Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-29
THE MODEL ALMOST READY
Expects It to Develop a Speed Of
Seventy-Five Miles Per Hour.
HAS A 1Oo-HoRsEPoWER MOTOR
Aeronaut Says He is Not Afraid OF
Letting the Public See His De-
vice in Action.

PARIS. November 29.-Santos-Dumont is
SO pleased with the results of his recent
aeroplane experiments that he Is building a
new and more powerful airship on different
lines from his Bird of Prey.
He yesterday declared that the present
Bird of Prey was no more than an ex-
detrimental machine and that the new ma
chine would be little like 1t. The wings of
the present machine have been built much
larger than necessary in order to enable
him to execute essential preliminary expert
ments. He had employed canvas as easy to
handle.
This new machine will be fitted with a
1OO-horsepower motor and will develop |
much higher speed perhaps 100 kilometers
(seventy-five miles) an hour. 1t will be con-
structed of different material. He hopes
next week to make public his model.
When asked If he had fears of being
forestalled by other experimenters, M.
Santos Dumont langhingly declared that he
knew except the WrightS and did
not find any evidence whatever of their
having done anything. He said he would
be one of the first to congratulate them If
they would only substantiate their claims
by actual demonstration.
Wrights May Compete.
DAYTON. Ohio. November 29.-Whie the
ments have created so much interest, have
made no definite announcement of their
plans it is probable that they will compete
for some of the big prizes that have been
offered. They may compete for a prize of
100000 for four flights of fifty miles each
In aeroplanes.
The Wrights have not made such an offer
publicly and formally. In private converse
ton with their friends, however, they say
they have lately been seriously considering
the possibility of competing for large prizes
instead OF selling their invention to a for
eign government. They are satisfied that
no other experiments will be likely to equal
their performances for long time and APP
pear not to be fearful that delay in making
their invention public may result In others
taking not only the financial reward but the
glory to which they now believe themselves
entitled.
Friends of the wrights say the brothers
are certain of making quarter of million
dollars at least by the sale of their flyer to
a foreign government, provided new ma
chimes in course OF construction fulf1ll the
requirements demanded. from the first
the Wrights are known to have looked to a
government the only place where they
could sell their invention to advantage, and
1t is only since there began to be discus
sion of large prizes open to competition that
they considered a change in their plans in
this respect.
If the Wrights saw chance of winning
$4,000 in prizes their friends believe they
would forego their negotiations with a gov
eminent and give their invention to the
world, for they have made no denial of
the fact that their secret would necessarily
become public property If their machine was
open to the inspection of others who have
been experimenting with aeyQplanes.
Honor for America.
1t is reported by their friends that the
Wrghts would refuse to enter a COMPETE
ton for aeroplanes, regardless of the
amount offered in prizes, unless terms were
made which appeared to them to be reason
able. 1t is believed however, that they
would be willing to enter such a contest
provided the distance for each flight was
not in excess of fifty miles The aeronauts
have. In fact, intimated to their friends in
private conversation that they would be
willing to have the terms include four
flights of fifty miles each, two in this coun-
try and two abroad provided they had as
surances that they could still compete for
the prize of S6T. 500 offered by the London
Daily Mail for flight from London to Man
chester, $50 miles, in one day, with two
rests for the aeronaut. Other prizes would
bring the total amount possible for the
aeronauts to win close to $200,O00, which, it
appears, would be satisfactory to them.
Although their friends with whom they
have discussed the possibility of competing
for prizes instead of making a sale of their
secret declare that such a change in plans
would involve a considerable financial sac
rifice on the part of the Wrights, they pro-
fess to believe that this would be cheerfully
accepted by the aeronauts. in view of the
strong public demand that the secret be
given to the world.
1t is known that many of the closest
friends of the aeronauts have lately been
urging them to make their invention pub
lie by means of a competition for prizes,
so that the glory of having developed the
first successful flying machine in America
may not be dimmed
Spencer's Long Flight.
LONDON NnvaD,har Tu,o
Mr.. Percival Spencer and Mr.. Leslie Buck
nall. who started from Wandsworth, a SUBJ
urb of London, Tuesday afternoon in a bal
loon, Nivienne Nv. landed at daybreak at
Vevey. on the Lake of Geneva, Switzerland
accomplishing the notable journey of 420
miles In sixteen hours. The balloon has a
capacity of 1900 feet OF gas
Mr. Percival Spencer has been long idea-
tined with experimental aeronautics and
is a member of a family whose name fire.
quenhy occurs in the annals of the sport
His father, Charles Green Spencer was an
enthusiastic acronaut. and did much to
promote the development of the balloon
His brother. Stanley Spencer, who died in
January OF this year. made his first asce1-
sion from the Crystal Palace when only
eight years old.
This adventurous young man. accom-
panied by Mr.. Leslie Bucknal won the
balloon race held at Liese in September,
1895
His trip was of the most extraordi-
nary that had been made up to that time
he having attained the altitude of three
miles. crossed Belgium and a part Of Ger
many. The balloon used on that occasion
was the Nivienne III. Mr.. Stanley Spencer
also made number of successful flights In
an airship of his own devising.
During the years 1898 and 1890 Mr. Per-
cival Spencer made a number of balloon
trips across the English channel starting
from the Crystal Palace The NEST note
worthy of these was undertaken in Deem
Der 1898, in company with Mr.. H. Laurence
Swinburne, an English journalist Mr.
Spencer has designed and constructed a
number of balloons and is interested in the
solution OF the airShip problem.