The Washington herald., 1907-08-22

ord Herald. Capt Thomas 8. Baldwin,
the famous American parachutist. and an
experimenter with aircraft, claims that
be recently made a>record OF a twenty
mile trip through Iowa. raising the for
eisn record, which WIS fifteen miles
The last exhibit Of the American Aero
Club, in New York. demonstrated many
interesting developments in airship build
ing in this country. Carl +. Myers
brought down a complete airship so sim
pie that II was packed in suit case
and in small package that could 1T in
an overhead rack on the train. His wife
exhibited the Flying Dutchman." in
which she made the record for American
balloons at the st. Louis Fair. with an
elevation Of 5000 feet, and a distance OF
ninety miles in ninety minutes. William
~ Hammer showed his signal balloons
which he has been steadily perfecting
since 1880, a system OF different eolored
lights for army use being displayed on
a captive balloon and manipulated by a
keyboard from the earth. The biggest
kite or air vessel ever flown In the world
was that made by Lawson, of Maine.
Over the Kittyhawk sandhills, in North
Carolina. two brothers. Orville and VIII
bur Wright, of Dayton, Ohio, have hop
ped and SKINNED like queer, winged
giants until they have perfected a flying
machine that differs from those that are
balloon supported. and is an Improvement
OF the ideas of Lilienthal and Chanute.
This machine is now abroad. and has
doubtless been sold to the French gov
ernment which has been negotiating for
It.. These brothers declare for continued
practice rather than the making Of more
models. Their art Of flying lies in hav-
ing learned 10 make the center OF gravity
coincide with the center Of wind pres
sure. In the swamps near Dayton they
are said 70 have made twenty-four miles
in thirty-eIght minutes The race for the
Bennett cup in France last year, won
by Lieut. Frank P Lahm. Of the United
States army, who left fifteen other aero
nauts far behind. has caused an increased
interest in air navigation In this country.
Sometimes the navIgatoTs meet with
rich experiences When Thaddeus S. c.
Lowe went from Cincinnati TO the East.
in April Of 1861. the current Of air sweep
ing down the valley Of the Appalachian
Mountains took him 10 Pea Ridge S. c.
He landed in a country already armed
for war, and was the object Of divided
opinion, some affirming he was a malevo-
lent spirit, others that he was a Yankee,
armed with Internal machines When ne
cut a rubber water bottle. and showed
ice made by the cold upper air, and un-
folded a blanket disclosing a pot OF hot
coffee, given him by Murat Halstead nine
hours hours before, the former opinion
prevailed.
Santos Dumont's expeditions have been
fraught with dangers from which he has
always managed 10 escape. Once. when
his machine lodged in the top Of the tall
est chestnut tree in the grounds OF Ed
mond Rothschnd, and the aeronaut sat
calmly perched in the branches awaiting
a rescue, the Princess YsabeI, Comtesse
d Eu1 a compatriot OF his. admired his
courage from her palace window. and sent
him up a champagne luncheon. On an
other occasion. IN order 20 save an un-
manageable machine from collision with
the Eiffel Tower, he wrecked It on the
top Of a hotel. When the fire depart
ment went 10 his rescue he was hanging
hairs breadth from eternity In a tan
gle OF silk and piano wire, laughing at
his predicament, and trying TO catch the
cigarettes that a reporter was throwing
him from the roof above.
TO-mOrrOw-Parks and Landscape