The Garland globe. [volume] (Garland, Utah) 1906-191?, 1908-02-29

along through the air. instead OF rail-
ing. And while Farman and Dumont
and other aeronauts of Europe are
busy working on the problem of air
navigation. American inventors are
not idle. Mr.. Arthur Feron, New
York architect, is the latest expert
menter In aeronautics to command at
tention. He claims to have solved the
problem of aerial flight by means Of
machine that is heavier than air.
yet not a dead weight In the atmos-
phere He has invented an airship,
circular In the main points of It's
structure, which, like huge pinwheel.
spins its way from earth to the high
er levels.
Feron is the first man to give prac.
tical expression to an idea which has
long possessed students of the aerial
navigation problem-the idea that alr-
minum might be substituted for silk
or other textile as a strong tank for
the gas.
Although oxygen gas is used by Mr..
Feron as an agent Of buoyancy. his
device Is not a dirigible balloon. It
is flying machine in as full a sense
OF the word as the aeroplanes Of the
Wright brothers or of Farman, but
It is made of finest aluminium.
The significance of this departure.
attended as II has been by success, Is
more apparent to experts In aero
nautics than to the lay mind. But the
Feron filter has one quality which all
can appreciate-it flies. This has been
proven by experiments made with
models constructed on varying scales.
Mr.. Feron does not depend entirely
upon the gas to keep his machine In
the air. 1t is intended only to tighten
the task of the rising screw. which Is
the soul of this flyer. The airship is
composed Of two distinct parts. which
may be described as the upper and
the lower works. In the upper works
is the cylindrical aluminium bag, re-
sembling a huge crown. II has d.
ameter Of SO feet. 1t has 80 air tight
compartments. From the cylinder
hang the cords that hold a car which
will accommodate three persons be-
sides the operator.
The lower works consist Of the bas-
ket or car, ten feet square and five
feet deep; the rising screw, the pro-
pellers and steering gear and motor.
There are two decks" to the car. On
the lower one, or the bottom, rests
the motor and all machinery for work.
ing the rising and propelling screws.
The upper deck, for the use OF the
passengers, is fitted on a small scale
with facilities for comfort The oper-
ators place also is here, with the
telescopes, compass, barometer and
other instruments needed by aerial
navigators close at hand
The rising screw is set upon the
end of an upright shaft which passes
from the machine compartment
through the main deck TO a point Ii
feet above the rim of the car The
rising screw has two blades shaped
like the blades of a steamship pro-
peller. It's motion, however Is hori.
zontal. 1t pushes the air beneath ID
and makes the airship mount, where
the watership's propeller pushes the
water behind 1t and makes the vessel
go forward.
The rising screw blades are each
20 feet long and when revolving span
diameter OF 40 feet.
Powerful as the rising screw Is. IL
would not be equal to lifting the ship
from earth and keeping It in the air
but for the help 1t receives from tho
gas-illled cylinder. 1t will be seen
that the beating of these huge wings.
always driving the air downward.
must send gale against the car and
the heads of its occupants. To protect
both, there is screw having the FORM
of parachute.
The rim OF this extends over the
sides OF the car. 30 that the gale from
above slides OF on all sides without
being felt by the passengers. This
parachute Is relied upon also in time
. of accident to make the ship sink
, slowly to earth instead Of taking .
disastrous drop.