54 Miracles Ahead! 



be elbowed out of the race by other rivals. They explain that 

 although stainless steel is three times as heavy as the light- 

 metal alloys it is so much stronger that only one-third as much 

 need be used. They believe that further experiments with 

 light-gauge steel will permit them to do as much with it as 

 with the light metals. 



New Gasoline 



Tremendous improvement in gasoline not only will permit 

 the use of lighter, smaller engines but will require the con- 

 struction of entirely new engines to burn this fuel. The 

 Socony- Vacuum Oil Company reports that its new gasoline 

 is so powerful that no engine now in operation can make full 

 use of it. 



The big oil companies are producing immense quantities of 

 powerful (high-octane) gasoline for military use. This fuel 

 should hasten the day of victory. It adds 15 per cent to the 

 operating range of our bombers and permits an increased load 

 of two to three tons of bombs for every ten tons they carry 

 today. It enables fighter planes to get "upstairs" faster a 

 priceless asset in aerial combat. Cargo planes carry heavier 

 loads to far-flung battle fronts because their engines have the 

 extra power needed for the job. 



This extra power is made possible because high-octane gas- 

 oline gets rid of the "knock" in engines. When fuel "knocks" 

 in an engine it is not burning evenly and efficiently. In order 

 to build a high-compression engine it was necessary to develop 

 high-octane "antiknock" gasoline. 



Several years ago chemists worked out an "octane scale" to 

 measure the efficiency and "antiknock" quality of gasoline. 

 The "100 octane" rating was given a variety of fuel that 

 would be 100 per cent antiknock. Then the chemists began 

 shooting at the 100 octane goal. 



