New-York tribune., 1901-08-11
PARIS.
DEFICITS FLYING MACHINES AND
WALKING STICKS.
DEFICITS
THE PRINCIPAL TOPICS DISCUSSED AT
PRESENT BY THE MERCURIAL
FRENCHMEN

Copyright; 1901 By The New-York Trfbune)
IBY CABLE TO THE TRIBUNE.I
Paris. Aug. i0-The monthly deficits in the
revenue returns come with depressing regular
ity. Those published for July show falling off
Of S4.O0OOO0 from those Of July. 1900 and SILL
100000 from the government estimates for the
month. This brings the deficiency in budget
estimates for the seven months just ended up to
S1S.OO0.OO0, exclusive of the extraordinary ex-
penses authorized by the closing session Of the
Chamber. There is a loud cry for retrenchment
in expenses all along the line. from the con-
seTvative and catholic "Gaulois" TO the socialist
Petite Repubnque." but expenses are in
variably allowed whenever it comes to details.
The Parliamentary subcommittee on the
feasibility Of constructing ship canal between
the Bay Of Biscay and the Mediterranean after
visiting and studying the Manchester and the
Elbe-Baltic canals, has reported favorably on
the subject In political and financial circles it
is thought that the project Will soon be under
taken and viii provide opportunity for the pres
ent enormous accumulation Of French capital TO
be employed in home investment.
NJ santos-Dumont is by no means discouraged
by the collapse Of his balloon on Thursday
morning. and has already begun the construc-
tion Of the Santos-Dumont No. g. In conversa-
tion last evening the plucky and persistent aero
naut said:
This was my third shipwreck in the air. and
no doubt I shall have TO undergo several more
Of them, because we are still a long way off
from any really practicable means of aerial navi-
cation"
VIII your new balloon be larger than the
Santos -Dumont No 80"
mo, only very slightly larger because, II I
should increase the size a greater weight could
be raised, but at the same time greater sur
face would be exposed 70 the atmospheric cur
rents, and stronger motor power, which means
greater weight Of machinery. would be required %
Are you still convinced that you are on the
right track?"
Yes, indeed. The experience OF Thursday. I
think proved that, because the motor was work
ing all right at the time Of the collapse and the
aerial screw was revolving two hundred times a
minute. This quite sufficient to propeI the
ship dead against the wind, which. as well as
could Judge. was blowing at the rate OF six
metres second. But the practical lesson I
learned on Thursday that the fault was in
the balloon itself. not in the motor nor in the
steering gear. You see, the balIon was not rigid
enough. and, much to my arnazement il doubled
up just Ike one Of your American folding beds.
and the tissue Of the balloon fouled the screw
and threw the whole apparatus out Of balance
To understand this. you must remember that the
S6Auos-Dunont NO D was merely an aeroplane
charged with hydrogen gas in such quantity that
the weight Of the whole apparatus exceeded the
weight Of the air it displaced by only about one
hundred pounds. Rigidity was secured by the
pressure Of gas inside, and on Thursday I found
out 70 my cost that in facing the wind the out
side pressure became so excessive as TO cause
the front end OF the balloon TO sag and colIapse
When that happens Of course the aeropIane
property vanishes. I had already tried a sort or
pocket, or inner balloon. TO stinen the point of
the cigar, into which air could be forced at viii