The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-03-26

portion to the height from which one
starts with box kite aeroplane. That
is to say, you carry your aeroplane to
the height of a dune overlooking a
wide fiat expanse of sand below. The
sport gets in his aeroplane and holds
tight, lying flat. Four men take each
a corner and run with the aeroplane
against the wind-to the edge of the
dune. Then they throw it out"
And it goes 'plane-ing,' as you say
in French, sustained by the air, slid
ing down the air SO to speak ?" ..
acknowledgement down the
air! The formula 1908 means that
if you start from a height of eight
yards, you will toboggan diagonally
down to distance 100 yards from
your point CT departure, while if you
start from a height of eighty yards
your trip will be 1000 yards"
How much is 1000 yards? Let me
see. That makes 5000 feet, and there
are $3.50 feet in mile. That would
be three-fifths of mile nearly. Do
you count on making such horizon
tai flight without a motor?'
THAT is the proportion, scientif1-
us shall have the nerve to start from
such height cannot say. It will
depend on the spirit Of emulation,
won't it?"
The spirit of emulation! What has
it not done for the sporting youth of
Paris in the past five years? 1t has
made long distance bal1ooning a gen
tleman's sport. It has made rich
mems sons risk their lives a hundred
times a day in automobile road rae
ing. There is not a man in this little
crowd going down to Breck who has
not given proofs of reckless courage.
After this let us stop saying that
France is decadent.
The Aero clubs park at st. Cloud is
simply a big grassy space surrounded
by wall and furnished with a couple
machines, illuminating gas mains laid
from st. Cloud, etc. ~.
It was from here that Santos-Du-
mont started on his prlze-Wlnnlng ar
ship trip to and front of the E1ffel
tower, into Paris and back again,
some seven miles. with and against
the wind, in half an hour. From here
have started off almost daily in the
good weather of late spring, summer
and early autumn one, two, three or
four spherical balloons, all private
owned, many with women in them, on
purely sporting balloon trips that car
ried them to every part Of France.
Here, from one Of the buildings, M.
| Archdeacon had the men bring out
his aerOplane-Ine new lopoSSdu "
the air. -
You can see what it looks like. De-
scription is unnecessary. It is made
of ash wood, extremely stanch silk
and piano wires, the whole thing
weighing only thirty kilos-that is to
say, sixty-six pounds.
. Technically, it is Of the Chanute
type of aeroplane,'' said M. Archdea-
con. IT confided it's designing and
| construction to M. Dargent, the mod
! eler of the French armys balloon
station at Chalais-Meudon. For years
he was the confidant of Colonel Rem
ards dirigible balloon planning, SO
that he is familiar with the thousand
and one problems of the air. ~.
Next week we go down to :Berck
to begin our tobogganing. We shall
be quite party. You have heard
the names? Ferber, Drzewiecki, Bal
san, Mallet, hobart, Girardot. There
will be prizes to win. Henri de Roth
schild has offered a magnificent cup
I have put up cash prize Of 5000
francs. And I hear that others are tc
be offered
what factors will the judges take
account of in awarding the prizes?"
asked.
There are three necessary factors
The speed of the wind at the time Of
trial, to be ascertained by a proper in
, strument; the height from which the
toboggan flight is undertaken, and the