The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-02-27

The exhibit that attracted the great
est attention at the aeronautical e1-
position at Frankfort, Germany, a few
years ago. was a large map OF the
northern hemisphere, showing a broad,
red ribbon down the middle Of the At
lantic ocean from Nova Scotia tc
South America. That ribbon marked
the $500 mile fight annually made by
the American golden ployer, says the
New York Times.
TO cross the Atlantic in the air
nothing since the voyage Of Columbus
has made such an appeal to the imag-
nation. Believers in the rigid dirig-
ible have promised that the feat would
first be accomplished by an air craft
Of that type. To cross the Atlantic
in an aeroplane has been discussed by
experts, many Of whom have empha-
sized the difficulty which the aerial
navigator would have In finding in
mid ocean particular ship from
which to replenish his supply Of fuel.
1t has been contended by some stu
dents of the problem that, important
as have been the Improvements in
aeroplanes for over water flying, the
fact remains that if anything goes
wrong in mid air the Atlantic ocean
does not offer the kind Of landing
place that cautious aviator would
select to repair his motor. Even this
difficulty might be mastered by an
aeroplane that was also truly hydro
plane enough to endure the strain in
cldental to riding for while the
ocean surges and rising into the air
again from them.
But the ideal way to cross the At
lantic in an aeroplane would be I'd
treat the ocean as Bleriot did the Eng
fish channel and, by passing from one
country to another. between breakfast
and luncheon, show nonchalant but
lndelible defiance to the theory that
there can be a perpetual barrier to
the invasion OF any land. In an in
.terview Samuel D. Mott, mechanical
engineer, an early associate OF MT.
Edison's and charter member OF the
Aero Club Of America, asserts that II
should be possible for an airman in
what Mr.. Mott termed an "altiplane'
to voyage from Newfoundland to Ire
land in four hours, or from New YORK
to London in six hours.
This" said Mr.. Mott, might be
found an understatement rather than
an overstatement. Degrees OF attain
ment can only be determined by test
Just now grim war is forging an epoch
in current events which is expressing
itself in ordinations and interroga-
tons. and one Of the questions 1t is
asking is this: If modern aircraft
ID revolutionizing the tactics and tech
MICS of war by forcing the belligerent
nations of Europe to burrow under
ground and operate under water, what
may we expect Of our flying machines
in the coming times OF peace and re-
Cancellation?
what can the answer be-" said Mr..
Mott, "but greater speed, greater dis
lance. greater altitude, and greater
time records because of greater alti-
tudes? Let's look at this subject
in the light OF reason and common en-
perience. In the first place, 1t is sell
evident that for long distance with
out stop journeys in the air, time Is
the superlative factor; hence speed
unheard of speed-must prevail for
three excellent reasons.
There is, of tourse, the element of
human endurance, which has defined
limits. In the second place, as view
the situation, the ocean affords no de-
pendable rest or base for supplies.
And the other reason is that the short
err the time the less the risk, for
when we double the time to do a
risky thing we obviously double the
risk incurred.
"The small pocket aneroid barom-
eter to determine the heights or the
depths on the surface of our globe
is only an indicator Of air pressure or
lack of it in pounds to the square
inch" Mr.. Mott took down little
text book and quoted the following
nhysics: "For rough approximation
we may assume that the pressure d.
mnishes one-half pound per square
inch for every 1000 feet ascent" Again
with the same instrument to deter
mine depth in the earth's crust. Mr..
Mott read: 1.-THE pressure of the at
increases with the depths
Of the shafts, equal to about one inch
rise in the (mercuriaD barometer for
each 900 feet increase in depth; this
may be taken as rough and ready
rule for ascertaining the depth of
shafts"
Mr.. Mott told the writer to under
stand that for the purpose Of the argu-
ment he was about to make figures
were not so relevant as the fact that
the nearer we get to the earth's core
the greater the pressure, and the fur
Their we get from it the less the pres
sure and density of our atmosphere.
at is the same with water he con-
tinued. "For example, thirty-three
feet below the surface OF the sea the
pressure doubles. At 1S,4S0 feet
three and one-half miles-above the
sea the pressure diminishes one hall.
This gives fair conception OF the
comparative weight OF our ocean OF
water and our ocean of atmosphere
In normal environment at sea lever
the air presses about fifteen pounds
to the square inch. Fifty miles high
there is no pressurc-which can DC
automatically proved by the rule OF
three-and in the ocean depths 1t is
tons to the square inch.
IF. then, a man were suddenly pro-
jected ten miles up in the sky ne
would practically explode; II plunged
$50 feet down into the sea he would
be fatally crushed. A ready way TO
Indicate this would be to sink an
empty corked up bottle into the sea
a. ~..4oi,> dortL f1fo nnrk will he