Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-27
BALLOON TESTS SOON
my Airship Most Modern" Is
Capt. BaIdWin's Claim.
"A new RUBBER PROCESS
If Successful Baldwin Gets Sc, $50,
Zeppelin 100000.
SOME CRAFT COMPARISONS
Tent From Which Flights Will Be
Made Arrives-First Test
Next Saturday.
A NEW RUBBER PROCESS
SOME CRAFT COMPARISONS

If Capt. Thomas s. Baldwin succeeds In
fulfilling all of the requirements o. me
government in the trial flights OF his mill
tary drigible at Fort Myer, he wiil re-
ceiye SR,7D, while Count Zeppelin will re-
ceiye S5OO,OOO from the German suvern-
ment if all the requirements are fulfilled
by his airship. The latter machine Is
twenty-five times as large as Capt. Bald
wins dirigible.
Yet Capt. Baldwin contends that in the
dirigible which he had built for the army
he has incorporated new ideas which will
be eventually adopted by other nations III
the construction of dirigibles. These new
features are embodied in the gas envelope
of Capt Baldwin's machine. which diners
widely from the Zeppelin. the Republque.
the French dirigible. and the Null secuh-
dus. the British military dirisible.
Nv his own process of vulcanizing rub
Der. Can't. Baldwin claims to have secured
a material that will stand a strain OF
ninety-fve pounds to the inch strip. anu
which liz not affected by either heat or
cold. In addition there is practically no
elasticity to a gas bag made Of this ma
|terial, thus making rigid balioon wiIhoul
the use of a frame. The rubber SKIN IS
lined on both sides with the best Japanese
silk. adding considerably to the strength
Of the envelope.
Here's New Idea.
Midway between the ends of the gas
bag, which is slightly over ninety feet
long, Is a balloonet twenty-fiv feet long
into which air can be pumped to counter
| balance the alterations in bulk due to
changes in atmospheric pressure or con-
traction of the gas due to heat or cold.
A window permits the aeronaut to look
lin ho
The car or frame work of Capt. Bald
wins airship Is suspended from the en-
| velope by means OF a square mesh netting
which is the creation of Capt. BALDWIN.
| The Multi Secundus, the British army diri-
gible, has a canvas casing to which the
| car Is suspended while Count Zeppelin has
| an aluminium envelope entirely surround
ing the numerous balloons which give
! Although the capacity Of Capt. Bald
| wins gas bag is less than oue-fourth that
OF the British dirigible, its lifting capac-
ity is nearly as great.
| Fixed Cost Too Low.
There are many things that should be
on my dirigible which l have not been
able to use because of the Specifications
/ ami the low cost at which the ship was
necessarily constructed" said Capt. Bald
| win today while working upon the assem-
l blins of his machine at Fort Myer.
Among the attachments lacking, Capt.
/ Baldwin pointed out, are the immovabie
blades or fms attached to the envelope.
| which add much to the equilibrium OF
the air ship.
Two mechanics have arrived from the
| G. H. Curtis works at Hammonsport and
are assisting Capt. Baldwin In preparing
the machine for its initial flight, which
probably will take place Saturday next.
G. H. curtis the aeronaut who win &C.
company Capt. Baldwin on the trial
/ fights, is expected to arrive Wednesday.
Ready for the Trials.
The big balloon tent from which the
fights are to be made on the cavalry
drill ground at the fort, arrived today and
will be easily put into position. 1t will be
i connected with the fort waterworks and
the whole of the drill ground will be
roped off and sentries stationed to hold
the crowd In check. Special tickets will
be issued to the press and to the many
diplomats and scientific visitors who have
announced their intention Of attending the
trials. The arrangements for the policing
| of the grounds will be under Col. Hatfield,
the commandant of the post. though the
actual flights will be under the auspices
of the signal service. There Is not much
hurry on the part of the post authorities
about getting up the tent. as 1t is felt
that this can be done in short order when
ever 1t is required.
There is some misapprehension in this
country about the status of military bal
| looming on the other side Of the Atlantic.
| France and Germany are in the lead with
Siderable balloons and general credit is
given Count Zeppelin for having perfected
the biggest and most practical airship OF
this type. Its extreme record I'm the air
80 far is twelve hours, though the count
hopes that he will be able to navigate for
| twenty-four hours within the next fort
night
Great Britain has put up only two
drigible balloons, though ii is not gen.
on aeroplanes for more than two years.
Maj. Gen. Baden Powell Of Mafeking fame
has been deeply interested in this work.
and as all the experiments have been car
ried on in secret there is no knowing just
how much has been accomplished.
Russia Standing Still.
Russia has recently established a ball
| loon corps, but she has not made much
practical progress. During the Japanese
war she used captive balloons for obser-
walton to some extent. but the report Of
the board on the subject at the close of
| the war was anything but favorable. 1t
was stated that there was much difficulty
| in making any useful observations and
that photographs taken from the balloons
proved almost entirely useless for military
purposes Some captive balloons were
| tried from the warships, but although
| these did a little better, their practlcal
utility was nil.
No nation has yet adopted the aeroplane
as an aerial craft. and if the tests at Fort
Myer result in the acceptance or one or
more of these machines the United states
will be this much in the lead again. and
| this will be only poetic justice, since the
problem of mechanical flight without the
aid of gas bag was first solved in this