Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-02-21

Big Name On List.
By the Auto Car, an English pub
lication, $4,000 to the Daily Mail winner
if the engine is made in Great Britain.
The Aero Club Of America consid-
cred Offering prize Of $4,000 to the
winner, but hesitated when it was
found that Lloyd's, the great insurance
concern, would not take the risk OF
losing at any premium-in short, would
not bet against the flight being made.
Lloyd's took the poSition that not only
is the cross-ocean passage perfectly
feasible but certain to be accomplished.
The Aero Club does, however, promise
a prize OF $4,000 in Liberty bonds.
A bill offered in congress last June
had for its purpose the increase Of the
financial rewards Of success by the Of
fer of another $4,000 prize, but the
bill failed Of passage.
1t will be seen, therefore, that the
daring flier who wins stands to get
back more than expenses for his
trouble. But after all the money end is
subsidiary. Fame has always been and
always will be the great incentive Of
youthful courage.
Offered year and quarter before
the war started, it is interesting now
to scan the list Of entrants for the big
London Daily Mail prize in 1918. The
principal one on this side of the water
was Rodman Wanamaker, whose plans
for competing were serious and we'll
considered. He retained Glenn H.
Curtiss to build his craft, and Curtiss
had the American, big cruiser with
a wing spread of 100 feet, well under
way when the war came on. The air.
ship was then drafted for military SER
vice. So far as is known, Mr.. Wanna
makers entry still stands, although it
does not appear that he is just now
engaged on any plans to prosecute the
attempt.
1t was a dirigible. not heavier
than-air machine, n which Walter
Wellman, journalist and explorer. and
four companions set sail for Europe
from Atlantic City on MINDLESS morn
ing in October, 1910. Their craft car
ried $4,000 cubic feet of gas, was ex-
pected to make fifteen knots an hour,
and with favoring circumstances was
to have reached Europe in eight to ten
days.
BY nightfall Of the next day. Well
man was over Nantucket, driving
ahead of a favoring 5ind with motors
idle. That night, however, disaster
came on the wings Of a northwest
gale.
For two days therefore the world
was in ignorance Of the fate Of the
airship America and her crew. Then
one night came a wireless message
from the Royal Mail steamship Trent
telling Of failure.
Machines That Will Do.
The gale into which the America
had run drove the big airbag south
ward 455 miles until, off Cape Hat
teras, the gallant navigators Of the
air were forced to take to their boat.
The equilibrator, a device Of cables
suspended from the dirigible. with
tanks of gasoline attached to them,
which had been relied on to steady the
airship, proved the greatest danger the
navigators encountered.
When the men took to their life
boat the equilibrator. lashed madly
to and fro, threatened their lives and
stole a hole in their boat, although.
fortunately above the water line. The
Trent came along in the nick of time
to pick them up and the America was
abandoned to the gale.
Thus ended the one actual trans
Atlantic attempt thus far. In the
eight years since then the dirigible
has undergone, wonderful improve
ment, and the progress in airplaning
has been even greater. What type of
machine will attempt and accomplish
the flight? What are the principal
difficulties to take into consideration?
And what route will be followed?
In answer to the first question, it may
be said that there are now in this
country four standard flying machines,
capable of being altered so as safely
% undertake the voyage. They are
the All-American, designed, and con-
-, hn
Martin bomber, the American modified
IIadley- Page Of Great Britain. and the
Caproni triplane. All of these types
are to be shown at the aeronautical
EXPOSITION in this city the first two
weeks Of March. A member of the
Manufacturers Aircraft association
gives the following analysis of the
type of flying machine likely to win
success:
This One Should Win.
A machine in which the dead load
of the hull and panels, &C., will con-
stitute at a minimum about 35 per
cent of the gross load of the machine
Ill It's llllllStl SOlluiIlOL, q
DAD of gasoline averaging about SO
per cent Of the total load.
IF the element Of time be elimi-
mated from consideration" he said,
the problem of maximum range be-
comes one of determining the maxi
mum economic velocity-that is, the
hours necessary for flight at which
speed the greatest range can be COW
nred-and the hours available for
fight. The maximum economic We
locity is that at which the motors will
consume the economic amount of gas
oline for distance covered.
Taking the present designs as 4
basis of comparison and computation,
the maximum range can easily be
computed at 1875 miles. The distance
between Newfoundland and Ireland is
roughly 1000 miles. A machine of the