Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1919-10-08
Plan to Communicate With Planet Mars
 By Use of Balloon

O1nana, NeD., Oct. "A serious at tempt to communicate with the planet
 Mars is soon to be made. The ex- pertinent will be made at the Fort Omaha government balloon station. Capt. Leo. A. Stevens, chief instruc- tor ill ballooning in the United States army, will be in charge of the air ship. David Todd, professor of as tronomy at Amherst College, Am herst, Mass, will conduct the astron- omical portion of the experiment. The Omaha Chamber of Commerce will sponsor the effort and bear the ex- penSe.
 Capt. Stevens is now building the balloon with which he expects to get so far from the earth that electrical impulses sent out from it's basket will reach to Mars.
 On September 26 K. E. Weston, pa per king of Dayton, telegraphed Stev- ems an offer of $25,000 per year to come to Dayton and take charge of a $l ,250,000 dirigible plant. But to ac- cept the Dayton offer would require that Stevens drop his experiments with Professor Todd. This he refuses to do.
 Went Up 29,500 Feet
 1 Stevens is professional balloon ist. He was in charge of balloon in- war.
 In 1908, at Franklin, Pa., Capt. Stevens reached height of 29,5O0 feet in an ordinary balloon. The worlds record is 30O0O feet.
 Heretofore the largest balloon to be recognized for practical purposes has been of 80,000 cubic feet capac- ity. The balloon Captain Stevens is now making is large enough to ac- commodate 140,000 cubic feet of gas or air.
 The principle of construction which Stevens believes will enable him to reach almost any height desired is very simple, but has never been used. The big balloon will be divided into two compartments. The upper com- partment will contain 80,250 cubic feet of hydrogen. The lower com partment will contain 59,750 cubic feet of ordinary air.
 "In all balloons there is con- stant exhaust necessitated by the ex- pansion of the gas," says Stevens. "Balloonists heretofore have been handicapped through this loss of gas and lifting power. As the gas ex- bands a certain amount of it is forced through the lower end of the balloon and the power to rise is curtailed thereby.
 Balloon Will Not Lose Gas.
 My new balloon will lose no gas. The exhaust will be plain air. The expanding gas in the upper compart ment will press downward on the lower compartment but, instead of gas, nothing but air will escape from the mouth of the bag. All the gas will be retained in the upper cham Der. My balloon will, therefore, re- tain practically all it's original lifting 1 power.
 "That power should take us just as high as we desire to go. If gravity is caused by the centripetal force en- gendered by the rotating motion of the car, we can get so far from the earth's surface that we will no long, CT be subject to the pull of gravity" 1 Captain Stevens is now working on 1 the envelope which, instead of the 1 usual layers of treated cotton cloth and rubber, will consist of one thick ness of Chinese silk treated with a solution of linseed oil and rubber. An envelope of the necessary size, made of the ordinary balloon fabric, would weigh in bulk state 900 pounds, says Stevens. But the envelope now being made will weigh but 210 pounds. The silk alone costs $2 per yard and the special treatment adds another $1 per yard to the cost. The basket will be entirely cover- ed and will be practically air tight. It will be covered with gun-cotton membrane. While highly inflamma- ble, this preparation is the only prac- tical substance for the purpose, ac- cording to Captain Stevens, as it ad- mits light and can be readily pune tured by the fingers. The basket will be five feet square. Oxygen for the use of those in the basket will be car ried in cylinders.
 The signaling apparatus will be at- i tached to the outside of the basket ! and will be operated by lever and button control from within the air tight basket. The balloon will act as an intensifier and relay station for wireless impulses sent from some point on the earth's surface.
 The test will probably be made shortly before Christmas, thinks Captain Stevens.