Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-28
FAITH IN BALDWIN AlRSHIP
AerOnaut Says Other Countries Will
Finally Adopt His ideas.
HIS OWN vU1cANHNG PROCESS
American Has Produced n Gas nag
which VIII stand High Pres
sure and IL Almost Entirely
without Elasticity.

WASHINGTON. July q. If Captain
Thomas s. Baldwin succeeds in fulfilling
all the requirements OF the government IL
the trial flights of his military dirigibl,
at Fort Meyer he will receive $6,75O, while
Count Zeppelin will receive $4,000 from
the German government II all the require.
ments are fulfilled by his airship. TIL
latter machine is twenty-five times as
large as Captain Baldwin's dlrigible.
Yet Captain Baldwin contends thai In the
aeronat which he has built for the army he
has Incorporated new ideas which will be
eventually adopted by other nations in tho
construction OF diriEibles. These new fea-
lures are embodied in the gas envelope of
Captain Baldwin's machine, which differs
widely from the Zeppelin, the Republiaue
the French dirigible. and the Ruln Secun-
dus, the British military dirigible.
BY his own process Of vulcanizing rubber.
Captain Baldwin claims to have secured A
material that will stand a strain Of ninety
five pounds to the inch strip and which
Is not affected by either heat or cold. In
addition there is practically no electricity
to a gas bag made Of this material. thus
making a rigid balloon without the use
OF a frame. The rubbe kin Is lined on
both sides with the best Japanese silk
adding considerably to the strength Of the
envelope.
Midway between the engines Of the gas
bag. which Is slightly over ninety feet long
Is a balloonet twenty-five feet long into
which air can be pumped to counterbalance
the alterations in bulk due to changes in
atmosphere pressure or contraction IN
gas due to heat or cold. A window" per-
mits the aeronaut to look withis the gas
envelope.
Square Mesh Netting Holds Frame.
The car or framework Of CAPTAIN Bald
wins alrship is suspended from the en-
velope by means Of a square mesh netting
which is the creation Of Captain Baldwin,
The Null %Secundus, the British army
dirigfble, has a canvas casing to which
the car is suspended. While Count Zeppelin
has an aluminium envelope entirely sur
rounding the numerous balloons which
give buoyancy to his ship.
Although the capacity OF Captain Bald
wins gas bag is less than one-fourth that
OF the British dlrigible, its lifting capacity
is nearly as great.
There are many things that should be
on my dirisible which I have not been
able to use because of the specification
and the low cost at which the shin was
CuHslTuCleu, SalQ Captain |
Baldwin today while working upon the as
sembling of his machine at Fort Never.
Among the attachments lacking Captain
Baldwin pointed out. are the irremovable
blades of fins attached to the envolope.
which add much to the equilibrium of the
airship.
Two mechanics have arrived from the
G. r. Curtis works at Hammandsport and
are assisting Captain Baldwin in preparing
the machine for its initial flight. which
propbably will take place Saturday next
G. II. Curtis, the aeronaut who will ac-
company Captain Baldwin on the trial
is expected to arrive Wednesday.
NEW YORK. July 8.-That the future
OF the aeroplane as a safe means OF con-
veyance is assured was the declaration
made by Henry Farman. the aeroplane in
who arrived today on board the
La Touraine from Europe for a series or
flights in his now famous flying machine
at Brighton Beach. F'arman was welcomed
by the bay by a reception
Of the Aero Club 'of America. After two
weeks in this city 1t Is expected he win
flights in Philadelphia, Boston ana
Pittsburg.