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construction
the discoveries of the Wright Brothers, of
Dayton, Ohio. These aeronauts have been
subjected to considerable criticism of late, and
their alleged achievements have been scoffed
at by European aeronauts, but this announce-
ment tends to show that they have succeeded
in impressing the army authorities.
      WASHINGTON, Nov. 30.
General Crozier has admitted that Govern-
ment experts have invented the most powerful
explosive known, and that it has been designed
especially for use in the airships for which the 
Government is negotiating.-Laffan.
  [We must remind our reader in this connection
that the use of high explosives thrown from
balloons and airships is forbidden by the Hague
Convention. We doubt whether the United
States Government is seriously disposed to ignore
so emphatic a declaration made in the interests 
of civilization.-Ed. D.N.]

[[?]] Atlanta Ga.
1 Dec 1906

He Will Construct
An Aerial Navy For
French Government

M. LEBAUDY,
 The inventor of a dirigible air-
ship, bought by the French gov-
ernment, whiich is now going to 
build the first aerial navy.

appraisers at first classified it as an art
importation, and when Aero Club members
claimed it there was a protest immediately
over any payment of duty. "Any trophy
won by an American athlete shall be ad-
mitted duty free" is the way the club mem-
bers constructed the law, and the chances 
are that this interpretation will hold, al-
though a balloon pilot may hardly the term-
ed an athlete. The famous cup should
be released from customs by to-day and
be on exhibition during the Automobile
Show, which opens to-night, and after that
it will be out away in some safety deposit
vault until the international contest next
year, on which the American committee is
already hard at work.
     ELIMINATION RACES FOR CUP.
 A plan for elimination must necessarily
be agreed upon in account of the large
number of entries which are bound to come
in, and the board of directors of the Aero
Club of America will probably have to take into consideration the past records of the
pilots as one qualification. About the only
decision reached, however, is that Lieut.
Lahm, the present holder of the cup, will
be exempt from any and ll qualifying rules
whatever they may be, and that all contes-
tants must forward certified checks cover-
ing their entrance fees before February 1,
1907. The committee is resolved that all records for distance in this contest must 
be broken next year in order that America in the future shall be the popular racing
course for all aerial contests. Cortlandt
Field Bishop, president of the Aero Club,
said to-day that the importance of the com-
ing contest as a sporting event could not
be exaggerated, and that the eyes of Eng-
land and Europe were already focused upon
us, anxious to see how Americans were go-
ing to handle something they knew so lit-
tle about.
 "We cannot afforrd to fail," said Mr. Bish-
op. "From Washington to 'Frisco America
has a sweep of country that is magnificent
for ballooning. Either side of the this line
ther is plenty of room to swing north or
south at any angle, and even if the start 
should be made from the centre, distance
would not be lacking to break all European
records now standing. One problem will
be gas quality, and the city that can show
us the best facilities for filling the bal-
loons will stand the best chances of getting
the start!"
     FLYING MACHINE MEN ACTIVE.
  But before the Aero CLub enters fully
upon work for nest year's race meet, the
exhibit at the automobile show, which
opens Saturday night, must be carried out.
The work here this season has largely been
put upon the "flying machine men," and the balloon experts will have very little to say.
"Flying machine" inventors are in a class
all by themselves. They are as different from balloon pilots as the skipper of a 
sailboat is from a machinist. In the first
place, all of them are inventors and each 
has some particular machine that can beat
anything else. Consequently, there will not
be very many balloons shown at the ex-
hibit this winter. Air ships, aeroplanes,
kites, and wind wagons will have the call.
  It is the belief of the Aero CLub that bal-
looning as a sport has been pushed far 
enough for the present, and the outside
of the cup contest all the club's extra ef-
forts should be spent in developing aerial
machines that can be navigated. To this 
end there has been a technical committee
appointed, and during the first of next year
the members will begin a canvass of the
inventors. It will be the duty of this com-
mittee to correspond with all inventors,
report back to the club on all meritorious
work discovered, and try and arrange with
club members for funds with which to per-
fect inventions that my be deemed worth
the money.
  An inkling of this movement has no
doubt got abroad, for every day the ex-
hibition committee is notified of some ma-
chine having been forwarded to New York, 
for the show.
  "Between here and Chicago," said a club
member, to-day, " the path is strewn with
products of inventive genius, and if every-
thing arrives that has been promised, we
will suffer a deluge. From present indi-
cations every inventor seems possessed
with a wild desire to fly. I hope some of them will be disappointed, for we haven't
room at the show to put a fraction of
them. And still they come!"
  The last word before closing time yes-
terday was a telephone message from an
East River pier.
  "Hello, is that the Hair O Club?" shout-
ed a Celtic voice. "I'm after finin' ye
foive if ye don't sind after phawt Oi've got
fer yez! Phwat is it? It's a phony thing
with wings on it-an' the sign reads
f-r-a-g-i-l-e! That's phwat it is-but
come after it. Faith, it's worth it."