Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-15
SAILS IN HIS D|R|G|BlE
Capt. Baldwin Meets SiqnaI
Corps Requirements.
MAKES TWO GOOD FLIGHTS
Aeronaut Expresses Satisfaction
With the Result.
GOVERNMENT TAKES MACHINE
Details of the Trips-Plans Made
for an Endurance. Ride
This Afternoon.
GOVERNMENT TAKES MACHINE

This Afternoon.
Capt. Baldwin yesterday made two
flights that satisfied the requirements of
his dirigble balloon. After the endur-
ance test this afternoon the machine will
be formally turned over to the govern
ment.
The first flight yesterday was made from
the balloon house at $50 o'clock.
Board Makes an Oral Report.
The airship board made an oral report
to Gen. Allen this morning. although the
formal report probably will not be ready
before Monday. The highest speed made
by Capt Baldwin was 1851 miles per
hour. subject to some slight corrections,
which may Increase it to twenty miles.
This speed was attained on the second of
yesterday afternoons trials. When the
report of the board was communicated to
Capt. Baldwin he expressed himself as
highly gratified. The recorded speed was
greater than he had believed he had
made.
The board started for Fort Myer at
o'clock this afternoon, the airship being
scheduled to begin it's two hours endur-
ance trial.
Capt. Baldwin was greatly pleased with
the result of the flight. Better time might
have been made. but the ship preserved
splendid balance throughout and was
under perfect control. On the last trip
Capt. Baldwin. who was steering from the
rear end of the frame, was bothered by
smoke from the engine, and in the gather
Ing darkness said he could scarcely tell
whether he was keeping true course, but
on the whole the test was very satis-
factory. There was three-mile wind.
according to the registering instrument
at the top of the signal tower at the fort,
but Capt. Baldwin said that at the height
of 800 feet, which was about the average
of the flight, there was a stiff breeze. The
machine once or twice reached an eleva-
ton Of 1000 feet. and was seldom lower
than 400 feet. There was not much of a
crowd present. owing to the many previ-
Gus disappointments when official trials
had been announced.
Course Of the Flight.
The course of the flight was from the
cavalry drill ground at Fort Myer to a
flag planted by the Signal Corps in the
direction of Cherrydale. a settlement to
the northwest Of the fort. The distance
was two and one-sixteenth miles. and the
outer line was two miles long. The aero
naut had the option of crossing the two
mile line at any point. and in calculating
from the fort to the line was allowed
After crossing the line where the time
was taken the ship circled, and the time
was taken again on the run back to the
fort. The average of the two was the
Official time, the time consumed in the
turn being deducted from the time of
fight
The first trip was considered good, the
elapsed time being 10 minutes SO seconds.
But there was another chance left for
the official record. and Maj. SQuires sug-
gested that as the conditions were favor
able and the ship working well another
trial should be made. The suggestion was
accepted. and the ship had scarcely
alighted before little more hydrogen
was forced into the big gray bag and she
was sent away on another speed run. The
hour was growing late, and there were
few visitors left. The War Department
and newspaper automobiles dashed away
ahead of the airship, but though they
averaged about thirty-five miles an hour
on the Virginia roads, the airship reached
the finish first making the second run in
the elapsed time of 1910.
Endurance Test Today.
The endurance test was to have been
made at 5 o'clock this morning, but as
it was pointed out to Capt. Baldwin that
he would have to make 20 per cent of his
average speed trial rate throughout the
test. and that had not been figured. post
poned the flight to between l o'clock and
o'clock this afternoon.
Capt. Baldwin said he felt safe on the
score of endurance, expressing 1t as easy
as falling down WELL" He expects to
make trip from Fort Myer around the
Washington Monument and return. Then
If there is any time left he will take one
Of the best of the several roads into
Fairfax county and go toward Falls
Church to complete the endurance run.
MIR. Curtiss. who drove the engine yes
terday, was very well satisfied with it's
the high speed without missing an ex-
plosion whenever he let it out. The en-
CINE was not run at its full capacity, how
ever. during the most of the trip. as it
on the ship with the power thrOttled
down. This bears out the statement of
Capt. Baldwin. before the balloon was
assembled. that he was not worried over
anxious about the control. 1t appears
that when an airship is driven at top
speed she begins to yaw. and it is hard
to keep her steady in the wind. This
might be obviated if the center of the
propeller We're at the center of resistance
of the craft. but owing to difficulties OF
construction it has to be set considerably
below the center. and that tends to throw
the ship of it's course.
Signal Corps Pleased.
The officers OF the Signal Corps are
pleased to have a dirigible with which to
experiment. 1t requires about the same
sort of practice to handle a dirigible as
it does to ride a bicycle or sail a cat
boat, and the officers feel that the sooner
they get busy the sooner they will be
qualified for the work on the larger ships
that will be built next year.
The endurance test of the dirigible to-
day is one of the most severe to which
such ship has been subjected. with the ex-
ception of the Inflated Zeppelin craft II
is seldom that dirigible stays in the air
more than two hours. even with such
large ships as the runaway Patrie, the
Vile de Paris and similar European craft
In the course of the two hours the ship
probably will cover thirty miles. as far
as the longest flight of the Null Secundus
before she was wrecked. and half as long
as the extreme record up to the time
that Count Zeppelin made his twelve-hour
flight.