The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-11-01
KEW BALLOON TO CIRCLE THE GLOBE Wonderful If Graft Is Now
 Being Built BY PROFESS:sJR LOWE
 5e Claims That -seyrip win Travel For 12Smonths es hout Being RehIled and V " 2 2 arry Tons of Sur
 us Weight.
BY PROFE:SeJR LOWE

Dnlon, $. C., October 31.-A plan to circumnavigate the globe in dirigible | balloon without having to stop to replen- ish the propelling power-hydrogen-is re- garded as entirely practicable by Prof. Thaddeus S. c. Lowe, the noted aeronaut and scientist, and head of the Mt. Lowe observatory, near Pasadena, Cal, who is now constructing an air craft designed to accomplish this remarkable feat With an experience in aeronautics covering more than half century, and holding the worlds balloon speed record made in a flight from Cincinnati to Pearidge &. i C.. April 20, 1861, when he covered dis tance estimated at more than 800 miles in less than nine hours, the announce ment of Professor Lowes new venture in this field will attract widespread inter- est
 The details of Professor Lowe's plans are made public for the first time In let ter to Allan Nicholson, editor of Progress. local newspaper. Referring to hs long flight in 1861, Professor Lowe says: If this is not sufficient to hold at least the speed record for a long time the aeronautic fraternity will soon have an opportunity to not only surpass this. but will be given chance to try their skill in keeping up with an arshp, for which 1 am now getting out plans, that I be- lieve will circumnavigate the globe with out having to stop and replenish the car rying power--hydrogen. The new vessel will be capable of propelling to any part of the globe desired.'
 The Lowe Arship.
 Continuing, Professor Lowe makes the following comparison between the famous Zeppelin airship and the prospective Lowe airship:
 'rhe Zeppelin machine. 450 feet long by 50 feet in diameter. has suff&sa ut .s.,Oe se. ualt feet, aid ox;lis to fts sals. .to and necessarily cumbrous construction, is unable to carry more than three tons of surplus weight.
 ''The Lowe airship. 100 feet in diameter, with its great downward taper, has less than 10000 square feet of surface present. ed to the wind. Owing to it's lighter and still stronger construction, it will carry eight tons of surplus weight. What is meant by surplus weight in both cases
 
 which surplus Is used for freight and passengers.
 With only one-quarter headwind the Zeppelin could make no headway in 8 four-mile breeze while the Lowe airship can easily make 25 miles against the same wind, and can ascend to the high attitudes and select favorable currents, which the Zeppelin cannot do The Lowe can rise and lower perpendicularly and land on a small surface and rest it's heavy weight, without the loss of either gas or ballast, and can anchor In any dry spot indefinite ly and resume operation at any time, with the same lifting power, without additional expense of any kind except that used in propellins the craft.
 No Balloon Houses. '"rhe most important feature of all is being able to do away with expensive bal loon houses, as was fully demonstrated with all of the Lowe war balloons, from 1861 to 1S67 both for war. scientific and pleasure purposes All other air crafts including balloons of all shapes, now constructed, have to be housed at great expense. and their gas has to be frequent ly replenished also at great expense; while with the Lowe method of construction the ordinary war balloon would hold its gas for continuous operation for three months without reinfation, while the larger Lowe air crafts-buIlt for cir cumnavigating the globe. if desired-could hold their gas for a year at a time. owing to so vastly less surface in proportion to contents between sphere 30 feet in di- ameter. lifting $40 pounds, and one of 100 feet in diameter lifting 32,725 pounds"
 Professor Lowe expects to have his new airship ready for the initial experi- ments within the next few months