Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-19

sembly drawings personally between
midday May % and the afternoon of
May 81, 1917, working in Col. E. A.
Deeds apartment in Washington ho-
tel in response TO request for report
on the aircroft engine situation.
Proved Itself Quickly.
The order to build 10 sample Fights
and twelveS was given as a result of
the approval of the joint conference of
the Army and Navy Technical Board
and the Aircraft Production Board
The first engine, an eight-cylinder. was
built in one month as a result Of the
enthusiastic cooperation of some 10
manufacturers, each of whom produced
those parts for which it was best fitted
The first sample 12-cylinder finished
its 50-hour endurance test 81 days from
the time the order for samples was
given, and the total elapsed time in
this test was only about So hours,
record-breaking performance. The sue
cess Of this endurance test definitely
removed the engine from the expert
mental stage to the realm Of proved en-
gines
Those Of US familiar with the diff
cultieS and diSappointments involved
in the design, development and perfec-
tion Of any form of intricate mechani-
C device can readily appreciate the
really remarkable accomplishment rep
resented in the liberty engine. There
fore 1t Is not surprising that the repre-
sentatives of the allies were for some
time unable TO believe the full truth of
this accomplishment
So well recognized did the value of
the Liberty engine become, however,
that the allies had on order at the time
OF signing the armist&ce 1874 Lib
erty engines, and were constantly en-
deavoring each to incrc aSe their rate Of
monthly delivery. Planes were being
designed around this engine in all allied
countries, and 1t was fast becoming the
predomiRating aeronautical engine of
the allied cause.
The record of production and de-
velopment of the Liberty proved con-
clusiyely the wisdom OF the decision to
/ concentrate all efforts on this one en-
CINE for the major part of our program
| OF combat engines. In common with
all similar machines, many possible i'm
| provementS and cost reductions became
/ evident as the manufacturing processes
| and tools evolved and as experience was
acquired in the actual production.
Outstanding Achievement.
Eleven hundred Liberty twelves were
produced in one year from the day that
Coils. Vincent and Hall first met and
started a preliminary drawing, and more
| than $4,000 were produced by the end
Of another six months.
1t is, perhaps, TO be expected that
many criticisms would be leveled at an
engine evolved under the conditions OBJ
| tanning at that time and registering
the large success which 1t did, but all
such have proved to be the result of
Misrepresentation regarding the condi-
| tons to be met, the fundamental ideas
of design, or Of lack Of appreciation of
the difficulties encountered in the crea-
| ton at single stroke and without pre-
yiouS experience an aeronautical power
plant so much larger than was then in
existence.
The Liberty engine stands today as
an achievement which for daring, con-
structive Imagination and far-sighted-
ness will ever be cause Of pride for
| the American people.
| (Copyright, 1881. by North American News
| paper Alliance.)