The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-07-22
SAFE IN 5 YEARS
Raffe Emerson Has Faith in
Modern AerOplanes.
Will Be Quickest, Safest, Cheap
est Means of Travel.
TOPEKA IDEAL PLACE
Cheap Gas and Best Surround
ings for Flights.
Interesting InterviewFrOmPiIOt
of National Fame.
TOPEKA IDEAL PLACE
SUNDAY.

Rafe Emerson the popular IOpehd
balloon pilot and authority on aeron-
autics. believes that in Is years the
cir will be the safest. quickest and
cheapest means of transportation. In
five years. Pilot Emerson is positive
that travelling by aeroplane will be strip
ped of all its dangers.
Raffe Emerson is an enthusiast and
q firm believer in air transportation.
He has Travelled extensively in foreign
countries where he has investigated air
machines both in dirigibe balloons, free
balloons and motor air crafts. Pilot
Emerson also has perfected a number
of inventions that will become valuable
TO the world of aeronautics.
Speaking of his beliefs in the future
of airshipS Pilot Emerson has some in
tensely interesting things to say.
He says in an interview with the
State Journal: MANY of the pioneers
and most enthusiastic devotees of hui
man fight profess disbelief that the
gusty air will ever become a truly
Travelled. commercial highway. Even
Orville Wright is on record to this eff
feet and he has repeated that state
unent to me. These men look on flying
as sport. a spectacular show, a mill
tary scouting aid, a special means of
conveyance over difficult country
nothing more.
People Have Wild Opinions.
I'm view of such an attitude on the
Sart of these in the forepart of ae-
ronautics, it is a small surprise that
the people at large should express all
kinds Of opinions on the subject from
one extreme of wild imagination, see
ing the sky swarm with great air
freighters and expresses and balloon
cottages several miles up. anchored for
the summer, to the disbelief of the
farmer who first seeing a giraffe de-
clared BY Heck, there amt no such
animal
Many people of a nervous tempera-
ment are victims of the 1 told you so
bug every time they read Of another
aeroplane smash. And in the growing
numbers of these smashes they quite
overlook the enormous increase in fly
ing men.
Before dipping into the immediate
future let US examine the present
achievement Of the flyers and contrast
with the past. There are fully 5000
men and women who are flying OF who
have flown. / do not refer at all 10
balloonists OF to those who ride under
dirigible balloons, as in Germany. At
least 900 of these have recognized
licenses of warrants of their proficien-
cy in the art-and this means the
ability to cut a number of successive
figure Fights in the air.
Many Building AeropIanes.
More than 10000 persons are engag-
ed in building or trying to build aero
fair percentage of those viii be sue
Cessful. Many will fail through lack
of knowledge-many more from lack OF
money. Even the poor may achieve
the greatest success-witness the
Wrights. It must be remembered then
that the motor is the chief difficulty
and a good motor for flying, that is
one that will run full power for all
hour without stopping, costs several
thousand dollars.
Speaking of motors-one company
alone manufacturing aeronautic motors
declared profits of $459.O00 last year
and will probably increase this to So
100000 this year. Fully seven million
dollars in profits were earned in ae-
romantics last year. This means that
q present there is more than 100000 00C
invested in aeronautic manufacturing
companies, exhibition companies
grounds, clubs, individual apparatus
etc The automobile business last year
represented not more than $500, 600 00C
in the United States.
This financial report is mentioned
only because money is cautious and
can be attracted in large sums on'y
when profits are proven. 1t also in
dicates the tremendous rate of increase
in aeronautic business. In 1909 there
was not $4,000, 900 invested in aeron.
autics in 1908 but little more than one
million and in 1907-how much? how
little?
"In 1905 my father said to me wher
spoke of flying: Neither you nor
will ever live to see it Yet that very
year the Wrights flew for 80 minutes
without stopping and 10 years before 6
big steam driven machine invented by