Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-11
|BUY A|RSH|P ANYWAY
Government Must Have the
Baldwin Balloon.
$50 SAYS GENERAL ALLEN
Speed and Endurance Trials Will
Merely Regulate Price.
FLIGHT TODAY Is SCHEDULED
Engineer Curtiss Back With Needed
Repairs-All Confident That
Machine Will Go Fast.
FLIGHT TODAY Is SCHEDULED

We are going to buy Baldwins ma
chine; we need it, said Gen. James AL
len. chief signal officer.
| Yesterday Allen indicated that failure to
comply with speed requirements will not
prevent the purchase of the Baldwin air
ship. 1t is generally understood. there
fore. that the speed and endurance trials
will merely determine the price to be paid
for the dirigible.
If. in the first official speed trial, Capt.
Baldwin should make less than sixteen
miles an hour. Gen. Allen may so change
the method of determining the speed that
in the second trial flight Capt Baldwin s
dirigible will make the required speed.
The first speed test, which. it is ex-
pected, will take place this evening, will
be over a course about two and one
quarter miles in a westerly direction from
Fort Myer Timers will be stationed at
the Fort Myer drill grounds, which will
be the starting point and at the turning
point at the western end of the course.
The speed will be determined from the
average speed made from the starting
point to the turning point and from the
turning point back of Fort Myer.
Confidence in Speed.
Capt. Baldwin is satisfied that he can
make twenty-five miles an hour under
the conditions prescribed by the Signal
Corps. Gen. Allen and the scientists who
have been watching the Baldwin flights
are of the same opinion. Col. James
Templar. former chief of the aeronautical
division of the British army. said he be-
lieved Capt Baldwin's drigible could
make twenty-five miles an hour.
Col Templar last night sent his report
to the British war Office on his inspection
of the Baldwin airship. He recommended
that several of its features be incorpo-
rated in the new dirigible which the Brit
ish army is building and which will have
practically the same dimensions as Capt
Baldwins ship.
Col. Templar favors the smaller airship
in the present stage of advancement of
aerial navigation.
Replying to a question as to what he
thought of the Zeppelin airship. Col
Templar said
1T is too far ahead of the times. The
experience must be gained with smaller
airships If Count Zeppelins men had
been trained with smaller aerial craft the
unfortunate accident to his airship would
probably have not occurred
THE captain of the first ship which
crossed the Atlantic would have been
unable to control the Mauritania Of to-
day. The captain of the modern ocean
liner has the advantage of the knowledge
1.-The Zeppelin airship is as far ahead
Of the present advancement in aerial nav
igation as the Great Eastern was in water
navigation
Engineer Curtis Returns.
Glen Curtiss. engineer of the dirigible
returned to Washington this morning,
bringing with him the extra carburetors
for the airship. These will be adjusted
toady and flight will be made, weather
permitting. this afternoon.
Theer is not more than an hour of work
ahead in preparing for the next flight
Capt. Baldwin is anxious to get the test
over with as soon as possible.
There Is little doubt among the Signal
Corps officers that the dirigible will be ac-
cepted.
Capt. Baldwin was on the ground at
Fort Myer early as usual and superintend-
ed the refilling of the dirigible from the
small reservoir balloon that is kept for
such purposes. Then he went down to the
balloon house to make more hydrogen and
wait for Mr.. Curtiss who in the mean
time had reached Washington and was
preparing to go out to the fort.
The Signal Service officers have complet-
ed all arrangements for watching and
timing the official fight. A wind fan has
been erected outside the balloon tent to
note the direction of the wind. Two an
thermometers have been hoisted aloft to
give the speed. Buzzer lines with tele-
graph instruments have been run out In
the direction of Falls Church and Alexan-
dria and will be used by the observers
to supplement the telephone service.
The officers of the army board will split
into parties and some will follow the flight
of the airship in automobiles. others will
remain at the balloon tent and others will
be posted at the turning point of the
flight.
Col. Templar on Hand.
Col. James Templar of the British war
office. father of ballooning in the British
| army. was one of the interested visitors
at the balloon tent yesterday. He is an
old friend of Capt. Baldwin. having been
detailed to watch him when he was max
ing balloon ascensions at the Alexandra
Palace in London years ago. He will see
the flight, If one is made, this afternoon
The officers of the Signal Corps are in
| terested in the announcement that Henry
Farman proposes to take in Washington
] on his reorganized tour of America.
I There Is SO much that is not known
about the air and flying in general that ii
| Is the one realm where rule-of-thumb
| methods work out better than any amount
| of scientific theory. man who has sailed
balloons and aeroplanes gets results as the
| sequel of failures and gets some of his
| best results either in apparent defiance of
| natural laws or by neglecting what seem
| to be well established scientific facts.
In this connection 1t is feared by some
| of the observers Of the Fort Myer tests
| that the Signal Service. even after it gets
possession Of the dirigihle balloon, will find
that it is masticating large mouthful. In
| spite Of the weeks that the balloon has
| been on the ground. there has been little
actual work done on it except by Capt
Baldwin and Mr.. Curtiss.
| There have been a few of the Signal
Corps men around all the time. But there
has been no practical study Of the ma
chine the work went forward. Chances
are that the dirigible will be a closed
| book. and pretty tightly closed at that tC
most of the officers and men even after
they get hold Of 1t.