The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-15
CASTOR OIL AND
 THE LIBERTY MOTOR
By HOLLAND

By HOLLAND New York, January Especial. )-How-
 ard E. Coffin, who is chairman of the
 United States aircraft bureau, has re- gently described the progress which has
 been made in the construction of air
 craft and in the training of those who are to drive them through the air. and speaks encouragingly of the prospect
 that in the course of this year the United
 States will have ready for service many
 thousands aircraft with competent
 drivers
 Sometimes the estimate has been made
 that as many as 10000, perhaps even
 twice 20,00o, of these air machines will
 have been built for the United States by
 the spring of 1919. MT. Coffin appears
 to be strongly persuaded that the Amer
 ican airplanes will be built and oper-
 ated in sufficient numbers to enable
 them to contribute greatly to the ulti-
 mate triumph of the United States and
 our allies in the war.
 Many have been the obstacles success
 fully overcome in meeting this sudden
 and almost overwhelming demand by the
 government not the least of them being
 the construction of & motor built with
 wonderfully conceived and constructed
 with celerity by experts, presumed to
 be better than any English or foreign apparatus of that kind, and so truly representing the real work of creation as to deserve an identifying name, so that 1t is called the Liberty motor. In all respects excepting one, the success Of this motor is now established. MT Coffin merely hints at the single contin- geney which remains successfully to meet if the Liberty motors are to do their allotted work to perfection. The contingency will be met should there be furnished an ample and continuing SUD- ply of a lubricant perfectly adapted for use in these motors
 In brief paragraph Mir. Coffin states that the government will ask that many thousands of acres be planted this spring in the United States to the cultivation or the castor bean. Apparently upon A sufficient supply of castor beans, manu- factured into castor oil, the complete success of the Liberty motors depends in his judgment.
 NAA AS<A1 1lANu IOIk ALL
 few days before MT. Coffin's article was published, business man of New York, who has large interests in San Domingo, received communication from government authorities suggesting. even urging, that he cause a large cultivation or castor beans in San Domingo If this business man received such appeal, pre- sumably others who have interests in troplcal countries have received simi- lar requests from the government The area in the United States where the acstor bean can be successfully cultivated for industrial purposes is somewhat linn- tied. The vine grows and the bean natures well only in hot climate. But the statement made by MT. Coffin repre-. senting the cultivation of the castor con- firms information which has come from some of the authorities in Washington the somewhat remarkable statement that it has been found that castor oil is the only lubricant which can be, so far as it is now known, used successfully in the Liberty motors. No wonder if that be so, that the govern ment is seeking great cultivation of the castor bean. For, in order to supply the aircraft and Liberty motors with suffi- cient castor oil successfully to operate them, millions of gallons of this oil must oS uoch. cOIno VI tio duInOTlIleS LOOK upon it as very doubtful whether there can be such cultivation of the castor bean and manufacture of oil from it as to begin to meet the demand. 50,000 GALLONS A DAY
 Should there be in service no more than 10000 aircraft, and should no more han five gallons of castor oil be needed Tor each days service, which averages live hours, then as much as 5000 gal ons of castor oil will be required each lay. If that amount can be supplied then what is probably the greatest em- 1 oarrassment of the aircraft problem will l De overcome.
 Mineral oils, the authorities have dis l covered, will not serve as lubricants for l he liberty motors. If they could, then | here would be no embarrassment AL | eady the oil companies are furnishing | ach year approximately 1.0O0OOo.0 gal | ons of oil for lubricants upon machin- | ny and other apparatus It may be that | he government will find other commodi- | ies which will be available. Science | nay work out the perfect lubricant for he Liberty motors. and if 1t does the sther puzzling question created by the oubt whether there can be sufficient astor oil supplied for this service will e satisfactorily answered
 The government at Washington is now laking tests. or is about to make tests. commodity invented by pr. F. c. -cheson, widely known as the discov- Ter and inventor of carborundum and rtificial graphite. Some of the experts re inclined to think that this commodity i'll show after tests that it is exactly ! hat the Liberty motors need
 Artificial graphite itself when properly repared furnishes a model lubricant for iany purposes. Dr. Acheson has caused
 to be known to the government offi- srs that in case the test of this com lodity is satisfactory and the govern lent accepts it for the Liberty motor, len all he will ask the government to Q is to pay the actual cost of produc- on. seeking no profits.
 It is curious fact that, highly per 'cted as the Liberty motor is and en- ,uraged as was the government that it i. ad at least secured the perfect motor ,r aircraft, there should of a sudden ave arisen not only difficult prob- m, but one that it Is imperative to | ,lve. and that is the securing of an ade- late supply and the continuation of the | ,pply of exactly the kind of lubricant l hich is needed for the operation of the III lberty motor even though the demand l ,ould be as great 50.000 gallons a day. l | 'attleshin Florida Wins