The Washington times., 1908-08-02
AIRSHIP FLIGHT
TOMORROW NIGHT
Captain Baldwin Hopes to
Navigate War Balloon in
First Government Test.

First Government Test.
While the great elIiDtcal balloon
which is to carr his motor-driven air
ship through ne coming Governmental
tests is slowly filling itself with hydro
gen gas, Capt. Thomas S. Baldwin and
his crew at Fort Myer are working
with might and main 10 get the rest Of
the craft in readiness.
II Is hoped that the first flight may
be made late tomorrow afternoon about
shutdown, but CAPTAIN Baldwin ana his
men by no means are assured that the
ship viii be prepared at that time.
Il am betting with myself that wei
make flight late tomorrow afternoon.
but il is just as possible that we may
not be ready for q week, A" said Captain
Baldwin yesterday.
Work Viii Be Pushed.
Captain Baldwin SAYS that The work
will be pushed night and day until the
FIRST trial is made, bat there are so
many details 20 be attended 20. and so
many things that NAV go wrong az the
last moment. that even he viii not he
certain OF the time for a start until
he finds himself rising from the ground
In his ship
My expenses here are a hundred
dollars day. and I'm going ~ c1,t
them on just as soon as I can % be
SAID. But the engine may get out
OF order, or the envelope NAV spring
ieak' or a s~eat many other things
may happen IL is not probable that
lhey wiA' but L is possible; so / do
not want 70 disappoint the public bv
announcing any given time for a flight.
We were due here July p, and we
reached here that day. I've got thirty
days from that date in which to put the
snip to the. tests. However. I'm going
TO have it over with Just as soon I'd
it can be done"
Little by little the big enveI7Da is
sucking IN the gas. When this HYDRO
gen gas is first generated and connected
with the bag, IL is drawn in biz va
cuum which has been created bv +be
previous state Of collapse of the hal.
loon. The long siIkeu tube through
which the gas flows was connected Fri
day night. and the envelope held Ia
the ground by a hundred sand haas
viii be filled By tonight. Forty-eight
hours are required 10 MI the balloon
with hydrogen gas, although coal ga.
would initiate it in two hours. Tine
/ hydrogen gas is OF the greater buoy.
ancy.
Interested Signtseers.
All day long yesterday captain Bald
/ win and his crew were visited by in,
/ terested sightseers at the regular bal
] ssF
I away, over on the parade ground. Z
/ great white tent stands Conspicuously
/ in the open. This viii eventually hous,
/ the Baldwin airship, but not until aftei
/ an actual fight has been made. II
/ fact, it viii be by her own buoyancl
/ and power that the ship will travel III,
! distance TO the tent
/ the ship must meet certain require
ments II the Government is to purchas
/ IT," Cap ain Baldwin commented. Il
/ must make sixteen miles an hour, 10
! instance. expect 1t win make twenty
| four an hour, and there Is a bonus O
| 10 per cent for each mile over twent,
an hour. The cost TO the Government
is fixed at $500, and II twenty-fou
/ miles an hour is made. the bonus vii
| be 40 per cent of that The OUTFIT hal
cost me about $500 ALREADY. but, o
course. the purchase of the airship b,
the Government viii b. great victor!
/ achieved. and that is what we are aim
ing at principally
II cannot help but feel that the arm!
officials must already be practically as
/ sured of he success of the COMING
/ trials Of the ship. for otherwise III
negotiations would not have proceede
/ to the present stage. For myself.
can say that am confident that tn
ship will give proper account OF her
self"
While he was talking Captain Bald
win was not idle a moment. He wa
| busting along the sides of the grea
balloon. arranging some adjustmeu
here, OF removing some mysterious oh
jet there.
That his mind had room for nothin
but that which concerned the ship an
the coming trials was clearly evident
| Even his assistants. six Of them, SCENE
entirely preoccupied by the work il
hand. The visitors, looking back a
they departed, could see by The action
of the men that they We're already for
gotten in the minds that were never
theless bent keenly on the smallest de
tail that concerned the airshlp.
Neither the new motor of the ship no
the keel, so-caued. has been put int
lposftion. The 'keer' is the spruce frame
work that holds the motor and ais
the operators. Captain Baldwin be
neves thai spruce is the best wood Il
the world for the purpose. he Ia