Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-05-24
AIR TANK STOLEN |
FROM AMERICAN.
Germans Latest War De-
vice Resembles Inven-
ton of Capt. Batson
KAISER TRIED TO BUY IT
Lufberys Fate Recalls Efforts
of Army Man to Have
L. S. Adopt Machine
KAISER TRIED TO BUY IT

ShNhhnhn, VA, May = !.
The German air tank" which downod
Major Raoul Lufhery. American ace IN
May -, after a sensational battle over
the American lines in picardy. is not a
new aerial development. and evidently
is modelled much after an invention Of
German government tried 70 buy five
years ago
gigantic flying hoa'. which accord
ing to news dispatches describing the
new menace of the air in France WAS
very similar to the German armored
battle plane and in some respects
superior, was invented by the late
Captain Matthew a Batson. United
States army retired. Spanish-American
war hero.
Suspicious Wreck Halted Trir'
The Batson flying ship was badly dam
aged in a wreck in Novcmher 1918.
just before its final trial was to have
been made. Captain Batson was con-
WINGED that this was the work &c "tho
secret agents Of q foreign Govcrnmcnt
who probably were the same persons
who broke open the safe at the plant
short while befor" in an attempt to
hnd important confidential papers re-
latng to the construction Of certain
parts of the machines mechanism"
batsoh ar Nacht' as n" caHed ~
weighed 5000 pounds, and had addi-
tional lifting capacity Of 5000 pounds.
and builder in mis- reenect on its initial
fight. when it rose from the water ten
seconds after its motors were started
and few at an amazing speed for a
short distance.
Had WING plonps
The Batson machine was equipped
with twelve wing planes. one pair hay
ing a spread of thirty-nno and a half
feet. and a sixth pair with n spread Of
thirty feet The wings were peculiarly
designed for the purpose Of guiding the
air currents inwardly toward the body
of the machine and banking them under
the base portion Of the wings.
Any wing or set of wings or all twelve
could have their angle Of incidence
changed at the will of the pilot while the
machine was in full flight, thus clim.nat
ing the dangers of Collapsing wings. Any
three sets of wings could he Tut cut of
commission entirely and still the ma
chine could be brought safely to a
landing
Three Emerson engines. Of the siH-
cylinder type. furnished $50 horsepower
each driving the propellers at 15O0
revolutions per minute. This vas $50
horsepower in excess of that Of the new
German air tank. Batson's machine
could develop speed of goa miles an
hour. despite its great size ard weight
-
'ao'h '"e"'S-see" '''' Lung
Batson's machine was equipped with
a cabin twenty-seNen feet long. Here the
steering apparatus ana the engines were
installed This cabin could he htted
with armor plates and made safe from
machine-gun fire with lttle ditticultN
There was ample room for heavy guns
noses
Suspended four feet below the cabin
there was a lfeboat Of the submarine
type and nonsinkabe. Here the main
gasoline supply was kept. minimizing the
danger of an explosion of the gasoline
tank
Early in 1918 Captain Batson came tC
Savannah and organized the Ba atSOn All
Navigation Company. the primary bust
ness of which was to be the construction
of enormous airplaneS and hydroair'
planes for transatlantic service and later
for globe-circling flights. Batson brought
with MIN from Massachusetts where he
mad been conducting experiments \
model OF ms invention Whlch or ltSei
was machine OF cohS'deraole proper
tlons' ms n2del was success IN every
way, ana performed an the leats ina
tne inventor cldl''ieu LOT H. proving III!
theo'S Mouiu "oIh OUT III PrdctiCe,
me hrst ea.soh hlacnine' punt a
I,ulc' iS,ano no "a near tllS Guy COS
ose 10 e,U";IU" i;S1 Mus" lll"it n'u "te'
lt .r T, ist anu pp'ts E wv
pai,., ne i".sl''ot ~, an " MS 's oMI
'ne' 'ne Pyys''u Ployts - "I'u 'IS vie
ohi, au M ,o hi,nnis ,e,,'a, ~. .ne ni" ia
rrnnort', sh 'eu "e
su ,hn ,,,aan.. fni,,, ~,
nroiect ''
MANY Mysterious Ni.hans