Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-04-10

DREADNoUGHT OF THE AIR
Other AeropIanes Toys Compared With
Russian Giant.

| Russian Giant.
The first great dreadnought Of th'
air has been completed in Russia ant
is making daily flights over st. Peters
burg, it's four big engines driving TIVE
24-foot propellers that enable the ma
chine to carry 16 persons at high rate
of speed. The whole machine weigh!
two tons.
The significance Of this is in mor'
than that a giant aeroplane has beer
made. 1t lies principally in the fac
that inventors have apparently over
come one of the arguments Of those
who said the aeroplane could never be
more than a rich mans toy, because II
could carry only two or three persons
| at a time.
All the details Of the new machine
are not easily obtainable. For lone
time the greatest secrecy has been
maintained in st. Petersburg by or
ders, it is believed Of the war depart
ment. Until recently no pictures Of any
part of the mechanism were permitted
to leave the country. Naturally this
mystery has heightened world wide in
terest in the dreadnought.
The builder Is Russian named 81
korski. Before the present model was
completed, he made slightly smaller
one that carried II persons. Announce
ment Of it's exploits were received with
wild enthusiasm by the Russian people
who believed their nation had outstrip-
ped the world in aviation and that II
had invented a war machine that would
make it's armies invincible.
The first model, at it's try-out, lifted
IL persons 11O feet in the air and cir
! cled them around an airdome at a
height Of 110 feet. Its four engines
made a tremendous roaring.
Encouraged by this success Sikorski
went to work Immediately upon an
even bigger model in which some Of the
defects Of the first one were to be cor
rected. 1t was not only to have seats
for 90 persons, but was to have Sleep
ing cabins in which part Of its crew
running the machine.
The new model was even more sue
cessful than the first one 1t was nam
ed the Ilya MourementZ. 1t had four
motors of 100 horsepower each, two in
front and two behind. The inventor
declares that any two Of the motors
will keep the aeroplane aloft at a fair
rate of speed. 1t Is known to have run
on three motors while some disorders
of the fourth was being repaired by its
crew.
Public interest, increased doubtless
by the air Of secrecy, focused the at
tention Of the whole Of st. Petersburg
upon the floating car. 1t is watched by
thousands on it's almost daily flights
over the city. Sikorski has declared he
will soon be able to make a 1000 mile
flight from ST. Petersburg to Sebasta-
pol, by way of Moscow, with full
quota, of 30 passengers.--s's-- s-a4l--sa's
A special workshop had to be con-
structed for the manufacture Of the
parts. OF these, the most remarkable
single piece is the propeller. 1t is "a
feet long-so long, indeed, that it takes
seven men, each stretching out his
hands until the finger tips touch the
fingers Of the next man, to measure its
length 1t weighs 240 pounds and is
capable Of withstanding a pressure OF
1000 horse power.
In comparison with this machine the
biggest aeroplane elsewhere in use is
nothing but a toy. The motor Of the
average American biplane has but 40
horse power, while each Of the four mo-
tors Of the Russian dreadnought
weighs two and a half times as much
Each wing is go feet long, or about
three times the length Of the average
American biplane wing. It's total plane
surface is about 1856 square yards.
The complete independence Of each
Of the motors was shown in recent
flight Of Sikorski's airship. AS 1t soar
ed over st. Petersburg one Of the en-
gines became frozen and stopped. The
aviators did not think of ending the
flight just on that account. They calm
ly thawed out the engine as they flew
and, when it was in working order
again, started it up as If nothing had
happened. This flight lasted more than
an hour and half.
In common with all other European
countries Russia is perhaps more in
terested in the aeroplane as a war ma
chine than anything else. Russia Is
actively increasing it's aerial fleet, and
is sparing no expense. Only recently
the government appropriated $2,O00,O0O
for building and equipping small aero
planes. 1t is regarded as significant
elsewhere that it's subsidies toward
Sikorskis machine have not been made
public, but on the contrary, have been
wrapped in all the secrecy that has
characterized other matters relating to
the big sky boat
Germany, France and England are
watching the Sikorski experiment with
great interest. 1t is not at all unlikely
that France wishes to promote series
of flights between st. Petersburg and
Paris, but the German government per-
sistently refuses to allow any alien
craft to fly over it's territory.
An English paper recently said Of Sill
korski's aeroplane that it was a matter
for the British war department to in
vestigate carefully. 1t pointed out that
100 such machines could transport g.
900 men quickly to any point in mill
tary emergency. In the wide extent Of
modern battlefields, usually many miles
such a thing would be Of inestimable
value, if 1000 men could be carried,
say 60 miles, in single flight and If a
dozen or more flights could be made in
single day, it would mean that a
very large military force-enough to
decide a battle-could be transported
in an incredibly short time.
Outside Of any question Of transport
service, it would be an invaluable aid to
mining and sapping operations. A
squad of eight or ten men and store
of powerful explosives could be car
red Such a squad might operate far
into the enemy's lines, blowing up