The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-07-12
Here Is Inside
Story Of Airplane's
Wonder Battery

When a Liberty motor is giving Its
utmost to push forward a Liberty
plane, the result to the ear at least. is
a noise which would hardly be welcome
in the reading room Of a public library.
or under your window when you want
to sleep.
Such Is the voice of gasoline raised in
protest against being introduced to the
little spark of electricity which jumps
across the spark plugs l65 times every
second; but the protest is in vain, for
the juice keeps coming; l65 times
each second, $500 sparks per minute,
$4,000 times In an hour, coming from
a little innocent looking box full Of lead
and acid and water and rubber, slowed
away in the fuselage, out Of sight but
never out of the mind of the man whose
life depends upon 1t.
The storage battery is the soul of the
Liberty motor. AS gasoline is its food,
steel and aluminium its clothing, so Is
electricity its spark of life. Without
that spark 1t is an inert mass; with it
the Liberty motor is d source of mag
nificent power.
The Willard Storage Battery company
In Cleveland had for years been making
storage batteries for starting, lighting
and Ignition on automobiles. When
Uncle Sam decided he would take no
more nonsense" from the kaiser, the
Willard organization was asked to de-
sign a storage battery for Ignition in
an aircraft motor.
The first difficulties faced were the
necessary limitations on size and
weights, as Uncle Sans specifications
called for a battery of Il certain capae-
ity weighing not more than 10 pounds.
Any motorist who has tried to lift his
storage battery, knows what it weighs.
I .npAthn xraNty M nnllndG hhlUV--
makes up most of the storage battery,
and 10 pounds of lead Is not very much.
The Willard engineers set to work n
designed a battery of the proper eapac-
ity, weighing but 10 pounds and two
ounces, which was satisfactory to the
government designers.
But size and weight were not the
only obstacles. An automobile proper
ly driven stays on its wheels and there
Is no danger of the acid contents OF the
battery splitting out, But a Liberty
plane. must operate Just as well head
over heels" as any other way, and the
Willard engineers found that they must
design a battery which, while open at
the top, did not spill its contents when
inverted. This sounds rather difficult
and 1t was-but it was done just the
same. within 10 days FROM the receipt
of the governments specifications, the
Willard engineers had designed n
PSlIVINNN u poAAphy "tiNA A'A~N tiS o.
ernment's needs as to capacity, size,
weight-and this battery operated up
side down. This battery was adopted
and never since has 1t been changed in
any detail.
Such is the inside story Of the igni-
ton on the Liberty airplane motor.
Storage batteries have for years been
recognized as the most efficient and
most reliable means Of providing igni-
ton for gasoline motors, but other and
less advantageous forms of ignition had
to be used until American inventive
genius was brought to bear on modern
war problems.
The inventions of war are being rap
idly turned to peace use. We are
beating our swords into plowshares,
and the same little Willard battery
which gave life to the Liberty aircraft
| motor over the Argonne is 10Y furnish
ing the $500 sparks per minute which
help to carry Uncle Sans mail along
the air lanes,