Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-03

so familiar with the premises that he could
creep in and out without disturbing the
| guards on duty, and had "a key to the room
| in which the balloon Was kept. Many peo-
pie think that Mr. DumOnt did the job him
! self because he was not prepared to mako
| the fight he had been paid for. and did not
want to take the risk Of failure. The gos-
| sips in Paris society, Showeyer, have an
| other theory that is quite as plausible and
more romantic. They say that Mr.. Du-
mont has very ardent attachment for
| the daughter of California millionaire,
whose family object to his attentions and
| called her away from Paris in order to
! escape them. When Mr. Dumont came TO
this country, to avoid a renewal of his
| suit they arranged to send the young lady
to Europe in charge Of chaperone. She
! sailed from New York the first of July
| and Mr.. Dumont managed to escape from
| St Louis in time to take the same ship.
| Thus the gossips supply motive for the
| mutilation of the balloon.
| Only Eight Entries.
| When the prizes were announced ard
| the regulations were published ninety-two
persons from every part Of the world wrote
| for blanks and information, but only eight
nave made entries and paid the initiation
Zee Seven of them are Americans and one
| F'renchman. M. Hypolite Francois of
| saint Mande, Paris, who is now here with
| ms airship and will participate. T. C.
| benpow OF Montana and Captain Baldwin
| OF san francisco are also here with Ships
put none of them are ready for the test
| AS soon as they have completed their prep
| aratlons date for the trials will be set
| agreeable to wind and weather, but the
! management is not sanguine as to their
| success Several other gentlemen, includ-
ing Mr. Chanute, Mr.. Avery and others, arc
| engaged In experimental work upon the
grounds, and public tests will follow, put
| they have not formally entered machines to
contest for the prizes
| fIoI. Alexander Graham Bell of Wash
| ington. inventor of the telephone will ex-
| Iiuit ms KITE very soon. and Major Baden
J Powell of the British army who had charge
| OF the military balloons in the Boer war
| mas entered for all aeronautic contests,
| which will be conducted under the direc-
ton of Prof. Rotch.
| S. F. Cody an American who has i,een
| operating balloons successfully in England,
| mas offered to come to ST Louis with sew
| eral man-lifting kites. If his expenses are
pau. Huhdreds OF similar applications
| nave come from other countries but the
| exposition directors have declined to pay
subsidies or provide pecuniary assistance
Everybody is free to enter the contest at
| MS own expense, and the prizes are of suf-
| nc1ent amount to reimburse those who are
| successful. People are working on the
problem of aerial navigation in every part
| OF the civilized world, and the correspond
| ence OF William A Smith, chief of the de-
partment or transportation, who has had
| charge of the arrangements has been volu-
m1nous and in every language. He has re-
celved several novel suggestions.
one great philosopher has solved the long
distance transportation problem, and wants
the exposition company to assume the eX
pense OF making practical demonstration
| or his theories He says that the late
do so some months before his DEATH He
argues that while the earth revolves the
atmosphere remains stationary. and his
plan is to build enormous freight-earrying
oil 70 l,nr,, - oh, l,@;.-t
that they will not be affected by the revo-
| lutions of the globe and anchor them for
few hours until the country for which the
| freight is intended is beneath them and
then lower them to the earth. Thus cargoes
| of dressed beef and other provisions, vege-
tables, fruit and all kinds of perishabIe
freight could be transported from the
| United States to India, China or the Phil
| ippines in "a few hours at very small ex-
pense. No refrigeration is required 1t is
| only necessary to send up a balloon, anchor
1t until the earth turns around and then
drop it at the right place. In twelve hours
| the transfer of ship load of dressed beef,
eggs and. butter and oleomargarine to Cal
| cutta would be possible. land the good peO-
| pie of Bombay could be served with milk
| and cream from the dalries of Illinois and
Wisconsin every morning.
The. ingenious gentleman who proposes
| this enterprise has met with the same diff
| Guilty that embarrassed iArchimedes, who,
| you will remember. felt able to lift the
world if he only could find a place to rest
| his lever The present inventor has not
been able to find post ito tie his balloons
! to, and thinks the management of the ex
position ought to be smart enough to sug-
gest something practical.
Other Suggestions.
A gentleman who isA now residing in the
penitentiary at Canon City. Col, has also
offered some valuable suggestions which he
is willing to carry into spractical effect il
the manage ment of the exposition will Sc
cure his release from confinement. He as
sures them that he was ,unjustly convicted
OF crime that he never committed and
desires to devote his time and talents to
promoting the welfare of his fellow men
Instead Of remaining in Jail. He proposes
to construct a number of balloons with
reservoirs. which he will fill at the great
lakes, tow them across the plains to the
arid regions of the west and then squirt
the water on the thirsty soil.
A gentleman in Amsterdam, Holland, has
offered to secure, tame: and train forty
agles vultures and eondors and harness
them to aerial chariot If the exposition
will pay the expenses. He sends drawings
and specifications and shows how easy it
would be to build an air chariot and have
X hauled around the heavens by the mighty
wings of birds.
An English sailor, who asks no favors
and no aid. has sent in remarkable sug-
gestion for whatever it is worth, and the
expert aeronauts declare that it is worth
good deal. They believe that he has dis
covered great principle which is certain
to have 'ts influence upon the development
of the aerial science He says that while
at he has often studied the fight of
the birds that follow I'M the wake of every
ship, and has noticed that they always
rise spiral1y, and always descend on the
Incline. Since ne has been on land he has
observed the same phenomenon among
birds of the fields and forests, and he sug-
gests that the experts of the exposition
make a series of experiments to determine
whether the science of aerial navigation
cannot be promoted by Initiating the birds
The suggestion will be adopted.
According to the records of the exposi-
ton, two brothers NAMED Wright of Dayton,
Ohio, have made the longest and most sue
cessful actual flight In the history of the
world with machine heavier than the air.
They have an aeroplane made Of canvas
| upon wooden frame, resembling that with
which Octave Chanute has been making his
experiments among the sand dunes of Lake
Michigan. Mr.. Chanrte has made flights
| OF 800 and 400 feet The Wright brothers
have frequently made 500 feet with gaso-
| line motor. rising from level. They have
demonstrated the praGticability Of sailing
with motor. and more is expected from
them, but they explain that they are not
| able to comply with the conditions and
| therefore have not entered their machine
| for the contests here =
! Young Girl Painfully Burned.