792 MILE JAUNT

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XX, Issue 72, 8 March 1930, Page 13

792 MILE JAUNT

AT FUEL COST UNDER 6/-.

ENTHUSIASM OVER DIESEL ENGINE.

A thousand members of the Society of Automotive Engineers, attending their annaal convention at Detroit, swarmed out of their departmental spheres to unite with universal interest in a Diesel engine festival. Progress termed “revolutionary” in recent development of this' fueleconomising power plant, described by enthusiasts as a motive mechanism soon to dominate land, sea and air—and even the unexplored regions under j.he sea—was revealed. 0. D. Treiber, president of the Treiber Diesel Engine Corporation, Camden, N.J. traced the progress from the mammoth marine Diesels, which weighed as high as 500 pounds per horsepower down to the tw'o-pounds-per-horse-power plant, which he said, would be available soon. The fuel consumption of these, designed for aeroplane use, would be about .37 pound ot oil per brake horse-power, he said.

Mr Treiber had hardly finished when men in all parts of the hall bobbed up to ask questions. Automobile ' engineers were anxious to know how soon, if at all, the engine would displace the {Sower plants of the modern car, and oil men were anxious to know what is going to happen to the gasoline business. The Diesel engine, application of which has already been made in aeronautics. in heavy trucks and motorbuses, and at an early date is expected by the more enthusiastic to solve the problem of low cost fued for automobiles in general, was humorously, but aptly, described by C. B. Veal, research manager of tfee Society of Automotive Engineers. RESIDUE USED AS FUEL. “It used to be said of the pork packers,' l he said, “that they canned everything but the squeal. The Diesdl engine has begun where they left oft'; it uses the ‘squeal.’ That is. it takes what remains of petroleum after napth-i gasoline and kerosene have been distilled off and a whole raft ol by-products have been extracted, and uses it as fuel. This fuel can be bought for three or four cents a gallon and at that price much of it goes’ to waste for want of a market.” C. L. Cummins, of Columbus, Ind., who rigged up a modified Dieselpowered four-cylinder car. which recently made a 792-mile jaunt from Hoosierdotn to New York at a fuel cost of I dollar 38 cents, according to the owner attended the convention. The engineers closed in around him with volleys of questions. Since the trip to Now York. Mr Cummins has run the mileage up to about. 2500 miles, and during that time he declared he has filled his fuel tank with waste oil at filling stations about lout times at negligible cost. The data furnished by Mr Tie-ibei was taken by the engineers to mean that the Diesel is rapidly being reduced to the point where it. will eventually find general application. The advantages pointed out as factors which will popularise it are low fuel cost, simplicity of operation and—very important—lack of vibration.