The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-07-07

1o~od-baoon, ham. bread and butter. the
bread inside tho meat and butter. Should
u little salt water got In 1t could not hurt
tho TAT meats and could not reach the
ships biscuit enclosed In them.
There was at least a little danger that
the outer surface Of this snake, in crawling
u thousand miles over Polar Sea ice. might
be abraded, torn or disrupted. Again
MT. Vaniman was equal to the ocoasion.N
He riveted upon the leather tube all around
thousands OF little scales OF thin steel.
one tapping the other. like the scales OF a
fish. protecting the leather from abrasion
n forming an ideal gliding surface, since
the snake Ii expected TO crawl but in one
direction. and that. OF course. as a fish
swims. with the tips Of his scales to the
rear.
This serpent, or sausage guide rope,
displaces 1874 pounds Of sea water a foot
Of its length, itself weighs two pounds
a foot. Its stuffing s.s pounds, making the
total 1913 pounds a foot. leaving for buoy
anoy In water 20 pounds a foot, or about 20
per cent. With a snake 1870 feet long we
have q grand total Of $50 pounds Of useful
material, against only 265 OF unusefuI,
so to speak-a percentage OF n.
The retarder is the strange looking
object that hangs from h forward part
Of the car like q huge snake, covered with
pointed steel scales. designed to oher the
maximum Of resistance in proportion TO
its weight In gliding over the surface OF the
ioe foes.
1T il made in the same way IA the guide
rope. save that here the intention is to get
the greatest maximum resistance in the
snow and Ice in proportion to the weight
OF the device. Instead OF with smooth
scales we coat this serpent with sharp.
~>protruding points Of steel, which are made
to engage in the o taking care TO have
nothing 30 large or strong that 1t could
by any possibility hold fast enough to make
firm anchorage.
@In winds OF less force han nineteen
miles an hour the retsrder would hold the
ship firmly; in higher winds II would drag.
the ships speed being Proportionate; OF
course. to the velocity OF the wind. In
or two an hour: in q thirty mile vino eleven
or twelve miles an lot By using q gliding
instead OF q fixed anchor we keep the strain
upon tackle, car and balloon within the
limits Of safety.
cable, which passes through a winch in the
car and In therefore under the control OF
the crew They can raise one and let the
other down ut will
Mr.. Wellman estimates that in case OF
an accumulation OF frost or snow on the gas
bag weighing the ship down, he could
let the two serpents out 30 that their com
bined weight OF more than $500 pounds
would rest on the ice. thus relieving the
ship of that much burden.
They do not fear rain. Wet snow or
sleet. however. would give them trouble
against which they have made ingenious
provision. There is within an ordinary
balloon what In called u b~alloonet, into
which air Is pumped 80 that its pressure will
All out the real balloon and keep it spherical
even though considerable gas may be
4 lost.
Instead Of pumping cold air into their
balloonet Mr.. Wellman proposes TO use
air which has been heated by passing 1t
through the exhaust chamber OF the motor.
They can release the hot air from the bal
loonet at will when it becomes cool and
then pump in another warm supply.
The idea 10 that this warm air will melt
the NOV cap on the gas bag. But MIR. Well
man has a rare moment OF doubt when he
reflects upon -the faint power OF absorbing
and carrying away heat which In possessed
by stagnant masses OF air or gas.
The gasolene for the motor Is carried
In a tank running underneath the full length
OF the Americas car. IL il or thin steel,
divided into fourteen sections. 40 that II
one leaks there will not be great loss.
The g~asolene can be pumped from any
section. thus trimming the ship. There il
also a platform containing 900 pounds OF
food. which can be run to and fro on "A little
track above the car as another means OF
balancing the ship.
about eight feet long. First comes the
navigating deck, second the motors n
machinery, and the third Ia the cabin where
the crew sleep and eat and where spare
supplies are carried.
AWe chose a twin screw cruiser because
a single screw placed forward or aft pro-
duces a gyratory or twisting motion
throughout the car liable to disrupt the
structure. The screws are Of the finest
steel; they measure eleven and a half feet
in diameter. and their pitch. being change
| able. has been worked out through trials
to the angle Of greatest effectiveness.
Upon the top Of the great tank is placed
a light board runway. giving the crew
. a1nasa q N Vnrf of fhA nnr-n dArk llh
feet in length and only two and a half feet
wide. The top Of the car is only six feet
from the bottom Of the balloon, and hence
all the valves and rigging are within reach
Of the hands Of a man standing upon the
framework.
IAN the suspension apparatus which
binds the car to theballoon Is Of steel cable
OF the highest tensile strength. Tn spread
ers to which these cables are attached
carry a wide horizontal plane OF silk stretced
taut. and, with the silken sides OF the car
give us both horizontal and perpendicular
planes. well calculated to steady the ship
and prevent most Hf that pitching and roll
ing which have attended former aerial
Mr.. Wellman looks for a busy voyage.
He says: we must watch our Paragraph
for our height above the earth. which we
hope always to keep between two and six
hundred feet. our statoscope. TO know
whether We are rising OF falling; our various
manometers, which tell us OF the pressure
| of the gas in the reservoir and OF the air
in the balloonet al steam gauges tell OF
the pressure In boilers.
THE log must be thrown every few
minutes for the rate of our progress; the
compasses must he watched every moment
for direction; and every fifteen minutes
the record, OF log, OF the voyage must be
written in a book.
-Gasolene must be pumped. now from
one and nov from another section Of the
tank, to trim the ship; the motor and all
the machinery must be watched with eagle
eyes for the first signs of trouble; the valves
OF the aerostat must frequently be tested
to make sure there is no arrangement;
solar observations must be taken at every
opportunity; the retarder and guide rope
serpents must be worked according TO
circumstances; and, above all. in fogs or
thick weather all ears must be trained
for the first signals from the automatic
alarm which Ia TO tell US of our too near
approach TO the earth. since contact of
our delicate steel car with the rough ice
foes might spell destruction.
Such a n automatic alarm We have. It is
simple and should be effective; a steel bottle
containing mercury is suspended by a cord