The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1935-07-05

tween continents. With its inception
| into service the period Of pure expert
ment will be over.
None of the comforts of rail travel
need be sacrificed aboard the clipper.
Soundproofng Of all passenger COM
partments reduces motor noise so that
it is no greater than the unannoying
noise of a pullman car. The passen-
ger deck, 43 feet long, has ceiling
six and one-haf feet high, so that
even tall men need not stoop in walk
ing.
Thirty passengers and a crew Of five
can be carried. The spacious lounge
and dining room seats 16 at a time.
For sleeping, the passenger seats can
be converted into II single and six
double berths; in case Of a "full
house" there are four double berths
available in the lounge.
So far it has not been decided how
to apportion the available space to
passengers and cargo. This may de-
pend largely upon the popularity Of
ul1 IldNCIs II VI ga
ample, it will be possible with one
scheme of distribution to carry II
passengers, the crew, and a cargo Of
1900 pounds on nonstop flights of
5000 miles.
The clipper has four engines, whose
5000 developed horsepower can climb
1000 feet minute with a load of 81
600 pounds. The planes cruising speed
at 1900 feet is 1853 miles an hour,
but 1t can do 100 and more if neces-
sary. It can soar more than four miles
high.
Safety Clipper Watchword.
Safety has been the watchword in
the design of the clipper. If one Of
the engines should fail, the other
three could finish the flight, carrying
the 51,O0O-pound burden. Even If two
of them should 60 dead at the same
time, the remaining two would main
tain the altitude long enough to allow
the captain and his men an oppor-
tunity to make ready for any emer-
gencies.
The sea holds no terrors for this re-
markable ship. It could make a
forced landing in stormy sea with
more ease than the gray gull it resem-
bles. 1t can land or take off in sea
with waves running five feet high.
Former clipper ships have been as
sisted in the water by pontoons sus-
pended from the wings. No. has a
supporting device, new to American de-
sign, which is called "sponsoon" and
might be ikened to an additional
wing. This sticks out a short distance
from each side of the body at water
level. It serves to house the fuel
tanks, also.
The No. is larger in every respect
than the clipper ship which recently
flew from California to Hawaii and
back again. The latter's four engines
are each of 700 horsepower, totaling
400 less than the No. z. 1t has ia
foot wing spread, weighs $4,000 pounds
empty, 10000 pounds loaded, and its
maximum cruising range is 5000 miles.
The new clippers wings are 40
feet from tip to tip. It weighs 2S,1OO
pounds empty and can add useful
load of 27,900 pounds. Its maximum
range is 1000 miles. If mileage be-
tween stops were reduced, the ship
could carry "a passengers and pay
load amounting to several tons to
Europe over the route made famous
by Col. Charles A. Lindbergh.
With normal stopping periods in
cluded, a ship Of this type could fly
from New York to London in about 30
hours, averaging 100 miles an hour.
That is less than the time required to
70 from New York to Chicago and
back by rail. The traveller could leave
New York late Saturday night and be
in London In time to start the business
week first thing Monday morning.
Instead of pilot and co-pilot, like
our land transport planes have, the
clipper ship has captain and navi-
gator, for it is an ocean-going vessel.
Automatic Flying.
Most Of the flying Is done by an
automatic pilot that leaves these two