Page:Motors and motor-driving (1902).djvu/113



the present time probably not one per cent, of the owners of motor-cars have a suitable coach-house for this new class of vehicle. They are generally placed in sheds or outbuildings, more often damp than dry, or in coach-houses built for horse-drawn carriages. Few recognise that the motor-car is a far more delicate article than the horse-drawn carriage, most people having grown up in the common belief that anything to do with machinery is strong, and will bear knocking about. It is well, therefore, at once to disabuse the mind of such ideas.

The abode of the horseless carriage requires to be superior in many respects to the shelter given to the machineless vehicle. It must not only be perfectly dry, but must have a variety of accessory arrangements for dealing with all parts of the machinery—for cleaning, adjustment, and repairs. A water supply, and a source of light safe in the presence of explosive gases, are essential. The space must not be too cramped, and plenty of light should be obtained through ample windows during the day. The machinery must, from time to time, be examined from below.

This can be effected in one of three methods:—

(1) By the attendant lying on his back under the carriage, a proceeding which does not commend itself.

(2) By a specially arranged platform, wherewith the carriage can be raised from the ground to enable a man to get below the vehicle without discomfort.