The Wichita daily eagle., 1904-05-29
Santos :. Dum0nt's :. Airship

Whatever else Alberto Santos-Dumont
has done. he has, in Paris at least ADD
ed baIiooning to the list OF sports he
has also done something else, the IN
evitable of course-he has written a
took. 1t is a very entertaining volume,
by the way. which the Century Company
has published and it is none the less IN
teresting because he has taken his read
ers into his confidence and let them know
what a marvellous fellow he is. With the
unconscious egotism of Robinson Crusoe,
he makes the reader acquainted step by
step with the story of his progress Thus
ne charms him with recountng my first
balloon ascent thrills them with his
chapter on My Brazil, smallest of
spherical balloons" and makes him CRATE
fuI for the chapter entitled "I-yield to the
siderable balloon idea.
Santos Dumont is charming. One could
listen TO him for hours especially when
be recounts his Introductory fable. show
ing how a an early age his thoughts were
constantly upon the subject Of aerial
navigation. although he had only once
seen a balloon. and toward the close,
where he relates his offer of assistance to
the French military authorities unless
they should he engaged in a struggle with
the United States or the other American
republics
His winning of the Deutsch prize on
October 70, 1901 by sailing the course from
the Aero Clubs d'Aerostation to the Eff
fel Tower and returr-about seven miles
within thirty minutes. is now mat
ter of history. so II is unnecessary to
relate his attempts. Incidentally, 1t
might be remarked. however, NJ Santos
Dumont explains the reason for wearing
what has been called his bracelet Dur
ing one Of his flights he met with an acci-
dent and his airship fell in the park of
NJ Edmond Rothsch;ld. This is near the
house of the Princess Isabel, daughter of
the late Dom Pedro. Emperor of Brazil.
This lady saw his plight and a few days
later sent him a medal of ST. Benedict
to protect him in time of danger. This
little medal he attached to a gold chain.
and clasped il around one of his wrists.
One week later his airship struck a
houseton and burst. and he saved himself
nv climbing upon convenient window
sill
NJ Santos-Dumont has built nine air
shirs in all and three or -four are in con-
tiition in his balloon quarters for almost
instant use. Having found a lack of
competitors for the various races arranged
10 show the value Of his airships. the
young aeronaut decided to build a pleas
,tre craft which he calls his NO. 9, the
f1ttle runabOut''
l"Once.' SAYS he. 81 was enamored of
Nigh power petroleum automobiles; they
ian go at express train speed to any part
(pf Europe finding fuel at any village.
Ian go To Moscow or Lisbon I said to
myself But when ] discovered I did not
want to go TO Moscow or Lisbon, the
small and handy electric runabout in
which do my errands about Paris and
the Bois proved more satisfactory.
| "Speaking from the standpoint of my
,pleasure and convenience as Partisan.
my airship experience has been similar.
When the balloon and motor Of my CO.
horse power No were completed, I said
to myself: I can race any airship that is
likely to he built But when I found that.
in spite Of the forfeits / paid into the
=
ready TO race with me- l determined to
build a small airship runabount for my
pleasure and convenience only. In it I
would pass the time while waiting for the
future 10 bring forth competitors worthy
of my race craft
so ] built my No. . the smallest of
possible driCibles vet very practical, in
deed. As originally constructed. this bal
looms capacity was but 7.770 cubic feet.
permitting me to take less than sixty
six pounds of ballast; and thus l navi-
gated it for weeks without inconvenience.
Even when / enlarged its balloon to 9.21S
cubic feet. the balloon of my No. g. in
which I won the Deutsch prize would
have made almost three OF it. while that
Of my Omnibus is fully eight times its
size. AS I have already stated its three
horse power Clement motor weighs but
261s pounds. With such motor one
cannot expect great sneed; nevertheless.
this little handy runabout takes me over
the Bois at between twelve and fifteen
miles per hour. and this Notwithstanding
ITS egg-shaped form. which would SEEM
fngly he little calculated for cutting the
air. Indeed to make it respond promptly
TO the rudder. / drive it thick end first
Il haze said that. as il was originally
the balloon Of this smallest
OF possible dirigibles permitted me 10
take up less than sixty-six pounds of
ballast. As now enlarged. its lifting pow
er is greater; but when account IS taken
OF my own weight and the weight of
keel. motor screw. and machinery. the
whole system becomes neither lighter nor
heavier than the surrounding atmosphere
when | have loaded it with l39 pounds of
ballast. And it is Just in this connection
that il will he easiest to explain why I !
have called this little airship very prac-
teal. on Monday. June %. 1898. l landed
with it. on the grounds of the Aero Club +
NJ Saint Cloud In the midst of six in
nated spherical balloons. After a short
call started off again.
Can we not give YOU some gas? po-
litely asked my follow clubmen
" You saw me comins all the way
from Neuilly l replied Did throw out 4
any ballast
" You threw out no ballast. they ad-
mitted
hen why should l be in need Of
sasg'
As a matter of scientific curiosity. I (
may relate that did not either lose or
sacrifice a cubic foot OF gas or single
pound of ballast that whole afternoon:
nor has that experience been NJ all ex-
ceptional in the very practical little No
D. or even II its predecessors
After leaving mv fellow-cluhTleu IT
Saint Cloud that afternoon. made Twp
ically nractical trin. To cn frnr,, Na,,ill,-