The St. Louis Republic., 1903-10-21
San Francisco Aeronaut Saws His
Airship Is Great Improvement
Over Santos DumOnt's.
WILL BRING 1T TO ST. LOUIS.
Is Hopeful Of Winning the $780,
00O Offered by the Worlds Fair
COmpanv-Thinks the Aero
plane Is Impossible.

| REPUBLIC STECTAL
san Francisco. Cal. Oct. 2l.-Doctor
August Greth. who last Sunday success
fully sailed the air in an airship Of his
own invention. intends 70 compete FOR the
sioo.o00 prize and gold medal 10 he award
ed FOR the most successful airship at the
St. Louis Exposition.
Doctor Greth In an interview explained
fully the exclusive properties OF his air
ship as compared 10 the SantOs-Dumont
and Spencer machines lie said.
There are three kinds % fiying ma
chimes. so-caIled. The first. in theory. con
sists Of a machine that needs no buoyant
attachment and can raise itself by its
own force a q a hIrd does. AZ have said.
regard this sort of a machine impossible
In the present development OF force.
The weight ~ the best power We have
increases in EeometricaI proportion 70 its
raising power. 30 that. n We have an
engine weighing two pounds. FOR instance.
and capable Of raising two pounds from the
earth by Itself and IL should desire to
double its raising capacity. We would
have 10 increase its weight TO eisht
pounds ManifestIy. when we desire TO
utilize such power 70 raise a ton. for IN
stance. the weight Of the engine alone
would be 50 great as 90 preclude it rais-
ing itself Birds don't grow too large In
size because an Increase IN their weight
would preclude their flying freely.
Accordingly. we are left with two pos
sible problems One is an airshfp with n
gas bag inside and containing machinery
and steering appliances with sccommoda-
tions for freight and passengers. This
necessarily must hc on large scale and
its size would have 90 b. enormous. To b
properly dirigible and have a commercial
value. Il would have 10 - as large as our
greatest ocean liners I have models for
this kind of an airship and hope 10 live
10 see one completed along the lines OF
my plans. The cost OF % Is all that deters
me from constructing one at present.
DESCRIBES HIS MACHINE.
The third and most fcassble aIrship
from pecuniary point OF view Is ma
chine modelled after the same principles
adopted in the one I used In my trip sun
elliptlcal in shape and connected with a
frame swung underneath It which carries
the motor-power and steering gear. and
place for the navigator.
THE shape Of the balloon Is the same as
Ger. but I have improved over them by
doing away With the halloouette. which is
a smaller balloon filled with air and de-
signed To equalize the expansion IN the
hydrogen balloon. Tho baIloouette Is un-
successful because Il vitistes the hydrogen
by introducing air into g. Instead 81
that. l have a special netting over my
balloon which keeps Il taut on top and at
the ends even with a small supply of gas
and prevents the possibility or 'buckling.'
''Santos-Dumont met with a catastro-
phe because his balloon buckIed upon him.
Nv balloon will always preserve its shape
Another thing have done iS TO swing
my frame only seven feet below the
balloon. rendering the machine more cas-
ily dirlEibl.. The other models have the
frame swung twenty feet below the
balloon. and this makes the framework
a drag on buoyancy uf the machine. and
renders the balloon hard 70 control.
by my experiments. have proved that
the proximity Of a gasoline motor TO the
balloon was not dangerous factor.
The greatest Improvement have made
is in the prope.lers. The Ssntos-Dumont
frames are equipped with only one sta
tionary propeller. placed at the end. In
my perfected machine there are four pro-
pellcrs. one at each cardinal point % the
frame. and all worked through universal
shafts by one motor"
Since Doctor Grcth's successful expert
ment there has arisen crop OF aeronauts
who are willing 10 chance the dangers OF
making an ascension in the machine he
invented and nsviEatCd.