OT-Very Early Running Lights-OT

[randroid]

Gents,

This is about as OT as a topic can be and still have anything to do with cars but I can't find the answer anywhere else so I may as well ask it here.

In nautical usage there is a green light on the starboard (spoon side) of a vessel and a red light on the port (fork side), and I'm curious if that setup was ever used in very early automobiles before they all went to white in front and red in the rear. Anyone have a clue?

-Randy

[Young Ed]

OT to your OT. Please explain the spoon and fork sides?

[Captain Neon]

When one sets the table as we were taught by our mothers. Fork to the left and the butter-knife and spoon on the other side of the plate.

[randroid]

Ed,

Port=left=fork side and starboard=right=spoon side. I was trying to make it easy for everyone and I guess it backfired on me. Perhaps I worked in restaurants too long and found that some folks don't know right from left and certainly not port from starboard but can easily grasp the spoon & fork equation.

-Randy

[Young Ed]

I always had port left both 4 letters. Starboard and right are more. Guess I don't know how to set a table

[randroid]

Ed,

The reasoning behind that setup always confused me a little because unless you are actively cutting food with the knife the fork is generally held in your right hand. To further muddle the waters of dining etiquette, in parts of Germany all the cutlery is on the right side where it all gets used anyway.

I posted this thread less than a half-hour ago and it has already gone into the toilet, which may be a land speed record for hijacking. Maybe the toilet is where this thread belongs, lol!

-Randy

[Young Ed]

I posted this thread less than a half-hour ago and it has already gone into the toilet, which may be a land speed record for hijacking. Maybe the toilet is where this thread belongs, lol!

-Randy

LOL we can only hope someone with a little more knowledge of early cars will come along and answer it.

[bamfordsgarage]

Randy, some early cars did have coloured lights (to the sides) but not necessarily the colours one might expect. My 1912 KisselKar has sidelights with clear lenses to the front and jeweled lenses to the side. They look dark in the daylight (see pic) but have a nice glow at night when the lights are lit up.

However, the colours are contrary to nautical practice — green to the left and red to the right. The single taillight is mounted on the left side of the car and has three lenses: red to the rear, clear to the right for license plate, and a blue orb (not a faceted jewel) to the left. Here are two photos of my spare taillight.

[greg g]

Many folks in Europe use the fork in the left hand with the knife used to cut and manipulate food items onto the back of the fork held upside down. Please remember that a fork is a late comer to human table tools. The knife was primary for many years, being the only eating utensil for many millineum prior to other utensils, then spoons, then forks. Forks typically large with two tines were used in kitchens for manipulating food during the cooking process, but it took decades for smaller ones made it two the table. After all we did have hands and opposable thumbs.

hence the poem

I eat my peas with honey

I've done this all my life

You may think it funny

But it keeps them

On my knife.

As far as clearence lights, there used to be laws on the books that self propeled vehicles need to be preceeded by a man on foot with a red flag or latern at night.

Any cowl lights I have ever seen seem to be white, untill amber was introduced in the early mid 60's. In pictures of early cars, you can some times see a single front facing road lamp with two marker lamps out board of the center light. Don't know when two front facing head lamps got standardized.

[Reg Evans]

Here's an early lighted motormeter I have. Late 20's aftermarket Dodge. Mine has the nautical color layout.

[randroid]

Greg,

That poem was written by Ogden Nash (Naish?) and has always been one of my favorites, having first heard it in grade school.

A semi-interesting factoid on table knives: Knives were always carried as a matter of course until the middle ages and were used by diners everywhere. At regal feasts there would occasionally, after the superfluous flaggon of mead, be a discussion of the ways of the world, and opinions would vary then somebody would get called a heretic and tempers would flare and knives would be brandished and the entire affair would take a sharp drop in amicability. To avoid this the king would have all knives checked at the door and he supplied small dull knives that might cut butter but not pierce the odd cods piece, and that's how butter knives came to be placed on the tables; it was fashionable to emulate the royals.

-Randy

[randroid]

Reg,

At last, redemption for the wayward thread! Thanks.

-Randy

[Reg Evans]

Reg,

At last, redemption for the wayward thread! Thanks.

-Randy

Wait though ! Where should the common spork be placed ? In the center of a paper plate perhaps.

[greg g]

they are generally dropped near the paper towel roll.............on the tables in the prison mess hall.

[randroid]

Reg,

Toss them in the bucket of KFC chicken bones when you're finished because they're who invented them.

-Randy

[Plymouthy Adams]

put the port in the glass and enjoy it..and what if you are left handed does the fork still go on the left...inquiring minds want to know..actually this is a throw back to medival days where you had but a knife and fork at the table..you held the meat with the fork left handed and cut with your right..I picked this trick up while in Europe..I can eat confortabily with either hand..but if there is meat to cut..I am eating left handed..

[desoto1939]

If you are into transportation items do some searching on the old style Solar Acetiline bike light that we used on the old High Wheelers.

These had the red green setup. Red on the left and green on the right and the clear lens inthe front. So assuming the bike is being ridden inthe normal right lane going in eaither direction . The person on a wagon or horse would know that the the direct that the bike was proceeding.

If the were approaching from the right side then they would see the green light, If the were appropraching from the left side then they would see the red light.

remmember that bikes and carriages used the same lighting methods and so this would have carried throught to the early gas ligthed cars and trucks.

I was a WheelMan so that is how this came about.

Rich Hartung

Desoto1939@aol.com

[Don Coatney]

OT to your OT. Please explain the spoon and fork sides?

Youngster Ed;

You need to crawl out from underneith old cars and get some kulture.

[pflaming]

Even though hi jacked, this has been a very interesting thread. Got to be careful on OT's but occasionally a bit of levity is ok with me.

p.s.: Aksarben is a social club and race track in Omaha Ne. Aksarben is Nebraska backwards. Just a note of clarification.

[Merle Coggins]

Ed,

The reasoning behind that setup always confused me a little because unless you are actively cutting food with the knife the fork is generally held in your right hand. To further muddle the waters of dining etiquette, in parts of Germany all the cutlery is on the right side where it all gets used anyway.

-Randy

Not for me... I'm left handed. I pick up the fork with my left hand and eat. If I need to cut something with the knife I use my right hand. Finally something left handed in a right handed world.

Merle