New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1928-08-11
THE INVENTOR OF THE
AUTOMOBILE

possible.
Many an American, regarding
Henry Ford as a sort OF wonder
worker in the automobile field, have
a notion that he invented the con-
traption. They are far from the
truth Ford invented nothing sub
stantial on the autom obie. 1t is true
he was the first to drive on such a
car through the streets OF Detroit
and others had driven "horseless
carriages" before him in other
cities. Ford from the start bent his
energies into making machine,
based on the inventions Of others,
that would sell and in this he sue
ceeded better than anyone else on
earth In the last analysis. there
fore, he has been the eXploiter of
the motor car. the man who made it
possible for everyone to ride in one
of tn Ford machines or any OF the
other makes that followed after he
blazed the trail.
The inventor OF the automobile
lived and died in France--and he
never owned one. He was Fernand
Forest, the indubitable inventor of
he internal combustion engine.
which was hooked up with wheels
and propelled the first automobile
long before Henry Ford thought Of
'fooling with" the idea that had
come from France.
The Living Age did service to
American readers recently by re-
printing the thrilling story Of For
est's achievements, it being a trans
laton Of an article that had appear
ed in lie Progress Civique of Paris.
To the amazing industry and invent
i've genius of Forest has been due
not only the automobile, but the
airplane and the submarine.
Fernand Forest never went to any
of the big universities: he never.
like Ford, engaged in big business.
Scholars have ignored him and in
dustrialists got all the monetary ad-
vantage that accrued from his great
discoveries and their application. He
was an artisan all his life. Born at
the beginning Of the Second EN- pire
he left the primary school at the
age Of IA, was attracted to mechanic
cal matters, worked in various
factories. Working later in a large
factory his skill in repairing ma
chinery nobody else could fix made
him foreman at %. But specialized
labor whore each laborer performs
the same task every day did not
suit his alert spirit, so in 1873 he
left Paris on bicycle with wooden
wheels and iron tires for tour of
France.
He paid his way by repairing all
kinds of machinery en- route. and
1fsf /, ! ft1, }
tional mechanical knowledge en-
route. Returning to Paris in 1874
the first velocipedes We're appear
ing, and Forest invented one with
pedals. He and the Renard brothers
the suspended wire wheel,
which speedily became popular the
world over. The three men estab-
lishcd the first cycle factory in
Paris. but attracted by electricity,
whose future he OWNED, he turned
his attention to the explosive engine.
Forest did not invent this engine
for Lenoir. In 1860. had been the
first to make illuminating gas ex-
plodc by means of a spark. In 1862
Beau de Rochas conceived of the
device by which carburet-
Cd air was first inhaled, then COM
pressed, and not exploded until after
its compression, giving it great add1-
tlonal force. But the engines Were
very heavy and costly and could not
be detached from the gas tank which
fed them.
1t was Forests contribution that
he solved these difficulties and
without even treatise or estab
lished theory on the subject. lie
the first practical car
buretor. Gasoline entered it by a
gauge; then when the air ponc-
trated it, it was charged with carbon
Napor. later il was compressed in the
cylinder and exploded with a small
spark-the same principle which
holds good today.
The explosion released such a
vast amount of heat. however. that
1t threatened to split the cylinder.
Forest therefore hit on the plan to
have water circulate between the
cylinder and the carburetor. 'talS-
ing heat from the motor, which was
already too hot, to the carburetor,
W hich needed it," The invention WAS
not perfect however. and Forest
was nearly killed making further
"Nperim ents
II would require columns to de-
tail the continued experiments of