Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1907-01-17
A. LEO STEVENS,
MANUFACTURER OF
BALLOONS.

The sign was Bandwiched among several
others, indicating that besides the bal
loon factory there was everything 10 the
place from a piano hospital TO a brass
foundry. ] don't know Just exactly what
] expected, but In some manner nerinl
navigation had vaguely associated IN my
mind a certain degree OF cleanliness and
idyllic surroundings.
The balloon factory Il on the very ton
most hoor. You climb a dingy. rough.
hewn set OF stairs and breathe dust and
peeling kalsomino Finally you walk di.
recty into a long, narrow. low loft. where.
as You see IN the picture, there are hoans
and heaps Of yellow and white cloths ana
baskets and rope rigging and numerous
mechanical Instruments that your mind
doesn't comprehend all az once. I came
up on bright afternoon. A man. dressed
simply In a blue cotton undershlrt and
trousers Precipitation pouring from his
lace, was industri0usly working over
what seemed 10 be a thin oilskin, such
as sailors weather coats are made Of
spread out on the noor on 70 one side sat
woman, working at sewing machine
asked Tor Mr.. Stevens. As 1 did SO
had an intuitiye sense that the workman
was Stevens, and ! was not surprised
when he introduced himself
Stevens Is a broad-shouldered. muscular.
understood man. lie has a broad. high
curving forehead. indicating the comblna.
ton or Imagination and practicabllity. to-
gether with an executive ability that he
needs IN his business for be Is the fore
most acronaut In this country. He Is only
"a years old, but he has gone to the
clouds In ships ever since he has been ID.
lie Is the man who constructed the first
dirlglble balloon I'm this country, which he
sailed IN a test with Santos Dumont In
1902, at Manhattan Beach. III you can
remember your newspaper reading so far
back as that You Will recall thar man
named Boise sailed the Santos Dumont
machine. and that Stevens created an in
tense sensation by sailing over, under ana
all around the French aeronaut. so arous-
Ing his Ire by his surprising skin that the
Brazilian permitted himself several ehulli-
lions OF anger that cost him the tolera-
tion Of the New Workers aud sent him
back 70 France with a very sorry story TO
tell the rarislans about his reception IN
New York
Stevens, IN physiognomy and general
bodily geography, bears a striking re-
semDlance 20 Napoleon /. His dark eyes
are oeep-set and satisfactorily separated
by keen, strong, well-curved nose. His
mouth is straight and thin-lipped,
clenched firmly. His jaw Is strong and
resolute aud bis voice has a vibrant snap
and authoritative Qulclness. But he lacks
the Napoleonic attribute OF inconsiderate.
ness. He Is very patient and very courte-
Gus. ] WAS very much pleased with bis
personality.
be was mending balloon that had
Just come In from out IN the cOuntr,
somewhere for repairs. There Is only on,
balloon factory In the United states ant
unless there Is something radically wron.
with the continuance the balloonist VIII
owns Il makes bis repairs himself Tn
Ia 3 fr hall.
ana the envelope needed a new GOVERN.
or rubber and varnish. In the course o
our conversation Stevens told me that Il
his vocabulary there was no such wor
as Impossible. He said that he had neve
yet found the circumstance that be coul,
not master, aud IN watching him ia
tiently working among that maze OF small
ropes, splicing and disentangling, care
fully, but quickly and deftly. I readii
saw why there was no such word as I'm
possible In his vocabulary. The man
capacity FOR Infinite attention 10 minut
detail Is wonderful ] called on him Sc,
eral times later in gathering the mat,
rial for this article. and even rs late a
quarter Of midnight found him WORT
Ing among his riggings and / knew tha
he had been AZ il ever since early morn
Ing. Association with him IS stimuIatin,
Naturally, most Of the balloons shippo
snt Of this factory are made Tor aeronaut
At county fairs and for advertising pui
poses. These are the staples OF steven.
business. On his income from this sourc
be depends to make his experiments Z
aerial navigation He turns out som,
thing like 70 balloons year for sue
asses. He sells these balloons for an ave.
ige price OF Si35 each. They are made q
material similar 10 percale. which
farnlshed with a mixture usually con
posed OF linseed oil, varnlsh aud rubber
These balloons are usually filled with be
llr aud have none Of the safety appliance
the passenger balloons. I did nof al