davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune., 1919-08-10
Restricted Iicm

Formerly the most elective means
of information employed vas the fore ST
ranger lookout stations. whose view
WAS restricted by the surrounding
mountains. Very often it Was possible
under the old system. 10 locate fire
only after it had reached sufficiently
large proportions to allow tho smoke
to rise above the tops OF the nterven-
ing ranges, hiding entirely the many
abrupt canyons Even when so dis
covered merely The approximate loca-
ton could be given and rough guess
naZarded concerning It's SIZE and prob
able course of destruction
In contras, TO the limited field of
vision Of the lookout on whom it VA
formerly necessary TO rely, We now find
the arplane observers looking down
upon the mountains and CANYONS a.
upon map spread out beneath hinl.
Even the smallest wlsp of gray smoke
becom es well defined against the greens
and browns Of the forest growth The
nature OF the surrounding ground and
'"c uil1t OF inc SMOKE, however Sllght
furnish to the hrcmen in the sky
ready indications Of the wind direction
and velocity. The wireless telegraph
at the pilots elbow flashes the warning
to the Forestry Bureau Of Protection.
To acknowledge the airplane patrol
the more ideal one has but o note ina
clouds and rain the dread OF the sicr
are the best natural enemies Of Tor
est fires. The hot. dry weather wnic,
allows the full effect OF the sUn's ray
10 be felt and IN which the hgcs thrive
offers an atmosphere which is so clear
mat insignificant objects. many milo=
distant. stand vel. Defined a under a
microscope
New-York tribune., 1919-08-10

cquipmont--an instrument which is
not affected by inertia, centrifugal
force. or momentum. and which indi-
Gates the true Level when tho sea
is hidden and the stars arc quenched
Scientific .Sudy
"lt is evident that scientific study
of the oceanic atmosphere on a huge
scale must be conducted But how -?
With the assistance of the United
States and European navics. Warships
were employed as meteorological oh
servatorics during the recent flight
What better use Of them can be made
IN time Of peace AS it is. the navy.
through the photographic Office and
the Naval Observatory. performs an
immense amount of valuable scientific
work which has no direct relation to
sea-nghting whatever.
Mot until daily meteorological re
ports are received from a score of
marine ohscrVatories Will commercial |
u oIi0d NIe'uAlN liNlDE w d ItdlIlN. OuI
battleships ought TO become scientific
meteorological stations in order to
compile the facts that the commercial
transatlantic fller will need
Anothc thing the seaplane trip
developed was the necessity Of some
means of estimating altitude when 4
craft is flying low in a fog
"Commander Towcrs's thrilling
experiences in the NC-A,' he says,
demonstrated the need of some way
of estimating altitude above the sea,
when craft is soaring low in a fog
with hu, two hours supply OF fuel
left N his tanks, Towers decided to
tlunge down through the fog to get
his bearings. He landed in heavy
sea Such WAS the impact that the
mountings Of his engines gave way
New-York tribune., 1919-08-10
DrOppins q Wcsage

Although radio messages from the
patrol planes to the receiving station
al March Field cfect the prompte t
report. y was decided 20 supplement
this means Of commun ication by drop-
ping a message attached 20 parachute
over the nearest town. In order %
insure ne operation Of th.s method the
people OF all the surrounding towns ars
notified by their respective Chambers
Of Commerce. through the medium Of
tho local newspapers. the precise nature
Of the work undertaken by the aerial
patrols and the proper procedure 10 be
taken by any ono finding parachus
message.
The FIRST Of June saw the actual start
of operations Al March Field with TAO
patrols operating on each route ard
tolaling distance of more Than 400
mllos day
A fire va located almos, a. ne
ouset. tho repor; Of which showed tne
extensive popular interest which mad
been aroused Seven minutes after
parachute mad been dropped The d.
trict forcs, ranger had received the lo-
cation Of the tire and eient minutes
later the Los Angelic supervisor hsl
been notified In no case has n me-
sage sent by this means failed Of de-
livery Within a Surprisingly short space
Of time
The national forests placed under
semi daily patrol from TINS held alons
extend some l.40o square miles The
area swept by Rockwell Field ssn
Diego. ioina this district on toe soutn
and adds many more miles 20 the un-
broken cham of forests which are CO..
cred By alrplane observers, While at
present The patlol IRON the southern
held stops at TINS station Tor iunchsoa
ard ga in addiNon to The actual
forests one Nnds much more territory
Of lcs.- Importance where the prompt
repor, OF ire may nevertheless pre-
vent considerable damage. Ine natural
barrier OF the Moha.e Desert or me
nortn precladcs any such aucct con-
tact with father Field
New-York tribune., 1919-08-10
Built for Sailors

Let US begin with the nc 'planc-.
They seem to have been built for sai.-
ors and not flers. Their hulls are
wonderfully seaworthy, as the hard
ships of Commander Towers proved
But no esigner would point to the
NCs as models to be followed. They
are numbering and slow. That follows
at once from their large, parasitic, air
resisting projections. Engines IN cX-
posed positions on the wings. with
huge square radiators-s surely the
transatlantic hiers of the future VIII
exhibit no such technical makeshlft
calculated to reduce speed And this
forest Of struts and wires, doubt if
the commercial transatlantic airplane
of the future will be retarded by a
collection quite so formidable
Your transatlantic airplane liner of
the future will be a far swifter ma
chine than anything that has vet at
tempted an ocean flight. which means
that 1t will be beautifully streamlincd
that the number Of struts Will be re
duced to a minimum. that the engines
viii be housed in the fuselage. and
that 1t viii have either reeting wings
or wings whose cam Der can be changed
so that, after starting, an unnecessary
amount of surface need not be driven
through the resistant air at an cnor-
nous sacrifice of fuel
I'm such an airplane speed Of TO
miles an hour ought to be attainable.
To be sure it will be no easy engineer
ing task to design this ideal transat-
lantic alrplane, especially the device
for changing the Gambler or reefinr
the wings 1t may even be that the
machine will be the result of long
evolution; but come it must sooner or
later.
"FlNing boat or land machine will il
be-thls transatlantic airplane of the
future Probably flying boat. 1t
seems criminal to send land ma
chime across the vast. heaving sea.
Hawher's narrow escape from death
and the case with which our NCs rode
out heavy seas indicate clearly enough
what the future is likely to give US.
New-York tribune., 1919-08-10
The freu

The complement of the f -3A was
thirty officers and men 1t REQUIRED
about half this number to operate the
ship. that half of the crew elcpt
while the other half were on watch
This made it four hours on duty and
four hours IN the "hammoch' for all
hands. The feeding arrangements
were quite good and our supply of food
was abundant, consisting Of cold ham.
hot stew, hard boiled eggs, cheese.
bread, sweet eating chocolate. tea.
cocoa and beef broth The heating of
water aud stew was accomplished in
one OF the engine room cars Aluminum
mess gear was provided. everything on
an airship being designed for light
ness.
we had grsphophonc on board and
plenty Of records, and for the mos,
part all hands were quite comfortable
during the entire trip.
The clothing consisted of silk. thin
woolien underclothing and a spocjal
nylng SUIT with parachute harness
attachment. Parachutes done up neatly
IN small cases with a life belt attach
ment were placed at intervals along the
keel and IN the cars, so that in ox-
treme emergency parachute would be
at hand.
As for constructiona features. the
small non-rgid airship which We have
produced here at home during the war
for coast patrol consists of gas bag
or envelope containing the HYDROGEN
gas and car slung underneath, With
engines and controls The envclope
contains two air balloonets which are
fliled with air AS necessary to maintain
a constant gas pressure in the whole
envelope, as hydrogen gas expands and
contracts under the VARYING conditions
OF altitude or pressure and tempera-
ture. The gas pressure in this envol-
cpe retains the shape and ,h- normal
flying pressure IN about 20 mm of
water The fms and ruddef and Gle
vators are secured to the tail Of the
New-York tribune., 1919-08-10
Sea Currents as Guide

"Commandcr Reads flight through
the log on the way to Lisbon was an
object lesson. It showed how depend
able guide for an aircraft is the sur
face of the water when there are MANY
eyes to watch II INCREASINGLY. Any true
sea current or apparent wave drift
movement of the water is so much
slower than a machines speed in the
air that 1t may be neglected Hence
dead reckoning assumes an cXactness s
undrcamed Of on steamer fXperi-
cncc confirms the theory frequently ad-
vancod that over the ocean it s lust
as easy to fly low as TO fly high. Be
cause there are no obstructions the
winds are steady and strong near the
surface. Low flying means not only
that the air through which the era #
is passing is Of greater density and.
therefore. of greater supporting power
than in the higher reaches. but that a
wire can be dragged through the water
TO indicate the true direction Of flight.
Incidentally, low flying has the advan-
'age that # the pilot has to descend to
the water TO repair serious engine
trouble the condition of the surface i,
always known. Thus the experience of
New-York tribune., 1919-08-10
Better Ratio Needed

But the episode, blood tinClinc a 8
radio communication. Some way must
be found Of operating the main Sc:
when craft is in distress on the sea.
An independent motor-drivcn general
ing SGT suggests itself as the most
probable solution Of the problem
The navigators Of The American ex-
pcdition provided tor every meteoro-
logical contingency that could be fore
seen. But they could not forcsee, and
therefore could not prepare for the
extraordinary combination Of fog and
heavy sea that they encountered of
the Azores
Fog they knew was the creates
peril 1t destroys all sense of drcc-
tion. Spirit levels and compa sscs
count for nothing Ouly by the uneN
pected appearance of the sun was the
NC-4 saved from the fate of the NC-l
and the NC-3
"lf we may Judge by the brief Of
ticlal reports that have appeared in
the newspapers it seems that the NC, J,
WAS banked in fog and that her com
mandcr did not and could not know
ii. Banked, then. she must have dis
played tendency to describe circles
And then luckily tho sun shone out.
Clearly. some instrument like the
Sperry eyroscopic level Indicator mus,
be part Of transatlantic airplane s
New-York tribune., 1919-08-10
Conquerors of the Vast AW-Ouer
the Seas and the Mountains
e e tier Radio
apparatus, Too,
Is Required

Commander Towers, who dropped too
late only to discover that the water was
exceedingly rough, could be avoided
"Wh hen we consider the sorry state Of
oceanic meteorology, the performance
Of the British and of the Americans IS
marvellous. Both the British machines
and the NC planes proved astonishingly ly
irworthy-verlta able storm birds that
plunged gallantly through gales. Ten
years ago such storm machines were
only dreamed of--not built. We have
the war to thank for this amazing de
vclopment Of the arplanc. Such is
the engine power of the machine that
wars exigencies have compelled us to
develop that a gale or headwind re
tards progress but does not prevent
flight.
New-York tribune., 1919-08-10
{ Fixed Lookout

The following is the plan oi oaegs
ION adopted The observation balloon
e. Ross Field furnishes fixed lookout
cation o. operating continuously al an
attitude Of 2.o0o or 5000 feet coverin-
the southern slope OF the Angeles
National Forest Tor distance Of some
forty mics. In addition, ire truck.
carrying equipment suitable for COM
batting brush fres, is maintained IN
readiness at all times. and in direct
'elephonic communication with the bal
loon. This equipment has already
proved It's value. not only IN ths pur-
New-York tribune., 1919-08-10
f3 I Tres >pottcd

Although june s cor idered produc-
&c Of The sepos' forest fires Of sny
summer month. thN n:lot- oil TINS s'a-
lion have reported no less man th'i-
teen within the boundaries of The It,
t.onal forests Several -.er" @etsia'
these areas nave been reported 70 ''s
deputy ranger Of the affected d'sir''.'
ana he n4meroas telephone call 20
sarding tnese local urcs nave fuf.as'
indicated the public appreciation OF ne
new undertaking OF the Ar Service
porhaps the mos; interesting aad
sisnlacan, feature oi tals patrol
-tand. out clearly when ,hc hses are
spotted or map The ms5oriW
lie IN The canyons lar oacA IN the
mountains. where the winding "sy
washes prevent discovery from ma
open valley and the telltale sm'se Oh
= small fire is dissipated before II can
rise above the mountain ranges.
New-York tribune., 1919-08-10
I old HOm to EIy

at will not do merely TO tel hia
not TO fly; he must be told how 10 fl
As it was, Commander Towers lost the
services of two seaplanes on the wa
to the Azores because he knew nothing
about the conditions that were to
prove his undoing
"No novel of Fcnimore Cooper's o,
Marryat's is more exciting than Tow
crss report of his 205-mile journey
To fight heavy sea hour after hour
in the face of death and to drink the
rusty, oily water of the radiator ir
despcration-s surely one must 60 back
TO the days Of the full-riggcd ship for
a parallel.
And then to use the NC-3 as a sail
boat with the aid Of her wings anc
controls, and the wind, which wa:
luckily in the right Quarter-all this
adds a romantic touch to this scientific
flying expedition across the Atlantic
Once the NC-3 struck tho water, un.
able to rise, navy discipline asserted
itself; for only disciplined sailors
could have handled the NC-3, a rca
sailing ship after her mshap, anc
naNlGatcd her INTO port.
New-York tribune., 1919-08-10
Doubling the Radius

And yet the machines that set out
or Newfoundand--b both British and
'merican- about the same rcla
ION TO the transatlantic airplane OF
he future as Fulton's Clcrmon. bears
~ the Mauretania. They are wal ma
enIncs- either bomb droppers or naval
couts. SIX hundred miles is their
normal radius of action. To double
that radius IN the case Of the NC
planes and to triple it in the case Of
thc sopwith and Vickcrs imposed eA-
;laordinary burdens.
The fine start from Newfoundland
made by Hawker and Alcock with huge
Dads of gasolene was due as much TO
sheer luck as to sheer skill. Eayn-
iam had the skill, but no luck.
The NC planes failed tine and
ime again TO rise with full load dur
NS the Rockaway preliminary trials
nat the necessary adjustments we're
finally made which enabled them TO
soar from the water with ease is add
tlonal proof Of the navys scientific
attitude. Il was scientific TO select a
scaplane for the transatlantic flight
i type which lends itself we'll to such
experimenting and scientific to send
4 squadron of machines across so that
at least one might reach the goal
After telling of the comforts and
luxuries that will be introduced in
the transatlantic fiers of the future.
Mr.. kaempfert continues:
ut is easy thus to romance of com
forts. But what of the machine as a
piece Of mechanism How will IL diff
fer from the transatlantic hers OF to-
day
New-York tribune., 1919-08-10

gas bag. The gas capacity of these
non-riglds is roughly 10000 Ct, as
compared with the 1000 900 Ct capacity
of the R-34.
The rigid alrship, taking the R-34 as
an example, on the contrary, does not
depend upon the gas pressure for its
shape, but is q rigid construction Of
longitudinal and athwartship girders
about $40 feet in length and maximum
beam of about 70 feet. These girders
are made of duralumlnum, an alum-
mum alloy of exceptional lightness End
strength. The lower part Of this CON
structlon, running the entire length, is
doubly strong and is known as the
keel The keel supports the weight of
the cars
New-York tribune., 1919-08-10

NEE since stepped out of the
% forward basket of the R-S4 at
4 the end of her maiden trip TO
America, persons both in and
cut of the service have asked such
questions as this:
How does it seem 10 spend five days
aboard drigble?" What does the
interior look ike" How do officers
and crew slecn. eat and navigate o"
Where and what is the cat walk'?'
In other words, Major Scott's mag
nfcent performance in bringing the
R-31 thlrty-one hundred miles from
East Fortune, Scotland, to Roosevelt
Field in los hours, and more particu-
larly his return flight of thirty five
hundred miles to Pulham, England in
only seventy-liVe hours, have brought
the rigid airship TO public attention As
probable transatlantic conveyance tol
passengers and even freight.
Briefly speaking, can say that after
four years at sea on torpedo boat
destroyer | appreciate the advantage
of crossing IN a dirgible. There is
little Inconvenience due to excessive
motion, and, speaking from the point oi
view of seaslcknoss, the motion O' The
air in such craft is not usually com
parable to the motion of the waves.
During the entire trip, except a few
hours over the rugged hills Of Scotland
and the thunder squalls encountered
IN the Gulf of Main, the ship was prac
tlcally steady and comfortable.
The distance flown from England to
America was shorter than the return
trip, owing to the fact that q northerlv
route WAS taken But it required
thirty hours longer, as we en-
countered the difficulty Of flying
against the weather and prevailing
winds. ON account of the earth's ro-
tation the weather moves from west
to cast.
1t is difficult for those who have
never seen OF been IN rigid airshin 10
form an accurate conception Of its
constructional fixtures or the life led
by the personnel on board while IN the
air.
New-York tribune., 1919-08-10
Iougng The Fog

"Since this was primarily sclen-
tlfc expedition. one asks: Was there
not some way of gaueins the height
OF low-aNlng soanlancs in a fog? Such
accidents must be avcrtcd. The steam
ship captain sounds the sea Is there
no way Of sounding the air? At once
modification of tho sounding lead
suggests itscf-s weight at the end
OF long cable. weight thai will
ricochet from wave to wave and by It's
New-York tribune., 1919-08-10

while vet III ther earliest IN
fancy, now cover daily 4 large part Of
the national forests Of California OK
tending from San Francisco TO the
Mexican border The establishment
and operation of this work constitute
one Of the important changes from var
time training to peace time problem.
Immediately preceding the actual
participation in this new work b. the
Air Service conference was held in
Los Angeles between Cocrt Dubois, dis
trict forester; the commanding officer
Of March Field, Major John c. P. Bart
holt. and the executive officer Of Rozs
Field, Major r. s. Bambcrger
The problem presented was how the
Air Service could render the greatest
aid in guarding against the destruction
of the undorbrush and timber over
some thousands of square miles Of ma
tional forest which cover extremely
ragged and inaccessible mountains The
difficulties We're further emphasized By
the summer drouth. which added ma
terially to the fire hazards and which
renders the protection of these areas
all important to the great tracts of
valley under intensive cultivation.
This Western cultivation is, Of course,
wholly dependent upon irrigation.
lnasmucn as prevention is nine
tenths Of the battle. the carly discovery
of fires IN such a country haa been
proved to be rcal governing factor.
Because the airplane cxccls as a means
of observation. the problem VA con
sidercd from this point Of view
New-York tribune., 1919-08-10
The Cars Before

The cars are four in number. made
entirely Of duraluminum. The for
ward car contains in its forward part
the controls to the elevators and rud-
dcrs. the controls to the top Gas valves.
the water ballast controls. and All the
various Instruments, such as compass.
aitsmeter, statcscope, thermometer. air
speed meter etc, used in flying There
is chart table and navigational in
Struments, consisting Of compass. sez-
tants. chronomcters, drift Indicators.
charts, parallel rulers. etc.
Amldshlps in this forward car is the
radio room with radio and radio di-
rcctional Instruments Abaft of this is
an engine room. The two amidship
cars, port and starboard, are engine
room cars, and the after car contains
two eng ginos There are five engines
IN all of the Sunbeam type, 800 horse
power. The gas bags. nineteen in mum
Der, are overhead, and they occupy the
compartments IN the framework formed
by the athwartship frames The bags
are made Of rubbcrized cotton fabric
and lined with goldbcater skins to in
sure gas tightncsS. The gold beatcr
skins are the same thing as We have
covering '.sausages," and are the trans
parent and paperlke Innings of some
ANIMALS intestincs. These gas bags
have an automatic gas valve on the
lower sides accessible from the keel
and top gas valve that can be opcr-
ated from the forward car.
A walk. known as the cat-walk. runs
the length of the keel and is about
twelve inches wide. The hammocks
are slung to the overhead girdcrs in
the keel, and it is sometimes difficult
to climb in and out of them from the
narrow cat-walk. The entire frame
work of the ship is covered with a
thin doped linen fabric to streamline
the whole and prevent the wind blowing
through 1t. Consequently, the man
who happened to fall of the cat-wal X
or out of his hammock would crash
through the linen fabric and find him
self dropping through space in the
direction of Davy Jones locker. The
cat-walk widens out to ten feet for 2
space of about thirty feet amidships
TINS space being used as the living
quarters and meSsroom for the officers
and crew. Access from the keel to thf
cars is afforded by ladder leading
from the keel 70 each car. To pass
rom one car TO another it is necessar,
to climb into tho keel. follow it along.
AID then climb down into the othel
car.
Gasolene or petrol is carried IN
ciGhty-one tanks, holding about seven
'y~one gallons each, and these are dis
trlbuted along the length of the keel
Water ballast is carried in bags in tho
same manner, and it is possible to use
part of the gasolcne tanks ss bal
last when necessary, as they are httet
with quick releasing device
From the foregoing 1t Will be seer
that even at the present stage Of de
Velopment it IS possible, while crossinq
on rigid airship 10 work. slcco
breathe fresh air and exercise. What
vast Improvements the future viN
hrnG 1T is impossible to state; but il
Is safe to say to-day that if YOU are
subject 10 scasicNness and want TO
make fast Trip across, by aM means
book your neat passage III an a!lsuip.
New-York tribune., 1919-08-10

wv of "Air Service" Wal
demar kaempfert, editor
Of "The Popular Science
Monthly" draws some interesting
conclusions from the recent trans
atlantic flights. He mentions what
httle was known of the atmospherc
above the ocean before the FLIGHTS.
and continues:
"What did the American voyage
teach us? Above all, that Europe and
America must begin at once to explore
the atmosphere over the ocean The
meteorological proved pathetically help.
less whom he was asked for real con-
structive assistance. 1t WAS no fault
Of his. He simply had no facts. Mr.
Gregory, aerologist of the Weather
bureau, summarized ably all that is
known about the lower levels of the
Atlantic air for The benefit of the men
who navigated the nc machines.
ut may be questioned if the pilot
were much assisted by the admirable
paper that Mr. Gregory read before
the Washington Philosophical Society.
The best that our Weather Bureau
could do, lacking a series of marine on
servatlons, was to administer prevent
I've medicine. Don't fly to-day There
are strong head winds, or Better wait
until tomorrow; there's fog bank 500
miles out'-such was the character o.
the assistance that meteorolog isls
were able to offer.
"lf transatlantic flying is to become
an everyday commercial undertaking
tho pilot will expect more. He VIII
demand fairly accurate meteoroloc-
zeal chart of the oceanic atmosphere
chart which Will tell him exactly
what conditions he is to encounter
twontyfour hours in advance and hov
he must cope with them.