Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-12-02
HOW 8-CYL|NDER
ENGINE WAS MADE
Parts Built in Different Ma
chine Shops by Unsus-
pecting Mechanics.
WAS ASSEMBLED SECRETLY
Only Few Persons in Cadillac
Plant Knew Plans Of
Company.

With the recent elevation OF ID. Nc
Call White 10 the position of Vice-pres-
lent of the Cadillac Motor Car COM
pany a story of real Industrial ro-
nance was made public for the first
time.
1t has always been known that tho
eight-cylinder Cadillac was flashed on
the public out of a clear sky, but few
people knew the details of ITS build-
Ing or how closely guarded the secret
was during the time 1t was being put
together in 1914.
One Of the most interesting periods
in Whites life was during his first few
months in the United States, when he
was designing and building the Cadil-
lac V-type engine-one OF lhe greatest
secrets in the history of automobile
engineering.
White came to this country incog-
nito and was introduced as David
Wilson of the Phoenix Manufacturing
company. With one assistant he went
to various factories in the east where
patterns were made and parts built
to his specifications. For the most part
the work was done in small. obscure
shops. As an example of the precJ u =
ton taken, the forked connecting rods
were manufactured in one place and
the straight connecting rods in an
other. so no one would associate them
and get n possible clue. Those who
even attempted to guess always
guessed airplane motor The first
crankcase casting was made in small
foundry in Worcester, Mass. about
midnight and the sand was cleaned
. out of the casting in the light of the
automobile headlamps IN the yard be-
hind the building. The parts were
shipped to Detroit separately. The
cylinder blocks made the journey in
O Pullman car.
Engine secretly Assembled.
The assembling continued day and
nignt for several weeks in an old one
story shack on the bank OF the De-
troit river, several miles from the Cad
lilac factory. The only approach to
the building was thru devious alley
way. The few persons who knew the
secret and worked on the car. when
they visited the hidden workshop, left
their cars several block saway and
never approached the building in
groups. The windows were frosted
and armed men guarded the building
dany and night. Out of the thousands
of men employed in the Cadillac plant
not over 25 knew the secret.
They were the most trusted men and
Oldest in point of service. The draft
ing was done behind locked doors and
kept In vault in night. No ono
learned the secret until the company
was ready to let it be known. 1t was
one Of the finest examples of loyalty
ever displayed by the employees of any
concern.
The first eight-cylinder Cadallic en-
gine was started at 5 o'colck one after
noon. When Il began turning over for
the first time no one spoke for several
minutes when White broke the spell
by remarking. more to himslef than
to the party. There is the quetest en-
gine in Detroit"
The car was tested only In the back
streets of Detroit. Bill Blaine. the
Pacific coast technical man for the
factory, was the tester in charge and
whenever anyone approached the car
he would opeu the muffler of four Of
the cylinders.
In the industry It was whispered
about that the Cadillac company had
something distinctly new up its sleeve
and as n sort of camouflage a unique
four cylinder motor was built with
many unique features and the building
of it was covered up just enough so it
was sure to leak out This put the
rival manufacturers entirely off the
track Of what was really about to rev.
olutionize the industry.
The success of this eight is known
to all who are Interested In motor
cars