The Washington times., 1902-07-21
New Ship for M. Santos
Dumont Nearly Ready
for Flight.
WORKING MODEL INFLATED
Made Expressly for Experiments in the
United States, and Named Santos
Dumont vI-Improvements Over Ma
chine Used at Eiffel Tower, in Paris.

of NJ. Santos -Dumonts airship n
Brighton Beach yesterday. The in
vitation contained the statement thai
the airship would be shown ready
for flight. with the balloon inflated. -
! This was not carried out to tbs
| letter, as the parts Of the machine
were not assembled. and the envelope
had been only half filled with gas at tn,
appointed hour. 3 o'clock. The men in
charge said that the balloon would no;
be full until 6 or I o'clock. a working
model, however. about eight feet long.
and fully inflated, with the frame at
tached and the car, motor and propeller
in miniature in place, was suspended
from a beam in the big "aerodrome." as
the barnlike structure west of the music
pavilion is called. The model even con-
tanned a pasteboard silhouette of the
famous Brazilian. and was placed at the
disposal of the press photographers as a
means of advance illustration
Experiments in This Country.
The airship, which has been made ex-
pressiy for the aeronaut's experiments
in this country, is new, and has been
named the Santos-Dumont VI. The
framework TO be suspended from the
balloon, the car and the motor, ex-
cept some late improvements, are the
same as those used in the a.ronaut S
flight around Eiffel Tower, in Paris.
The frame of cypress wood, which was
used in the Eiffel Tower expedition, has
been planed down and made much light
er. The envelope is entirely new, and
is made of thin but strong oiled silk
1t was made by La Chambre, who also
made the balloon in which Andree at
tempted to reach the North Pole II is
lis feet long and 10 feet in diameter
in the largest part. Its shape Is that
of a cylinder terminating at each end
in a cone. Its lifting power contrary to
a general impression, is insufficient to
carry its load into the air. The air
ship can rise only when its front is
somewhat raised and the propeller is se;
in motion.
Motor by Buchet.
The motor. which was made by Buchct.
is a thirty-five horse power gasolene
engine, such as is used In France for
automobiles. The motor is not rever-
sible, and the airship cannot sail back
ward. To retrace its course, 1t must
be turned in the air. The motor as
heretofore used had only an air cooler.
but to obviate possibility OF stoppage
In the flight. water cooler weighing
thirty-three pounds when charged, will
be added for this oountry's work.
The frame, which is somewhat shorter
than the envelope. is made of cypress
longitudinal bars about one and one
half inches square, and covered with
aluminium thimbles at the splices, with
trusses OF the same material connecting
the upper and lower bars. The frame
Is drawn to point at each end, and
is stiffened and strengthened with fine
wire braces, which have been carefully
tested for strength. The weight Is ac-
curately distributed. The motor, with
the dry batteries for sparkling" the
gas. and the brass gasoline tanks. carry
ing supply for run OF about fifteen
hours, are placed in the center of the
frame. AT the stern is the propeller
of aluminium and canvas. weighing ll5
pounds, and at the prov is the car,
which. with the aeronaut, weighs ap-
proximately the same as the propeller.
The total weight OF the frame, motor,
propeller, trailing rope, ballast and
aeronaut will be about 1900 pounds. or
300 pounds more than one ton
Two-Leaved Propeller.
The propeller has only two leaves.
and from the outer end of one to that
OF the other the distance is sixteen feet. |
In the center of the bottom Of the
frame. extending nearly its whole |
length. is a light rod from which will |
raf lrra
1ect Of this is twofold. It will serve as |
a steadying agent in rising. and both as |
steadier and retarder OF progress in |
alghting. Its principal use, however, is |
as movable ballast which, when shift |
ed toward the stern, elevates the prow |
OF the snip and causes II to rise, and |
when brought forward depresaes the
prov and causes the ship to descend |
This trailing rope is the only means
Tor governing the flight of the ship in
respect to its altitude There are 10
wings or side rudders on the shin. and
in this particular. more. perhaps. than
IN any other part of the general plan,
NJ. Santos -Dumont's airship differs from
those of others who have endeayored 70
navigate the atmosphere. The sim
plicity and efficiency of this device are
said TO be distinguishing characteris-
tic OF all the Brazilian's ships.
To Admit Public.
The "aerodrome.' In which the shin Is
housed, and which the public Will be
permitted to enter tomorrow for the
first time, is a huge. unpainted struc-
ture. which resembles grain elevator
more than anything else with which New
Workers are familiar. II is l25 feet long
60 feet wide, and 90 feet high II has
doors at the south end 40 feet high
through which the aercnaut expects IN
sail away seaward on his first flight from
Brighton Beach. The airship. fully in
fiated and loaded. with NJ. Santos-Du-
mont in the car and the motor running
will pass out of the building by It's own
power, and. rising. fly away. That. at
least. is the program. After NJ Santos
Dumcnt has taken a birds-eye view of
coney Island and its numerous attrac-
tions, provided he can control himself
and his machine after seeing such sights.
he expects to return TO the "aerodrome. -
This flight is TO be taken within the
next two weeks. NJ. Santos -Dumont
sailed from Havre ON July II, and will
arrive infNew York about>the middle of
this week. II Is asserted by those in
charge of the work at the "aerodrome"
that everything will be ready for his
hight when he arrives. The electric
Light and telephone wires between the