Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-12
MOTOR NOW IUNEDUP
Another Flight Made by the
Baldwin DirigibIe.
NOT DRIVEN FULL SPEED
Engine Makes Only 400 Revolutions,
Can Make $50.
TEST MADE FROM FORT MYER
Official Trial May Be Held This
Evening Between and
O'Clock.
TEST MADE FROM FORT MYER

|
climbing up to the contract requirements.
What is hoped will be the last of the tun-
ing-up trials was made yesterday after
noon. and the ship developed little over
seventeen miles an hour. 1t was impos-
sibe to time her accurately as there was
no starting line as there will be in the
official test. but taking the time from the
instant she crossed the railroad tracks to
her return the speed was certainly some
| thing over seventeen miles,
The flight was made from the drill
grounds at Fort Myer to an official flag
planted in the direction Of Ballston. on
the Falls Church railroad. The distance
was two and a quarter miles, air line,
though the ship certainly covered five
miles on the round trip. 1t was a very
good day for the trial in some respects
1t was fairly cool and the wind was light,
but it was battling and uncertain. From
the time the dirigible started till she re-
| turned the wind vane west of the big
| tent had swung completely round. There
| evidently was change in the upper air
| currents as well. for the ship started al
most directly into head wind and had to
| fight contrary breeze coming back.
There were cross currents. too, for the air
| ship made considerable leeway on the re-
| turn trip like boat with too shallow a
l
game Of aeronautics and had to be count
| ed on.
Above the Minimum Limit.
The speed made would still put the dir-
gible over the minimum speed limit set by
the government. this being sixteen miles
an hour, but she would be penalized for
not making her contract speed Of twenty
miles, and If this were the best she could
do it would be not only blow to Capt.
| Baldwin's pride, but would mean an ac-
| tual loss of money to him, and the ship
now stands him fully as much money as
| he would get from the fiat contract price.
| Anything that she earns in the way of a
| bonus will be his margin Of profit.
| The engine was not opened I'D to its full
capacity yesterday. Its highest speed was
400 revolutions, but with the auxiliary
ports open It is calculated for a speed
Of $50 revolutions, and this is what Glenn
H. Curtiss. the engineer. expects to get
out Of her on the speed trial This proba-
bly, will be made this afternoon, the
start being fixed indefinitely, as usual,
at between and o'clock
Officers of the Signal Corps followed
the balloon in q fast automobile yester-
day. and although speed of seventeen
miles an hour does not sound very high
| on paper, the sky road is an air line, al
| lowing for windage. and the airship beat
the auto back to the parade grounds.
| though the big machine came with her
engine wide open. the riders hatless and
dust covered and looking as though they
had been having race with bicycle
policeman.
The course of the ship today will de-
pend on the direction of the wind but It
is very likely that 1t will be toward Falls
| Church and back.
Secretary Wright's Inadvertence.
| Gen. Luke Wright, the Secretary of
War, was one Of the interested spectators
of the trial. He was with Gen. Allen most
of the time, and made his only bad break
| when he got from under the wing of his
| chaperon. There is an obvious and very
strict rule against smoking In the balloon
tent. There is not supposed to be any
| loose hydrogen about, but there may be
at any moment. and an explosion would
fire the balloon and would be about as
| disastrous as setting of that much gun
powder
| Apparently Mr.. Wright was not up on
hydrogen. for he walked into the tent
with a cigar in his mouth. One of the
cavalrymen on duty, not knowing who
the Secretary was, and probably not car
ing either. as the Secretary could start
fatal explosion just as well as any one
else. called to him sharply that no smok-
ing was allowed in the tent. Secretary
Wright smiled family and tossed his
cigar outside. He asked Gen. Allen If he
had been violating a rule, and on being
|
only his own skin. but those OF every
one else. he remarked that he was glad
| the soldier had been on the job.
| Those most interested in the trial took
it as their natures were The army Of
| ficers. of course, were barred from any
expression of opinion Capt. Baldwin,
who has the most at stake, said merely
| that he guessed she would do, and Mr..
Curtiss, who had been tinkering his pet
engine all day. was too soaked with ex-
haustion and axle grease to do more than
heave q sigh of relief and say that the
motor was at last tuned up to its working
point. August Post, the secretary of the
Aero Club, who has only platonic inter-
siastic of all, and said he thought the
actual speed was nearer nineteen miles
than seventeen. and he wished the War
Department would make allowance for
| wind velocity instead of timing from
point to point.
Awaiting Wright's Aeroplane.
Every one is on the lookout for the
Wright aeroplane. which is not due to ar
rive till the 18th instant. but which may
be here any minute for all that can be
learned about 1t. The War Department
processes ignorance as to its whereabouts
1t was stated at the signal Office yester-
day that Orville Wright had been Of
fered facilities at Fort Myer for assem-
bling his machine preparatory to its trial,
but that he had declined. and the depart
ment was as much In the dark as any one
as to when he might be expected in
Washington and how soon he might be
here before the trial.
MI. Curtiss' New Commission.
While making an effort to increase the
speed of Capt Baldwin's airship, Mr.. Cur
uss, who won the fist contest for the Sci
entific American cup in the June Bug, the
aeroplane of the Aerial Experiment AS
sociation, has been commissioned to build