New-York tribune., 1902-07-20
PREPARING FOR AIR TRIP
SHIP TO BE READY FOR SANTOS-DU
MONT THIS WEEK

MONT THIS WEEK.
on the invitation Of George Francis Kerr. sec
retary Of the Aero Club Of America. the press Of
New-York yesterday enjoyed a private view Of
~. Santos -DumOnt's airship at Brighton Beach.
The invitation contained the statement that the
airshlp would be shown ready for flight with
the balloon inflated" This was not carried out
10 the letter. the parts Of the machine were
not assembled. and the envelope had been only
half hlled with gas at the appointed hour.
o'clock. The men in charge said that the bal
loon would not be full until or 4 o'clock
working model. however. about eight feet long.
and fully inflated. with the frame attached and
the motor and propeller in miniature in
place. was suspended from a beam in the big
"aerodrome" the barnlike structure west Of
the music pavilion is called The model even
contained pasteboard silhouette OF the famous
Brazilian. and was placed at the disposal of the
press photographers as a means the end OF
advance illustration.
The airship. which has been made expressly
for the aeronaut's experiments in this country.
is new. and has been named the Santos Dumont
With The framework to he suspended from the
balloon. the car and the motor. except some late
improvements arc the same as those used in
the aerOnauts flight around the Eiffel Tower. in
Paris The frame of cypress wood. which was
used in the Einel Tower expedition. has been
planed down and made nRueh-lighter. The en-
velOpe is entirely new and is made of a thin
but strong oiled silk. 1t was made by La Cham
bre, who also made the balloon in which Andree
attempted TO reach the North Pole. 1t is 115
feet long and 10 feet in diameter in the largest
part. Its shape is that Of a cylinder terminal
ing at each end in a Its lifting power.
contrary to general impression. is insufficient
to carry its load into the air The airship can
rise only when its front is somewhat raised and
the propeller is set in motion.
The motor. which made by Buchet is
thirty-hve horsepower gasolene engine such as
is used in France for automobiles The motor
is not reversible. and the airship cannot sail
backward. To retrace its course it must be
turned in the air. The motor as heretofore used
had only an air cooler. but 10 obviate possi-
bility of stoppage in the flight water cooler
weighing thirty-three pounds when charged
will be added for this Country's work
The frame. which is somewhat shorter than
the envelope. is made of cypress longitudinal
bars about one and a half inches square and
covered with aluminium thmbles at the splices
with trusses of the same material connecting
the upper and lower bars. The frame is drawn
to a point at each end and is stiffened and
strengthened with fine wire braces which have
been carefully tested for strength. The weight
is accurately distributed The motor with the
brass gasolene tanks. carrying a supply for a
run of about fifteen hours, are placed in the
centre of the frame. At the stern is the pro-
peller of aluminium and canvas weighing 115
pounds, and at the prov is the car which with
the aeronaut weighs approximately the same
as the propeller. The total weight Of the frame
motor. propeller. trailing rope ballast and aero
naut will be about twenty-three hundred
pounds, or three hundred pounds more than one
ton.
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 centre of the bottom of the frame. ex-
tending nearly it's whole length is a light rod
from which will trail long and heavy rope
The object of this is twofold. 1t will serve as
steadying agent in rising, and both as a steader
ana retarder of progress in alighting. Its prin-
cipal use however. is as a movable ballast
which, when shifted toward the stern elevates
the prov Of the ship and causes IL to rise and
when brought forward depresses the prov and
causes the ship to descend This trailing rope
Is the only means for governing the flight of the
ship in respect to it's altitude. There are no
wings or side rudders on the ship 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
endeavored to navigate the atmosphere The
simplicity and efficiency of this device are said
to be distinguishing characteristic of all the
BraZilian's ships.
The "aerodrome' in which the ship is housed
and which the public will be permitted to enter
tomorrow Tor tne UrSt tlHle, IS a nuSe, uu-
painted structure. which resembles grain ele-
vator more than anything else with which New
Workers are familiar. 1t is 10 feet long. 6o
feet wide and 30 feet high. 1t has doors at the
south end 40 feet high and wide. through which
the aeronaut expects TO sail away seaward on
his first flight from Brighton Beach. The air
ship fully inflated and loaded. with Nj. Santos
Dumont in the car and the motor running. will
pass out of the building by its own power. and.
rising fly away. That at least, is the pro-
gramme. After NJ Santos Dumont has taken
a birdseye view of COney Island and its numer-
Gus attractions. provided he can control HIM
self 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 Iuly Il and will arrive in New-York about
the middle of this week IL is asserted by those
I'm charge OF the work at the "aerodrome' that
everything will he ready for his flight when he
arrives The electric light and telephone wires
between the "aerodrome" and the beach are to
he taken down before the airship energies.
The imitation of the balloon was not COM
pleted Yesterday as intended. 1t will be hn-
ished earIv Tomorrow morning and the ship
will be shown inside the building ready to sail
rnr an