The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1917-12-05
lIEEltiNE:
4 10 CARRY Is
Plant to Manufacture Them Is
Proposed for the East,

; Application has been made TO the new
city commissiai OF Newark by II. l.
Brown. president Of the United Pepsin
Gum company, OF 265 Washington ave-
nue Newark, and other interested men
for the use OF tract OF land on the Jer-
sew meadows as site for workshops
and a surrounding stookade, with mun'-
eioal protection IN which it is planned
to build 'the worlds largest battle
airplane." II is said that members OF
Newarks recently elected governing
body are disposed to be friendly to the
proposal
Would Armor Plane.
Mr.. Brown and his associates seek the
grant of land for the construction OF a
giant aerial destroyer, and armored steel
hydro-triplane, designed by Benjamin
O. P. Foss, OF San Francisco, which It
the project comes TO completion, is IN
tended to fly across the Atlantic. The
proposal is to offer the lighting craft
to the United States government.
Mr.. Foss Is a mechanical engineer
and pioneer aeronaut, a friend OF the
late Professor Langley, and at one time
Of Count Zeppelin, He is known as an
inventor OF range finding apparatus and
an ore-reduction process OF which he 4,
the patentee. He has had conferences
at Washington with Major-Gen George
d. SQuier, chief signal officer OF the
army and head Of the aviation board
who Is conversant with his planS, ac-
cording to Mr.. Brown. In relation TO
subsequent congressional legislation for
the project, Mr.. Foa has consulted with
Representative Julius Kahn and Senator
Hiram Johnson, OF California, formerly
governor of the state.
Models Tested.
After a recent ten-day stay here, in
which time he met New York and New
ark men who have given their aid to the
preliminary financing Of the project.
Mr.. Foss left for San Francisco. His
original plan was to erect his stoekade
and build his aircraft in California, but
Mr.. Brown halted this plan few days
ago by telegraph, receiving a reply yes
terday to the effect that Ms Foss would
probably start east again in the next
two weeks Mr. Brown said il had been
deemed better 10 do the construction
work in Newark under the eyes OF the
men who were 10 finance II and closer
10 materials and adequate machine
shops and pattern makers. The battle
plane is expected to cost $4,000 al
present prices Of materials. r..
Once the stockade around the prop
ery is ready and the workshops l.
readiness, Mr. Foss estimates that tn
American Eagle, as the monster tri
plane he has projected Is TO be called
can be completed in four months,
there are no great delays in ob,ainin
the steel, aluminium, and other mater
! ais. Detailed drawings OF the entir
flier, including gas engines Of Mr.
Fosss own design. large models o
which hsyS sIrcsdy bess, spccessfuih
tested I'M western machine shops, al
now said to be reposing in three sep.
afate safety-deposit vaults in as many
cities.
The following description Of the ma
chine and its dimensions was fur.
nished by Mr.. Brown from data pre-.
pared by Mr.. Foss.
The plans call for planes measuring
S6l feet from tip to tip. The length
fore and aft, is 20 feet. The heigh
from the lowest extremity to the upper
most plane Is 100 feet. The planes will
give a plane surface OF more than rs,
600 square feet The pilot house o
boat body beneath Is intended to be lJ
by 10 feet beam; the inside measure
ment, between. decks, Of which ther
are three, II feet.
Six Propellers.
This great fabric OF steel and aluyhI
i, mum, arnsor plated with vanadum stet
Is to be driven by siy ~-opellers--s
II is promised--three tractors in froi
and three drivers behind, each to
driven by 5000 horsepower from cei
tral cylindrical jsckshaft 10 feet
length and N inches in diameter. n
shaft is 10 be hooked up with thirt
gasoline engines, each OF 1000 hors
power. Each engine will consist
eight automatically cooled, high-pre
sure, W. type cylinders Of 9xl5.inC
dimensions. The propeller blades vi
be 10 feet long, tip TO tip, and 8 fe
In diameter, built of hollow steel. /
The airplane is expected to carr
besides its crew OF seven,y-five me
1000 gallons Of gasoline, 1000 gallor
OF lubricating oil, 70 tons Of explosive
or $50 bombs, each weighing 10
pounds 5000 gallons of water. al
food supplies for thirty days. Its pei
load will be $50 tons, including weig
oi machine and contents.