Douglas daily dispatch., 1927-06-14
TRANSATLANTIC
PLANE REP AIRED
i'm WASHINGTON
Valve and Piston Trouble
Develop on Spirit of st.
Louis

WASHINGTON, June 13 A9.-The
Spirit of ST. Louis is in running order
tagain, engineers and mechanics at the
AnacoStia naval air station having re-
paired the valve ana piston trouble
which kept Colonel Charles A. Lind
bergh from flying his transatlantic
plane today to New YORK.
Whether the machine, which rests in
hangar at Anacostia, will be flown
to ST. Louis from here by the young
aviator or taken to New York for him
is not known, officers declaring tonight
they would await instructions from
Lindbergh himself.
Considerable Qlscus-- .-ong avia-
ton officers here followed the develop
ment of engine trouble in the Spirit OF
st. Louis, and receipt OF word from
New York that Lindbergh had expert
enced difficulty with the gas feed sys
tenn in the CurtisS P-1 plane he flew
to that city.
Although report went the rounds
that The motor of the transatlantic
plane was in bad condition, naval Off
GERS generally were of the opinion that
the fault was of minor Importance and
ore that mighG happen frequently with
any motor
Kenneth Lane, airplane motor expert
of the Wright Aeronautic corporation,
which produces the type of motor in
the Lindbergh plane, II New York
after working with mechanics at the
naval air station to put the machine
in shape. A new piston rod was in
stalled to take the place of one found
slightly cracked this morning after
Lindbergh had tinkered with the motor
for more thai: half an hour
Mr.. Lane described the incident as
"just an unfortunate occurrence" al
though neither he nor Anacostia Off
GERS could explain how the trouble de-
veloped in view of the fact that the
motor had worked perfectly when
tuned up yesterday.
While the officers said they were
informed that Colonel Lindbergh did
not want the motor tuned up this
morning until he arrived at the station,
! they added that Lindbcrgh said his
instruction had been miscJnstrued and
) that he had asked merely that the
motor be not idled TOO long because of
danger to the plugs.
Army officers at Boiling field
aseribed the trouble Lindbergh had
with the gas Iced of his P-1 plane to
the flier's misunderstanding of in
structions given him just before he
hoped Off -
Informed of his statement at Mitchell
field that he nad made the entire trip
to New York on the AUXILIARY fuel
supply, the officers pointed out that
there was only one supply of gasoline
aboard and that was in tie main tank.
They expressed the belief that the flyer
turned the wrong gasoline switch,
draining the fuel from the main tank
into 4..e auxiliary.
1t was explained that the P-1 carried
two tanks, one divided into main and
reserve" tanks, with the former hold
ing 40 gallons and the latter 10, and
50-gallon auxiliary" tank, which was
empty
The main and reserve tanks are so
linked that if the "nain" switch on the
control board is employed the engine
will stop when the 40 gallons are con-
sun1ed, after which the 10-gallon re-
serve is drawn upon If Elle reserve
switch is used at the outset the entire
so gallons, it was said, flows into the
engine without giving warning when
only 10 gallons remain.