The Washington herald., 1918-06-09
By CHARLES F. KETTERING.
president Of the Society Of Automotiye
EsaUinepral

president Of the Society Of Automotive
EngineerO.
(Mr. Charles F. Kettering. presi-
dent of the Society Of Automotive
Engineers. in addressing the Met
ropolitan Section of the Society in
New York on May 20. presented
many interesting and vitality i'm
portant phases of internal combus-
tion engine and fuel development.
A portion of this address quoted be-
low was devoted to remarks on the
Liberty engine and the American
aircraft program).
We have produced the so-called
Liberty motor. 1 found to my sur
prise the other day that many peo-
pie did not know that one of these
had ever been completed.
They say we are having all kinds
of difficulty with the engine: that
we are having trouble with the OIL
ing 1 have seen a good many
engines of all sorts, and l believe
that we have not had more -rouble
with the Liberty engine than is
usual in engine manufacture.
am going to give you very
simple account of an incident In
Dayton the other day. Two gentle
men from Chicago came there to see
me regarding some business mat
tiers. Each of them had two sons in
the Aviation Corps. They looked
worried, and I said to them. What
Is wrong with you fellowsr
One said, IF you had two sons in
! the Aviation Corps. you certainly
would be worried. We have no en-
gines, airplanes or anything else.
This confounded Liberty Motor is
failure. a great Joke perpetrated on
the American public. I am going
to Washington"
'I said, There is a train at and
another at s; just skip the 3 and
take the s o'clock train" We went
to an airplane factory in Dayton
and came to one lone Liberty en-
CINE. He said. My God! Have they
got one done: Have you had this
! in a plane?"
/ said, NO. never had this in a
| plane"
He said. why don't you put it in
| a plane?"
He Saw the Motors.
He walked about and finally into
J an aisle and saw about seventy-fve
! Liberty engines in a row.
/ He asked. What are they"
/ I said. Liberty engines"
! Where did you get them"
I said, THE name plates on them
/ tell where they are from, some from
the Packard Company, some from
the Lincoln Motor Company"
He asked, How long have you
been getting them?"
Right along"
How many have you had?"
1.-TWO hundred fifty or 3O0.'
He said, II was told in Chicago the
other day that they never made one
Of them"
I said. I'VE can't control what you
are told in Chicago: we can only take
the engines as they ship them in."
He went about and saw one of the
airplanes and that we had actually
built a machine.
He said. You can't get the engines
off the ground"
| Il said, partially true; you can't
get them OF the ground unless you
run them"
He asked. How fast do they go?"
said, THAT Is a question. Would
you like to ride behind one of these
engines? I can't show you by con-
versation anything about it."
; He said. Il have never been up"
I said, You had better take your
| initiation right now. Here Is a stop
watch. Just as you leave the ground
press that and when you pass 1000
feet press 1t again, and when you
come back tell u.s."
| We sent him up and he came back.
Talk about a transformation. He was
not the same fellow that went up at
all. He had forgotten everything
| about being scared and being 10000
feet in the air.
He said, My God. we got up $1,000
feet in a little over seven minutes"
We said. IF you would like to take
another ride. We want to show you
how fast we can CO."
| He said. NO, I don't care to go
again.> but my friend will go on this
| trip"
The friend went up and We ran him
over a measured course and showed
him we were getting better than 135
miles an hour.
| Those men went back to Chicago
| contented with their experience. They
said, wait till we get back there;
we want to see some Of those fellows
who have been telling US that we have
no engines or airplanes." They had
some facts they had gotten first-hand.
: Actual Production.
| 1t is being produced in quantities.
They shipped the thousandth engine
several days ago, only two companies
having been in production. One Of
these has been in production for about
! sixty days. The Ford Motor Company
has tested its first engine and put IL
through the official 5O-hour test. The
same thing is true of the Cadillac Mo-
| tor Car Company and Of the Buick
Motor Company. The Marmon Com
pany Is, believe, putting its engine
through the test now. We can show
/ you things in Dayton that would
gladden. your hearts and brighten
| your eyes. And Dayton is only one
place Of activity in this matter.
When 1 was coming down from Chi
cago the other night, two fellows were
! talking in the smoking compartI tent.
One said: Il understand this plane
they are making in Dayton can't get
| off the ground: a friend Of mine was
down there the first day they tried
1 it."
| l said: That is right; was there. "
| He asked: Have they ever been
able to get II off the ground?"
said: Yes. getting an airplane off
the ground is like the case Of The fell
low who bought the barrel of apples
| from an Irishman and said, No sor, 1
don't intend to buy any more apples
from you, because the other barrel
you sold me had a few good apples On
the top and the rest were worthless