The Cordele dispatch., 1919-05-15
OVER ESTIMATED
COUNTRY'S CAPACITY

Washington, May 15.-Admission
tha both military and civilian experts
over estimated the country's capa-
bilities in setting out in 1917 ito ac-
complish the impossible task" of pro
ducing $4,000 airplanes in 12 months
is made in the official history of the
governments efforts to build up the
industry made public today by the
War Department. Realization of this
error resulted almost Immediately in
the placing of contracts in France for
5,S75 planes of the Spad, Nieuport
and Bregeut types.
Tie repor ows that by May 90,
1915. America factories had deliver
ed J,270 planes, or "a percent Of the
ambitious program while the French
had delivered 81 percent Of the num-
Der promised on that date. Up to Nd
vember II, total of 11,364 airplanes
had been produced in America, but
these were largely training machines,
fighting planes completed during the
war period tota1lirg only 1928.
Broadly sstated," the history says,
"the United States produced for her
army alone in her second year of
England produced for her amy and
navy in her third year.
Organization of the manufacturing
industry is declared to have been the
on nf hn oi
an alarming shortage of cloth and
varnish. or dope" for the wings de-
veIoping at the very start Lack of
an adequate supply of linen was
overcome quickly through the assis
tance Of the United States Bureau of
standards which evolved a special
cotton fabric with a tensile strength
OF 80 pounds to the square inch. Pro
ductiOn of this material was soon at
the rate of 100000 yards per month.
Cotton proved to be not only an
admirable substitute for linen, but
even better fabric than the original
CLOTH" the report says" No matter
how abundant the supply of flax may
be, it is unlikely that linen will ever
again be used in large quantities for
airplane wings"
Search for varnish to protect air
plane wings resulted in the estah-
lishment of 10 large chemical plants
to produce acetone, the principal in
gredient.
Had the war continued" says the
history, these new plants would have
taken care of ell American and Allied
military needs, allowing the Droduc-
ton Of private plants to go exclusively
tC fill commercial needs.
Development of aircraft was 70
rapid that frequent changes in mod
els and designs were before the sew
ice experts for consideration. AT the
time OF the armistice, the whole pro
duction machinery had been, or was
about to be, turned over to putting
out new De IIaviland, known as 40;
the Leper3. a two-Seater built around |
the Liberty engine, and the great |
handley-Page machine for bombing |
wor;. Experiments also were under |
way with the Italian, Caproni, to be |
driven by three Librety engines.
But American invention was able |
to bring out strictly American |
plane that promised to super
cede all other types in existence"
saysthe report. "This was the Martin |
plane which. with a wing spread OF |
Is feet, attained a speed of 11S miles
per hour against 100 for the Handley- |
Page and Caplonl Whee the fo-
eignes requied As minutes to climb |
$4,000 feet, the Martin craft took 80
minutes"
One entire chapter of the history is
given TO the evolution and prepara-
tions for the production OF the Liber-
ty engine First drawings were made
May 20, 1917 and the first 8-cylinder
engine was delivered July 4, 1917 |
Ou August 25, the first Liberty !
twelve" successfully passed so !
hour test.