The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-08-27
FRITZ GRAWERT'S LUCKTURNS
A GERMAN hacker FOR HIS
NEW IDEA AEROPLANE.

Had, In This Country Perfecting HIS
Aluminium ard SILK Filler Finds Recos-
milton OF HIS Work at Last at Home.
The news came 70 the Aero Club yester-
day that Fritz Grawert's luck has turned,
After spending $780, 900. his entire fortune.
trying to solve the problem OF aviation,
and meeting with little encouragement
here, Fritz Grawert has sailed for Ger
many at the invitation OF a nobleman.
Baron Won Klitxng. to exhibit his alumni
mum and silk aeroplane.
II the experiments to be made In Ger
many are successful Fritz Grawert'e for
tune 10 as good % made. he told his friends
at the Aero Club. Baron o Klitzing. the
patron who came forward when Herr
Grawert's fortunes were at the lowest
ebb. Ia convinced that the aluminium and
silk fyabout Is away ahead OF anything
the aerpolane inventors have produced yet.
Grawsrt has some reputation In New
York as a mechanical engineer n
speciality IL aluminium speed devices. Re-
Gently he fitted Henry II. Rogers's steam
Yacht Kapawha with a propeller designed
in accordance with his own ideas. and he
has been employed by yacht building firms
for special work.
Some years ago Herr Grawert was q
naval constructor In the German navy and
invented a form Of screw propeller which.
he told his friends here. increased the speed
of the Kaiser'a warships- He became
interested in aeronautics and thought that
America was the place where recognition
would come quickest. With his vile and
three children and a bank roll Of $4,000
Grawert landed here and settled down In
Hoboken.
to tinkering with flying machines, first
with ordinary gas bags. then dtrtgible
balloons, then with heavier than air flyers.
which more often than not failed to fly:
He accomplished more than a hundred
balloon ascensions before be made up his
solve tho problem. Then he turned to
After innumerable failures and disap-
pointments which caused his money TO
doing odd Jobs as a mechanical engineer.
Grawert constructed an aeroplane made
entirely Of aluminium and silk. fitted with
powerful motors and with an Aluminium
propeller which was different from any
thing. Of the sort that oeen shown In
The Grawert aeroplane Is "a feet wide
and Is feet long, capable. he has asserted,
OF remaining In tho air hours at q time and
Of a speed approaching 90 miles an hour.
Tho aluminium propeller has curved blades
which do not. In the usual fashion, join the
propeller rim. but are fitted to straight
aluminium bars radiating from 9 centre.
By this device Grawert planned to get
greater driving power. .
Before he sailed he told friends at
the Aero Club that his air machine p
been constructed in his workshop in West
l25th street near Lenox avenue and that
he had made his experiments at night to
insure secrecy. Three times he tried out
the aluminium and silk machine. Once the
motor went wrong and a. ne t hh,sh1 na iai,es,
struck a tree, and a propeller blade was
broken. The third time be was successful.
BY his account he remained In the air fhteen
minutes. sweeping In q great circle over
part Of Harlem. quite independent OF the
tanned a speed which be estimated at about
fifty miles an hour. 0rawert did not show
his flying machine to members OF the Aero
Club, but he exhibited q rough model there
which attracted much interest.
He tried TO get financial backing here.
but men with money to srare weren't
taking chances on fyabouts yet awhile.
Grawert wa broke and at his wits end.
Finally he wrote 70 Baron .Klitzing.
one who was much interested in Count
Zeppelin's experiments. describing, bis In
York two years ago and had known Ora
vert when the inventor wa q naval con-
structor at Kiel. replied at onoe. The
Baron sent q check for 2,00o marks and an
order for steamer tickets for Gravert and
his family upon the North German Lloyd
The inventor boxed up his aluminium
friends and sailed on Tuesday. on the
Kaiser wllhelm der Crosse. confident that
his fortune waa mAde. :.
At the Aero Club yesterday 1t was said
lived In Hoboken or Manhattan. For Q
long time he got his mail and cable mes:
cages at Meyers Hotel In Hoboken. and
here be received mail at tho General Post
Once. He was afraid. II was said. that
somebody would steal his ideas.