The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-10-25
. NATIONAL
 SPOTLIGHT
BY WILLIS THORNTON NEA-DemOcrat stan CoRrespOndent

Detroit, oct. 25 - Twenty-three years Is 8 long time to wait for q dividend but it's sweet when the dividend comes at last.
 The United States is now col lectlng some unexpected dividends on Q huge investment in l0l7-iole in the Liberty motor - the 'motoE that that came to dominate the aviation field just too late Co be the deciding factor in World War I that 1t was expected to be.
 Certain of those Liberty Motors built in 1918, are now driving Russian tanks against the Ger mans. The Allison, outstanding liQuid-cooled motor of the present air defense drive, Is Q direct des- cendant of the Liberty.
 How Liberty motors designed tc propel allied planes against the Germans in 1918 remained to pro- pei Russian tanks against Ger mans 2s years later Is an absorb. ing story now being recalled by Detroit motor engineers.
 FIRST ON
 THE FOURTH
 The Liberty motor was to be Amer. icas answer to the German 'hreal In the last war. The highe. Hopes were held out when the first pilot model was presented July {, 1917 This l0O.horsepower, 000-pound mo- tor seemed good enough to give de. finite air superiority to any plane 4 propelled, 50 more than 22,000 were ordered from several plants.
 The first production models came out at Thanksgiving time, but rninoi bugs developed and mass production was set back. By spring of 1918, pro. duction was still tagging dlsappoint. lngly. Real mass production of this really superior motor was just get. ting well under way when the Arm' lstice came.
 Well, there was the goverpnent with thousands of excellent Liberty motors on hand and no war to use them In. They were sold by thou- sands at remainder" prices.
 one of the buyers was the Ali. son Experimental Company, started In 1915 by James Allison, Q founder of the Indianapolis Speedway. He had built many of them in the first place, and was well qualified tc rebuild them for various uses Some parts were strengthened, and superior bronIe-ard-steel bearings designed.
 The old Liberties went, all over the world and some of them are still in use in planes. One of the largest sales was to Soviet Russia during the Twenties. A large quan- tity of the rebuilt Liberties were bought for tank populsion. Engin- eers believe 1t is these which are un- doubtedly stin in use on the Rus sian front today.
 In the meantime Allison was go- Ing along in Q modest way, build- Ing occasional racing cars, expert- mental motors and crenkShaft bearings which gradually began to be standard In most aviation mos tors. Tn 1929, in order to acquire these bearings and other patents, as well aS the skilled personnel Allison had gathered about him General Motors bought the Allison plant after the founders death. By 1885 the plant began to exc pand in it's old Indianapolis loca- ton, developing c Mquid-cooled motor whose foundation was in on experimental model built for the Navy's dirigible program In 1880 There were traces of the old Lib- erty in 1t yet, certain tricks with connecting rods and crankshafts learned in 1918.
 FIGHTS ON
 ALI FRONTS
 This new Allison passed Army tests in 1887 but few were built ull- til io40. Then the government, and the present magnificent Indianapolis plant, perhaps the largest engine factory in the world, began turning out the machine which is driving hundreds of Airacobras and other pursuit ships in the United Statei and on the fighting fronts of Eu' rope.
 The design Is constantly being improved. For instance, 6 veal ago this motor developed 104l horsepower: today 1t develops 132t with an actual decrease in weight which Is now less than one pound per horsepower. The old Liberty weighed two pounds for eact IhorsepoWer deVeloped.
 Oenealogy doesn't mean much ir mechanics, but it's more than pos. sibie that grandfather Liberty mighI look up from Q tank on some Rus' sian battlefield today and recognize grandson Allison purring overhead In a fast pursuit ship, both of them paying c dividend 9 years deferred