The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-01-09
BY Sidney Bowman.

y quincy ooWh0ns
New York, Jan. Sin considering
the subject of aeronautics think it is
Just as we'll to start by telling the diff
ference between what is commonly CALI
ed an air ship and what is commonly
called a flying machine. There seems
TO be some confusion in the public
mind as to the proper distinction be-
tween these two very different objects.
An airship is really a dirigiSIe bal
loon and dirigible balloon is a mo-
torpropelled gas bag. usually shaped
more or less like a cigar, that is capa-
bic Of full control in the atmosphere
the strength of the wind and can be
raised or lowered or steered sideways
by the use of its two rudders. II can
be really and truly called an airship.
and is not in any sense a flying ma
chine for the reason that 1t does not
fly; it merely floats in the atmosphere
due to the fact that its hydrogen-filled
bag is lighter than air.
The flying machine is any Of the va
rious types of aeroplanes. is not in any
sense an airship. for the reason that il
is purely and essentially a machine.
and has nothing of the qualities Of the
ship about il: ii actually flies support
| ed and propelled by its own inherent
| power.
These two different types OF aero
| nautical transporters are filling now
and will fill in the future two very diff
ferent kinds of usefulness: the airship
with its qualities for remaining a long
while in the air. with its ability to rise
| to any height. mounting to several
thousand feet. to carry a number OF
passengers at the present time, and its
great reliability will in all probability
be a regular staple passenger carrier;
IN addition to its undoubted great val
lie for special service in time of war.
The flying machine will always. in
the opinion of aeronautical experts.
make it a very valuable article Of con-
venience for pleasure. for passenger
carrying. transportation. and for SER
vice in war: for pleasure purposes 1t
will probably be the touring car" Of
the future.
Airships at the present time have
demonstrated their ability to stay up
| and render service IN almost all kinds
Of weather. Count Zeppelin's all
night trip OF last summer, when he
passed through and maintained his
| equilibrium in a very severe storm.
comes to my mind ut the present writ.
ing.
The making Of gas-tight compart-
ments in the gas container OF airships.
whether the gas container be made OF
metal or of cloth. is a long step in the
right direction. The need of this gas
tight compartment was made very en-
phatic last fall when the breaking Of q
propeller on the French Government
airship Republique caused the wreck
of the ship and tho death Of four
| French officers on account of the blade
! of the propeller ripping the gas bag.
| The big new Clement-Bayard. which
is being built for the British govern
ment at the present time. is the first
Of the cloth gas bags to be made up In
gas tight compartments. This new
ship. with two motors and two pro
pellers, is being equipped with a trans
mission box. practically the same al In
an automobile. on each propeller shaft
so that each propeller can get speed OF
power, whichever is needed the most
according to its wants. Each trans
mission box or gear case contains three
speeds and a reverse.
| To give some idea as to what extent
the airship or dirigible balloon haz
grown. I would like to state that one
day last August while ! was on my
way in a railroad train from the City
of Rheims to the aviation field. which
was about four miles out of Rheims
suddenly heard the puff Of a motor
it sounded somewhat different to me
than an automobile motor. Upon look
| ing out and then up I noticed a large
ship-the Colonel Renard'-on its way
from Rheims to the aviation field
about 200 feet in the air to the right
| Of the train. 1t flew as straight Is
| the railroad track and was going about
| twenty-five miles an hour-just about
| the same as the train. When l dis
| mounted from the train at the aviation
field the Colonel Renard." was lit
tie in advance. making a wide circle
over the grandstand. where, after max
! ing several circuits Of the course. II
came down and was put in its han
gar
/ The aeroplane of which the success
full ones at the present time are di
vided into two types. the monoplans
and the biplane. is very much lighte,
and faster and, l think. more interest
ing and sporty than the larger. slower
heavier, and more cumbersome broth
er, the airship. The aeroplane vii
probably be the town or suburban
car Of the future: its lightness. sim
plicity. speed. and its comparativel,
small expense, all tend to this belief
They are really almost like birds. ant
/ saw a picture of a new one In thu
paper the other day constructed Of
about to be constructed by Melville d
Compton. which in addition to its sta
tionary wings has an extra set o.
wings a good deal like a bird will
which the inventor can rise directly
from and alight directly on the grount
without the necessity Of leaving OF
II .onroachipR the earth at a very Oh