The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1909-07-06
TODD To TRAIN ON AIR
Aeronaut to Prepare Astronomer
For Trip Toward Mars.
WILL HAVE TO BE SKY BROKEN

tourney TO signal the Pianet-Wil
Use Water Ballast and Carry Ter
Miles Of Wire.
Leo Stevens. the aeronaut got back
to New York from Amherst college the
other day, having spent several days
with Professor David =. Todd. the as
tronomer. planning the details of the
balloon trip that he and the professor
have promised themselves to take on
the 15th of next September. Mars
will be nearest the earth then, and the
professor is going to try to intercept
some of the electric messages be b e
lieves the wise ID M%artians have been
patiently firing at us for decades.
Il don know about getting in touch
with Mars-that's the professors bust
ness-but l have contracted to take
him up tel miles, and I'm going to do
It," said the
Stevens added that the professor was
~engrossed by the prospect of the trip
and was ready To begin training right
away.
OF course first of all the professor
will ave To be sky broken He Is GO
ing to begin on that In a few days.
when Stevens will take him and a few
Of his Amherst boys on a little ascen-
sion at Springfield. Mass. After that,
II the professor follows the a~eronaut's
directions. he will 90 up every week
or so and learn to like IT..
For the month of August the pro
fessor has laid out a course of train
ing for himself and Stevens. 1t will
consist of regular exercises at breath
Ing tank oxygen In an air tight com
partment. steven Will probably take
this course at Amherst. Its purpose
will be TO acclimate them to life in the
air tight aluminium compartments In
which they WIFI be penned for a great
er part of their flight.
zone of the things that we settled
at Amherst" said Stevens, was the
question OF ballast. That has been
troubling us. 1t will be impossible for
us. penned up in our aluminium cases.
to handle sand or anything of that
sort. We have concluded, however. to
carry water as ballast, which Will he
by stopcocks in the aluminium
boxes"
The balloon which Stevens will use
has a lifting power of two and a half
tons. but the says he will
make ample provisions for expansion
In the rarefied regions. starting out
probably with the balloon not more
than one-third Inflated: also he is GO
ing up Il mighty sight faster than he
ordinarily. SO as To keep from
when the balloon ouche the
high points.
The throwing over OF a quarter of
a pound of ballast Will send my bal
up a thousand feet" said he. but
we start on the great ascension
will drop probably fifty pounds of
at a time"
OF course. being cooped up in the
pens and fed on oxygen
speed won't Interfere with their
breathing.
Stevens declared that he and the
professor are dreadfully in earnest
with this project; that they have al
ready placed orders in France for a
Paragraph and other instru-
ments that viii guide them in their
also they have begun 10 make
arrangements for the manufacture of
the aluminium cases and for about ten
miles of special wire that the pro
lessor wants to pay out so as to keep
IN touch with the earth. Stevens esti-
mates that the ten miles Of special 4
wire will weigh only about o pounJs.
1T seems to be Indispensable" said
he aeronaut, ito the professors
for getting into wireless com
munication with Mars. He has got to
De grounded or something"
The aluminium tanks will close air
light like n refrigerator; but. according
10 the present day plans. they will be
with a heavy glass floor and
windows. Mr.. Stevens didn't expect.
however. that they would have to re-
sOrt To their tanks until they attain a
height Of five miles or more. They
vii have a little chair in each alu-
minium box and a good supply of
heat producing" food.
Stevens has never been higher than
our and three-quarter miles. He said
'ecently:
Three Frenchmen went up eight
a quarter miles about a yea ago.
nut one of them was frozen to death
Ind another paralyzed. They weren't
prepared for such a height. however.
we VIII be. We intend to go up at
until IL is impossible to draw
oxygen from our tanks. and then, Of
We will take the warning and
irop. for a balloon. my boy, always
las the energy TO drop."-New York