The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-07

81 |.
however; vas found TOO unsOOnomlcal for
'After this tho motor becomes the chief
factor In the case Of navigable balloons.
manual power, steam and gas proving
undesirable as motive forces, CASTOR Tis-
sander. Of. Paris turned his attention to
electricity. He experimented with stor-
age and other batteries n was the first
70 use electric power to propcl a balloon.
This was In 1881. T~issandier's aero
stat wa % feet long, 20 feet in central
diameter and contained $1,000 feet Of gas.
A propeller . feet in diameter was in the
rear OF the balloon. On October ., 1898,
this balloon made an ascent and attained
q speed Of six miles an hour. IL also sailed
against the wind.
After T~iseandier's airship comes that
OF Renard and Krebs, officers Of the French
army stationed at Chalais-Meudon, near
Paris They received from the French
Government, during Gambetta's admins
tration, 100 900 francs, and with this sum
some useful experiments.
They made a elongated balloon, 100
feet long and rs feet at Its greatest diam
electric motor.
"Santos-Dumont's balloon, 30 far az
shape goes, is a CLOSE imitation Of the 1852
Otfard model. He has only applied the
electric motor introduced by fissandier.
while his power TO direct the balloon is no
more effective than was that OF Krebs and
Renard.
The Aero Club OF Paris not long ago
offered a prize Of 10000 francs TO any
aeronaut who should circle the Eif7el Tower
under certain conditions, and IL Is in COM
petition for this prize that Santos-Dumont
has made his experiments It cannot be
said, however, that his work has intro
duced any new element into the steerability
OF balloons.
His new aeroplane was completed last
August: IL resembles an immense bird,
81 feet In length, with a wing spread OF 80
feet and formed Of cellular kites held
OF "a horsepower, against which the opera
tor stands.
-The screw Is behind, very near the
motor. The helm, which IL fairly forwardJ
can be worked in all directions. The total
surface area is 80 square metres. The
weight does not exceed leo kilogrammes.
The Zeppelin airship consists Of a series
OF seventeen balloons held in place by an
exterior covering, so that the balloons
will offer less resistance TO the atmosphere.
The Zeppelin ship has shown its ability
to sail against the wind, and TO direct its
course, but Gifard succeeded in these
matters in 1852.
1T is safe to say that everything worth
knowing has been discovered in the steer
able balloon direction. 1t Is along other
lines, say the most skilled scientists, that
future achievement in aerial navigation
must be made.
What are known as aeroplanes seem
destined to revolutionize present methods
OF experiment. As l ave said, there 10
a model Of a machine OF this type dating
from 1878.
Every one Is familiar with the trick
Of Ticking a card from the finger and max
ing it sail In the air. This principle, in
combination with various movements OF
surfaces, constitutes the aeroplane.
-In 1891 Otto Iilienthal OF Berlin in
stituted a series Of experiments with aero
planes. His first instrument presented
100 feet Of supporting surface and was made
Of peeled willow sticks covered with cotton
shirting.
-Lilienthal previous to 1891 had ex-
perimented with various birds-the frigate,
California condor, albatross and others.
By closely Watching their movements,
studying the bony structure OF their frames
and the manner Of their arrangement OF
supporting surfaces, he arrived at correct
IDEAS regarding the principle Of bird fight.
Lilienthal was successful In upward OF
5000 flights. He used no motive force,
relying on gravity n the fitting OF his
wing surface to carrying him through h
air. Through a false movement In sailing
ope Of his larger machines, however, he
fell and was killed.
The machines OF Octave Chanute,
Langley and the Wright brothers, all con-
structed on the principle OF the aeroplane,
will be shown, and the development Of
this type, from the earliest one known OF
the seventeenth century, will form, per-
haps, the most interesting and valuable
portion Of the exhibit