Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1918-05-26
What Allied 1t and What Is
Being Done to Remedy
It's Failure.
IMPROVING LIBERTY MOTOR
Six Other Types Being Made,
Two Being Rapidly De-
livered.
lHv Goyernment Err.rt.) !

~ ''SA pFi Nfff'lNF VI tie
situation, and IN this article and in
others which VIII follow ] shall at
tempt TO make clear the reasons why
we have failed TO Keep our. oversan-
Euine and almost hoastful aviation
promises to our allies, and also to
| point out the now obvious ways In
which we may retrieve our prestige
| by the creation OF a large and effec-
| tive air fleet
There is no longer anything to be
| gained by cherishing tho delusion
that the Liberty motor is the me-
| chanical panasea which will win
| for the United States and for inter-
/ national democracy the mastery Of
| the air II is neither a monumental
| failure nor a decided success. II
! is still In the experimental stage.
wnh scores and probably hundreds
Of suggested changes and hoped
for improvements yet to be incor-
porated and tested, -
A limited number of Liberty mo-
tors have been completed according
to former drawings and specifics
tions. and these have been tested
with more or less success and few
of them shipped abroad, but II V
the simple truth to state that mona
OF the Liberty motors thus far COM
pleted and tested Ia deemed by tho
aircraft production board and the
signal corps al tit for most OF the
exacting requirements which must
be met whom our airmen cross the
battle lines and meet the enemy
! aviators in deadly combat. ~
No Comfort for Germans.
The reader need not fear that this
lamentable statement will give In
formation, aid or comfort to the
fnA tu nx,la
that the German aviation experts
have been able to keep In close
and accurate touch with all we have
been doing and have been attempts
ing to do with aircraft production.
am reliably informed. In fact, that
!, German airplane manufacturers
1 have already Incorporated certain
+. OF the features OF our Liberty mo-
Q tor In the MERCEDES type, which
!. they more commonly use. and that
German planes have been brought
O down back of our lines In which I'M
8 proved details Of Liberty motor con-
! struction were Incorporated In their
2 engines.
II is ten months or more since we
began tho slow evolution OF the
: Liberty motor, and since the Ger
I man spy and intelligence service in
Z the United States is distressingiy
efficient. there is every reason TO
1 believe that any of our improve
/ ments In motor construction have
, been In the hands OF German de-
. signers long enough to have permit
I ted their use In enginee now attack
. Ing us and our allies
There is nothing unusual or un-
canny about this. We@fnvented tho
, submarine. the airplane. perfected
the rapid-fife gun, created the first
specimens OF heavy artillery, gave
TO the world the basic idea of the
''tank"--these five weapons consti-
tuting the leading agencies with
which the war will be won or lost
and Germany adopted all OF them
, and went ahead with their whole
sale production with all possible
speed, while we did practically
nothing with these creations of our
American inventors and scientists
until war was actually on US. II
was. therefore. almost, inevitable
that our Liberty motor would be
used against us before we coufd
take the offensive with It,
Motor Deficiencies.
Disinterested experts inform me
that the existing defects Of the LIB
erty motor are such that the present
model OF IL can be used only where
2
tial. This means that II can be, used
only for work ins which there is
light chance that II will be attacked
by swfter enemy planes This exc
c!udes its use in most types of hy-
droplanes, when such relatively
slow fliers are used In scouting for
submarines in waters 80 far removed
from German submarine bases that
they will not encounter the lighter
aud faster enemy planes. Thousands
Of such hydroplanes are being con-
structed for the American and 9TH
or allied naWes. and here is one of
the places where the Liberty motor
Is available,
II may also be used for advanced
training purposes 10 a certain eX-
tent. and here are other duties
which It can perform. but it is
generally conceded fact in expert
and official circles that the existing
% sign OF the Liberty" motor pre-
cludes it's general use for land fight
ing purposes
This does not imply that proposed
or possible changes in design may
rot so remedy the defects OF the
Liberty motor that II may equal or
suTuasS its rivals, But this is not
the time 10 await the fruition OF the
dreams Of the inventor, designer, or
rNuerimentef. The Liberty motor Is
hg,od enough for certain purposes.
Build it in quantity for those pur-
poses. In the meantime let the
inventors, designers and experiment
tors do their best to correct the de-
fects OF the Liberty motor which
now limit II to the more humber
duties for which IL Is fitted, and IL
successful, build the improved mod
% els in quantity later
L am able TO state with absolute
! certainty that such will be the pol
I icy enforced in the future. One Is
j not permitted TO quote high Wash
r ington officials ny name, and l obey
r this injunction, But may be permit
" ted 10 state that an unnamed off
a. cial Of unQucstioned authority and
y ability informed mo that there was
ID pending IAN absolute divorce be-
E. tween experiment ana production in
r the aircraft program, More vel
come news could not Qe announced,
d We have been afflicted with a Sat-
CONTINUED ON PMsl SAyEJ