The Washington herald., 1908-08-05
BALLOON
CHEERED ON TRIP
Continued from Page One.

/ Capt Baldwin and Mr. Curtiss we're show
/ cred with praise by the army officers. and
were assured their fight was an unqual-
/ fled success.
I The Baldwin dirigi5le is ninety feet
/ long. eighteen feet in diameter, and
Z weighs about 1-050 pounds. A network OF
/ small cords thrown over the gigantic
4 bag suspends a framework sixty-one feet
long Directly in front Of the frame
/ work is q huge propeller. weighing twenty
/ pounds and measuring eleven feet from
/ tip TO tip Twenty feet from the front.
I 8Ir. Curtiss' four-cyIinder engine sits on
small platform This engine has thirty
I horsepower and IS capable Of spinning
I the heavy propeller around 1.so0 times
a minute on a platform directly behind
/ the engine Mr.. Curtiss sits 10 operate the
I powerful motor
1 Midway Of the airshlp. Capt Baldwin.
a grlzzled veteran in the sphere Of things
/ aeronauuic, stands and steers the balloon
At the extreme end OF the framework
E there IS large canvas Tudder, with hOri-
zontal and perpendicular planes. This
{ yields most readily 10 the slight pull on
F the ropes running 10 .'midships." The
F balloon Is capable Of carrying two men
+ whose aggregate weight is so pounds. 1g0
{ pounds of ballast and sixty-five pounds Of
/ paraPhernaHa- In construction It com
plies with all the requisites Of the War
E Department
After many preliminary tests Of the
{ balance. engine, propeller. rudder. gas
/ bag ropes, and all other appurtenances.
/ Capt Baldwin gave orders TO his men 70
! take the huge bag out OF the tent in
/ which It had been housed for tweuty-four
I hours At SD o'clock. with thousands OF
I persons cheering. hundreds Of automobile
Z horns footing and pandenonium reign
I Ing, the balloon was brought into the
open air. towed across the parade ground
by dozen soldiers and Capt BaIdwin's
helpers. and deposited upon two large
wooden horses
Baldwin Was Nervous
/ Capt Baldwin was plainly nervous Ffe
D admitted after the fight he felt a -'trine
! skeeTy." When one Of the wooden horses
was put under the machine directly N
/ front OF him. ne shouted Put that horse
! behind ne He might kick I'm a stranger
I IN these parts This brought laughter
from the sea Of humanity. A few minutes
I later Capt Baldwin tied an American
4 flag 70 one Of the ropes at his right. and
/ was cheered 20 the echo. After arrang-
I ing a code Of signals between himself and
/ aIr- Curtiss. who sat probably twenty-five
I feet in front of him. Capt Baldwin stood
/ up on the framework and addressed the
/ crowd
Ladies and gentlemen" said he. this
machine. as it stands to-day, belongs 10
Z me personally We come out here today
/ 10 make a preliminary flight. 70 ascertain
whether all the working devices are IN
( proper condition We VIII make a num-
Der of trial trips here TO demonstrate Ihe
worth Of this machine to the military es-
Enlistment Of the United States
He was appIauded after the announce
ment-
one iuebriated man. standing near the
balloon. shouted. "Aw & wan up IN the
air II you're going and show what YOUR
gas bag is worth After the boots and
Jeers Of the crowd and shouts Of get
the hook" from the soldiers. Capt. Bald
win laughed and shouted hack to the
disgrun-led and impatient individual
There YOU are, two clowns IN the ring
al once Why not let me do the talking
as this is my business This brought
more laughter and handCIapping from
the crowd
At SIS O'Clock the June Bug pilot
started his engine. and as the soldiers
. held the machine the propeller spun
around ike a giganiic horizontal top
while the little motor sputtered and furned
I Ike . hundred Calling guns doing bust
ness on the firing line. After the cylin-
I oers had been warmed up. Nr Curtiss
/ nodded his head to Capt Baldwin. the
soldiers released The balloon. and the in
Hated tvo-nosed gray silk cigar bounded
into the air as though It was never in
tended TO rest on terra frma-
Crowd Went wild.
The crowd went wild with enthusiasm
az the long. ominous-looking vessel as il
scared high and higher from the earth
The shriels of'admiration and footing OF
automobile horns were deafening Tn.
manifestations Of approval however. did
not reach the ears Of either Capt Bald
win or Mr- Curtiss, because Of the con-
stsnt and rapid explosions OF the cylinders
and sputtering Of the husky little motor
Until an altitude OF 30 feet was attained
the nose OF the balloon was pointed al
most directly upward.
At that distance. however. NIr Curtiss
realizing The balance was not equal
moved from his platform in midair. and
sat on the coverilS Of the motor. a few
feet farther toward the front This made
the balloon set level in the air Mean
while the propeller ploUghed through the
al IKE Lle wings OF some BTObQlEDagiaU
bird. and Capt Baldwin. with one foot
on either side Of the frail Oregon spruce
framework, tugged manfully al the rud-
der ropes.
The fight was begun from the center
Of the drill field, with the front OF the
balloon pointed toward the south When
the dirigible was soaring on a level. Cant.
Baldwin steered II toward the tent from
which II had just been takeu. Around
and around the great gas bag scared. now
10 the right then 10 the left. rising and
falling at the will OF Mr. Curtiss. who
operated the lever attached 10 the steering
planes At each turn and twist Of the
machine the crowd sent up shout after
shout and seemed beside Itself with en-
thUsiasm The balloon was palpably as
much under the control Of the two ravf-
gators as mouse in the paws Of a wild
cat, and there seemed nothing In the