The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1909-05-13
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OF this galaxy of moneyed men who
are willing TO take substantial risk
in furtherance of commercializlng air
travel. The plans OF the new vessel
have been worked out through mum.
ber OF experimental years by Edward
J. Pennington. As much as 10 years
ago Pennington attracted n great deal
of attention by his airship inventions.
This new airship that Mr.. Nixon has
undertaken to build is the result OF
II years study on the part OF Mr.. Pen
nington. the inventor. He Is generous
in acknowledging his Indebtedness to
Count Zeppelin. whose exploits with
HIS dirigible balloons last year were
one OF the spectacular developments of
aerial navigation In n wonder-working
year. Pennington believes, however.
that hiss own idea of discardlng silken
bags In favor OF what he calls buoy
ancy chamber" made Of steel will, with
his other improvements. render his
craft immune from the dangers which
are sure to beset the present day
dirigible balloon.
The great advantage OF our ship"
says Mr.. Pennington, rs that we shall
never need to bring her 10 the ground
to renew her gas. Pure hydrogen gas
as lifting force will be used In the
buoyancy chamber. and this gas, prop
erly confined. will last for years with
out deteriorating. or need OF renewal
THAT is the real solution of the
whole problem. and once our ship is
in the air she will float there, out OF
harms way. until the wear on her ma
chinery renders her useless"
The plans for this wonderful air lin
er contemplate steel vessel 900 feet
long over all. The cigar-shaped buoy
ancy chamber will measure 700 feet
greatest diameter.
The principle upon which the levia-
than of the air Is operated is that
upon which all the later dirigibles. In
cluding Count Zeppelin's. are construct
ed This is the principle OF the ami
hilation Of gravity.
In other words, the ship is given a
buoyancy Just sufficient to counteract
Its weight. That is to say, Mr.. Pen
nington's airship. with It's buoyancy
chamber filed with hydrogen. will. for
all its 1000 feet of steel, weigh almost
nothing. A child could lift II with one
finger or toss It aloft like a rubber
ball.
The ship Will be equipped with IL
propellers, five on each side and
larger one. as shown in the picture, in /,
front. The side propellers revolve on
horizontal plane when It is desired
to raise or lower the craft, acting. in
the parlance of aeronautics. as hell.
copters."
When. however. the ship has
reached proper altitude and II is
desired to drive her ahead. the hell
copters." which work on swivel Joints.
are adjusted to the vertical plane and
propel the ship on her chosen course.
Or. similarly. they may be reversed TO
drive her astern. Two or more or all
of these propellers may be used at any
time. Eight propellers will drive the
ship at an average speed of 80 miles
an hour; IL propellers will send her
through the air at a 40 mile clip.
II is not necessary to use all the
propellers at the same time when GO
ing with the wind, and the big craft
can partly coast" In these circum-
stances. just as an automobile or rail-
way locomotive does when descending
a grade
The buoyancy chamber. as before
stated. Is TO be constructed OF steel.
and will have many compartments to
insure safety in case of puncture.
Perhaps" said Mr.. Pennington. II
am proudest of the automatic rudders
which | have devised for our airship.
BY means of these two, one horizontal
and one vertical, and the mechanism
which governs them. the ship will
maintain her altitude and direction au.
tomatically. Acting In combination
with the barometer, which makes and
breaks an electric circuit controlling
the motor which handles the altitude
or horizontal rudder. the latter is
forced to act so as to compel the aerial
craft automatically to conform to the
curvature of the earth. The vertical
rudder. which governs the direction OF
the ship, also acts automatically
through an electric motor. whose cir
cult is made or broken by a connection
with the compass.
For example. should the vessel be
travelling west and the wind blowing
from the north. she would automatic
ally oe pointed northwest; but she
would travel, In fact. straight to her
destination. In short, II we want to
go TO a certain place we simply set
our direction gauge for that place. and
will reach there without further steer.