Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-04-22
. A NDS[LESS A|RSH|P.
FEATURES OF NEW CRAFT BEING
CONSTRUCTED UNDER DlREc.
TON OF CAPTAIN BALDWIN.
ENORMOUS HANDICAP
is BEING OVERCOME


One Of The Most Serious prawbaeks
Has Been Chatter Of DirisibIe Crafts
Machinery - Californian Claims to
Have Solved sntrieate Problem.
Captain Thomas S. Baldwin, the Cal
Rornia aeronaut, whose dirigible air
ship was accepted by the United
States government last year. recently
made the interesting statement that
the new dirigible now being built for
him at Hammondsport, N. Y, will be
noiseless machine.
II viii make my new machine so de-
void of noise when in operation" said
Captain Baldwin, 'that two men in
the machine will be able to carry on a
conversation II necessary in a whisper.
This will be done by mufling the en-
CINE and using ball and roller bearings
tor the propellers. There ought to be
no great difficulty in preventing ex-
cessive noise in dirigible while in
the air. The solution is one Of i'm
proved construction.
up to the present time the main
effort has been directed toward get
Ding In the air. Now that this has
been accomplished refinements in me-
ehanical work will follow, and the
next few years, I predict, will see
scores of Improvements which will
make airships highly practicable for
. number of purposes"
Added interest in the future practi-
cability Of airships has recently been
aroused from the criticisms made by
Prince Henry of Prussia in lecture
which he recently gave at the Marine
academy at Kiel, describing his trip in
the immense Zeppelin airship. Among
other things he regarded the noise of
the propellers as q serious disadvan-
tage, being calculated to betray the
approach Of the ship in wartime. To
send orders from the bridge to men In
other parts Of the ship it is necessary
to write them and send them in car
rier attached to an endless wire, as 1t
is impossible to hear voice above the
din Of the motors. This difficulty has
been experienced in all similar ma
chimes.
To permit the man at the motor to
give quick orders to the man steering
at the rear Of the machine Lieutenant
Lahm advised the equipment of the
government airship with speaking
tubes. and this will probably be In use
when the military dirigible resumes its
aerial fight this year.
Prince Henry In summing up the re-
suits Of the Zeppelin invention said
that the problem Of reaching fixed
and not too distant point in not toe
unfavorable weather conditions was
solved, but he thought that the ques
ton whether Siderable airships were
at present suitable as regular means
Of communication cor could be en-
ployed for purposes Of war must be
regarded skeptically.
A Siderable airship, he added, could
not make Roadway against wind above
certain velocity, and, further, the in.
ternal combustion engine is not yet ca.
pable Of undertaking long distance
Journey. Moreover, the altitude that
can be attained is limited by the fact
that above certain height, owing to
the decreasing density Of the atmos.
phere, the propellers met with less re.
sistance, while the motors give unsatis
factory results owing to the decrease
Of oxygen.
"An airship will always, more OF
less, be at the mercy Of the wind" said
Captain Baldwin. "a steamship can.
not make its best Roadway in storm
or against adverse head winds, and
the same is true when one tries to sail
in changing air currents. My new ma.
chine viii be built for speed Of TWEEN.
ty-two miles an hour. Going against q
ten mile wind. therefore, the machine
will go only about twelve miles an
hour, and if the wind is greater than
twenty-five miles 1t will be at its mer
cy to just that extent But this is the
least of the evils, and believe all the
difficulties enumerated by Prince Hen
~ will be overcome in time through
Improved methods Of construction.
'"Take the noise difficulty, for In
stance. No effort has thus far beer
made to lessen it. Muffling an engine
naturally curtails some Of Its power
The airship people have pursued the
policy that they needed the maximum
power Of their engines. That isn't al
ways necessary, for the Zeppelin air
ship while buffeted by the winds kept
af1oat although one engine had ceased
to work. In the trials with the govern
ment machine we frequently found II
advisable to throttle the engine, as We
were getting more power than W,
needed. The improvement in gasoline
engine building no longer requires that
the maximum power be used to attain
satisfactory results under ordinary
conditions. 1t is there, however, Il
needed."-New York Cor. Philadelphi,
Public Ledger.
Uses For Perfumed Salt.
Perfumed salt is coming to be recog
nised as just the thing for the teeth
Another sort is recommended for tn,
bath, and there are scores Of othe1
ways In which It IL used as toilet ar