Evening star., 1900-06-30
downward without wasting gas. Gas and
"a Hast are the two most precious things"
A Conuact Motor


A Coapaot Motor.
1t scarcely hooks like an eight horsepower
motor. the little cohtrtvance packed away
there in the framework. just in front Of the
navigator: OF course. We have become
habituated to these little giants in auto
mobiles. but their great simplicity and
power are always new. It is what they call
two-cylinder racing tricycle. motor, with
rate of 1S0O revolutions a minute. With
these motors the racing tricycles attain a
speed of ninety kiloueters (f1fty-six miles)
an hour on the level French highways. The
screw or propeller Is connected with the
motor by long aluminium shaft, and
rather curious,y-is iplaced at the front
of the airship. instead of at the back.
.,nlt 1T viii give rive you pull.%% I remarked.
Il cannot see that 1t makes any differ
encs in the air" replied the inventor. This
screw. which is to propel the balloon
through the air. just as the propeller of
has a diameter of four meters thrteen
feeo, and is made, like all the rest, of
aluminium and silk. 1t is large and strong.
and has only three revolutions second.
front there to trouble me. 1 put the pro-
peler in front simply to balance the whole.
And take notice. it- may lift the front,
which would be useful
What is the force of the propeller"
I hope 1t will give not less than 40 kilos
traction (the same as 40 kios pushing.
which would represent speed of ten yards
a second through the air. This would be
at the rate of twenty miles an hour.
speed through the air much greater than
ever attained with my old machine. The
volume of this new balloon is double that
of the old one, but not the resistance. while
the motive power is three times greater"
Going against, a Wind.
against a wind Of less than twenty miles
an hour?"
There Is no going against wind when
you are up in the air. You are in the wind
itself, you become a part of it. and you do
not feel any wind against you at all. The
navigation Of the air Is just like the navi-
cation OF a river. 1t is not like the naviga-
lacking is foolishness. With my pro-
peller pulling me through the air at the
rate OF twenty miles an hour l am in the
position of a steamboat captain whose pro-
peiler is driving him up or down a river at
the rate OF twenty miles an hour. Suppose
the current is ten miles an hour. If he
goes against the current. he really accom-
plishes ten miles an hour with respect to
the shore, although he has been going at
the rate of twenty miles an hour through
the water. If he goes with the current, he
accomplishes thirty miles an hour with
respect to the shore, though he has only
been going twenty miles an hour through
the water. 1t is the same with currents of
air. Ordinarily, l would prefer no current
at all-like a calm lake to navigate. If
there are currents. however. 1 want them
in my direction. and by mounting higher
in the air l can often find them. But to
talk about going against the wind Is mis-
leading. If the current of air-or wind
is stronger than l am, / must simply go
with it. In any case. 1 am in it, part OF
it, and so do not feel it.
He Has No Fear.
AS Dumont sat straddlng the bicycle sad
die. his feet on the. pedals. one hand on the
brass cylinder containing his supply Of pc
troleum essence and the other on the spigot
of the larger brass cylinder containing his
supply of water ballast. l could not but
wonder at his courage in trusting himself
to the air so unprotected. IF you should
faint while up there you would fall and be
dashed to pieces" I exclaimed. Il shall
not faint he answered. He is persuaded
that he is just as safe sitting in that open
framework-so long as he keeps his head
as he would be in a basket. STILL the thing
looks hazardous to an outsider. ~The i'm
mense cigar-shaped balloon. ninety-four
feet long and eighteen feet in its greatest
diameter, extends itself over his head.
Suspended to it. hanging about three yards
below it. is the open framework contain
ing the motor. propeller. fuel. ballast, the
navigator and his instrument, hung here
and there within reach. His feet are on
the bicycle pedals. put to their new use.
An extremely long bamboo rod-two rods
Joined together-forms the center of this
framework A few inches below it. run
ming parallel with it, incased in tubing, is
the long shaft from the motor to the screw
propeller The rest of the framework is
composed of rigid aluminium rods and tight
~ drawn metal ropes which at the center,
where the navigator sits, afford a more
real protection and support than they at
first appear to do Il have no fear of fall
ing out of the framework repeats Santos
Dumont. because l know that l shall keep
my head A basket would be a good thing
for any one proposing to lie down in the
bottom of it and shut his eyes: but l must
control all this machinery, and must be
situated so that 1 can do it promptly. AS
il is, l have everything within reach of
my hands and feet. | ask no better pro-
tection.''
Believe He VIII Win.
1t remains to be seen whether or not the
daring navigator of the air will change his
mind and surround himself with at least
netting after he has made trip or two In
the meantime none of the members OF the
Aero Club doubts that their man will win
the Deutsch prize. So far there is no
other entry. The first period, June 1-15,
passed without an effort to accomplish the
task set. Dumont's machine was not ready.
Should Dumont make successful dash for
it between September Is and 30 none of his
friends would be surprised. He has al
ready done the thing in his smaller nav-
fered. mounting from the Bagatelle plain
by the river. propelling himself to the
Eiffel tower, twice around 1t and return
ing to the point of departure. II shall do
more than that" was his last confident re-
mark. Before the year is out l shall win
half dozen bets by landing on the roof
garden of the Automobile Club, in the full
center of Paris" The days Santos-Dumont
accompiishes that wonder aerial naviga-
ton will have become an accomplished fact.
II