Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1904-11-02


end of the car. The draught Of al
: caused by its 200 revolutions min
; ute, serves TO prevent explosions b,
constantly cooling the Hercules gaso
line engine set about eight feet from
the forward end of the car. The engine
weighs only 66 pounds, but performs
2500 revolutions a minute and has q
working capacity of seven horsepower
The aeronaut has seat and coming
platform about II or 13 feet further
back, and he can move from one end
to the other of the car at will, though
a change of position Of less than two
feet is sufficient TO cause the craft to
ascend or descend in the air by raising
or lowering the elevation of the beak.
At the rear there is a rudder of six
feet by ten, made of light canvas
stretched on a bamboo frame. The to-
tai weight of the whole apparatus is
only about 220 pounds. The maximum
speed thus far attained, by means Of
its own engines, not taking the wind
into account, is II miles an hour, but
the usual rate is only about eight miles
an hour.
The success achieved, confirming the
sensational reports of previous trials
made at Oakland, Cal, is all the more
remarkable, in view Of the fact that
the meteorological conditions were pc.
cdliarly unfavorable, owing to the
strong and shifty winds and the inter
mingling currents of air of different
temperatures causing a constantly va.
rying pressure of the gas. Moreover,
the California Arrow is little more than
a small and cheaply-builtI workind
model. With well-made engine and
thoroughly up.to-date carburator, such
as those with which one of the larger
Baldwin airships, now at Los Angeles,
Cal, is being equipped, such aeci.
dents as that of yesterday will no
longer be liable to occur.
The Baldwin airship will henceforth |
make ascensions here every two or
three days, when the weather is pleas. |
ant, until the end of November, per.
forming all sorts of revolutions above |
the exposition grounds, and making |
trips to neighboring towns. 1t is ac-
knowledged by the exposition authori-
ties to have fully qualified for a place |
among the contestants for the 100000 |
prize, which will be hotly disputed |
during the great aeronautic contests of |
November. Three other dirigible bal |
looms, the Benbow, Francois and Rey |
nolds, of much larger size and entirely |
different patterns are already here |
and will begin to make ascensions as
soon as the generating plant is in
Working order, which will probably be
the first of next week. The Baldwin
airship will not wait for that time, but |
will continue generating its own hy-
drogen gas 10y the vitriol method.
Besides the dirigible balloons the
Avery aeroplane is to make trial glides
daily, morning and afternoon, from
this time forward, in the Plaza of st.
Louis and the Badene-Powell man.
lifting kites are to be operated a lit. |
tie later ON, so that the, air of st. |
Louis will be more abundantly and di-
versely navigated during the coming
five weeks than that of any part of
the world has ever been in an equal
space of time
Substantial evidence of the real di-
of a properly-constructed aer-
ial craft, even under diverse conditions,
have already been furnished and Mr..
Baldwin himself recognizes that some
of his rivals have hit upon principles,
of which he Mas never made use, that
are nothing less than epochmaking
contributions to the aeronautis art,
II is extremely probable that the
demonstrations now being made at the
world 5 fair will mark the beginning |
OF anew epoch Of serious and practi.
cal aerial navigation. The pioneers in
this field suffer great disadvantages
from the difficulty Of getting competent |
workmen, and the necessity of putting
up with relatively crude and msatis
factory mechanical appliances. As the
mechanism is perfected, through the
lessons of experience and by the sub.
ventions sure TO come from the great
moneyed interests when the business
value OF the idea and the entire feast,
bility Of its practical application shall
have been generally recognized, the
airship will become more and more safe
and enieiont, and will pass rapidly from
the position Of scientific toy and pop,
ular wonder 10 that Of useful means
Of transportation.
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