On September 8, 1935 Dallas, Texas, Charles H. Garrett claimed he had operated his engine continuously for more than forty-eight hours. The carburetor broke up water by electrolysis into its component gases, oxygen and hydrogen, using the highly explosive hydrogen for fuel in the motor cylinder. This was the invention of his father Henry Garret. Dallas Morning News reported that Mr Garrett operated a four-cylinder engine for several minutes, at varying speeds and with several starts and stops thus the Dallas Morning News reported.
A few months later, Pathe' News filmed the car driving along Garland Road with the driver stopping at White Rock Lake to fill the fuel tank with water before cruising off. Garrett claimed instant starts in any weather, no fire hazards, cooler operation and plenty of power and speed.
December, 1935 Modern Mechanix observed this engine and reported the engine had been in operation continuously for several days.
Excerpt from Patent
Reference is primarily directed to Figure 1in which the reference numeral 1 designates the carburetor housing, which is preferably constructed of bakelite or other suitable insulating material. The housing 1 is so designed as to divide the carburetor into a float chamber 2 and gas generating chambter 4, connected by a fluid passage 3.
Water under pressure is forced into the carburetttor through an opening 5 which communicates with the float chamber 2 through the medium of the sediment chamber 6 and the needle valve orifice 7, which is closed by a needle valve 8 when the device is not in operation. A float 9 surrounds the needle valve 8 and is free to move vertically relative thereto.
Depending from the cover 10 to the float chamber 2 are two ears 11, located at spaced intervals on opposite sides of the needle valve 8. The members 12 are pivoted to the ears 11, as shown. The weighted outer ends of the members 12 rest on top of the float 9, and their inner ends are received in an annular groove in the collar 13 which is rigidly attached to the needle valve 8. Within the gas generating chamber 4, a series of spaced, depending plates 14 are suspended from a horizontal member 15 to which a wire 16 has electrical contact through the medium of the bolt 17, which extends inwardly through the housing 1 and is threaded into the horizontal member 15.
A second series of plates 18 is located intermediate the plates 14 and attached to the horizontal member 19, and has electrical contact with the wire 20 through the bolt 21. A gas passageway 22, in which a butterfly valve 23 is located, communicates with the gas generating chamber 4 through an orifice 24. An air inlet chamber 25 has communication with the gas passageway 22 above the orifice 24. A downwardly opening check valve 26 is in control of the openings 27, and is held inoperatively closed by means of light spring 28. An adjustable auxiliary air valve 29 is provided in the wall of the gas passageway 22, which air valve is closed by the butterfly valve 23 when the butterfly valve is closed, but communicates with the outside air when the butterfly valve is open.
Charles Garrett's Electrolytic Carburetor
Charles Garrett’s Patent
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