 in 20 or 25; the weight of the machine in
working order is only 100 lb.
On referring to the engraving there will be seen attached to the frame
beneath the saddle a rectangular reservoir that contains the gasoline,
the capacity being sufficient for a six hours' run. To the reservoir
is attached the carburetor, which is connected to the motor by a pipe.
The explosive mixture in the cylinder is fired electrically, and for
this purpose a compact and reliable battery is hung to the forward
part of the frame almost beneath the steering bar. This battery will
give 100 hours of work without recharging; it supplies current to a
Ruhmkorff coil placed beneath the rear bar of the frame in a metal
case that can be seen in the engraving; the other cylinder near it is
a pressure reducer into which the gases from the cylinder are
exhausted before they pass into the air. The second type of tricycle,
illustrated by Fig. 13, is an improvement on the first. It will be
seen that the frame is much simpler; the total weight is reduced; the
gasoline reservoir is triangular, in order to economize space. The
motor employed is very ingenious, and appears to be efficient; we have
seen it in operation at the works of MM. De Dion and Bouton. It can be
run easily at a speed of 2,500 revolutions, although in practice the
rate is limited to 700 revolutions, in order to reduce the wear of the
moving parts. In this, as in the earlier type, the use of water for
cooling the cylinder is avoided, the outside of the latter being made
with a number of wings that are intended to keep the cylinder cool by
contact with the air. The method of igniting the gases has also been
changed, in so far as the arrangement of the battery is concerned. The
four cells used for this purpose are carried in a leather case hung to
one of the frames of the machine. An interesting detail is that the
exact moment for producing the spark is regulated by the motor itself,
and the Ruhmkorff coil is suppressed. The contact breaker has been
placed on the motor, and a cylindrical cam is mounted on the shaft
that controls the exhaust valve. In this cam there is formed a recess
into which the blade of the contact breaker, which is fixed on an
insulated mount, falls at the proper instant; at the same moment the
spark is produced, the blade being raised as it leaves the recess in
the cam. It is, of course, necessary to regulate exactly the relative
positions of the blade and the cam, so that the spark may take place
when the mixture has to be exploded. The frame of the motor is of
aluminum, by which considerable saving in weight is effected; as in
the earlier model, the moving parts of the motor are immersed in an
oil bath. The pedals are employed to start, or as an auxiliary, or in
the event of a breakdown. When not required for propulsion, they are
thrown out of gear, when they serve as foot rests, and also as a means
for actuating an emergency brake. The carburetor is no longer attached
to the gasoline reservoir, but is separate; the explosions in the
cylinder are regulated by a lever close to the steering bar.
The greatest credit must be accorded to MM. De Dion and Bouton for the
perseverance and ingenuity they have shown in the design and
construction of the types of power vehicle they have made their own.
As to their larger carriages, experience has proved their practical
value; they have expended even more trouble on their power cycles, but
it appears to us that ingenuity and skill are largely wasted in this
direction, since the raison d'etre of the cycle in all its forms lies
in the fact that it should give perfect freedom to the rider and leave
him dependent for his progress upon his own efforts.--Engineering.
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