The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-09-18
TO TIMBUCTU BY AERO
FLIGHT ACROSS THE DESERT
or SlHlRA PROPOSED.
Crossing Takes -Four Months by Caravan:
NAV ne Reduced to . DaS Moro
ArrOplanes for the French Army and
NRNy BlelON ucle's Pleasure Trip.

PARIS. Sept Without awaiting the
results OF the aeroplans tfals To Ia car
risd out in connection with the army ma.
nRuvres in Pcardy. Gen Brun. the
French Minister Of War. has decided "a
increase without delay the army = aeria
feet. The military authorities already
poSs.ss some thirty aeropanes and orders
have now been given for thirty more TO ~
delivered as soon as possible
They will consist Of ten Blario, mono
/ planes and twenty Farrnan hiplanes. seven
Of which ara to he capable of carrying two
| passengers. besides the pilot Gen Roque~.
who is az the head Of the military
aviation department has drawn up the
conditions for typical army aeroplane.
The two principal points ara that the
/ machine must he capable Of carving a
weight Of Gao pounds and making a single
! hight OF iSO miles Some allowances will
Iva mad" for IN Ichines produced this year.
hut the 1911 me Tel must fulfil these require
ment' The minimum speed must ba
thIrty-slx miles an hour In order To
stimulate the inventlveness Of construC-
tors. tenders will b" United for 1911. and
prize Of $50 900 will To offered 20 tho
builder OF tho best military aeroplRne
Out OF the thirty new machines ordered
the ten Bl"riot monoplanes WILDE finished
within a month. and twenty Farnan hi
planes will be- delivered in three months
BY the end OF the year. therefore. tho
French aeroplano fotilla will lie doubled
Apart from tho prize for the best 1911
model the army authorities have further
decided 20 pay premium for the fastest
ANa l. l.. l.
lowing plan. For a machine going at the
rate Of thirty -elgh: miles an hour 81. 900
will be paid, and for q machine capable OF
going sixty miles an hour $4,000 the ma
chine then becoming the property OF the
War Office
The successful constructor will receive
an order for at least twcnty aeroplanes.
To be paid for at the came rate should
the state consider 10 more advanta Seous
20 build the machines itself, IL will pay
premium Of 10 per cent. Of the esti-
mated value Of each machine Thus,
constructor who Furnished a model
estimated worth %. coo because its speed
was fifty miles an hour. would first ~
celye an order for twenty machines. and
would aftsrward be entitled 70 a pra-
MUM OF 500 for every machine bull, bv
IN" state One 81 the loading asroplana
builders has consented - thaaa con-
ditions and IL il probable that thoy will
b" generally accerred.
The French naval authorities are no
less wide1wake 70 tho value Of the oero-
plane. The Maritime Aviation Com
mission created by Admiral Bous de
Ia P"vrere. Minister Of Marine has sub
mitted proposals for the organization
Of a service 81 auxiliary cruisers which
could be ftt"d M for the transport 81
aeroplAnes
One OF the principal obstacles 10 the
utilization % the aaroplans by ships Of
war IL the lack 81 fires space on the deck
from which the machine could ascend
and on which II might land on returning
10 IN" vessel n j. believed that IN. prob
lem will b" snlv~i by IN" scheme sug-
gests-d by the commission % which Al
miTal J." Purd i the president
1t Is proposed fhat "a c-rt ain number ~
liners, classed a. auy iliary cruisers IN time
- war should be utilized for the accom-
moda'Io ION % aeroplane$ The machines
nigh; easily be stored IN the holds and a
sufficiently large space could he made
fro on the deck for thu start ing and land
ing. II il considered that a spacc Of 50
Yards 10y rs yards would be big enough.
AZ he liners " oild have a speed 81 TWEEN
~ Ave knots and " ould lie fitted wit h wir--
less 'elegraphy apparatus the commits
sion estimates that this combination Of
auxiliary cruiser and aeroplane would
prove Of value for scouting work
Gen. Brun 10 about 10 pat the aeroplane
to vet another test. the severest We,
a n Il a A
hara Desert shall be crossed as soon as
possible from north 70 south from CO.
lomb- Bechar. at the mouth Of Oran. to
Timbuctu. by military aeroplAnes. The
matter has been under the consideration
~ the intelligence stan for some time
The total dist nCe ~ appro ximateIv
.oOO miles and az present despat ches
take four months crossing from Colomb-
B@Char To TimbuCtu An aeroplAne
service. ehectually arranged. would re-
duCe this lime o less han a day
With the object 81 testing the FEAST
bility 81 such service zen. Bum has
gwen orders for the init lal part Of the
programme - bs begun 4 military AVA
ton centre will ba established on The
mort hern limits 81 the Sahara in southern
Algeria and here a numher Of offirars
who have knowledge ~ the desert will he
trained TO pilot flying machines
When "A sufficient number ~ pilots have
receIved their certificates two groups
will be formed. one ~ them being do.
spatched 10 Timbuctu The operations
will then begin on both Sides ~ he desert
The commanders ~ each group ~ aero
planes will have full power 10 choose their
relay stations aud carry On operations
az they think best
II these experiments are attended
with the success that - expected u will
BE- necessary to establish permanent
posts across the desert. So thai the aero
plane service may he used for despatC hes
MoTans. whose height record for fiyinE
81 , 81 meters. or over a mile and n half
seems likely To- stand for some time even
in these dayp when flying records haV.
but n short eNIstencs, only took up ava
ton IN April last aud after his first lesson
h- waited three days befoT. he dared 10
mount "A fyinR machine again making no
secret 81 the fear he felt
Latham introduced novelty On his
Antoinstte motor the other dav by fitting
a sIlenCer 20 Il, like those on automobiles
For aeroplane- with two seats this InnoSa-
ton ~ OF great importance. as ~ enables
the passenger and pilot 70 talk without
"A a.. "A