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[upside down text follows] [[?]] in the [[?]] famous Arizona-S[[?]] [[?]]0 acres. the crop[[?]] [[?]] minimum of [[?]] [[?]]ith depth, and from the Mans[[?]] [[?]]nda-Arizona, the [[?]]roducers have [[?]] [[?]]g record of [[?]] [[?]]st of the gre[[?]] De[[?]] [[?]]ated [[?]] fur-[[?]] [[?]]s we [[?]]opper [[?]] rich [[?]] while [[?]] prog-[[?]] [[?]]dence [[?]]enor-[[?]] [[?]]h the [[?]]nder- [[?]]06. Va[[?]] [[?]]er [[?]]$9[[?]] a [[?]] aerostati[[?]] [[?]]hority, both [[?]] [[?]]ope, among scien[[?]] the problem of aerial [[?]] Before the Round Table St. Louis Clubhouse, Saturday [[?]]renewed the wide acquaintance g[[?]] during his service as a member of the Aerostatic Commission of the World's Fair. His paper was a discussion of "The Balloon in Science and Sport." St Louis a Balloon Center. Prof. Rotch gave some interesting aerostatistics in a Post-Dispatch interview, which, he said, scientifically established St. Louis as the ballooning center of the United States. Her right to this claim has been demonstrated in 56 ascensions of small balloons during the past two years, begun under the co-operation of the Departments of Liberal Arts and Transportation of the Exposition and continued at intervals by Prof. Rotch. Reference has been made to these tests by the Post-Dispatch, but not until now has the cumulative results of the tests been announced. The descending parachutes bearing the [[?]] at a [[?]] degrees no[[?]] miles an hour. These conclusions,[[?]] were substantiated by [[?]] moving clouds made at Blue[[?]] conservatory. The greatest height recorded[[?]] during the St. Louis Balloon observations showed an extremely low temperature, even in July, 1905, when the meterological register indicated 75 degrees below zero at a height of 47,000 feet, where the balloon burst. Speaking of the approaching international contest next October, he ventured the opinion that the racing balloons should reach an altitude of about one mile, where they would probably move south of east at a speed of about 25 miles an hour. The temperature at that time of the year he indicated as moderately low. "Ballooning as a sport," says Prof. Rotch, "only came into popular favor recently. It was begun by the Berlin Aeronautical Society in 1881. Its members since that time made 95 ascensions, including one that attained an altitude of 34,000 feet. The Wegener brothers remained in the air for the record time of 53 hours. The French Aero Club made an instant success of ballooning as a sport when the society was organized in 1898. The Paris Exposition of 1900 encouraged the sport, by promoting 156 ascensions from the aerostatic park at Vincennes. Not a single accident marred the sport. Ballooning Popular Abroad. "An instance of the popularity of ballooning abroad is the fact that the countries which I will name achieve annually the number of ascensions that I give in this order: France, 350; Germany, 250; Belgium, 60; Italy 33, Great Britain, 22; Spain, 20 and Switzerland 7. Of course these vary by one or two, but they represent a safe average record of the number of times balloons are sent into the air every year in each of these countries. So the American people can get an idea of the intense enthusiasm which attends this aerial sport at the present stage of the world's progress. "It may be interesting as a matter of information to St. Louis and the thousands who will be attracted to this city by the aerial races to give some data concerning records and brilliant achievements in ballooning. In the final test at Paris in 1900, Count de la Vaulx traveled 1200 miles through the air in 35 hours and 45 minutes, the distance measured on the earth's surface being from Paris to some point in Russia. On July 4, 1859, Prof. Wise, ascending from St. Louis, traveled from this city to Henderson, N. Y., a distance of about 900 miles, in 19 hours. "During the past year, three note-worthy achievements mark the progress of the sport. The first of these was the international aerial race last October with Paris as the starting point. It was won by Lieut. Frank P. Lahm of West Point. He was driven across the English Channel into England, after traversing a distance of 400 miles. This was the first time the Channel had been crossed in a balloon. "A similar event in the same month was the contest at Berlin for prizes offered by the German Emperor and the Berlin Aeronautic Society on the celebration of its twenty-fifth anniversary. With light winds contestants traveled long distances, several of them remaining in the air 24 hours. This race was notable from the standpoint that every balloon was handicapped according to capacity. "The last event was the passage of the Alps by a balloon during November. It had never been accomplished before, although many attempts have been made to do so. The start was made from Milan. The balloon landed at Aix le Bains, after following a curved route through the air. Usuelli and Crispi, the aeronauts, passed over the Alps at an altitude 10,000 feet above Mount Rosa and Mount Blanc. The temperature at this height dropped to 27 degrees below zero. During their experience the balloon moved 50 miles an hour. Dirigible Airships. "From balloons at the mercy of the winds to the airship that obeys its rudder is a development, that has been regarded with the deepest interest. Contrary to the poular impression, Santos-Dumont was not the first navigator of a dirigible balloon. The first one was built and navigated by my friend, Capt. Renard in 1885. Paris was the scene of the experiments. On five out of sevent occasions he was able to return to the starting point. This balloon was elongated, with the blunt end forward. It was 165 feet long and 27 feet in diameter and was propelled at a speed of 14 miles an hour by an electric motor of nine horsepower in calm air. "The experiments of Santor-Dumont are better known. He has built several airships, the sixth of which in 1901 carried off a prize of 100,000 francs by starting from St. Cloud and proceeding to Paris, where, in accordance with regulations, he encircled the Eifel Tower and returned to St. Cloud in a half hour, the distance traversed having been seven miles. A somewhat similar balloon construction of the Lebaudy brothers has been adopted by the French war department for further experimentation. This balloon is cigar-shaped, with steadying fins at the rear. It is larger than the Santos-Dumont type. beng 196 feet long, 33 feet in diameter and having capacity for a crew of three persons with ballast and fuel to last ten hours. Its motors, of 70 horsepower, drive two propellers, giving the craft a speed of 26 miles per hour. The German Government is experimenting with models of Major von Parseval, the peculiarity of whose [[c?]]raft lies in the use of flexible screws propelled with great centrifugal force. A third balloon of Count von Zepln, rivals an ocean steamer in size. It is 410 feet long and has a diameter of 38 feet. It is built on a rigid aluminum frame containing gas compartments. The balloon is cylindrical in form, resembling a pencil. Below the car are the propellers, which serve to steer the craft and drive it forward. His first balloon, built in 1900, was not a success, but the new one made a pronounced success at its experiment on Lake Constance, around which it made circuits at a speed of 30 miles and hour, with 11 persons aboard. This speed exceeds any ocean steamer yet devised. "In characterizing the points of the three types, those of Zepeln, Parseval and Lebaudy, the latter type is flexible and easy for practical purposes. It is best adapted for military uses and for sporting purposes.
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