The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1911-10-20

The Misunderstanding expedition,
to establish an air route between Am
erica and Europe, Is nearly ready to
start from Atlantic City, y. j. The
Akron" as the huge dirigible balloon
is called. after the town where the
100000 gas bag was fashioned. now
hobs just under the roof the the big
hangar, with 10000 cubic feet Of hy
drogen gas inside and its nose pointed
oceanward.
The crew has already gone into
training. Mr.. Vaniman requires the
men to sleep aboard the 29-foot life
boat slung underneath the 1900 gallon
gasoline tank, so that they may be-
come accustomed to the throb Of the
engines. which each night sent
pulsating. This will help them to re-
sist the panicky sensation that grip
ped them last year in the Wellman
balloon.
Jack Irwin will have charge of the
wireless. Louis Loud will keep the en-
gines going Capt. Boettcher has Civ
en- up a berth aboard the yacht Of
Andrew Carnegie's sonin-law to try
his hand at air navigation. Two me-
chanicians will perform various duties.
Mr.. Vaniman will be the commander
in chief.
Just over head hobs the big secret Of
the trip, the something that has super
coded the equilibrator. 1t might easily
be taken for the keel of the ship but
for a series of wart-like affairs that
decorate its otherwise perfectly smooth
surface. Between this long tube and
the gasoline container are two lengths
of hose, to be filled with water. When
the lower temperature at night causes
10 boo 80
descend. the opening of several bung
holes will release a sufficient weight
of water to bring the ship back to the
desired hight. When the sun rises
next morning and the balloon expands,
overheard will go the hose to be
pumped full of water again.
Vaniman declares it is possible to
cross the Atlantic inside of sixty hours
He doesn't say he will do it, but he
has hopes.
"The idea that a balloon is in danger
when it runs afoul a storm is bosh,'
he says. when an airship is moving
along with the storm you wouldn't
know you were moving unless you
could see some object below you. How
ever, my idea is to wait until a storm
has developed on this coast and is vel
on its way toward Europe. say about
thirty hours. Then I'll engage in &
stern chase. That will give us the
benefit of the suction and pull us along
at the same speed the storm is travel
ing.
The kind of storm that would make
the ordinary sailing vessel hotfoot il
for the nearest port will be given wei
come by Vaninaan, for it's just the kline
of a blowup he is looking for to make
the voyage in safety.
1--WE have arranged with a wireless:
station at Cape Race to relay news O.
such a storm" he says. "Our engine!
will pound out about thirty-six miles
and the fifty odd miles accileration W.
secure from the storms suction will
give US a speed of anywhere from sew
enty to eighty miles an hour. looping
off something for the resistance"
The lifeboat will be provisioned 70
twenty days.
Mrs. Vaniman has full confidence il
her husband and she says she wou1
make the trip herself if she didn't fea
that her presence aboard might dete
the crew from taking long chance
should they be found necessary.
Frank Seiberling. of Akron, who i
financing the expedition, doesn't regre
a nickle of the roll he has invested il
the enterprise, and stands ready t
back a second dash if this one fails.
In a week or so Vaniman will Civ
the Akron a try-out preliminary to tn
trip making his final dash across tn
sea. The new propellers that flap in
stead of whirl, working either up an
down or back and forth. at the will o
the operator. and the air-bag inserte
inside the she'll of the cigar, under tn
gas-bag, ready to expand and fill an
gas left by loss of hydrogen, and
score of minor inventions will hav
their first chance when he mounts int
the clouds Vaniman will make a tria
flight out over the ocean and back be
fore starting across. He expects t
start on the real voyage before the en-
of October.