The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1904-11-02
4 SUCCESSFUL AIRSHlP.
Raldwin's Arrow Directed by
Operator In All Directions.
After Flight Of 3Ia Miles at an Ele-
walton Of 1000 Feet, Part Of the
Way Against Heavy Wind-Me-
ehanical Part Said to Have Worker
parfartIv

Way Against a Heavy Wind-Me-
ehanical Part Said to Have Worker
Perfectly.
St. Louis, Nov. AFTER circling in
every direction at a height of 1000
feet above the Cascades, in sight of
thousands Of cheering, enthusiastic
spectators on the worlds fair grounds,
A. Roy Knabenshue of Toledo, in COM
mand of Thomas s. Baldwin's airship
California Arrow" returned to the
place from which he started, covering
th miles, part way against an eight
mile wind
Knabenshue started from the Aero
nautic concourse at 3:37 p. m. and re-
turned at 4:05 p. m. On the return
trip the airship sailed slowly over the
exact spot from which it had risen 2S
minutes previously and glided about
100 feet further west, where 1t settled
gracefully to the ground.
The descent of the Arrow was the
signal for great demonstration.
Dozens of eager hands were upstretch-
ed to grasp the frame of the flying
machine, which, with its navigator
was carried around the concourse on
the shoulders of the shouting men.
Day Of Dscouragement
The successful flight followed day
full of discoUragement. Baldwin and
Knabenshue had worked for &c hours
without sleep to prepare for the flight,
and the first essay at an ascent, with
Baldwin himself in command of the
airship, had ended disastrously, the
Arrow falling suddenly to the ground
and breaking blade Of her propeller
In half an hour the airship, repaired,
was again groomed for the flight.
The Arrow rose slowly and easily,
its prov directed toward the west.
When, at height of rs feet, Knabens-
hue turned the rudder and the aerial
craft, answering to its helm, pointed
south and continued its flight without
interruption.
Knabenshue at that time was not
high enough to clear the aeronautic
fence and as he rapidly approached it,
the crowd held its breath, fearing that
the craft would be dashed against the
barricade. But Knabenshue moved to-
ward the rear of the airship. The Ar
low pointed its prov upward and, an
swering the hull of the propeller
scared lightly over the fence and rap
idly gained an altitude OF 1000 feet.
Knabenshue again changed the d.
rection of the craft and passed over
the crowd in the course. The "chug,
chug, chug" Of the motor could be
plainly heard and the rays of rhe sun
glistened on the polished blades of the
propeller. After proceeding about
half mile westward. Knabenshue
turned the airship about and again
passed over the concourse, increasing
his altitude until he was 1000 feet
above the earth
Sailing first to the northeast and
then to the southeast, occasionally
making complete turns. Knabenshue
continued in a generally easterly d.
rection until over the Cascades, the
center of the worlds fair grounds and
about mile and a half in direct
line from the point of starting.
Complete Control Of Motor.
There was not a moment" said
Knabenshue, when did not have
complete control Of the airship. 1t
needed but the slightest pressure on the
helm to change the direction of the
vessel and the old Arrow responded
10 every demand that I made on it.
81 also profted by the lesson ]
learned on the first flight and when
found that the motor was working
smoothly and evenly, furnishing all
the power necessary for successful
demonstration, left we'll enough alone
and did not attempt to increase the
speed of the motor, for that was what
caused the motor to break on my
trial last Tuesday.
THE mechanical part OF the airship
worked perfectly The gasoline motor
did not miss an ignition and the revolu-
tions of the propeller were steady and
powerful am not sufficiently ex-
perienced to estimate the speed at
which l moved, and | was too busy
most of the time to make any calcula-
tions.
"The sensation was most pleasant.
did not have time to think about dan
ger. In fact there was no real dan
ger. An operator of the Baldwin Ar
row needs only to have an average
amount of nerve, a little experience
as an aeronaut and he can make sue
cessful flight"
Captain Baldwin was extremely op-
timistic regarding the future Of his
airship. 81 had about determined to
leave St. Louis" he said Nov I
shall not be content to leave before I
have had several trials for that $780,
600 prize. Knabenshue went up with
instructions not to go far from the
aeronartic coDcourse and to bring the
ship to the ground after a trial of half
an hour. He came within two minutes
Of obeying my instructions to the let
ter"