New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-01-19

looking about for good investment, they pl'Ve
:. at least" before the 200 and then stop, leav-
ing something 20 the Imagination.
The tfia!-;rip of the new ship was to have
becn made. we learn. on the lst OF JANUARY,
Inn, il did not come off. II may he added that
that il what i, generally the matter with the
triaI.tripS of such craft-thcy are postponed
sometime, indefinitely, owing to circumstances
over which the man at the helm has no control
n srcak OF! However an aluminium air-Shp
is not TO be COMPOUNDED with lis predecessors,
and the public judgment must be suspended
until il has been sub jcCtcd 10 what Is famllIarly
kuoyyn rs the crucial test. There is no reason
to believe that The Journal bears any Srudgc
ataiuSt the stockholders or would object to tray
eI;ug at The rate of at least 200 miles an hour
81 that if il is somewhat sccptical touching the
success, of this latest attempt to solve one OF
the battling questions Of the ages, we are bound
to believe that it has approached the subject
from a purely scientific point of view. After
giving the dimensions OF the aluminium SHIP II
saws that - the problem Of building frame
work 20 feet long and 20 feet IN diameter sim
enough to prevent the collapse Of the Sheathng
and 10 sustain the weight OF itself rs well -
of passengers, machinery etc. and yet not
weighing over $500 pounds, would be pro-
nounced impossible of solution By engineers ac-
cIstomcd 10 work on steel" OF cOuiSc the an
swcr iS-peIhaps the stockholders VIII come our
in card and make it-that the " Impossible
is "A relative term. that the lmp0SNpllitieS Oh
one age have often turned out to be the aChlcNc-
mcntS of the next. The buoyancy chamber o1
the ship is to be l10 feet in length ana ~ leet
in diameter with Fitting power OF o,0OO
mounds. The gas-cnginc will weigh only $50
poands and will develop 100. horsepower. The
ship is to weigh only 1850 pounds, is to cost
50 800, and to carry fifty passengers. The
dirt cheap cost of the wonder is said 10 he owing
TO the fact that " The company has its own pro-
cess of making aluminium
We give these figures for what they are
worth. and in response to THE Journals"
criticism that " the daily press has allowed them
to pa.S without question" it may he explained
that experience has taught the daily press to
receive all stories telling Of new ships that
are going Ia make at least 200 miles an hour
with several. in fact good many grains OF
salt That the ship in question iN an evolution
from the inner Consciousness OF some enter
uri,ing gentleman o! the Jac> Verne school
and exists only in his mind fanciful eye Is
doubtless, the solid Truth of the matter. STILL
let the ship be produced and launched and
make at least 300 miles an hour and We shall
make an ample apology 20 those concerned.
Nine wears ago T.. e. S,cdmln. who had given
considerable attention To- the subject, wrote
letter to TIE TRIBUNE on aerial navigation
He expressed himself hopefully. In 1879 he
had stated IN a magazine Article that three
factors were still needed for the successful con
>irlci0n and use Of what he styled an acronon
| hcsc factors were IN improved ~ tor, meth
cd Of storing force 80 that il could be applied
To the aorcnon. and cheap process Of obtaining
aluminium in quantity. When he ponned his
letter to thi, paper in $50 the last TWO of these
factors seemed to have been found. and he felt
warranted in saying e Judge that the pre-
dicion of an early solution of the problem Is
not without basis" %. although tho new ship
may turn oul To be an off month fiction. there
/, no reason in the nature of things why it
should not turn out 20 be fact.