Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-12-26


twenty and then at 100 miles an hour
how would that be for a develop
ment? Wouldn't it make the auto
mobile look sick?"
| The question of the biplane and the
Imonoplane came up. Mr.. Brookins has
raced in biplane against monoplanes.
and has lost to them. He has seen
much of both types in action.
And that's exactly the point" he
said. THE biplane gets away and
lands well, and has too much head re-
sistance when it is at full speed What
we must have is convertible machines.
mot exactly of either type. but Il type
that will have the advantages now
Exclusively the property of each.
| Il think biplanes and monoplanes
will soon be doing about equally up to
seventy-five miles an hour, but for the
next twenty-five miles of gain the
monoplanes will excel, and the first
| 90 mile an hour machines will be
monoplanes.
| 1T took development in tires. roads,
| engines, and in other directions to
make the automobile, and in the air
| game there must be development of
| the same sort. Suppose l wanted to
| fly from here to Mineola now. there
would be no aerial route / could fol-
| low with assurance that it was open
| to me and protected and would not
carry me over dangerous church
steeples, The automobilist en- the
other hand. would have his road
| chart at hand for his guide. We
must have the air lanes mapped out,
and that's coming next season.
What do you think was the best
air accomplishment of 1912" Mr..
Broekins was asked.
The flight of Atkinson the avi-
ator responded; land for this reason:
| 1t put the whole exhibition game out
of business at once and took the thrill
from cross-country flying at single
dash. People have been wondering II
the aeroplane could really go some
place His really went, and went 50
far that even q trip across the con-
tinent, made subsequently, made less
stir than did his journey.
And that was needed. The bust
ness needed to be hauled out of its
level as seven day wonder and
circus sfdeshow and brought down to
the question of utility
Il know a lot of men with money
vino are at work for 1912, but for the
most part they are misguided lot.
| hear of aluminium wings with metal
supports. That's the silliest thing i'm
aginable. \ wooden support that
hasn't actually snapped is always as
strong as it was at first. but metal
support may be SO Jared that it is
ready to go to pieces on you next
time. and you'll never know it is get
ting ready to do so until it does 1t.
Automobile rims are of wood for eX-
actly the same reason that aeroplane
supports will be of weed
For my part. 1 am following the
results of experimentation have
let the motor boat builders do my
work. All have done is to seek out
the best in motor boats and adapt
it to the task of alighting out of the
air, and have incorporated into ii a
pair of planes large enough and with
engine power enough to lift the re-
uuired weight Wilbur Wright fore
cast the idea when he flew up the
Hudson with a canoe under his planes
MY combination craft will have
120- horse power and a margin of 700
pounds of lifting capacity over the
net weight of 1900 pounds of the com
pleted craft. The planes will be sc
attached that in case of a forced
landing in stormy sea, where the
waves would wash up over the planes,
they can be quickly cut away. The
pilot will be at sea with a I'D horse
power motor boat. with alright com
partments, and he will have as much
chance to survive as any motor boat
man could have.
IF he has landed in calm water he
can ride along at fifteen knots an
hour while he makes necessary re-
pairs. refills the gasoline tank, has
his luncheon or sleeps bit.
"The railroad train doesn't haul
the load of the steamship. Yet. as
between steamships and railroads, we
prefer the latter where speed is requi-
site. We are now facing chance to
go between fixed points at from %
to 100 miles an hour over the shortest
possible route, and We must not be-
little the aeroplane's capacity. Pic
ture a fleet of them, like train OF
cars, starting two minutes apart
from New York. bound for Atlantic
City or Philadelphia. The cargo OF
one boat you carry in ten trains, say
What does it matter. then. if you
carry the cargo of one train in loo
aeroplanes when the number you
send off is limitless?
when we can see these things
ahead of US 1T amazes us to find an
aero club boasting because its club
house is the finest in the land. ana
yet find ;ts membership composed OF
| men who ask us if parachute attach
ments wouldn't be good for us. Yes.
| they would he good--as good as straw
stacks all the way along the rights OF
way of railroads. so that IT train
should run eff the track 1t would
| have something soft to drop into
Aeroplane effort has to aim right, and
the freaks just now are in the very
| last stages of their opportunities.
| Soon we will have aero clubs as
| proud of aeroplanes as they are today
| of club houses and then great things
will come. New York Times.