Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1909-06-11
TODD TO'TRAIN ON AIR
keronaut 10 Prepare Astronomer
For Trip Toward Mars.
WILL HAVE TO BE SKY BROKEN
Both Must Learn to Breathe Tank
Oxygen Before They Make Balloon
Journey to Signal the Plsnet-wilI
Use Water Ballast and Carry Ter
Miles Of Wire.

Sb1QGH t"Cy
Journey to Signal the Plsnet-will
Use Water Ballast and Carry Ter
Miles Of Wire.
Leo Stevens. the aeronaut, got back
10 New York from Amherst college the
other day, having spent several days
with Professor David l.. Todd, the AS
tronomer. planning the details of the
balloon trip that he and the professor
have promised themselves To take on
the 18th Of next September. Mars
will be nearest the earth then. and the
professor Is going To try To Intercept
some of the electric messages he be
Iieyes the wise old Martians have been
patiently firing ut US for decades.
Il don't know about getting In touch
with Mars-that's the professors bust
ness-but | have contracted to take
him up ten miles. and I'm going To Do
It," said the aerOnaut.
Stevens added that the professor was
engrosscd by the prospect of the trip
and was ready to begin training right
away.
OF course first Of all the professor
will have to be sky broken. He is go
Ing to begin ON that In few days.
when Stevens will take him and a few
of his Amherst boys on a little ascen
sion ut Springfield. Mass. After that,
II the professor follows the aeronauts
directions, he will go 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 Stevens 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 will be penned for great
err part of their fight.
"One 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. I'VE have concluded. however, to
carry water as ballast. which will be
released by stopcocks In the aluminium
boxes"
has lifting power of two and n half
tons. but the aeronaut 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 60
ing up mighty sight faster than he
would ordinarily. so as to keep from
freezing when the balloon touches the
high points.
The throwing over Of a quarter OF
pound Of ballast will send my bal
loon up thousand feet" said he. but
when we start on the great ascension
we will drop probably fifty pounds OF
water at time"
OF course. being cooped up In tn,
aluminium pens and fed on oxygen
speed won't interfere with theil
breathing.
Stevens declared that he and tn,
professor are dreadfully In earnes
with this project: that they have al
ready placed orders In France for {
special Paragraph and other instru
ments that will guide them In thei
flight; also they have begun to max,
arrangements for the manufacture o.
the aluminium cases and for about tel
miles Of special wire that the pro
fessor wants to pay out so as to keel
In touch with the earth. Stevens est
mates that the ten miles of specia
wire will weigh only about 200 pounds
1T seems to be Indispensable" sale
the aeronaut, 'to the professor
scheme for getting into wireless com
munication with Mars He has got t,
be grounded or something"
The aluminium tanks will close al
tight like refrigerator; but, according
to the present day plans. they will b,
furnished with heavy glass floor an(
windows. Mr. Stevens didn't expect
| however. that they would have to re
| sort to their tanks until they attain ,
height of five miles or more They
VIII have little chair in each alu
minimum box and a good supply o
"heat producing" food.
Stevens has never been higher thai
four and three-quarter miles. He sale
recently:
''Three Frenchmen went up eigh
and quarter miles about a year ago
but one of them was frozen to dealt
and another paralyzed. They weren
prepared for such height, however
and we will be. We intend to go up a
least until 1t is impossible to draw
oxygen from our tanks and then, o
course, we will take the warning ant
drop, for balloon. my boy, Away.
has the energy to drop."-New Yorl