The sun., 1918-05-14
Bill Providing Funds Is
Held Up Until Secre-
tary Approves 1t.
BORGLuM REMAINS SILENT
Liberty Motor Is Assailcd in
Statement by New York
Engineer.
saectal pe.pateh 10 rnn srx.

WASHINGTON. May l3.--Senator
Thompson (Kan.). chairman Of the
Committee on Audit ana Control.
through failure to report to the SEN
ate to-day the Chamberlain resolution
providing for the broadening Of the in
1uiry into aircraft production and am
plihcation Of the inquis.torial functions
Of the Military Committee blocked ac-
ton on that important measure. II was
to Senator Thompson's committee that
the resolution was referred last week,
as its adoption entails heavy drain on
the contingent fund.
Leaders Of the Senate Military Com
mittee demanded to-day Of Senator
Thompson what was the matter with
their resolution. With astounding calm
Senator Thompson said to Senators
Chamberlain and Hitchcock: why. my
committee has not yet acted on the
resolution. wanted to show 1t to
Secretary Of War Baker and find out
II 1t was entirely satisfactory to him
frst."
Immediate Action Promised.
For few minutes It looked a. n Sen
ator Hitchcock would 90 to the Senate
Aoor with . demand for instant tis.
charge Of the committee from the furthsr
consloerAti6n Of the resolution. but he
was diseuadsd BY one Of Senator Thomp-
son's Republican colleagues. who prom
ised that immediate attention would be
given the matter.
Senator Thompson. hardly relishing
the position in which devotion to the
Secretary Of War had placed him. prom
ised tho Military Committee that he
would call his committee and guarantee
action, but meanwhile a day and half
had been lost.
The promised comeback OF Gutzon
Borglum failed TO appear In the Senate
to-day. Having announced that he
would reply through Senator Brandegee
(Conn.). that Senator was hesieged all
day Nth demands for the disclosure OF
the Borglum reply. but It was not forth
coming. Senator Brandegee explained
that as soon as the matter came to him
he would present It in the Senate.
Senator Brandesee. however. did pre-
sent to-day a letter from Leon Cannon
Of 20 West Thirty-ninth street. New
York. In which the Liberty motors
shortcomings were discussed from the
point Of view Of an engineering expert.
Mr.. Cannon explained that he was a
member of the American Institute OF
Electrical Engineers. the Aeronautical
Society Of America. the New York Acad-
emy Of Sciences and the Society Of Au-
tomoble Engineers.
Motor IL Deceased.
In his letter Mr.. Cannon said:
There has appeared to-day In all
newspapers a statement made before the
Senate with rcsepct to the Liberty motor
In the Bristol plane Of great significance
as throwing a vivid light on the entire
subject of this unfortunate adventure in
engineering design. It is stated that the
motor overheats. TO q layman this means
next to nothing to an engineer II tells a
big story and raises questions pregnant
with Importance. These questions are:
~. Does this overheating indicate a
basic effectiveness of design. or can il
be corrected by some expedient?
"2 Why was 1t not discovered on the
testing stand long before the motor was
put into the Bristol machine. and was It
not due TO improper methods OF testing
| the motor
Cannon answers the first question by
showing that the radiation OF the motor
is not sufiicient. because II was de-
signed for an engine more efficient and
better designed than the Liberty motor
which was tried with it," The only way
| to overcome this defect, Cannon says,
| would be to put larger radiators on the
motor. which would have been disas-
trous from military point Of view.
"A radiator so per cent. bigger than
the present one" he says, would at a
speed OF ninety miles an hour increase
the power consumption, roughly. by more
! thar. rs per cent"
Answering the second question, Cam
mon says the fact that the Liberty motor
| needs more radiation than the Brts-
tol plane can give could have been very
| easily established In any decent labora-
tory with such equipment as any gas en-
gIneer ought to know how to use"