The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-03-05
SCHROEDER NEARLY
IN INTER-STELLAR
SPACE, IN FLIGHT

II, w. schroeder flew above the
earth's surface when he broke the
worlds altitude record at Dayton a
week ago. u
Mother earth keeps man we'll with
in her grasp. II he strays too deep
below her crust she makes 1t hot for
him with lava and molten earth. She
annihilates him with pressure IL he
dips more than few feet below the
oceans surface, and she takes away
his breath and glazes him with ice If
he ventures far above her clouds.
Nature mocks mans efforts to build
and his. tallest structure is less than
a twentieth the size OF the highest
structure Of nature.
Schroeder Defies Nature.
But Maj. Schroeder can laugh at ma
ture now. He stretched her apron
her deep seas and her snowy peaks
seem small.
Here is a comparison of natural and
man-made distances up and down"
and Maj. Schroeder's height record:
Feet
Mai Schroeder's height 5000
Highest mountain (Mt EveresD $4,000
Highest point climbed (MtBride) ,583
Deepest sea (Pacific, near Gaum) 81 ,614
Deepest boring West Virginia oil
wel) .................. 1879
Deepest mine (Michigan) ...... 5000
Tallest structure (Eiffel Tower,
Tallest building. (Woolworth.
New York; NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. $50
Washington monument ......... $50
The greatest height ever climbed by
man was "a. 5S3 feet on the slopes of
Mt. Bride, in Indo-China. The top of
the mountain was not reached, and the
climb was made by Duke D'Abruzzo
in 1909.
81 Degrees Below Zero
Schroeder found a temperature Of
81 degrees below zero at his maxi
mum height. He could have gone to
the bottom of the deepest sea, about
Six miles instead of seven, and it
would have just a shade less than 20
degrees above zero.
But had he gone to the bottom of the
ocean instead of on top of the clouds
he would have to bear a pressure
of six tons TO the square inch. Com
pare this with Is pounds to the square
inch at sea level or about half this
when Schroeder was at his maximum
height.
Six tons bearing on every inch of
The body would crush a man to an un-
recognizable pulp. But scientists
cant understand why a lack Of pres
sure didn't pull Schroeder to bits in
much the same manner.
Deep sea fishes brought to the sur
lace blow up and burst and Schroeder
IAN the same chance.
At a debth of but a few thousand
feet wells and mines become unen-
iurably hot. A shaft six miles deep
would be at volcano heat. To have
ventured half the distance below the
,arth's surface that Schroeder did
above it, he would have had to wear
asbestos clothes instead Of arctic furs
md blankets.
Nothing to Radate
1t was intensely cold above the
clouds, mot because there was a scare
ty of sunlight, but because there was
nothing to radiate it to Schroeder.
Actually quarter of the suns heat is
absorbed by the atmosphere before it
reaches the earth, but Schroeder was
cold because he was accustomed to OBJ
tanning warmth from rays reflected
by the earth to his body. The earth
vas too far away and there was moth
ing else7to slow up the light waves and
make them into heat to warm him.
Had there been no clouds to inter
fere with his view, Schroeder should
have seen the earth glowing with d
White fire, like the moon. He was in
the dusk OF space and the sun must
have been a huge, fiery ball-like a
diamond set in jet. The earth should
have glowed a little by reflected suns
light.
Lifting Power Less.
Although Schroeder's weight, by the
law of Newton, was slightly less by
rc;sOn by his distance from the earth
ard the consequent lessening OF the
pull of gravity, the density Of the all
and its lifting p>Wer grew less much
faster and so he gained no advantage
by lessened weight.
Every foot in height he gained at his
maximum would have cost him much
more fuel and time than 100 or more
feet closer to earth. The air dldn
ho'd him up so we'll.
Discounting the resistance the all
would have offered. had Schroeder
Jumped from his machine at its maxi
mum height. he would have struck the
earth little more than 10 second;
later and would have been travelling
at the time he struck faster thar
1886 feet per second. This is consid
erably faster than sound waves travel
II is conceivable that he might burr
to pieces on the way down, as shoot
ing Stars do.
1000 May Be Limit
Schroeders goal OF 10000. feet
probably is the maximum altitude mar
will reach in present day airships
They may go a few feet higher. but no
many. it is believed.
The lifting power Of the wings Il
growing less rapidly at this height
the air is thinning even more quick
" than ii does at lower levels ant
pressure consequently growing muci
less and making life more nearly i'm
possible.
BRITISH ENVOY TO SAIL