The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1909-06-24
WIND, A|RSH|P'S FUEL
Trade Breezes Excel Gasoline For
Ocean Flight, Says Brucker.
MECHANICS ARE SECONDARY.

Former chieasoan Believes He Will
Set New Record With Dirigibie In
Atlantic Trip Next Year-For Safety
the Car of His Airship Will Resemble
Submarine Boat.
Joseph Brucker, who Is going to
cross the Atlantic next summer In an
airship, dropped into Chicago the other
day on his way to the international
Aeronautic exposition at Frankfort-on-
the-M Main, where he is going to select
his dirigible for what he hopes will be
a history making expedition.
Mr.. Brucker has his trip all planned
out and sees no possible logical reason
why he should not succeed. Although
he is going to use dirigible, a ship
about one-third the size of Count Yep
pelin's, 1t is the northeast trade wind
and not gasoline that he is depending
on for power, and 1t Is meteorology
and not mechanism that he will make
the scientific basis of his trip.
81 am not mechanic" he said. 81
am a meteorologist have been max
ing a study of the trade winds, and,
while little is known of them in high
attitudes, I believe it will be simply
matter Of keeping in the current to
make the passage in four days. 1t
didn't take mariners long to discover
that the afr and ocean currents were
Of the greatest Importance to them.
Well, surely the air currents are of
vastly more Importance to the aero
naut That is exactly the trouble with
most Of our aeronauts. They are me-
chanics, and when they have built
their ships or balloons they consider
their work finished. AS a matter of
fact, 1t is only begun.
81 shall start probably from Cadiz,
Spain, next May or June. Then, If l
can land on any one Of the West In
dies, that is all ! am looking for; then
/ shall have made record that will
be hard to beat 1t may be Cuba,
Barbados, Martinique-any of them.
Il have been laughed at, to be sure.
But why? They tell me no airship
can carry enough gasoline for four
days. Perfectly true My gasoline
will be used only in an emergency To
all intents and purposes shall be
balloonist, depending on the air cur
rents for my motive power. They tell
me also the trip is dangerous. My
dear sir, Mr. Wellman's expedition to
discover the north pole, with all Its
possibilities of freezing and starvation,
is infinitely more dangerous. But they
do not laugh at Mr. Wellman.'
As precautionary measure MIR.
Brueker will have the scar" Of his ship
built on the plan Of submarine boat,
looking, as he said, good deal like
the Monitor of civil war days
We can make the trip in bathing
suits, and il we fall we will pull the
manhole shut. There is no particular |
danger, really
Mr.. Brucker is Chicagoan himself, |
though recently he has not been living |
there For ten years he was editor of |
the Illinois Staats-Zeitung and subse-
luently was made commissioner to
Germany for the st. Louis exposition.
He is friend of Count Zeppelin, the
German aeronaut, and expects yalua-.
BILE aid from him in the transatlantic
rip.
1.-THE Wright brothers and Count
Zeppelin agree with me-" he said, ''that
t is perfectly within reason that bal
DON or airship properly constructed
would cross the ocean safely
AT Frankfort on the Main Mr.. Bruek-
n will confer with builders, aeronauts
md meteorologists, select his airship
ind plan the details OF his flight.