London South Collegiate Institute - Oracle Yearbook (London, Ontario Canada)

Page 94 text:

causes the car to move forward in low. As the car gathers speed, at about 12 to 16 miles per hour, the transmission auto- matically slips into high. It remains in high until the speed of the car drops below the 12 to 16 miles per hour mark fin such a case as going up a hill or in slow-moving traificl, when the transmission automat- ically shifts back to low. There is a two- speed emergency low, also self-shifting for use in sand or on very steep hills. In reverse the unit only has one speed. The Reo transmission consists of two units-the automatic unit and an auxiliary set of gears for selective control, emer- gency-low and reverse-combined in one case and mounted in unit with the engine. The selective gears in the forward part are of the sliding type, except that they revolve only when in use. These speeds are controlled by the selector on the dash. In the automatic unit. the lower of the two speeds is obtained through two pairs of internal-external gears Cgears which have teeth on the inside and outsidel. Between these two is a floating member with internal and external teeth, prevented from turning by an over-running clutch. This in turn forces the rear internal gear to revolve and transmit power to the drive shaft at a reduced speed. In reverse, the intermediate member is held by an over- running lock. High speed or direct drive in the self- shifter is obtained by a multiple disc metal clutch, running in oil within the transmis- sion. It is engaged by means of a set of revolving counter weights, which, as the speed of the car increases fbetween 12 and 16 m. p. h.D, are forced outward by centri- fugal force, exerting a lever action, by which the discs of the clutch are forced together, locking the internal gear to the drive shaft and providing direct drive between the engine and the shaft. The advantage of this development, such as making the car easier to handle in heavy traffic, or safer on hills, are numer- ous, while its disadvantages are few and almost negligible. GORDON MONKS, V B. LIFE IN Tl-IE CANADIAN ARCTIC ED. NOTE-These facts were gathered from an interview kindly consented to by G. A. Woonton, of the University of Western Ontario, who in the summer of 1932 acted as historian on a government expedition to the Canadian Arctic. In the remote districts to the north of Canada, known as the Arctic Archipelago, there meets the eye nothing but the vast barren, expanses of rocky, snow-covered islands, separated by wind-rufiied channels, whose frigid aspect is enhanced by majes- tically-fioating icebergs, while towering mountains stand out in the background. In spite of this bleak environment, wild animal life is quite plentiful. Polar bears SOUTH C. I. and seals are found there, and, when fish are scarce, they often attack one another in the iight for existence. Their chief enemy, the Eskimo, uses their skins for clothing. making beautiful designs on the skin of the latter. The rest of the animal, the Eskimo eats raw. The musk-ox was in danger of extinction till quite recently, when a patrol of Royal Canadian Mounted Police was regularly maintained on Devon page sixty-five

Page 93 text:

Twine Direc't Control Aufogyro Probably the greatest advance in auto- gyro construction since Juan de la Cievra built his first successful one, is the applica- tion of the direct-control idea. Simul- taneous experiments in England and America led to the construction of several experimental machines, and recently, it was announced that the first autogyros of this type were offered for sale in England on a commercial basis. This is a single seater model, but Juan de la Cievra is at present testing a large cabin type simi- lariy equipped. The great difference between this machine and an ordinary autogyro is that it lacks all control surfaces: that is all the hinged flaps at the tail and on the wings that are to be found in the ordinary one. These fiaps control the direction of the fiight in the old type autogyro, but a simpler and safer means controls it in the new. First of all, the blades are attached to the centre, so that they may turn around in their sockets as well as revolve around the rotor mast. Thus, when one wishes to climb, the f'stick is pulled back fit hangs from the ceiling in the new autogyrol. As the blades swing around to the front, their angle is increased, while at the back their angle is decreased, so that the lift at the front increases and that at the back decreasesg the front rises, and the auto- gyro climbs. The reverse is true of the dive. To turn, the stick is moved to the inside of the turn. As one blade goes to the outside, it takes on a greater angle: the inside one takes on a lesser angle, and page dxtyjour the autogyro tips and finally turns around. In one revolution, the angle of the blade changes four timesg it becomes greater, goes back to neutral, increases with opposite inclination, then goes back to neutral again. But this is only one method by which inventors are attacking the problem. Another method, more simple perhaps, is that of tilting the whole rotor. Thus, if one wants to climb, the rotor is tilted back, the angle of all blades automatically increases. and the autogyro climbs. The reverse is also true of the dive. In a turn, the rotor is tipped to one side, and the autogyro turns in much the same way as a boy turns a corner on a bicycle, with his hands off the handlebars. That is to say, the centres of gravity and lift do not coin- cide and in both cases the turn is an attempt to overcome this. These are the two main ways of attack- ing the problem of a simpler, safer, cheaper, more economical automobile of the air, both of which have their possi- bilities, and we may look forward to seeing more of them in the future than we have up to date. :ii 2? lRefo's Auitoiinrmtiifc Geiar Slhiilfit Flow lt wlvoiriss In the Reo self-shifting transmission, the conventional gear-shift lever is replaced by a selector control below the dash and connected to the transmission by a cable. The self-shifter replaces second and third in the ordinary transmission, and auto- matically shifts back and forth in the course of driving. Pushing the selector handle all the way in brings the transmission into the for- ward position, at the same time bringing the self-shifting unit into line. When the selector is pulled out about one inch, it is in neutral, and when all the way out, it is in emergency low. Turning the handle right and pulling it all the way out places the car in reverse. The engine is started and the clutch dis- engaged in the ordinary way, and the selector pushed in, placing the transmis- sion in self-shifting forward? The clutch is engaged by taking the foot off the clutch pedal. Pressing down on the accelerator THE ORACLE

Page 95 text:

Island, north of Bafhn Land, for the pur- pose of protecting them from the menace of the Greenland Eskimos. The Eskimos' main source of income in derived from the barter of the white or Arctic fox, which they catch in steel traps, and trade to the Hudson's Bay Company for flour, rifles, and ammunition. Every year, there is a huge antelope trek across from Victoria Island to the mainland, in the vicinity of the north magnetic pole. Many offthese are killed and eaten by the Eskimos. The Walrus is valuable for its tusks, which furnish very fine ivory for spear tips and other hunting equipment. The whale is useful for its blubber. ambergris and whalebone tbaleenl, of which the latter is used for making sleds, snowshoes, etc. The smallest mammal in the Canadian Arctic is the lem- ming, a rodent not unlike our rat. Bird life is quite varied and abundant. The nesting grounds of the Blue Goose, in Baffin Land. were just recently discovered. The tinker,!' or Razor-billed Auk, which resembles a small duck, is exceedinly com- mon, flocks of them sometimes covering a whole island. The natives have a very ingenious method of killing birds for food. A piece of thin wholebone is bent into a tight spring, held in position by sinews. This they embed in a piece of fat, which they leave out for the birds, who readily eat it on account of the scarcity of other food. In the process of digestion the sinew is dissolved, allowing the spring of Whale- bone to uncoil and spear the bird. Another method of taking birds is to use an ivory- tipped double-barbed lance, which the Eskimos hurl with remarkable rapidity. In season, cod are very plentiful. As a matter of fact if, at this time, the Eskimo drops a four-pronged hook into a school of them, he has no difficulty in catching them Without any bait whatever. He also dries a large quantity of haddock for winter use. Arctic char, similar to our salmon trout, is the Eskimo's staple food. However, certain features of Eskimo life in the north deserve special mention. The Eskimos are nomadic hunters, following the game, Which, although abundant, is widely scattered from place to place. They have no regular meal times, but eat When- ever they feel the need. Some of their favourite delicacies are berries, which they find in the fall, and birds' eggs, which are stored in the mud till used. As regards adaptation to environment, the Eskimo is, in reality, superior to us, who claim to have the better civilization. page sixty-six THE ORACLE