Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-30
READY TO MAKE THE GAS
BALDWIN AIRSHIP WILL HAVE
FIRST TRIAL MONDAY NEXT.
"Silent' Curtis, the Mile-in-Forty-
Second Man, Will Operate the
Powerful Engine.

Gas-making for the Baldwin airshlp
will begin at Fort Myer tomorrow. The
hydrogen outfit was placed in position
yesterday and as soon as the materials
ara obtained the gas will start to flow.
1t will take about forty-eight hours to IN
fate the bag. and this, at the earliest.
would not have the dirigihle in readiness
before Sunday morning.
The big gray envelope, like lazy. over
grown chestnut worm, is lying dormant
on the floor of the balloon house now II
has been flied with air to test 1t for leaks
and is az tight as tin bucket. The bag
Is los feet long. and Just fills the inside OF
the balloon house. The framework is al
mos. a quarter longer. and has not YET
been all put together. The bag will De
inflated on the floor of the house. and will
be weighted with sand bags as the gas
gets into 1t, so that its huge lifting power
will never get beyond the control of the
operators.
When the gas is all in. 1t will be walked
outside the house to a convenient open
spot, anu the car, with it's engine. at
tached. .apt. Baldwin might mount II
there and ride over to the cavalry drill
ground in state, but there are too many
trees around the balloon house to take
this risk. and some husky, heavy signal
service men will be put on the drag ropes
and the whole machine walked over TO
the drill ground.
Balloon Tent Soon Ready.
The tent for housing the balloon will be
in readiness on the ground Saturday, and
here the machine will rest till 1t has been
put through its PAGES and accepted by the
War Department.
1t had ueen intended to get the iron fill
ing, for the HETEROGENEOUS making from
the navy yard, where there are tons OF
steel borings going to waste. but the proc
ess OF official requisttion was too long,
and yesterday afternoon Capt Baldwin
wen. down to a junk dealer and got
couple of tons of iron filings on his own
account The sulphuric acid for the gas
has been shipped from New York, and
ought to be at the fort today.
G. II. Curtis. maker of the engine that
will drive the Baldwin ship, has been here
a couple of days looking over the little
machine. He will operate the engine on
the trips. Capt. Baldwin declares he
flights. as he will offer no wind resist
ance that way. But when he stands up he
is over six feet tall It will not matter
much whether Capt. Baldwin STANDS up
or lies down. as his dimensions are more
nearly the same in all directions. There
is one thing that has been very COM
Portable in all the work. Notwithstanding
the nervous strain every one has been
good-natured. Nearly all the signal squad
know Capt Baldwin personally. having
met him many times before. ana 'nsy
refer to him affectionately s Pop. lie
can get more work out of a bunch of help
ers than almost any other man and never
seems to drive or hurry either.
Curtis Has Done Things.
Mr.. Curtis is the silent member of the
party He talks little but what he
doesn't know about light motors nobody
else is apt to know, either. He is the
head of the Curtis motor works at Ham
mondsport and a member Of the Aero
nautic Association, of which Alexander
Graham Bell is the moving spirit. Curtis
drove the June Bug. the famous heavier
than air machine, lin its first flight at
Hammondsport. and is one of the four
men in this country who have ever been
off the ground in a heavier-than-atr ma
chine. He worked up gradually to the
art of flying. being the man who made
the famous forty-seconds mile with
a motorcycle at Ormond Beach. He says
that running an aerOplane Is sort OF
gymnastic exercise and that the knack
must be acquired much the same as riding
bicycle. One takes more chances In the
learning however.
night with Gen. Allen. chief signal officer.
and DR.. Albert Zahm of the Catholic
University to meet Henri Farman. Far
man is going to fly at Brighton Beach
Saturday After the reception the WASH
ington party will return here. and the
made probably Monday. There Is no
likelihood of Farman coming down TO
Washington for a contest with Baldwin,
as all the dates for his American tour
have already been made and could not
well be altered.