The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-04-19
BOYS BUSY With AIRSHIPS
YOUNG INVENTORS WIN IDEAS
FOR FLYING MACHINES.

NOfkink on AlFaliVe -Olnefs INprrls
mentlns VITA Kites and balloons.
81 got left last wook and I come r. pay
up my dues drawled a lad Of nine og "A
stepped into the headquarters Of tho Junior
Aero Club, in West Twenty third s'ro,.,
the other day, whore Mrs f.. Laura Todd.
the only woman %aeroplanist in tho world,
holds sway.
Miss Todd was the centre Of a rroup
Of keen eyed boys ranging from 7 to II.
all deeply ongrossed in figuring ont s,us
problem concerning the aorial craft .hoy
held in their hands, She glanced up VITA
a twinkle in her eyes as tho delinquent
member walked toward her.
He dug down deep into his jeans with
many contortions Of body and face and
fshed up rs cents. 1t was a lot Of money,
but It was worth II, judging by tho aut
expression on his funny little face; tDr
this sum entitled him to become a mewher
Of the club and sit at tho feet Of the Un.
structor who has taken IL upon herself
10 teach the young how to ~.
II was tho setting FREQ Of seventy-fya
toy balloons tho other day that tho
youngster referred 10. Miss Todd Was
telling her class in a]erohautics about thos1
balloons when a SuN reporter calod.
The club was formed tyo months ago.
Starting with a few me- r"S II has in.
creased until there arc more than 2O boys
from all over the Unitod Statos who hlys
gone crazy over ~ballooning and aIrsHip
A.4g. Nil. TglA l,1,v.a tIA
the boys are destined somo day 10 help
hugely in solving the problems Of aerial
navigation.
BreathlCss interest followed the teachers
description Of how and whore al the small
toy balloons sent up by the boy, were
found. Their eyes simply hulgod with az
element as she told how one Of them wt3
caught by a tugboat captain in thu las,
River. After securing the balloon the
skipper, Capt. Starbuck, recorded that tho
balloon was caught in the East River 'of
Greenpoint at lOS p. NJ
Cautiously enough said Miss Todd,
athe balloons found nearest home wera
discovered at a much later hour than thoss
that landed further away. For instance,
the one found near Prospect Park and that
on the tug we're caught about I O'Clock,
some fifteen minutes after their ascension,
while one picked up in the yard at 2SS Eighth
e lust one block away from the point
of departure, was corralled at q p, NJ
The reasons Tor these discrepancies were
explained and the students OF aerial nayiga-
ton listened with bated breath.
Some one asked Miss Todd OF what all
pilot balloons we're and she replied that
they were used for the purpose Of deter
mining the direction Of the wind, It's We
locity, &c, and that II was customary 10
send them UP before the ascent OF a large
balloon loaded with human freight.
"Itis, moreover. one OF the first lessons IN
ballooning," continued Miss Todd, in ey-
PLANTATION. ITO be quite correct It Is tho
second lesson which the novice must learn.
For first Of all comes the art OF cutting and
making the hot air balloons for,
THE third step ia the diriglble balloon
filled with gas, and the last Is the aeroplane
The balloon and aeroplane school is con-
Quoted on Saturday afternoons between
2 and 5. But the hours are elastic,
$40 they 90 at So Miss Todd was asked.
$50 at So she exclaimed. Il cant drive
them out. II ] can get the room clear att
| am doing well.
Il nA0 no lQed Ol Niib lillilNAiFf
~ interest that would develop from the
club when 1t started. | don't know,
though, but that statement is incorrect,
for il has long been one Of my pet hobbies
that TO teach boys a~eronautics they should
be caught young, and | feel confident now
my suTmise IL correct.
ave have applications for membership
from all over the country. east as far as
Maine, north from many Canadian towns, |
west 8 far as Seattle. &c. One small
American boy living in Paris has written
telling me he wants 10 JON. This Is not
surprisinR, as over there the subject II
much further advanced than here.
Undoubtedly the boys Of this count5
will do their share in solving the problq
Of aerial flying. just now they knL
more about balloons than aeroplanes Y
later on we will work that subject ont
One Of the bright and shining Lighter
the club is Percy Pierce Of The Bronx ing
has invented an airship that is lfed
upon with favor even by members ms
Aero Club themselves. Then thf
Young Arden, who resides II the saV dlSn,
triot and thinks he has an airshlp ~ VIII
really Az. L.
Harold Platt of Brooklyn has Jade A
100 foot balloon which he will ent9 al INC
exhibition Of the international Sl,ooi OF
Aeronautics, which comes OF aboJ June
He has other attachments in the hIl o,
wireless telegraphy and upon " 1901
his house has erected a forty IoQt p0le
eouipped with the wireless attachment.
He has caught many messages I'm passing
steamers.
Jacob Apatow Of BROOKLYN aged u
who is a pupil at the Comnfcial hlRn
School. has constructed a lot q small hal-
looms and kites. What he waits to DO Is
to invent a real flying mAchine@nd he "l'
he has high hopes, , o,
Edwin Little. aged II, Of Gr0vilIe, ono,
one OF the clubs out Of town members, y
making an apparatus which MI measure
the velocity Of propellers 81,
Frank Cartright OF East Romhelu' y
Y, who is Is, has already mae many rN'
periments with kites Of diffeent deslSis.
He Is now making a large eiht sided kte
with which he means 10 firh the ui'nE
power at different angles and at d'Ueigu,
heights. II has a surface OF o. squd'' '''
and weighs 1O5 pounds.
o Howard Brenton MACEDONIAN Of >C,hr'
il building an aeroplane, andlRwls hnIn'
Of Granville will enter a six foot SIN ""'
loon at the approaching EXHIBITION
Miss Todd says the toys cont take ''
ideas, but work out their own, ~
my BOYS come here with ideas "I I9rI
own said she. sand some very oIIgInal
models have been turned out which gov
show that they do their " thluhIik
So great an interest does ore BOY laA,
that though employed downtown he rl'u1s
HE Innoh Ynnnav 10 C,nn nm here az NV