The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-07-20
SANTOS HOPES To
COMPOUND SKEPT|CS,
Working Hard to Complete Dirigi-
BE Balloon Capable of Car
rying Twelve Persons.
IS CONFIDENT OF SUCCESS.
Says He Has Proven That Princl-
pie on Which He Works Is
Right and Its Application
a Matter of Mechanics.

SPECIAL BY CABLE TO THE NEW YORK
HERALD AND TIIF: ST LOUIS REPUBLIC.
Paris. July 1g-M Santos-Dumont. the
Brazilian aeronaut. who has convinced all
| but the most skeptcal Of Frenchmen that
his experiments with the dirisible balloon
are destined to have immense practical
value, is a very busy man these days.
Having demonstrated that he can abso-
luteIy control his small airship. which he
calls the Santos-Dumont No. o the in
ventor is now all eagerness to show that ne
can accomplish the same results with Il ma
chine capable OF carrying twelve persons.
Il am going to work Immediately on my
mammoth balloon. capable Of carrying
dozen persons" said Santos to-day. by
the middle of this week 1 shall have it in
my balloon shed and l expect to make nv
first public trial shortly afterward From
that time on. my experiments should be of
the greatest practical value.
PRINCIPLE is THE SAME
81 believe 1 have demonstrated my ability
to do just what like with my lighter air
ships. and l am perfectly confident that
can build i larger and weightier machine
which may be just as easily and accurately
controlled.
1T has been the constant cry of those
who doubt that the dirigible balloon will
ever be of practical value that / have ex-
hibited none but the lightest of aircraft. in
capable of resisting storms or gales. or OF
carrying more than two persons. 1t will
he my pleasure and first work therefore to
show these critics that the principle which
/ have developed and successfully demon
strated with my first machines may be as
successfully applied to aircraft of greater
bulk. weight and carrying power
Such machine | am now building and
such enc hope to exhibit at the St Louis
Worlds Fair. In the meantime 1 ask those
who think the problem of aerial navigation
will never be solved by the dirigible balloon
to suspend Judgment
HIS LADY UNDERSTUDY.
When asked about his pupil and under
study, Miss Ada De Costa, NJ. Santos re-
Piled
''oh. she has sailed for her home in New
York. answered Santos What nerve that
girl had, A Cuban by birth. 10 years old and
beautiful. she came to the aerodrome one
day with her mother put her in a balloon
basket and drew her around the shed. show
ing how the apparatus worked. Later we
tried modest ascension in the field about
the shed.
After a week of trials l allowed her to
go TO the Bots de Rouogne. directing the
balloon herself. | had balanced it so she
couldn't rise higher than 100 feet and had
drag rope trailing. though she had full man.
agement of the balloon and steering appa-
ratus."
CRITICISED BY PRESS.
Though accustomed to public plaudits
Santos had the ovation of his life last week
VIXEN he sailed over Longchamps during the
military review July H. Frances indepen-
dence day. AT the same time the adventure
was followed by Il new experience for the
Brazilian aeronaut, for the next day. for the
first time in his career. disapprobation of his
coEduct voiced in the press. The Jour
nal des Debats. the most conservative daily
newspaper in Paris, said
Though he is king OF the air. VI. Santos
Dumont highly appreciates the mortals of
mere earth and at the review his trail bal
loon must have shivered in vibrating to the
sounds acclaiminE him. From his lofty po-