The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-01-22
COMES TO UNFOLD
AIRSHIP PROBLEMS

We shall see that even Santos Dum0nt 3
balloon is not able to travel fast enough
through the air to hold its own agains.
even a. slight breeze. So am OF the
opinion that II there is an exhibition Of
dirigible balloons at St Louis that very
few Of them viii be able 10 return from
the point of departure 1t viii Ue fond
7 think. that when these balIoo.5 ascend
they will travel with the wind tust es-
actIy like any other balloon. no matter
which way they are pointed. aud that
they descend 20 the earth just like ether
balloons. and have 10 be dismanueI and
sent back 10 the point OF departure ly
some means OF land conveyance.
Il do not know whether I shall attack
the question again myself OF not. How
ever, in any case I shall be pleased to
send one Of my steam engines TO 81.
Louis, which. I think. is the lightest
steam engine for its power ever made
in the world
Il think it viii be admitted that my
steam engine and boiler we're gerry light
and effective. but they required a vast
quantity Of water; indeed. the guam
tity CT water was so great that even if
my engines and boilers had not weighed
anything at all the machine could not
have been considered a success. At
first it appeared to me that I should
be able 20 condense my steam. enter
ed into careful mathematical compu-
tations as regards the power and lift-
ng effect basing my calculations
altogether on formulate which I had OBJ
tuned from experiments made with
very much smaller apparatus, and also
from the formulae of Professor Langley.
However, it was found that a very
large machine was not anything
like as efficient as the small models.
7 had expected in the first instance that
I should only require 100 horsepower,
while I found by experiment that l
could eocdense all my steam when
was running at a velocity OF forty-two
miles an hour. When, however, ] ran
my power up to 362 horsepower, it was
quite Impossible 10 condeDse the steam.
In regard tos COndenseTs. I found With
thin oval tubes 5riven sideway
through the air at the rate Of forty
two miles an hour, the steam for one
horsepower could be condensed with one
pound of copper. the temperature of
the cir at the time being s. Fahrenheit.
At the time I made my experiments
tie steam engine appeared to be prefer
able TO aII others Since that time,
however. I should say that fully 81
GOO 600 sterling has been spent in the
various countries of the world in eX-
DerImeutaI work on petroleum motors
for driving motor ears. and these eX-
periments have all been in the direction
NJ great power and extreme Iightness. /
The experimental on aeronautical ma
chimes. therefore. has an advantage
now which none had a few years ago
He can take the engine where the
has left it and refine it still
more in the direction Of Iightness at /
, comparative small expense. The /
quantity of water required for keeping I
he cylinders of a gas motor cool is /
1nIy one-seventh as much as was re-
luired TO run steam engine OF the I
same power Il is therefore evident (
hat the petroleum motor is the one
which lends itself best ar tls sent /
moment to experimental work 0 70 |
nautical machines.
Yours sincerely.
HIRAM S MAXIM"