El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-11-17
BY WILLIAM ALLEN WHITE.

: traffic Of a downtown section Of a
city two miles an hour for a week
Now the European air game has
B moved for three years with Erea
! act science Certain things are known
4 rather definitely about 10. as for in
stance, that the struggle for increased
I speed and ceiling. which is largely de-
] pendent upon lowering the total
weight. have forced engine designers
to use higher and higher compression
7 in order TO produce and maintain
greater mean effective pressure and
the resulting heat troubles have cen
tened quite largely around the spark
plug OF, put otherwise the minimum
weight of an engine today is greatly
dependent upon an sccessOry-the
spark plug with the development of
plug that can stand more heat and
still function properly D. Is possible
that total engine weights might be
again reduced II is not unusual TO
see 50 plugs used I'm 30 hour official
trial OF an engine or tho latest de-
sign.
The tendency % an designs is 10
increase the horse power. but il may
be suggested that as the horse power
goes up the propeller efficiency goes
down and the limit OF horse power
may be found in the limit OF the push
ing or thrustinE power Of the pro-
peller. Due 10 the fact -hat to absorb
must be made thicker and therefore
the propeller becomes less efficient
All governments have cNpcriwe0ted
With costly metal pr0pellcrs but al
present without success.
European Experts SkePticaI.
And now that America has entered
the air game. 10 may be assumed that
ence. The sad recollection of AmcrI-
ca s Mexican airplane plight where
her crack machine was not able 10 20
over mountain 1900 feet high. stll
causes European engineers TO smile
Also certain rather bra.-lu- state
meuts from American newspaper
the statement that we are about TO
turn out 1o0,o $50 planes. makes Europe
litter and wink For what good. they
ask. viii 100000 planes do without
men to man them. without transpor-
tatlon 70 snip them with doubt
about the oil 90 lubricate them and
the gasoline TO run them.
Moreover considering the speCifica-
lions Of our Liberty motor certain
critical European engineers seem TO
doubt whether the eight cylinder ma
chine viii develop speed and whether
the - cylinder machine Will rise to
5000 feet Doubtless there is more
or less hypocriticism I'm the elevated
eyebrows Of Europe. when one real
lied that il takes 100 culIs 20 make
one wonders where the 10.n00-00Q
young Americans are training who
are TO man our 100000 cars. And S-Ill
further when one considers that the
average life OF a car a the front is
but three weeks one begins 70 wonder
II perhaps our dream OF filling the air
black full OF conqueriuE air craft may
not be vision
Cutting Down the Odds.
one may ask II even with men TO
man them. gas 70 run them. oil 10
grease them. ships 20 deliver them.
the waste of aircraft may not Cut
down the number OF the cloud 0f de-
stroyinE planes available. and COM
ing from the depressed atmosphere OF
Europe where discoura Eements are
as easy TO flush as = covev OF black
birds one is prone 70 asE-wha- kind
Of planes we are really making
Bombing planes. or fighting planes or
observing plane-or all three and
and If so TO ask II al three may wise