C L U T C H C H A T T E R REPORT
RIDEAU VALLEY REGION
CCR0809 HISTORICAL AUTOMOBILE SOCIETY OF CANADA
JUNE 2009

Last Meeting
On Sunday, May 24th, our annual vehicle inspections were held at the garage of Rene and Wendy Dugas.  The weather was sunny and dry so there was no excuse not to come out to get your vintage car inspected and have the 2009 HASC sticker affixed to the windshield.  A total of twenty-six cars were checked and passed inspection.   As per usual, the ladies gathered at the home of Neil and Helena Tompkins while the men attended to the car inspections and both parties did their own socializing.  It was suggested that next year, we could reverse and have the ladies inspect the vehicles while the men gathered elsewhere.  This remains to be seen!

The potluck dinner was immediately served up once we all got over to the Tompkins’ home.  We just couldn’t stave off our hunger to have the meeting first.  There were 29 people in attendance. The club’s bank account balance was read out by treasurer, Blair Prior and 2 new members as well as one associate member were paid up for this year’s membership, so it stands at 28 with one associate member.

The June gathering was rescheduled to June 28, a week later than originally planned.  Details follow in Next Meetingbelow.  Details for the National Executive Meeting on September 19th were discussed.  The former Oxford Mills School will be rented for the event and coffee, spaghetti, sauce, hotdogs, hamburgers, buns, condiments and desserts will be bought ahead of time when on sale.  The number of people who will attend this meeting is unknown at this time.

We learned of the recent heath issues of both Frank Wiggins’s wife, Lillian and of his and Laura’s Prior’s brother, Ray Wiggins.  Sharon Taylor we are told is back home following a recent stay in hospital.  Our thoughts and prayers are with them all at this time.  The 50/50 draw was won by Phyllis Theriault.

Once again another successful Rideau Valley event is behind us.  We want to thank Rene and Wendy Dugas for the use of their well equipped garage for the vehicle inspections and Neil and Helena Tompkins for the use of their home for our pot luck dinner and meeting.  Many thanks also to our domestic engineers who provided all the goodies for our enjoyment and the expansion of our collective waistlines.

Roster Addition and Update
Please make the following addition/update to your 2009 Roster:

New member:
SKEGGS, John                                                                     SKExx
516 Kenwood Ave., OTTAWA ON  K2A 0L6                                 613-728-5086
E-mail: johnskeggs@sympatico.ca
            1957            Chrysler 300C 2 Door Hardtop               [A]
            1970            Buick Electra Convertible                         [B]

Car information update:
CHARBONNEAU, Guy           (Associate Member)                         CHA07
32 Main St. KIRKLAND LAKE ON  P2N 3El                                    705-567-5043
1942            Cadillac                                                                 [?]
1950            Cadillac 62 Sedan                                               [B]
1959             Pontiac Laurentian sedan (Canadian-built)     [B]       
1972            Oldsmobile                                                            [?]
1979            Chrysler Cordoba                                                 [B]
1963             Buick Wildcat 4 door hardtop (Canadian-Built)[B]       

 
Activities – Rideau Valley:
June 28th- Tour with pot luck supper, hosted by Laura and Blair Prior. 
See Next Meeting below.

July 26th – Event hosted by Barb and Dave Black. 
See Event Preview below.

Activities – National:
June 20th and 21st: 32nd Annual Flea Market hosted by the Central Region of H.A.S.C. at the Centre Wellington Community Sportsplex, Belsyde Avenue, Fergus Ontario.  See Klaxon for further details or call George Milne at 519-843-1838.

July 10th to 12th Family Picnic 2009 hosted by York Region.  See Klaxon for details.

August 1st & 2nd: Niagara Peninsula Meet (Caledonia).

August 9th to 15th: NORMOSKA 2009, at Dorchester fairgrounds, hosted by Tri-Lakes Region.  See Klaxon for details.

Activities – Non-HASC:
June 20th: Public Vehicle/Equipment and Classic Cars/Truck Auction, Rideau Auctions Inc., 2250 County Road 31.  Public Vehicle/Equipment Auction 9:00am, Classic Cars/Truck Auction 2:00pm.  For information call 613-774-7001, 613-774-7001 or 613-525-2727 or see web site at www.rideauauctions.com.

July 5th: 22nd Annual Car Show, Fort Wellington grounds, Prescott, ON, 10:00am to 3:00pm, sponsored by the St. Lawrence Valley Car Club.  For information, call 613-925-3751.

July 11th: 5th Carp show and shine, Carp fairgrounds, 3790 Carp Road, Carp ON., 08:00 to 15:00. Spectator $2.009, vehicle admission $10.00. Proceeds to prostate cancer. For further information, call Glen at 613-832-2486. Web site: www.carpfair.on.ca.

July 12th: Merrickville Cruise and Shop, Blockhouse, 08:00 to 16:00hrs. Spectator admission free., vehicle admission $5.00. For further information call 613-269-3863.

July 19th: Antique auto show at the Cumberland Museum – Open to all.

July 19th: 1st Arnprior classic vehicle show, Arnprior Fairgrounds, 21 Galvin Street, 07:00 to 16:00 hrs. Spectator admission, $1.00, vehicle admission $8.00 pre-reg., $10.00 at the gate. Sponsored by Arnprior Lions and Agriculture. For information, call 613-623-7825.
Web Site: www.arnpriorcarshow.ca.

July 21st & 22nd: 30th annual Malone International Auto Show and flea market. For info. call Brian at 613-543-0137 or visit web site at: www.maloneac.110nb.com.

July 31st to Aug. 2nd: Granby International Swap Meet at Daniel Johnson Park, Drummond Street, Granby, Quebec, 08:00 to 18:00 hrs.  Spectator admission $6.00 Friday, $10.00 Saturday and Sunday.  Vehicle admission $7.00 before July 1st,  $10.00 after.  Sponsored by Les Voitures Anciennes de Granby.  For information, call 450-777-1330.  E-mail: vagranby@hotmail.com
Website: www.vagi.gc.ca

The Tale of Phyllis
It began as a trip to the dump 15 or so years ago with my aunt and my friend, Eric.  Of course being there didn’t keep me from exploring for any “treasures” that might be lurking about awaiting a rescue from certain destruction be it a fire or being crushed and buried by the dump bulldozer.

After unloading what we had for disposal, Eric called to me and said, “Bruce there’s a good looking bicycle over there.”  Upon investigation, it was indeed an ancient CCM relic, a lady’s 1940s CCM coaster bike in amazingly good shape.  It was in need of a paint job, but the chain and wheel hubs looked well oiled.  The tires were inflated and the previous owner had this nice padded seat cushion bound over the saddle seat.  My mind was instantly made up to take the bicycle but it being all we had was a small Dodge Aries station wagon and my aunt Hope who would be thrown into an instant fit of rage over such,  I sadly walked away from “Phyllis” as I would later learn was the nickname of the bicycle.

Just as we were getting back to the car, another friend, Glen arrived in his pickup truck loaded with garbage and brush.  I asked him if he possibly could go and take the bike and leave it at his place in nearby Portland.  He said he could do better than that and bring it to me as he had to go to a home he was leasing down the road from our cottage and mow the lawn there.

Later that day, Glen arrived at our cottage, fortunately out of sight of my aunt and mother.  He had this broad smile on his face and said. “Welcome to Phyllis”.  I replied, “Say what?”, so he told me that when he came home to Portland a neighbor lady came over to him with a small box in her hand.  It was an inner tube for a 28 inch bicycle tire.  She told Glen it was her bike he had and it had been taken to the dump just hours before it returned back in his truck.  She also told him the bike’s name was “Phyllis”, named after some long lost relative of hers.

Fast forward 15 years to 2009.  I have a few bikes of various multi speed and coaster models at the cottage so I decided to take “Phyllis” for spin and pumped up her tires and peddled off.  Glen happened to be over at the home he rents and was talking to a lady there.  I said, “Glen, do you remember this bicycle?” and before he answered, Maureen, the lady who’s been renting his home for the past decade or so said, “I sure do remember “Phyllis”.  I recognized her with the green handlebar grips and tanned saddle seat.”  It turned out Maureen was the lady who previously lived in Portland and had owned and nicknamed the bike “Phyllis”.  We all had a laugh over it and she said she was glad the bike was in good hands, but declined my offer to give it back to her.

We all have stories of such ironic adventures of antique cars and this one I had to submit about a “two-wheeled peddle-powered” vehicle that will for sure not end up again in the municipal dump.
                                             ---------------------------Bruce Pettinger

Cheating at the Gas Pumps – Print Out Your Receipts!!
The following is true and happened somewhere in Ridgetown on the way to Kingston.  On filling up, the pump should have totaled $38.00 (and change).  When the receipt was printed, and checked it was $ 47.00 (and change).   In the store, the individual asked for a calculator and let the clerk do the math.  They refunded her money.  She told them that if they cheat, they had better make it right.  Normally, her husband would skip printing the receipt, but she did not.

From the news reports, it appears that this is happening everywhere.  A customer pumped exactly one liter of gas.  The price did not match the cost of one liter.  It was higher.  He went inside and complained, got a refund.  There is also a number on each pump that you can call and complain.

The following is a true story, so read it carefully:
On March 24, 2009, I stopped at a gas station in  Chatham.  My truck’s gas gauge was on 1/4 of a tank.  I use the regular grade, which was priced at $0.885 per liter.  When my tank is at this point, it takes somewhere around 45 liters to fill it up.  When the pump showed 45 liters had been pumped, I began to slow it down.  Then, to my surprise, it went to 50, then 55.  I even looked under my truck to see if it was being spilled.  It was not.  Then it showed 60 liters on the pump.  It stopped at 62 liters.  This was very strange to me, since my truck has only a 65 liter tank.  I went on my way a little confused, then on the evening news I heard a report that 1 out of 10 gas stations had calibrated their pumps to show more gas had been pumped than a person actually got.

Here is how to check a pump to see if you are getting the right amount:
Whichever grade you are using, put EXACTLY 10 LITERS in your tank, then look at the dollar amount.  If the dollar amount is not EXACTLY 10 times the price of the fuel you have chosen, then the pumps are rigged.  In my case, as I said, the mid-grade was $0.885 per liter; my dollar amount for 10 liters should have been $8.85.  I wish I had checked the pump.  It doesn’t matter where you pump gas, check the 10 liter price.  If you do find a station that is cheating, contact the MTO, and direct your comments to the Commissioner.  The information is on the gas pumps.
---------------------- with thanks to Hilary Faris

Warning! -- Watch your Sticker
It seems that we have yet another threat to our motoring pleasure as reported on Page 8B of the June 1st issue of Old Autos.  Since most of us subscribe to this paper, this may be old news but is worth repeating, with the warning to keep an eye on your license plate validation sticker to make sure that the current one is still in place.  Thieves have found that, since most of us, myself included, simply clean off the surface of the previous sticker and apply the new one, all they have to do is pry off the layered stack, clean the back of same and apply it to their own plate.  Unless the vehicle is stopped and the number checked against that on the ownership sticker, they could get off for some time without paying the renewal fee or paying for an emissions test and will likely drive uninsured.  The advice given to prevent this from happening is to completely remove all traces of the old sticker(s), clean the surface with a solvent, then apply the new one, rubbing it down thoroughly.  Then, take a sharp knife, such as an X-acto knife and score lines both vertically and horizontally across the sticker.  This will ensure that should someone attempt to remove it, it will come off in small pieces and be unusable.                     -----------Ted Fiander

The First Automobile in Antarctica
British Antarctic explorer, Sir Ernest Henry Shackelton, commander of the British Antarctic Expedition of 1908-09, left New Zealand aboard the sailing vessel “Nimrod” and established a base at Cape Royds near Mount Erebus.  He took with him a 1907 Arrol-Johnston motor car, which, it was said, was to provide transportation for the explorer and his men en route to the South Pole.  This would in fact, have been neither possible nor practical, given the technology of the time but the stunt did provide publicity for the venture and for the car.  Shackleton did however, provide photographs of the car in the snowy wastes in return (this scribe has a photograph of the car, shown towing sleds over the ice).  The original idea was that the car would travel as far as it could, then the cargo would be handled by hand while it returned to the base or ship.

The 1907 Arrol-Johnston car was the first motor transport to be used in Antarctica.  It was purpose-built for the expedition by the Arrol-Johnson company of Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland but unfortunately it under-performed.  Some of the problems included the engine seizing up, as it had not been tested in extreme cold, as well as the inability to achieve traction in the snow.  It became more useful however, when it was fitted with skis under the front wheels.  With the skis and an added utility tray on the rear, it transported loads from the “Nimrod” over the sea ice and traveled as far as the Erebus Glacier Tongue, managing to fall into a crevasse on the way.  The remains of the garage, constructed from supply cases, which housed the car, still exist at Cape Royds, along with the remains of parts of the car itself.  These include one of the wheels along with the skis for the front, which have since been recovered and conserved.

The Arrol Johnston automobile was produced from 1897 to 1906 by the Mo-Car Syndicate Ltd., Bluevale, Camalachie, Glagow.  This company was headed by Sir William Arrol, head of the firm of Wm. Arrol & Co., engineers responsible for the construction of the Tay and Firth of Forth rail bridges in Scotland.  It was one of the famous makes of Scotland and was born when George Johnston, a locomotive engineer, Sir William Arrol, a civil engineer and others produced a very basic type of car referred to as a Dog Cart, a strong reliable vehicle with an under-floor flat twin opposed piston engine and chain drive.  The 10 HP Dog Cart of 1898 proved to be very successful and was produced until 1907.  It is understood that a 1905 Dog Cart with solid wooden disc wheels still survives in Khartoum, where it was used by the Egyptian army as a searchlight tender.  In 1905, a more modern 12 hp machine with a front-mounted 3-cylinder engine was introduced, which featured unit construction of engine and gearbox but this vehicle was outlived by the Dog Cart.

From 1906 to 1913, the car was made by the New Arrol-Johnston Car Co. of Paisley, Renfrewshire, makers of the 1907 Shackelton car.  During this period, experiments were made with an electric car, the Arrol-Johnston-Edison.

From 1913 to 1927, the company was called Arrol-Johnston Ltd. Of Heathhall, Dumfries. 

In 1918, an advanced model called the Victory was produced, having a 40hp single ohc  2.6 litre engine.  This model was too expensive and insufficiently developed and the pre-war four-cylinder 15 hp model was re-introduced. 

In 1927, the company merged with Aster, operating until 1931 as Arrol-Johnston & Aster Eng. Co. Ltd., Heathhall, Dumfries.  The final Arrol Johnstons were actually Arrol-Asters.

A 1901 Arrol-Johnston 10hp Dog Cart is housed in the Museum of Transport in Glasgow, Scotland, along with many other examples of Scottish-built automobiles.  Many Arrol-Johnston cars are presently in use by vintage vehicle enthusiasts, and appear in such tours as the London-to-Brighton run.

1898 - 1907 Arrol-Johnston Dog Cart specs:
Top speed - 25 mph;
Power - 10 bhp, mid-engine, rear wheel drive;
Engine - 2-cylinder flat, gasoline;
Front and rear suspension - beam axle;
Weight - 1066 kg.                                                                                --------------- Ted Fiander

Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Region will be a tour on Sunday, June 28th, hosted by Blair and Laura Prior.  Plan to meet at 1:00 pm at Memory Lane Farm, home of Blair and Laura, 3163 Steele Line, RR #1, Quyon, Quebec (no passport needed at this time), phone: 819-458-2479.  This will be a tour of about 25 miles in length on good roads and will bring us back to the Prior homestead for a potluck supper and a time of fellowship.  Potluck contributions may be left at the house before the tour for safekeeping and heating or cooling as required.  See you there!! 

Event Preview
On Sunday, July 26th, Barb and Dave Black will be hosting a two-activity event.  The first will be a visit to Antiquefest in Waterfront Park, Morrisburg, Ontario.  We will be leaving the Black residence at 09:45am to reach the Antiquefest in time for opening at 10:00am and will return to the Black’s for lunch.  Please bring your own picnic lunch and lawn chairs.  Drinks will be provided. 

The second event will be a visit to Upper Canada Playhouse to attend the play Wrong for Each Other.  We will leave the Black’s at 1:15pm top arrive at the playhouse at 1:30pm.  Curtain time is 2:00pm.  The cost for this play is $23.00 per person and you should have already been contacted by the Phone Committee to indicate whether or not you will be attending.  You will be responsible for the cost of your ticket(s) in the event that you have said “Yes” to the call and do not, for whatever reason, show up.  If you have not been contacted, please contact Pauline Richer at 819-682-4218.  We will return to the Black’s after the play for a time of fellowship and food.  Meat, cheese, rolls and beverages will be graciously provided by Barb and Dave.  Please bring a salad or dessert – and your lawn chairs.  Dave has specifically asked that we bring our vintage cars to this event if at all possible. 

Please note: If you do not wish to attend the Antiquefest please join us for lunch at the Black’s about noon, or by 1:00pm to go to the Playhouse.

Address: 11897 Lakeshore Drive (if using a GPS, it is County Road 4), Morrisburg, Ontario.

Telephone: 613-543-3306.

Bruce Pettinger, Editor, 8 Woodlawn Ave,  OTTAWA ON  K1S 2S9
Phone: (613) 234-4266:  E-mail: PettingerB@DFO-MPO.GC.CA

R. E. (Ted) Fiander, Regional Reporter, 3 Leeward Street, NEPEAN, ON  K2E 5W4
Phone:  (613) 226-5308 :  E-mail:  tedabel@magma.ca

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