Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 254, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 November 1917 — Page 3

UNIQUE TEST FOR LIBERTY ENGINE

American Aviators Won’t Have to Experiment While Flying Over Enemy. TWO PROBLEMS TO SOLVE jA United States Bureau of Standards Has Devised a Way to Reproduce the Conditions Found In High Altitudes.

Washington.— : The bureau of standards is erecting a littlp greerilsh-gray concrete building on the edge of its grounds where one. of the final chapters of America’s preparations for aerial warfare will be written. The declines to discuss what part it will play In the final design of the new “Liberty air engine” which the government Is expected to mount on all American airplanes for use In the European war, but It has become known that before the final design of this engine Is approved it must undergo a few final tests in that little green-ish-gray building. There will be determined, under conditions almost Identical with conditions found at various altitudes, Just how an airplane engine performs . when it gets so high that the air gets perceptibly thinner. 'lt will be tested in a temperature down to freezing. Bringing High Altitude Down. The bureau building is a tomblike structure, full of delicate instruments which will have the effect of bringing the skies down to the earth, insofar as airplane conditions are concerned. It Is impractical to £end an engineer aloft to watch thf?> engine perform up there, so the bureau plans to bring the skies to the engine. Ever since the European war began, the aviators of the warring nations have been flying to astonishing heights in the clear air of France. Altitudes of 10,000 feet are quite commonplace, and 20,000-foot flights nolonger excite wonder. Aviators must go up high, and they must have engines that will take them there, so the engine

designers have been experimenting for the last three years with an engine that won’t "smother” when It gets Into —tain air. So far the allies have been unable, for various reasons, to make absolutely accurate tests. An engineer can go aloft in a plane, but he can’t load In a ton or two of apparatus also and test out “sparking efficiency, compression density, horsepower delivery and all the other things that he should do. Being confronted with the necessity of making such tests, the bureau of standards experts figured out a method. The Two Problems. First, they argued, they must know just what an airplane does at an altitude, say of 20,000 feet. An engine that will perform perfectly at 10,000 feet has a tricky habit of “stumbling” and missing ignition when It gets another 10,000 feet higher, and the experts wanted to observe all Its ailments at that height. Second, they wanted some sort of a mechanical arrangement which would permit them to test untried types of engines under conditions Slmllar to conditions very high aloft, and

WORKS EIGHT YEARS ON TOMB

Miss Melva Beatrice Wilson has spent her summers for eight consecutive years at work in Calvary cemetery, one of New York city’s greatest cities iof the dead. ' She has been engaged on the sculptural exterior and the mural interior decoratlion —of chapel and mausoleum erected by Cardinal Farley for* the prelates arid priests of the archdiocese of New York. ——The ehapel and the mausoleum are situated on the highest point In the cemetery, with a wonderful view commanding the turmoil of the, city on one side and the wide expanse of Long Island sound on the other. .The chapel and the hundred catacomblike sepulchres are early Byzantine in architecture. The reputed cost is .half a milliqq dollars. The structure is bllilt of hard blue Indiana limestone.

to approye or condemn the performance of these untried types. So they set to work to build a concrete, tomb-like structure, about IS feet long by 6 febt wide and 6% feet high. This concrete chamber was so constructed that it could be made a vacuum if necessary. The walls are 12 inches thick and tarred on the outside. They needed because at 20,000 feet altitude the air pressure is about seven pounds to the square inch —about half the pressure at sea level. That me.ant that when the scientists got to duplicating air pressure at 20,000 feet the walls had to support an outside pressure of air equal to eight pounds to the square inch. If the walls were not built thick they w'ould crush in like paper. Either Hot or Cold. Then a complete heating and refrigerating plant was installed so that when the four or six big fans which are to whirl the air over the engine at 40 miles an hour start their gale it will be down to the temperature that one finds thousands of feet up. Into this air chamber they expect to put the engine type that is to be tested, mounted so that it can tilt forward, backward or sidewise, just as it would behave in the air. As soon as everything is ready the doors are locked and made airtight, and the engine is started. When it starts, the air on the inside of the chamber is the same density as the outside air, but when the engine -begins to suck in air to make explosions the Inside atmosphere rapidly becomes exhausted. The chamber is provided with an intake valve which will admit the air that is needed. The chamber is also provided with glass windows, through which the experts may watch instruments which register the air pressure and the temperature of the chamber. By data securedJn_actual flights the bureau experts know the exact density of the air at each of the various hundred foot levels. An ordinary aneroid barometer would give this data only approximately; , When the engine starts

and begins consuming air on the inside of the chamber the inside pressure begins to drop from“Ts pounds to the square inch to 14 pounds, to 13 pounds, and so_on, until it has reached a rarity that corresponds to a great height.——— As soon as it reaches this rarity the intake valve is opened slightly, and only enough air Is admitted to take the place of the inside air that the engine is consuming. This, of course, keeps the pressure Inside at the desired rarity, and to all intents and purposes the engine is now flying at an altitude of 20,000 feet. General Mobilization. As soon as the engine starts, other parts of the chamber’s machinery start too. For instance, the exhaust begins to work. It would be utterly impracticable to discharge the gases from the engine into the outside air through the ordinary exhaust pipe. With the air inside at seven pounds pressure and the outside air at 17 pounds the force of the outside pressure would jam a great quantity of atmosphere back up the exhaust pipe, fill the chamber with fumes and smoke and reduce the inside pressure to normal. To overcome this the experts designed a blower attachment w’hich will suck the gases and fumes from the en-

gine with a force sufficient to prevent the outside air from rushing in. Also, the fumes and gases will pass through pipes which spray these gases with cold water, thus keeping down the temperature in the chamber. The actual horsepower performance of the engine can be determined without trouble. Every ounce of pull it generates is transmitted to"i big electric generator on the outside, and the amount of electricity generated by the engine’s power makes it perfectly simple for the scientists to determine when the engine is faltering. Through the glass doors of this concrete chamber, the scientists will observe the engine Itself or the instruments attached, which will register every performance of that piece of, mechanism. If it won’t work in an air-pressure of seven pounds to the inch, that engine will never do for high observation work. \ • Testa Pre-Compress’on Also. Broadly speaking, this is the chief use to which that concrete chamber still be put. It has another use, however. That is the testing of pre-com-pression devices. It has been found advisable to equip all airplanes that are expected to attain gfeat height—with a pre-compression attachment. This is designed to gather and concentrate a quantity of air and at the moment of each discharge of the cylinders, Inject it into the cylinders to supplement the deficient supply that the engine can take through its Intake valves. ’ There are many of these pre-com-pression devices being offered to the government, which at this time cannot be proven except under actual battle but with the use of the rarifted air chamber at the bureau, the government experts can decide within value of the device.

Big Man's Death Delays Funeral.

Houston, Tex. —The funeral of John Lewis Ingram, who weighed 538 pounds, was delayed because the undertaker was forced to, wire for a coffin large enough for him. Ingram died following a three days’ illness.. He is survived by his widow and his mother. He traveled about the city in a buggy built especially for Ijlm, and his chairs and bed at home Were made to fit. * - .

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN. RENSSELAER. IND.

PATRIOTIC HENS RAISE THEIR OWN WAR GARDEN

1 Mansfield, -O. —A. A. Arnold, superintendent of parks, has a flock of Rhode Island hens that planted, cultivated and raised a war garden that produced a peck of potatoes. The largest potato weighed 17 ounces, the next one 16 ounces. The owner says that when pq- , tatoes were selling for $4.25 a buphel last spring his wife was so economical she pared the potatoes as thin as she possibly could, then fed the thin parings to the chickens. Instead of eating the parings, the chickens planted them in the barnyard. All summer long the fowls not only kept the weeds down in their war garden, but kept the bugs off. These patriotic chickens did their bit to win the war by raising 84 potatoes from three stalks that came up from the thin parings which they conserved. <-

GERMANY SHORT ON LINEN

All Hotels and Restaurants Are Forbidden to Use Table Cloths and Napkins. Berlin. —The lack of linen and cotton fabrics caused by the war is making itself felt more disagreeably from week to week and threatens the cleanliness of the German nation. All hotels and restaurants have now been forbidden to use table cloths and napkins, ,or to furnish more than one towel per day to any guest. Bed sheets, pillow cases, etc., must be used at least seven days before they are changed and washed, even if''the bed during this period is used by different guests. The Vossische Zeitung announces that after October 15 no permits for the purchase of underclothing will be issued to persons who own more than three shirts and two sets of underwear. The manufacture and sale of night shirts and pajamas are to be stopped entirely.

SURGEON’S AID TO RECRUIT

Young Man Undergoes Operation to Pass the Physical Examination. Atchison, Kan.—Ben Byrne, an Atchison young man, has undergone a major operation so that he could qualify for the army. He is in the Atchison hospital. Byrne went to Hiawatha to join Company F, Kansas National Guard, but did not pass the physical examination. He was much disappointed and bn returning to Atchison decided to undergo an operation and after recovering made another effort to get into the service. ‘ i/- -

Fisherman Catches Shark.

Reading, Pa.—Dr. D. G. Long of this city had a narrow escape while on a fishing trip to Fortesque, N. J„ where he hooked a four-foot shark which bit fast to his clothing when he hajiled it into the boat. Charles Cole and Felix Gehring, who accompanied ttffe Read--Ing doctor, cut the shark’s head off before its hold could be released.

RED CROSS NURSE

Mrs. Richard Darby, formerly Miss Ethel Roosevelt, has served in France as a Red Cross nurse. Her husband and two brothers are now serving abroad.

ARABS ENRAGED-AT TURKS

Deliberate Shooting ’’of Lieutenant While Engaged in Prayer Stirs Revolt —Cairo.—A oew reason for the revolt of the Asiatic tribes in Turkey against Turkish rule has become common property of the Ottoman army and threatens to cause other defections, according to reports reaching here. According to these stories Abdul Kader, a* Turkish officer commanding an Arabian contingent deliberately shot and killed a lieutenant who did not salute because the Turk parsed while his subordinate was at prayer. The Arabs are protesting bitterly that this conduct scarcely conforms to their ideas of a holy war.

AMONG THE SCIENTISTS

Tiny knobs are attached to the backs of the blades of a new knife so that they may be opened more easily. *" r X scientist in Europe has invented a method for sterilizing the ground In which posts are to be set against insect germs and fungus life. ■- Boring holes into the stumps of hardwood trees and fining these holes with equal parts of nitric and sulphuric acid will so soften the wood that it can be removed by ordinary picks. This has been demonstrated in Gymany, and is the common treatment there of hardwood stumpage. One of the latest electrical inventions is an electric blanket which is designed especially for outdoor sleepers. The blanket is said to have a heating area of four by six feet, and can be regulated to an even temperature of from 82 to 112 degrees by a switch placed near the head of the sleeper. In the Carnegie geogra physical laboratory, Carnegie institute, Washington, D. C., rocks and minerals are now being reproduced by artificial means. In order to do this wojfc the laboratory requires a furnace which can heat to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit and a machine which can exert pressure to the extent of 10,000 pounds a square inch. The telescribe, an Instrument which records both sides of a conversation, is said to be Thomas Edison’s latest invention. The telescribe consists of a dictating machine which has special receiving appliances and a socket in which the ordinary telephone receiver is placed. The message may be confirmed at any time by use of the dictating machine. _

BROWNIES ,

A burnt child makes a strange bedfellow. Talking too much and thinking too little has spoiled many a career. Better a loaf of bread and content than a boiled dinner and indigestion. The blue-eyed man and the blackeyed woman make a peach of a pair. It is usually the baldheaded man who knows exactly what will make hair grow. A man may be following the dictates of his conscience and yet never catch up with it. If a man got what was coming to him it is blamed seldom that he wduld get what he wanted. Facial experts say that men with long noses are conceited. So are mew with short ones, b’gee. Some of these professional uplifters are almost as much of a nuisance as the professional shoplifter. An amazon friend has the idea that a trained husband is one who doesn’t even Ask for a latchkey. It is knowledge of the law and not ignorance that excuses many people in the breaking of the same.

THE WAY OF THE WORLD

The world likes a good loser, much better than a bad winner. Half the fun in this world is thinking of the fun you are going to have. Next to getting a new dress, what a woman likes most is getting a new dress just a little oftener than her neighbor. A woman’s idea of a perfect husband is one who can throw a soiled shirt anywhere but in the middle of the bedroom floor. Some fellows act when they tell a young girl that she is beautiful as though they were telling her something she didn’t already know. c Marriage is like any “other form of contract; it’s no good when it’s entered into by people who don’t want to live up to its terms. S. (

SOME REFLECTIONS

The politician with a wornout issue Is a weather-beaten signboard indeed. The man who marries his divorced wife certainly displays the courage of his convictions. When a fellow swears that he would die for her he usually means that he would die of old age. That back-to-the-farm longing always seems more Intense after the crops have all been harvested. The idiot who imagines that he can understand the woman who keeps her husband guessing is in for a jolt. It is possible to know what you are talking about and still .not be able to make the other fellow comprehend.

WISE OR OTHERWISE

As soon as a man’s mind eeases to broaden it begins to contract. It is the woman with the latest gown whois generally latest at church. It takes a smart man to conceal from others the things he doesn’t know. Many an ambitious public movement should be classified as lost motion. i A good man never goes wrong—sometimes the bad in him predominates. . Sins are like chemicals; the more you analyze them the worse they smell. Many a girl marries the wrong man because the right one failed to ask her. ' ,_' Appear in public as often ns you can, for soon you will play “Vanished” on the stage of oblivion.

MUCH IN LITTLE

Turn flattery wrong side out andyou have slander. Stones marking the Mason and Dixon line bear the Penn and Baltimore family coats of arms. German Inventors have brought out an automobile which travels on three sets of movable Tunners Instead of wheels. _ Current is transmitted through ball bearings in a new swivel joint for telephone and electric light wires, designed to prevent them from twisting. Two Crimean veterans, probably the last in Ireland, have died recently. One was wounded at the siege of Sebastopol, and the other Denis Hellgfln, aged ninety-four, who had 88 years 1 service. The agricultural department at Washington has published complete reports on the caloric value of every known article of food! For Instance, a pound of pure lard would supply all the calories that a 200-pound individual would need in 24 hours. The law prohibiting the importation into France of foreign postage stamps has now been extended to apply to the stamps of France itself. The reason for this is that some 3,000,000 unused French stamps have been stolen by the Germans from post offices in the Invaded part of France, and it is desired to destroy their value to their present holders. Discussing the democratizing influence of the war in the Talyo Magazine, Koson Asada, a well-known publicist, says that Japan cannot expect to keep clear of the tremendous changes that are affecting the world. He adds: “The development of political parties and of the press have been most noticeable since the Russo-Jap-anese war, and this increased influence has gradually put the influence of clannlsm in the shade.”

GLOBE SIGHTS

Most patient men are patient simply because they are spineless. The longer a marriage is put off the Jess probability it will come off. One does not have to look long anywhere for an excuse to find fault. So many people are only able to recognize opportunity from a rear view. A mass meeting probably accomplishes less In proportion to its size than anything else. Ab Adkins admits he Is getting older as some of the stories he heard as a hoy are -now going around disgu'sed an new ones. w “~ Suffering in silence is the most unusual performance. A man who is always talking about his rights expects a good Aal more. Most men are not tempted, they go looking for that which gets them in trouble. Considering what some women drew, it is difficult to explain their eagerness to have their daughters get married. — Atchison Globe.

HOME-MADE PHILOSOPHY

The greater the man Jie stronger his sympathies for humanity. No one knows the value of a pretty face better than they who are deformed. With the rich man politics is for profit, with the poor man it Is generally prejudice. . 5. Slowly, slowly the day is dawning when men will break awcy from their mental masters and boldly admit that to work for humanity is the one thing needful.

DISCORD IN FAMILY

The Only Remedy for the Quarrels In the Home Is Greatest Thing in World—Love. (Text—Genesis 37:18-28.) There are no causes for misery more common than, and none so dis- 1 tressing as family discord. The closer the ties that bind, the greater that chafing may be and the sorer the* wound that this chafing makes. The ’sweeter the fruit, the sourer the vinegar ; and when family affection turns sour, the product is worthy of the discord of the bottomless pit. No better Illustration of the causes and results of family discord does the Bible afford than the story of Joseph, his father and his brethren. How many children today grieve over the preference of parents for a brother or sister The less favored one is not so winsome or pretty, perhaps, or he finds it less easy to express his affection; and in secret, though too proud to tell his sorrow, he grieves over this partiality, and comes to think at last that he has no chance to make his way in life in comparison with his more favored-brother. Nothing is more foolish than the exhibition of such partiality. Indeed, it Is almost criminal.“lt is apt to render the favored one conceited and toplofty, and to depress and mortify and sour the less attractive. It is gratifying to know that often the affection of father and mother is poured out more lavishly on the sick, the crippled, the ill-favored; but when the reverse is the case, family quarrels are sure to follow. Our theme has to do with the family life of Jacob’s sons. We can easily trace the course of the quarrel which almost ripened into murder. Partiality, wrangling, conspiracy and intended fratricide were the seeds and fruits of this evil tree. Every family quarrel contains some of these hateful seeds and may bear such hideous fruits. I am glad that the future story of Joseph relieves this dark picture. Age sometimes hardens and sours the dlsposltion, but sometimes it softens and sweetens it. In the case of Jacob and his sens it seems to have the latter effect They grew to be better men as they grew older. At last Joseph had an opportunity to take a glorious revenge. During all the years of his obscurity in the palace and in prison he kept a Warm place in his heart for his old father, and bore no ill-will toward the brothers who had treated him so ill. “Is the old man your father, yet alive?” he asks with trembling voice and eyes so moist that he dared not eat with his brothers in the palace lest he betray himself. He heaped Benjamin’s plate with a fivefold portion, showing the same partiality for the youngest brother that his father had shown for him, but not with the same disastrous results. For the older broth-

ers had been chastened by their afflictions, and starved into humility, and did not resent the favoritism shown to Benjamin. They groveled at the feet of their unknown brother, the great premier of Egypt, bowing before him as his dream predicted, and he completed the conquest by forgiving and loving them, and falling on their necks with kisses, and giving them afterward of the best of the land. Thus ended this bitter family feud. We could scarcely have expected such a sequel. The sequel to the feud in Jacob’s family points to the only remedy for all such quarrels. It is spelled 1-o-v-e, and it is described more beautifully than in in any other literature in the thirteenth chapter of I Corinthians. What ‘a divine remedy is love for curing family discord! It is the only one. Such quarrels, unless love ends them, will be likely to grow more and more bitter until they end in the divorce court, as they have done so often, or possibly in murder and the murderer’s cell. Let us pray in every family circle, at every family altar, for the love that is kind, modest, well behaved, generous, gentle, that hopes and believes all good things about another —the love that never faiieth. —Rev. Francis E. Clark, D. D., LL. D„ founder and President of Christian Endeavor.

DUTY OF PRESENT MINISTRY

Better Than Ait the Post-Mortem Teatimonials and Devotion We Can Bestow. Do not keep your sublime love and tenderness sealed up until your friends are dead. Fill their lives with sweetness; speak approving, cheering words while their ears can hear them, and while their hearts can be thrilled and be made happier by them. The kind things you mean to do when they are gone, do before they go. The flowers you mean to send for their coffins, send to brighten and sweeten their homes before they leave them. If my friends have alabaster boxes laid’ away full of fragrant perfumes of sympathy and affection which they intend rather they would bring them out in my weary and troubled hours and open them thiri“may berefrestiedand Cheered by them while I need them. I would rather have a plain coffin without flowers, a funeral without a eulogy, than life without sweetness of love and sympathy. Let us learn to anoint mortem kindness does not cheer the burdened spirit; flowers on a coffin cast no fragrance backward over the weary way.—Selected.