Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-15
Will Pilot Swift Dirigible
Called the "Clover Leaf"
as Soon as It Is
Completed.
Special Correspondence Of The Star.

Special Correspondence of The Star.
PARIS June 3, 1907.
When in July the King of Spain begins to
personally pilot his new dirigible, the
worlds attention will be called from motor
aeroplanes back to the older species of
aerial navigation, but only the readers of
these lines will know what led Alfonso to
go in for Tighter than the air."
1t was his experience of the aerial cruis-
ers of the French army; the four great
cigar shaped balloons that mysteriously did
their thirty miles per hour between the for
titled camps of the German and Italian
frontiers.
Twice. outside of Biarritz, the young
King of Spain was taken in the car of one
of these secretive monsters. coming by
night from he knew not where. and disap-
pearing again in the twilight
Other nations have no working informa-
ton Of these airships. Has the Patrie
which openly unanswered above Paris twice
during two hours each in 1907. been dupli-
Gated three or four times? The details are
a mystery.
Seldom Seen by Spies.
Spies seldom see them, even afar off,
Much maneuvering is done at night. A
like meteor, sweeping great arcs; that
is all. By day, the fanatic frontier popula-
tons around Toul and Verdun will hustle
cgar-shaped thing that approaches and is
gone.
That the Engines Julliot with unlimited
IchGudy money, copied all of Santos Du
monts best results is certain; but he also
made improvements; so that the Lebaudy
ha1Ced over to the French army by the
patriotic brothers Pierre and Paul was al
ready fit for war. Therefore. when the
etat major paid cash to Juliot to enlarge
and duplicate 1t in the first Patrie, it be-
came an open secret that an aerial fotila
beginning.
How practical the war airships are may
be judged from the fact that they are con-
stantly taken out into the rain. 1t is suf-
of the great wet Surface-by dropping 2JO
pounds of sand ballast.
Ballast. valves. compromising interior air
balloons and toughness of material permit
them to rise and navigate as high as / 800
meters-very near mile. Anything like
such attitudes was originally considered
almost suicidal for closed" gas bag. In
deed. 1t caused the Severe catastrophe. AS
Severo's airship rose rapidly. the decreasing
atmospheric pressure on the balloon per-
mitted his hydrogen to expand as rapidly,
and burst the envelope. Santos Dumont
found the automatic valves to let out gas
went higher than trifle above the Eiffel
tower. When the first Patrie unanswered
over Paris. both times. 1t was at nearly
half miles height, which added very much
to the impression.
Speed Of the Airships.
Each OF these great airships consumes
thirty pounds of automobile essence and
1S2 pounds of ballast to give an average
twenty-five miles per hour. which can be
pushed to thirty miles per hour through the
air.
In still air they make these speeds over
ground Going with a wind Of, say. ten
miles per hour. they ' Ill cover from
thirty-two to forty miles Of ground. Going
against a wind of ten miles per hour they
miles per hour.
The normal provision. with four persons
in the car, Is 1,210 pounds of sand ballast
and 800 pounds of automobile essence.
This permits six hours of aerial travel and
at least 124 miles through the air without
landing.
When the wind obliges serious struggle
three persons must be actively engaged In
navigating-the pilot, his second and the
chief mechanician, leaving one man to
make observations-and war! In weak
winds two persons suffice for maneuvering.
1t Is proved a hundred times that, with
proper precautions, the trep!dation Of the
car does not prevent photography. The ap-
paratus being fitted with the telescope at