Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1937-04-13
BY ALICE ROGERS HAGER.

meet conditions in that rurifed
atmosphere.
BY ALICE ROGERS HAGER.
1t is highly probable that, some time
in 1898, you will be able to step ur
to a counter, lay down your money
and receive in return ticket entitline
you to ride at ease $4,000 feet above
the earth. Flying. in other words
is about to hoist itself notch higher
again by lusty pull on its own boot
straps.
In trip about the country just
completed this writer talked with the
men who are making this great new
step 'up" possible, who are taking 6
Jules Verne fantasy and turning il
into metal and fabric that will spell
more comfort, greater safety, more
speed for those who would take the
wings of the morning. The planes In
which I made that trip have not yet
had their first birthday anniversary
so far as carrying passengers is con-
cerned, yet already they are obsolete
compared with the results Of specifi-
cations that have gone past the draw
ing boards to the mock-up rooms and
the order sheets that are to start the
process Of production on its way.
In 1897 or Early 1898.
On that trip, Donald w. Douglas
president Of Douglas Aircraft in Cali
fornia, said:
Within 1887, or early in 1898, We
expect to be flying an adapted form
Of the dos, equipped with a pressure
cabin, which will climb to 10000 and
$4,000 feet without undue fatigue for
either passengers or pilots. We have
already done good deal Of engineer
ing research here, and we expect tc
keep our first building to a modest
scale. The DC-4 will ultimately be
switched over to high-altitude type
Certain basic elements in the design
make that possible, but it would have
delayed the four motored ship toe
long If We had waited to work out all
the details now. They will come
later"
At Middle River, in MARYLAND
James S. Mcdonnell, jr, speaking fol
Glenn Martin, said:
The Martin -treamliner can be
built now, whenever the order comes
to go ahead. The elaborate tests
which We have made show that. with
this structure, using pressure differ.
entail OF As pounds per square inch
we can maintain sea-level pressur,
In the cabin at 10000 feet altitude
at 10000 the same as free air at TO-.
900, and, at top of 10000 the same
as free air at 1880.
Breaking Seal Not Fatal.
One of the greatest fears in plan.
for high altitude flight has been O,
some accidental puncturing OF the
sealed cabin, such as a broken window
which, it. has been thought, woule
cause instant or very rapid death a
such a height. Our tests In th<
Bureau Of Standards decomposition
chamber indicated that there was /,
safety period of approximately five
tanned in the body was sufficient anc
that in this time oxygen could be
added to the r-conditioning system
by the flight engineer and the pupcture
sealed with an emergency apparatus BY
the steward. The sudden decrease ir
pressure did not cause any harmful
effects within given limits, also allow.
ing a safety period.
There are other factors that favor
fight at higher levels, notably the one
that the circular-shaped fuselage
needed to withstand internal pressure
in the shape with the lowest aero
dynamic drag: the factor that hea tins
is easy in spite of intense outer cold a.
low as minus SIS degrees Fahrenheit
in Winter, because compression of all
raises heat automatically about 81
degrees, and that since the human
body needs certain amount of carbon
dioxide, it is only necessary for the
air-conditioning system to discharge
10 per cent Of air each round if it il
cleaned and heated properly"
May Span North Atlantic.
so far as practical consideration!
are concerned, supercharged lane
planes will probably be used acros.
the North Atlantic, because they car
fly practically above weather dis.
turbances, while flying boats will
probably continue on the trans-Pa.
cif1c routes and on the southern rout.
across the Atlantic. Their shape /,
not conducive to the use of pressur,
cabins"
Back again across the continent
In Seattle, Boeing is close to produc
ton initiation of completely super
charged ship in which both Pan
American and Transcontinental ant
Western airlines have an interest
Its 107-foot wing span will carr,
four Wright G-10O Whirlwinds with
total horsepower of nearly 5000
1t will be designed to cruise at 10000
feet altitude at 266 miles per hou
on IS per cent horsepower.
Pan-American's experience over tn
Pacific and in using oxygen for pas
sengers and crews over the Andes i
being added to T. w. AS length,
'overweather' experiments conducted
by D. w. Tomlinson in his super
charged Northrup Gamma. Milto,
Van slyke, speaking for T. W. A.
told me:
We have tested the supercharge,
engine to decidedly encouragin,
point OF performance, not in a singh