The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-08-21
CALLS TT INSANE
EXPERT ON REACHING THE NORTH
POLE BY BALLOON.

Declares it to be Entirely ImpracttcaDie' AZ
Balloon Can Only be Kept Afioat by
Continual See-Sawing Accomplished by
Throwing Out Ballast at Intervais-It is
also Necessary to Alight Occasionally
and RepIenish the Gas-f Man
Reached the Pole He would not be Able
to Get Back Anyway.
Denver, Colo, Aug. 2O.-Sergeant Ivy
Baldwin of the United States signal ser
vice CORDS spent the day yesterday at
headquarters in the Equitable bulId-
ing. The sergeant is seldom seen at
Headquarters and il is rumorod that his
time is largely spent in working upon
new idea in asrial locomotion which
may SOME day astonish the world.
Captain GIassford, the head of the Sig
nal service and balloon branch of the
army in this department, is noted for
original investigation, and it is quietly
limited that the captain has conJured
I'D several knotty problems in aeron-
autics which Baldwin, as the practical
man in the speciality, is attempting to
bring 10 a successful issue. On this
subject both the captain and the ser
geant are absolutely mum.
Upon other subjects Baldwin is not
so difficult to approach. What do
think of trying to get TO the north pole
in a balloon?" repeated he in answer
10 an inquiry Il think it is absolute
insanity for any man to make the at
tempt. / will venture this proposition:
If any man reaches the north pole IN
a balloon during my lifetime, he or any
body else may come to Denver ana
throw me off the top of the Eqltabie
building ] won't ask to be attached to
q parachute either.
DISTANCE TOO FAR.
Then Baldwin explained why the
north pole project which is being so
extensively exploited, is, in his opinion,
and impossibility. NE person" said
he, has travelled more than 200 miles
In a balloon before coming down to the
earth. This thing of staying in the air
is a kind Of see-Saw business that
wears out after thirty Of forty hours.
First there is the expansion Of the bal
loon as it reaches higher altitude and
lighter air. Then comes the counterac-
ton on account of the chilling of the
gas by the cold air. Next the ballist
gas by the cold air. Next the ballast
must drop toward the earth. AS the
ballast goes out the balloon will drop
toward the earth. AS the ballast goes
out the balloon begins 10 rise again.
The See-saw game can't keep up for
ever as the ballast gives out, and from
that time the tendency is downward.
The sergeant has been travelling in
the air, off and on, for fifteen years and
he has learned great deal about air
navigation that is not found in the
books. For the information of the
Press representa- tive, he made a cacu-
1ation as to the weight of material re-
quired to manufacture hydrogen gas
for balloon carrying $4,000 cubic feet
of gas. The gas is made from sudphu-
qic acid, water and iron filling. He
estimate that balloon of the size in
the largest size by any
for its initiation 1900
pounds of iron. 1000 pounds of sui
phuric acid and $4,000 pounds of water.
The total weight of the constituents
to manufacture gas for fill
ing the balloon reaches the enormous
weight Of thirty-six tons. Sulphuric
acid, he explained, weighs eighteen
pounds to the gallon and water ten
pounds to the gallon. Hydrogen gas
lifts only sixty-five pounds to each l.
named would convey three persons
safely enough butwhere would the gas
material be slowed? -
HOW REPLACE LOST GAS.
"As we would go up" said the aer-
Iaut, I'VE would be obliged to throw out
gas or the balloon would burst. Where
could We get the gas to take place of
that thrown away?
Turning to another phase Of the ques-
ton, Baldwin claimed that it is impos-
sible to store material for the manu-
facture of gas along the route, as no
baIloonist knows in advance where he
x1,v 20 1-h hn
pole was reached, the difficulty would
be presented of getting hSck home
again. Even at the latitude of Denver,
Baldwin says he has found il extreme
ly difficult to keep affoat in the air, and
in higher ATTITUDES, toward the pole,
where the cold is much greater, he re-
CARDS the navigation of the air as eX-
tremely problematical.
Baldwin has made ]. 400 ascensions
and he is still young man Of %. He
has never suffered a broken bone, al
though he has had a number of hair
breadth escapes on account OF the
baungling or carelessness of others
He always feels nervous when about to
take a flight in a hot air balloon, as
the "sDarkler" may not have clapped
on the damper at the right time and
the air ship may burst into a flame
after 1t shoots upward. Then there is
nothing but death or terrible bodily in
jury for the aeronaut. Baldwin has
never kept a record of the accidents
to arenauts, but he says accidents are
faithfully recorded in Fran and
books of hundreds of pages are filled
with them.
THE TORPEDO BALLOON.
A project which Baldwin has been
thinking about since he enlisted in the
army is to devise a torpedo to sail from
q balloon into an enemy's city or camp.
His idea is that an Seroplane can be
made that will carry a torpedo ten or
fifteen miles. if desired. always on a
down grade. and explode where it will
do the most harm TO the enemy. BY
means of such an instrument of de-
struction, whole cities could be blown
into enternity and the chief operator
could remain al a safe distance high IN
the air Should the idea be carried out.
the air will be used as a medium for
conveying the torpedo instead of water.
as under the present conditions.
Baldwin has no faith in the plan of
soaring over the enemy's camp and
dropping torpedoes or dynamite at will.
Il was for several months in charge
OF a captive balloon at the City Of Mex
leo" said he The balloon could travel
l5e0 feet upward before il reached the
end Of the rope. One day as l was
leisurely taking in the scenery from the
edge of the basket and explaining 10 a
beautiful Mexican lady how safe the
balloon was. my eye caught ball of
fire that was rapidly whirling through
the air towards US. l tagged my broth
er 10 be pulled down With all speed and
as we descended we passed close TO
party of MeXicanS. The paper affair
caught fire II sas air and had il touch