FIRE-PROOF?

NZ Truth, Issue 1174, 31 May 1928, Page 17

FIRE-PROOF?

Fuel From France English motor engineers were greatly intrigued recently when a French inventor came forward with the announcement that he had perfected a fire proof fuel, which was as efficient for motor purposes as ordinary petrol. :..'■ ; INURING the late days of the war a similar announcement was made by a Russian scientist, "but nothing came of it. Naturally, the French inventor's statement was received with a full meed of scepticism, but tests have borne out his claims almost exactly. Critical experiments were made, but the new fuel came through them with credit. One test was endeavoring to light il ■with a match, but the fuel failed to ignite. . A tin was then made nearly red hot and the new fuel poured on it, but the only effect was a sudden puff of white vapor. Tested m the carburettor of a car. the fuel was found to function quite readily so long as the engine was slightly warm, and the car performed normally with the ordinary setting of the jet and. choke. With a cold engine starting was found to be more difficult than with petrol 3 , but this drawback could be readily overcome by a special device m the manifold, whereby petrol vapor could be supplied to the engine for the first few seconds. As proof of the full efficiency of the new fuel, the first samplesof it to be , brought into England were carried across by aeroplane, the engine of which was itself running on it.