New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-05-05
DIR GRETH'S ATRSHIP.

If the bad working of some detail of his
mechanism had not induced DR.. Greth TO de-
scend prematurely on Monday, he might have
made new record with his airship. The long
est distance thus far covered in single flight
is about thirty-eight miles. This was accom-
plshed last November in France by the Le-
baudy brothers 1t is possible that new
record for sustained speed also was made at the
same time. AS the trip was completed IL one
hour and forty-one minutes, the airship must
have gone more than twenty miles an hour
though some allowance must be made for the
light wind prevailing at the time, which was
blowing In the same direction. 1t is not at all
unlikely that for shorter distances Santos-Du-
mont has more than once developed equally
good speed Moreover, it must be remembered
that no public exhibition has yet been made of
the qualities of his racer, mo. 4" At present
though, the longest single journey of self-pro-
PEELED airship is that which stands to the credit
of the Lebaudys IT. then. Dr. Greth had been
able 10 travel ffty-twO miles before coming
down as he had hoped TO do, he would have
improved upon the achievement of the French
men about 40 per cent
In its main features the CalifOrnian's model
closely resembles those Of half dozen other
well known experimenters. He relies on the
familiar gas bag TO keep aloft and uses gaso-
lene engine TO drive himself through the air.
that OF the Lebaudys. The length of the Greth
gas bag is IS feet and its diameter is p, and
the corresponding dimensions Of the Lebaudy
bag are 1896 and 30 feet One is three times
as long as It is wide, and the other SIX times
Santos Dumont has tried extreme length, and
finds il incOnyenlenJ, not TO say unsafe. lie
now strikes a happy medium between the ex-
tremes 10 which the Lebaudys and lpr. Greth
have gone. When the Californian first tried
hfu arrin NrnE M
weak. 1t gave him barely over six horsepower.
though rated at ten His new engine is said TO
develop fifty horsepower. He is now in posi-
ton. therefore 10 compete with the other ex-
merits tust mentioned. The Lebaudys have forty
horsepower at their disposal, and the brazilian
has put sixty horsepower into mo. = Dr,
Greth has made another change in the last rev
months which can hardly be considered an I'M
provement He began with two propellerS, both
astern. He has added two more out forward.
Santos Dumont once tried the experiment OF
putting a screw in front but he abandoned II
the next year. Perhaps DIR. Greth VIII pursue
the same policy after further trials
This type Of airship having now reached
reasonably advanced stage OF development, so
Ear as its main features are involved, 1t Is
greatly TO be wished that its devotees would
engage in an endurance contest. Most or the
flights thus far made have been short. When
Communicating the Elffel Tower he performed
the feat in a trihe over half an hour. He has
probably stayed up more than twice as long on
other occasions Thus far, however, while
travelling at full speed, nobody has yet re-
mained aloft an hour and three-quarters. For
certain tasks which will one day be undertaken
with airships it will be necessary TO run cOntinu-
ously for twenty-four, and perhaps forty eight,
hours When a speed of more than twenty miles
an hour can be maintained, it will be possible to
90 from the north coast of Greenland to the
North Pole in q single day. The distance Is
only five hundred miles OF course II will be
necessary 10 return, and, under favorable con
dtions, this could be accomplished in another
day. At first sight, then, the chief requisites TO
success would be the smooth working of the
machinery and an adequate supply of gasolene
for the engines. 1t does not seem unreasonable
TO look for a performance in the United States
or Europe within the next year or two which
will clear up most of the uncertainty about the
feasibility Of such an attempt
Still, some other things would need to be con-
sldered after the world had witnessed cOntin-
Uous journey for fifty hours Oil would hardly
do as a lubricant for machinery in the Arctic
regions, and II might be wise to try graphite in
stead Properly planned laboratory tests would
throw much light upon this point The diff
Guilty does not seem serious, however, because
there was apparently no trouble with car axles
on the Siberian railway last winter, when de-
gree OF cold must have been encountered that
was equal to anything felt over the Arctic
Ocean IN summer. Finally, there is the ques-
ton Of transporting n flying machine TO a suit
able point OF departure. The task is by no
means easy, but he is bold man who would
pronounce it impossible.