The Kalispell bee., 1902-04-19

is now en- route to st. Louis to confer
with Worlds fair officials on the sub
ject of the air ship races to take |
pace during the progress of the |
Louisiana Purchase exposition, mau
find warmer competition among the |
American areonauts than he antici- |
pates at this time. Many American |
inventors, with plenty of money to
back them up, are laying plans to |
dispute the Brazilian's title to being |
the "all of it" when it comes to navi- |
cation in the clouds. The dirigible |
air ship is M. Santos-Dumont's spe-
cial hobby, and his sail around the |
Eiffel tower, and the later successful |
flights over Monaco bay, have no
doubt created a general impression
that he will probably have an easy
time in walking off with the 100000
prize offered by the Louisiana Pur-
chase exposition for this sort of a
flying machine. That impression is
an erroneous one. There are others,
and there are Americans among
them. When the air ship races at
the Worlds fair are over, M. Santos
Dumont and those who expect to see
him an easy winner may find them
selves on the wrong side of the guess
ing contest. They may have another
guess coming. 1t certainly looks that
way at this distance.
Probably the most formidable con-
testant Santos-Dumont will have for
the big prize will be Alanson Wood,
the Toledo, Ohio, inventor, who, with
his partner, made a fortune in twelve
short months from his invention-the
roller coaster. Mr.. Wood is now
completing the detail work on an air
ship with which he will compete for
the prize at the St. Louis Worlds
fair for the best dirigible air ship.
One idea included in Mr.. Woods
overlooked by all other inventors,
and it was purely through accident
that he happened across this strange
and exceedingly important idea. 1t
is the one thing necessary to the sue
cessful operation of an air ship, and
without having it embodied in their
models inventors can never hope to
succeed. 1t does away with all
thought of the lifting capacity of the
air ship, and through it Mr.. Wood
can lift $4,000 pounds with the loco
motive force he intends to employ on
his ship. Practical tests given this
apparatus have demonstrated to the
inventor that his machine VII be a
success. He can see nothing now
but the big prize at st. Louis and
the wealth which will follow the solu-
tion of problem that has vexed men
for ages past.
Leo Stevens is the name of another
air ship builder who has a flying ma
chine within sixty days of compile
ton. He has his workshop on the
second floor of 291 Eighth avenue,
New York city, and says he will con-
test for the big prize at ST. Louis.
lis machine, he thinks, is an i'm
provement on the Santos-Dumont ma
chine. He expects to make his first
trip through the air over the tops of
New York's skyscrapers.
1t will be propelled by wings very
much the same as the Santos-Dumont
machine but, as Mr.. Stevens ex-
planned he has been watching Du-
mont's work closely and has taken
advantage of every weak spot that
was revealed in Dumont's work.
$50 far as solving the question of
commercial navigation of the air is
concerned" said he, 81 am not both
ering myself ! am not going into
that realm yet; but | say to you, in
all candor, and not with the enthusi-
asm of the theorist, that | know that
l have solved the problem of con-
structing a machine that will carry
one person through the air wherever
he seeks to go against any ordinary
current.
"All my life I have been making
trips through the air. I have studied
every phase of the problem of aerial
navigation. and three years ago,
when l perfected my models and Sc
cured my patents from the United
States government, | had hoped to
have nothing said about it.
Il expect to be the successful COM
petitor at st. Louis, and | hope to
have M. Santos-Dumont here to wit
ness my first trip. l am proud of
him, and while I frankly say that
have profted much by his victories,
l have gained vastly more by his de-
feats. He has had a great deal more
money than have to work with, but
he is entitled to a word of credit for
what he has done. No one who has
not made a life study of the great
problem, as have done, can compre-
bend the discouragements one meets
with. But what he has failed to do
know that | shall do.
Anyone who understands the prin,
ciples of ballooning can construct a
machine that can be lifted into the