Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-10
Non-ArrivaI of Carburetors
flinders Balloon Flight.
TO MEET REQUIREMENTS
Baldwin Says His Dirigible Will
Make 20 Miles an Hour.
FOREIGNERS AT NEXT TRIAL
Representatives of Other Govern
ments Interested in the Ex-
periments Here.

1t is not expected that the Official speed
test of Capt Thomas S. Baldwin's dirigi
BILE balloon will be held at Fort Myer to-
day. as had been announced. Glenn H
Curtis. the builder of the motor, who
went to Hammondsport, n. Y. Saturday
to get four carburetors for the motor
wired Capt. Baldwin last night that he
would probably be unable to start for this
city until today
The failure of Capt Baldwin to attempt
the speed trial Saturday, as he had an
nounced. was taken by some to indicate
that he could not make the sped require
ment of sixteen miles an hour. When
questioned, Capt Baldwin said:
1T has at no time occurred to me tina,
l would not fulfill the speed requirements
1 am satisfied that we will make twenty
two miles an hour in the official trial.
Maximum Pulling Power.
I'm our test of the motor and propeller
at Hammondsport we found that we had
a maximum pulling power of $50 pounds
The shape of my gas envelope reduces
the resistance to a minimum; in fact,
whatever head resistance there is Is COM
toward the rear end. The skin resistance
offered by the ropes. the frame and the
operators is practically all that remains
to be contended with. There are any
number of other things which come into
play. but. not being a scientific man, !
theory from the practice
Prof. Henry II. Clayton, the meteorolo-
gist and aeronaut; John McCurdy of the
Aerial Experiment Association and Angus
tus Post, secretary of the Aero Club. fig-
ured out the speed which Capt. Baldwin S
airship should make as twenty-five miles
an hour. The diameter of Capt. Bald
wins gas bag is nineteen feet at Its widest
point, and the nose or front end is nine
teen feet forward of the widest part. This
gives the forward end conical shape.
Prof. Zahm's Theories.
According to Prof. Zahm's theories and
the generally accepted law. which has
been repeatedly proven" said Mr.. Post
1.-The resistance of fiat surface is re-
duced one-half when the surface is chang
ed to the shape of a sphere. If elongated
into a conical shape it is reduced to less
than one-third the resistance offered by
the fiat surface.
Then Prof. Clayton remarked, as ne
made some mathematical calculations
Capt Baldwins ship has sectional area
of 2S4 square feet with a fiat surface. blu,
with it's present shape this is reduced to
ninety-five square feet. This would re-
quire a pull of 1870 pounds to maintain
speed of twenty miles an hour. With
an average pull of 24O pounds and with
allowances made for skin resistance and
other conditions, the airship should de-
velop a speed of twenty-five miles ar
hour"
Mr.. McCurdy was of the same opinion
THE theoretical speed is nearly sixty
1,n Soid go mr. e MN
as 80 per cent of this is lost. there would
still be speed of thirty miles an hour
In addition. the test at which pull OF
$50 pounds was recorded was made in Still
air. but when the ship is moving In the air
greater efficiency is gotten as the proper
Ter continually grasps new air"
Foreigners to Witness Test.
There will be a number of representa-
tives Of foreign governments at the next
test If the engine is working at its
maximum it will be sent on the speed
trial. If it is not. the test probably will
be made for endurance. as there is no
question of the ability of the ship to stay
aloft. Should voyage be made this
afternoon, 1t will be to the limit of the
five-mile radius. the course over which
the speed trial will be made. Capt. Bald
win is anxious to get out on the road as
soon as possible after the tests. These
have already taken much longer than was
expected.
The latest news from Wilbur Wright
who is in Dayton. indicates that he will
be here this week. Part of his machine
has already been shipped from Ohio. and
as soon as he arrives the assembling will
commence. The test of his brothers ship
Saturday att Lemans. France. was per-
fectly satisfactory. and while the per
Torrance was not such as would fulfill
the hard conditions imposed by the War
Department, there is little doubt felt
among aviators that the machine will
make good The cabled description of the
French test indicated that the machine
had a rather cumbrous launching device
This was the same that was used In the
Dayton tests. consisting of section OF
monorail railroad and a derrick with a
falling weight to give the machine a
start This will hardly come inside the
specifications of the War Department for
the aeroplane flights. but it is possible
that the brothers may have something
more simple in view for the tests here.
Since the sudden outburst of interest In
aerial flight the Smithsonian has been In
receipt of innumerable requests for the
papers prepared by Prof. S. P: Langley
the pioneer scientist in aerial flight.
whose work led up to the present move
ment. Most of the papers are now out OF
print but the Smithsonian has just COM
piled a new volume from several OF the
more popular of his pamphlets ana mas
bound them in a little book. that gives d
record Of all that he actually accom-
plished and the details of some or the ex-
periments leading to it.