Waterbury Democrat., 1903-01-28
PROBLEM IN AIRsH1Ps.

Sir Hiram Maxim Writes to Worlds
 Fair Authorities at St Louis.
 Worlds Fair, St Louis, Jan 2s.-sir Hiram Maxim, the inventor of world wide reputation, had accepted an in vitation to visit St Louis this winter and had planned to come with George +. Parker, the representative of the Louisiana Purchase exposition to Great Britain. An affection of the throat has compelled the inventor to postpone his visit. Sir Hiram Maxim writes to the Louisiana Purchase ex- position mana cement that he fears the exposure of trip during mid-winter, and states that it will be more copven- tent for him to visit St Louis in August or September. From the first an- nouncement of the air ship contest for a prize of S100O00. Sir Hiram Maxim has in various ways manifested his deep interest in the matter. He has given the exposition management much valuable counsel upon the conditions of the contest and his coming at this time was prompted by his desire to look over the ground for himself and to consult further upon plans for the tournament. Finding it impossible to make the trip at this time Sir Hiram Maxim has written at considerable length his views. which have been re- ceived by President Francis and are now made public. The fact that Sir Hiram Maxim has expended some $70- OOO upon experiments in aeronautics emphasizes the importance of these views. The letter addressed to the president of the Louisiana Purchase exposition is as follows:
 rd fo +Io G. To-Sa ton, I should say that the geographi- cal position of St Louis is all that could be desired. and have no doubt that the exposition itself will prove very great success. I see by the papers that practically all the nations of the world are discussing the question as to what they should send. In regard to the aeronautical part of the exhibi- ton, l should say that as you have about 1,2OO acres you will be able to appropriate fairly large piece of ground for this purpose. At Bald Wyn park, where l conducted my ex- periments, l had a clean run of 1 800 rect, which, however, found to be all together too short; in fact, I was quite unable to finish my experiments there on account of the limited space at my disposal, and this notwithstanding the fact that had forty acres of ground
 If there is to be an aeronautical exhibition it will be necessary to have certain large buildings erected as shel- ters. These building ought to be made large enough to be useful either for flying machines or balloons, and I should say that if they had clean width of thirty feet. a length of 109 l rect, and height of sixty feet. that would be quite ample. Each building should be provided with pair of doors 1 to open outward in such manner that when they are open they form kind of air shield for protecting the appara- tus against the wind as it emerges from the building 1t will be under stood that the doors are in the end of the building so that when they are l open the balloon which fills the who1c or the interior. may be drawn out. l These buildings should be placed at one side of the park with a clear run free from trees and Instructions in front. the longer the better. I under stand that great number of expert mentors are now at work on aeronauti- cal apparatus to be shown at the St Louis exhibition, buts as to whether the aeronautical part of the exhibition will be a success or not is altogether another question
 A true flying machine large enough to carry one man has not yet been made, although vast sums of money nave been spent on experimental work. As far as dirigible balloons are con cerned, the French government, has al | ready spent a vast sum, and has found I that 1t is quite impossible to make a I dirigible balloon which will make headlway against even a slight breeze. Santos Dumont has r~rhaps done bet ter than the French government ex- l perimenters, and I think perhaps he has gone as far as it is possible for anyone to go in the direction of dirigi- ble balloons. Still, if we look the mat ter squarely in the face, I think we shall see that even Santos Dumont's balloon is not able to travel fast enough through the air to hold it's own against even slight breeze. So I am of the opinion that if there is an ex- hlb1t1on of dirigible balloons at St Louis, that very few of them will be able to return from the point of de parture twill be found, think, that when these balloons ascend they will travel with the wind just exactly like any other balloon, no matter which | descend to the earth just like other bal. looms, and have to be dismantled and sent back to the point of departure by some means of land conveyance.
 II do not know whether I shall at
 tack the question again myself or not
 However, in any case I shall be pleased to send one of my steam en, zines to St Louis. which think is the lightest engine for it's power ever made in the world. The Hon Charles Parsons, the inventor of the steam tur. bine, in lecture some years ago. said that the lightest heat engine that has ever been made in the world in propor tion to the power developed was un
 doUbtedly the Maxim gun, which l think he said weighed sixty pounds and developed twenty horse power iT energy. Next to this he said be would have to place my flying machine en
 zines and steam generator. which weighed about twelve pounds to the horse power. As a matter of fact
 however, the engine tha& should send to St Louis weighs 32O pounds-this Goes not include the boiler-and is one