Frank, hoping at last to be rewarded for his efforts by the sound of explosions from the engine, was ready to give the carriage an indoor trial. Standing astraddle of the reach and facing to the rear, he spun the flywheel with both hands, taking care not to get his hands caught between the wheel and the frame. His efforts were in vain, as there was complete failure to obtain ignition. He then made a new ignition tube, nearly twice as long as the original 4-1/2-inch tube, and turned down its wall as thin as he thought safety allowed. The thinner wall did not conduct the heat off so rapidly and thus kept the tube hot enough to permit ignition. After this slight change, he was able to get a few occasional explosions but he does not now believe that the engine ever operated continuously. Each explosion was accompanied by a loud knock, due, undoubtedly, to the movement of the free piston. Had the engine operated continuously, it is likely that the action of the free piston would have shortly wrecked the engine. Further efforts appeared unwarranted until alterations could be made.
[Illustration: ALL AGREEMENTS CONTINGENT UPON STRIKES, ACCIDENTS AND OTHER CAUSES BEYOND OUR CONTROL
CABL ADDRESS "MOTODURYEA," PHILADELPHIA WESTINGHOUSE AND W. U. CODES
DURYEA LABORATORIES CHAS. E. DURYEA, CONSULTING ENG'R WE SOLV MECHANICAL AND OTHER PROBLEMS TESTS, SEARCHES, OPINIONS, EXPERT IN PATENT SUITS. DEVELOP INVENTIONS, ASSIST INVENTORS 35 YRS EXPERIENS. HEATING, GAS ENGIN, AUTO, ETC. FOR THINGS TO MAKE OR SEL CONSULT US A PRIDEWORTHY RECORD OF THINGS ACCOMPLISHT
On the train I had some time to puzzle over that car. Been working nights to make up time lost in the day so did not hav much.
I made a sketch for you but did not show the spring that holds the circuit breaker in contact with the spark point. That thin finger was part of it. A spring was wound spirally--not helically--around the projecting end of the breaker pivot and the end of the spring hookt over the thin finger. See sketch herwith.
Just how the central end of the spring wire was fastened to the square of the pivot I do not kno. We did in some cases bore a hole thru and simply stick the spring thru but this put most of the action right at the bend in the wire and it broke quickly. So in other cases we fitted a light grooved spool or pulley and wound the spring around this and so avoided a sharp bend. If this was used it has been lost with the spring. A couple generations of boys playing in that barn was too many.