Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1909-07-13

machine have obtained birdseye views
of nearly the whole map of the United
States not 70 mention Canada ahd
Mexico
I'VE so to the. City of Mexico this
winter for our fourth consecutive
six months engagement" said Mr..
Lester "rhey never get tired of
watching it down there For five con-
secutive years we have exhibited at
the Michigan state fair at Detroit. Four
| years in succession we have been the
big attraction of the New York state
and Pennsylvania state fairs. There
| is hardly a state fair in the east and
middle west that has not had the Stro-
bic airship on the program.
Tho arship brigade travels in q
! special sixty foot baggage car. with
| force of ten men, and portable hY
drogen gas generating plant. The plant
has been SO perfected along with the
| airship that practically every posi-
bic hitch in making quick and sue
ccssful nscents has been eliminated
and the company has yet a real failure
to chronicle to its credit 1t has broken
rHQrds for dirgible ballooning every
49, The gas bag has been changed
fSIrially in shape since il was first
Fc essfully used.
The balloon is a vast cylinder with
sharpened ends to diminish the resis-
tance to the air.
1--WE are making changes constant
iy" said Hr Lester, "and find that
the present shape has proved the most
successful. Originally we tried a bag
J,
led q gigantic fish but had to change
it when the tail of the fsh-the pro-
pellor--persisted in swatting the
framework beneath it. Our star aero
nauts at present are Lincoln Beachey |
Charles X. Hamilton, Captain Jack |
Dallas, Jean Gaudet and Van Parker.
Beackey and Dallas will do the per-
forming here and like all the boys are |
daring and fearless, but at the same |
time cool headed and scientific avia- |
tors We maintain a corps of experts
by continually training new men. This
year we have broken in ten men at
headquarters at Toledo. Before a man
is eligible for a contract he must
have made ten successful asccnts: that,
it each time he must have remained
ten minutes in the air and returned to
his starting point. our exhibitions are
given with the precision of clock work.
Here at Albuquerque we shall include
some night ascents, the airship hover
ing aloft in the glare of a searchlight !
turned upon it. 1t is a most awe
inspiring spectacle and one that never
fails of it's fascination for the most
Indifferent In the day time the air.
4, the f1irl
grounds to the downtown district and
back again, delivering messages on the
roofs of your highest buildings. The
machine is under absolute control andl
fits here and there at the direction of
its navigator like an immense bird of
the air"
1t is interesting to remember that
it was the Strobel airship which some
years ago while Taft was secretary of
War carried a scribbled message from
the portly new president to President
Roosevelt. the airship leaving the steps
of the capitol and landing on the white
house lawn as easily as a bird. 1t was
upon this occasion that Taft standing
with Elihu Root and Secretary Shaw,
looking up at the machine made the ,
remark. !
Il wonder if that thing would carry
me-" :
The Strobel airship holds all the
worlds records for speed and for prac-
ticability and entire success as far as
aerial navigation may be called a sue
cess. it stands at the head Of the dirl-
gible balloons. the only air craft that
has anywhere nearly approached the
ideal of aerial transit The machine is ,
much like the Zeppelin airship with the
exception that the balloon is shorter
and more compact in shape.
It is similarly operated with a pro- o
neIIor and has been SO far perfected
as to be able to make tolerably good !
progress against a head wind.
The St Louis Times Of October "a
qO7 gave the following thrilling ac- j
count of the performance of Beachey a
" hen he did mile and a half before z
he Aero club of America in 4:40 and z
Won a prize of $500. n
Record j. Broken. a
with "A terrific burst of speed r.
7eachey recrosscd the starting line.
md the Judges watches told them he n
lad smashed the previously fast rec a
,rd of the other contestants. II
Beachev made but two flights. on 2
ais first he made the course from the p
enter of the grounds To- the Blair
monument and return in minutes and 81
seconds. beating Baldwin's first per h
ormance and also that of Dallas p
But Baldwin WAS game. He tried T
gain. His second flight was an utter e
allure. due to imperfect working OF e