Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-14
Comment All Round.


has equaled the interest aroused by the
successful flight Of Santos Dumont's aero
plane flying machine. It 10 the first public
trial that has ever been given this form of
navigation, all other OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES of
Prof Langley Alex. Graham Bell and the
Wright Notwithstanding been surrounded
with all the mystery 1t was possible to Sc
cure. M. Dumont has given the small
money prize he won with his machine to
the workmen in his shops. A dispatch from
NJ Santos-Dumont has decided to hand
over the prize money Of LEGO francs $500
which he won Monday afternoon with The
Bird Of Prey flying machine to his staff OF
workmen, to whose energy and skill much
Of his success Is due.
Any one who has seen M. Santos
Dumonts men work, either In the shed or
on the field at Bagatelle. will have some
idea Of the credit due to them. Sometimes,
as was happily said by one of the sports
men present on Monday, they put a
weeks work in in single day, when the
success or failure of their patron is in the
balance"
Prof. Zahm's Views.
The feat, has been discussed in this coun-
try by ali the leading aeronautic experts.
Prof Albert Zahm of the Catholic Uni
versity here, who for some years has been
a student of aeriaf navigation, believes
that M. Santos-Dumont has accomplished
the task of navigating the air, In some
measure, without the use of a balloon to
hold his machine In suspension. When seen
he said:
There Is no doubt that the Brazilian
aerial experimenter has been able to make
a successful aeroplane but just how COM
plete it Is one here is unable to say. He
Is working along the lines worked out by
the Messrs. Wright at Dayton, Ohio, who
were the first to successfully navigate the
air without the use Of gas bags or balloons
Of any sort"
Other Experts Talk.
The performance was the chief topic of
discussion yesterday at a meeting of aero
nauts and men interested In aeronautics
held at the Hotel Aston in New York.
1T marks the most positive advance yet
made in the science of aeronautics." said
Mr. Augustus Post There have been many
reports of the successful performance of
similar feats, but M. Santos-Dumont has
publicly demonstrated the entire practical
bility of the 'heayier-than- air' principle.
One of the features that should not be lost
sight OF Is the fact that such machine as
lhis can be made for not to exceed 5000.
while 100000 would not buy M. Lebaudy' s
airship of the gas bag dee. gn. As soon as
the public becomes accustomed to the ope-
ration OF these airships they will be as nu-
merous as and more popular than iautomo-
biles.''
More than anything else. the achieve
ment of Santos-Dumont will compel other
inventors to come into the open and make
public what they have accomplished" said
Mr.. J. C. Mccoy, who made many ascents
in Paris last summer in company with
Lieut.. Lahm and as his own pilot 1t marks
the beginning of a new era In aeronautics,' -
he added, land I think the achievements of
the near future will far surpass that of yes
terday, wonderful as 1t was"
Stimulated by the feat of Santos-Dumont.
DR.. Julian P. Thomas yesterday renewed
his experiments with aeroplanes, which he
abandoned last summer for ballooning DR..
Thomas was associated with Mr.. Israel
Ludlow in the experiments which resulted
in the almost fatal accident to the latter in
Florida last spring when his airship col
lapsed
America Pioneer.
without in any way .iscounting the
achievement of M. SAINT s-Dumont,p said
DR.. Thomas last night. 81 believe have
discovered more correct. principle of
maintaining equilibrium than his appears
to be- know from my experience in ball
booming that one Is more than anything
else anxious to know how he Is going to
land. When that problem is solved the
rest is easy.
II have already set to work carrying
out my own ideas. Like all other invent
ors, expect of course to succeed. but, at
least, I have enough confidence in my
r,lan to risk nv own neck in irving Ii out