The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-09-04
TO FLY IN Topeka
Joseph BlOndin Has Plans for
an Airship.
Has Record as a Daring, Sue
cessful AerOnaut.
NEW TYPE DIRIGIBLE
Would Use Hot Air Instead of
Gas.
NEW TYPE DIRIGIBLE
More Practical, Less Expensive
and Easily Managed.

Nero, they say, fiddled while Rome
burned, but Joseph Blondin of Topeka
can outjuggle that old Roman rake by
playing the cello while flying through
space in his airship Aeronautist
cellist and bookkeeper, that is the list
Of accomplishments that Mr.. Blondin
modestly lays claim to. He prefers to
be spoken of, too in the order named
If he were rich Mr.. Blondin would pre-
fer to be floating around in the am
olent atmosphere conducting expert
ments with his airship rather than
earning money with his cello or at the
books, but since such is not the case
, ne must perforce resort to the employ
ment that brings in the money and
having the latter he can proceed with
his experiments in aeronautics
Mr.. Blondin has lately come to To-
peka and is living at 225 Buchanan
street. He expects to remain here for
some time. He formerly lived here
and was employed in the Santa Fe Of
fees.
As one of the founders and original
members of the Aero club of America,
which had in charge the long distance
flight of balloons and airships at st.
Louis. Mr.. Blondin is well known
among the aeronautists of this country
and numbers among his close friends
many of the noted figures, such as Roy
knabenshue. For some time past he
has been located in the west and made
several flights through New Mexico
His balloon, the Albuquerque" is now
at the city of the same name in New
Mexico.
His flights do not embrace the usual
professor" stunt of swinging loose
and making a parachute descent.
That's acrobatics," said Mr.. BIondin
with some degree of disdain, 81 do not
consider that belonging to my profess
sion, L prefer to leave that to acrobats
1 am interested in making the flights
the long distance ones, if you please
and working out the problems which
will make the airship of economic
value"
Three thousand dollars is the amount
that Mr.. Blondin is seeking to raise
to construct an airship along lines
evolved by him. He has the blue prints
of every part and the plans have al
ready been worked out successfully,
he states, SO that it is not a question
of theory.
Three thousand dollars seems too
small to most men, the smaIlness of
the capital required is what is proving
| the drawback in my attempt to raise
| the funds he continued. IF I should
| come to some capitalist asking for
| $150000 as many of them do it would
! be easier for me than to secure one
| fftieth of that. My airship is simply
| of the usual balloon shape, round,
| which gives the maximum capacity
| for gas. equipped with a motor but us
| ing hot air instead of hydrogen gas.
I have special burner for heating the
| hot air and a special varnish for the
| bag which meets the requirements more
| nearly than anything else yet used as
| a covering.
The use of hydrogen gas has many
drawbacks. 1t is costly to manufacture.
| For one filling of say $4,000 cubic feet
it costs about $3.50 and the old method
| of using iron filings and sulphuric acid
| is still used to secure the hydrogen gas,
| This means that the services of from
| four to twenty men are used and the
time used up in filling amounts to sew
| eral hours. The French army has tic
take around with it a wagon equipped
| with the generating apparatus which is
| heavy and cumbersome. And then
| whenever you aight with your dirigi-
! bic you have to again fill up with n.y.
! drogen gas.
BY the use of hot air, not the verbal
1 kind, you do away with all of this APP
| paratus, air costs nothing and you can
| descend as many times as you wish and
| stay up a great deal longer than by the
use of hydrogen gas. Furthermore 1t
| takes but three-quarters of an hour to
| fill a bag with hot air. By the use OF
my burner you can absolutely contro
| the degree of heat and it is simply a
| question of increasing the heat or low
! ering it to raise or lower yourself in
| the dirigible. Kerosene is used fol-
| fuel and is obtainable everywhere.
; 1T is entirely possible to stay up for
| days at time or to alight as many
times as necessary for supplies and
| then resume the voyage without re-
| quiring a reflling of the gas bag. Take
in war for instance the enemy might
| fill my type of ship full of shot holes
but still could keep up in the air be-
/ 90 I 70 hot ai1-
| quickly than it could rush out through
| the holes. On the other hand the
use of hydrogen gas would mean your
descent to the ground. My plans are
compact; the airship could be carried
bon one horse the bag folding into the