The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-12-22
Curtiss's Colossus Capable Of
Carryig Fifty in Trans
aiantic Flight.
FLIES 0 MILES AN HOUR
Coast an West Indies Trade
to ct First Call in
Aviation.

trsnsoceafc flight has Deen mace De-
sor, nv me prominent in aviation. but
NJ, CURTIS statement differs from
o,hsr men because he adds he has
INN the Machine which can bridge
the ocean. i
u NAV "a that the honor OF first
evsnr fro America to Europe will
% 20 the 'nited States Navy, for MIR.
Curtiss's hrboat, the largest and
most powful in existence. Is a navy |
sIrboat. o rather air vessel. The ma
chin. Is { huge dimensions, but the |
hest posble way Of describing its
newer infew words is to say 1t has
rsrried ny men in sustained hight. |
II, liftintcapacity is five tons.
Becsus,the Colossus is entirely the |
nronerty Il the navy the inventor |
would not Ay any moro than that he
IA Wiling To attempt be made by the
liant aircrtt as soon as certain modih-
cations carbe made. As constructed
IN. Colosss is a fighting machine not
,ntended rimarily for such lengthy |
NIghts as he crossing Of the Atlantic
Naval aiIofficers at Baltimore some
days asotpoke guardedly Of the pos
sihilitv ola transatlantic flight by the
machine Rockaway. They stated at
that tim that the Rockaway plane
WAS the hrst OF series to be con-
st-ucted DR. transatlantic hight
p~arfs All Aircraft.
The Aaerica, wonder Of 1914. built
by Mr.. -urtiss for Rodman Wanna
maker. .ho was backing Lieut.. John
Cyril Ptte, Irish aviator. in his at
tempt D win the $4,000 prize offered
by the london Daily Mali, is dwarfed
10 insinificance by the great spread
OF the colossus. The huge Sikorsky.
rIe fee Of wing spread, which carried
tpyenttn men in Russia in 1914, is
also srhller than the new flying boat.
he Gproni triplane. with seats Tor
;ventffive, likewise is dethroned as
monath OF the air.
rhsfying boat is a biplane itted
with hree motors, details and power
OF wi CHI are withheld. From tip to
up ID huge upper wings stretch 126
fset-Snly ten feet less. by way OF
comnrison. than the height OF the
Brooklyn Bridge. From prov to tail
SIZE B seventy feet long. and from
the Enner's cockpit on the top wing
70 IL keel Is distance of twenty
?veteet The distance between up
yer md lower planes is twelve feet.
TIE vessel was constructed by Mr..
CItss for the navy as a submarine
olaer, and armament-detailsS with
lelt-was carried not only in the
COCKPIT on the top wing, but also in
Lnther cockpit In the prov. In the
ray she is known as the Curtiss n.
Makes Speed, Climbs Well.
SPEED and ability to climb rapidly
are Of course essentials in submarine
chasing, and the Colossus has both.
81, can make eighty miles an hour and
can rise to n height OF 1000 feet in
ten minutes. Ordinarily her crew is
avd men, the rest of her weight carry
! ; capacity being used for bombs,
fuel, water and Oil. Two
{! ois sit side by side. They can re-
isve each other at will, and a chance
thot killing one pilot would not. there
.ore. mean the destruction OF the fly
lag bat during an aerial engagement.
Tha large boat hull. hung under
reath the lower wing. is noticeably
whalelIte in appearance, for II has
been found that this shape Uffers
least resistance to air and water and
Is also ths safest in rough water.
Although nothing has been an
concerning the power of the
three engines. comparison with the
power plans OF other huge planes
Indicates that each engine must fur
Tish more than 100 horsepower. The
Sdorsky. for example, with a wing
Epread Of 1B feet, had four Argus
motors OF 100 horsepower each. The
first OF Signor Caproni's models, a
h!Dlane with wing spread of seventy
three feet, had three engines OF 100
horse power. The latest Caproni,
when tested at Mineola on September
f. last. was furnished with three LIB
trty motors CT unknown power. This
lane made 4 speed OF 105 miles an
hour carrying Ave men and 1900
pounds Of lead.
Ocean No Barrier.
The transatlantic flight is, OF Course,
, matter for the Navy Department to
n2eide, but although he would not dis
tass possible plans for it's execution on
tbs account Mr.. Curtiss said without
derivation that the flight was within
The power az the COlOSaiia
Although reluctant to talk on this
+ 'eJect Mr.. Curtiss spoke at length
On further aviation and predicted the
commercial use OF seaplanes for
passenger and freight service between
PORTS along the Atlantic coast and
the West Indies.
'Of course one OF the first Develop
fAents in commercial aviation will be
!e use OF flying boats and seaplanes
t9F passenger and package carrying
tIonH the Atlantic coast and the West
indies he said. u believe we shall
soon have transatlantic flights. The
reason believe this and that I believe
marine flying generally will be deyel-
.peo quicker than land flying Is be-
'slse no new landing fields arc
t-eoed. In other words. terminal IA
mites are already provided, for quiet
.eroorS, rivers and small lakes are
cal landing places"
Mr. Curtiss praised the Navy De-
pertinent for It's financial assistance
~ 'le experimental work necessarv
~, me development OF such a ma
'.''' as the Colossus.
0i"rkNon in Defence Council.