South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-06-21
Liar-C Critics of Liberty Engine and
Airplane Program Nailed to Cross by
an Experienced Automotive Engineer

worried. We have no engines. air.
planes or anything else. This con-
founded Liberty motor is failure,
great joke perpetrated on the
American public. ] am going TO
Washington" / said There is a
train at three and another at eight:
just skip the three and take the
eight o'clock train" We Went TO
an airplane factory in Dayton and
came % one lone Liberty engine. He
said. NV Cod Have they got one
done Have you had this in a
plareg" 1 said, NO. never had this
in plane. He said Why don't
you put it IN a plane 2"
lie walked about and finally into
an aisle and saw about seventy-tive
Liberty engines in "a row.
He asked What are they?" I
said. Liberty engines"
Where did YOU get them ?" said,
THE municipalities 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 had2"
Two hundred nifty OF three hum
dred."
He said, II was told IN Chicago
the other day they never made one
Of them"
said. we can't control What
you are told in Chicaso: 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 en-
gines off the ground"
said Partially true; YOU can't
get them Oft the ground unless YOU
run them
He asked How fast do they so ~
said That IS a question. Would
you like TO ride behind one Of these
engines 7 can't show you by con-
versation anything about il
Re said. ct have never been up"
said You had better take Your
initiation right now. Here is "a
stoo-watch Just as you leave the
ground press that and when YOU pass
10000 feet press it again. and when
YOU come back tell us
We sent him up and he came
back Talk about a Transformation.
He was not the same fellow that
went mp al all. Re had forgotten
everything about being scared and
being 10000 feet in the air.
He said. My God we got up 10
600 feet in little over seven min
utes"
We said. If YOU would like to
take another ride We want 10 show
you how fast we can go"
He said. NO I don't care to go
again. hut my friends will so on this
trip"
The friends went up and we ran
him over a measured course and
showed him we were getting better
than 80 miles an hour. .. ....
Now Friends of Motor.
Those men went back 20 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 air
planes They had some facts they
had gotten first hand
There are a few very important
facts and here is very simple one
that perhaps YOU have not thought
OF. The Liberty engine cannot
read. fl has no ears: therefore il
does not know anything about the
criticism that is going on about il.
Otherwise / do not know whether
some OF them would get off the
ground. 7 think they would TO be
too discouraged % try. But know
Ing of the situation. they are doing
admirably. and the engine today. as
near as I have been able 10 analyze
81. knowing something Of aviation