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1907 June 13 Thursday 97 Herald New York 21 Apr - 1907 Aerial Navigation at Jamestown Great Impetus Expected by Congress of Aeronauts-- Balloon History Norfolk, Va., April 13.- Aerial navigation will be an open book to all who visit the Jamestown exposition, at Norfolk, Va., this year. The aeronautic exhibit will illustrate the history and progress of all attempts to master the ethereal mystery and overcome the power of gravitation. The art of sky climbing is regarded by enthusiasts as having now entered the realm of reality. What has been accomplished to this time by the many bright minds concentrated on the work will be shown at this exposition on the shores of Hampton Roads, and when President Roosevelt, by the touch of the now proverbial button, sets in motion the great machinery exhibit on April 26, the cloudland chauffeur will dip his colors in the spindrift of the sky. It is expected that a great impetus will be given to ballooning, superterranean yachting, flying, or whatever one would call it. All of the late inventions and contrivances of airship builders, many o which and their performances have been described in public prints, will be there for the inspection of the exposition goer. Those disposed to view the aerial fun from altitudinal advantage may do so from captive balloons. Capt. Baldwin, who is recognized as the greatest of American aeronauts, and who was conspicuous in the exhibits aloft at St. Louis, will have the captive floating observatories in charge. Dr. Julian P. Thomas of New York, whose thrilling experiences have put Munchausen's adventures in the shade, will be there with his big Nirvana, and his dirigible, as will Santos Dumont with his collection of air craft, and many of the other pioneer pathfinders of the Blue. Dr. Thomas has been on the grounds already testing the lifting power of Norfolk gas, and though, on a recent visit, an ascent was out of the question, because of the severity of the elements, he is soon to visit Norfolk again and give some attention to air currents. The Aero club of New York has taken up the exposition aerial exhibit with a zealous interest and under its and the exposition's auspices an aeronautic congress is to be held that will bring together the Aeronauts of the world, while international contests will put all kinds of air craft through paces that will embrace high flying, speed, and long distance flights. The names of Langley, Bell, and Maxim now figure prominently in the work of scientific effort. Others skilled in practical accomplishment are Ader, in France; Kress, in Austria; Hoffman, in Berlin; Margrave, in Australia; Baldwin, in California; Knabenshue and the Wright brothers in Ohio. The Wright brothers attracted much attention some two years ago when they flew more than a mile at Kitty Hawk Beach, North Carolina, with an aeroplane pushed by propeller and sustained in part by another propeller pushing up. This arrangement was changed afterwards, so that one screw was put forward and the other overhead, has weight. Francesco Lana decided that nothing is lighter than nothing and that a body would rise if it was of less weight than the air it displaced. He proposed to construct an aerial vessel of globes from which the air was excluded. It is not recorded that any experiment on this theory was successful. It is not generally believed that a balloon could be made on the vacuum principle, the strength required to withstand the air pressure from without involving weight out of all proportion to buoyancy. Yet as a matter of fact a patent has been granted to an inventor who gives a description of a vacuum balloon. John Baptist Dante, date not given, is credited with being the first person who attempted flight by wings. He is said to have flown several times, but he at last broke a thigh. Sieur Bernier, a Frenchman, attempted to fly by means of wings, constructed of poles and feathers. That was in 1678. It is not recorded that he was successful. Another inventor unconsciously was trying to solve the problem of lifting himself by his boot-straps. He designed a ship of iron which carried load-stones which he said would attract the metal and so lift the ship. That was in 1709, and the gentleman was Baron L. de Gusman, a Portuguese. The first recorded balloon ascent was made by M. Pilatre de Rozier, in Montgolfier's balloon, Oct. 15, 1785. The balloon was captive and went up but eighty feet. A month later the same gentleman in company with a friend took a balloon sail of five miles. The air in the balloon was raefied by a fire beneath it, and the aeronaut stood in a gallery around the mouth. Accidents caused by fire led to the abandoning of fire balloons. In 1767 Dr. William Black of Edinburg proposed hydrogen gas for inflating balloons. It was not tried until 1783, when Messieur Charles and Robert sent up a large balloon from Paris. It rose 3,000 feet and fell fifteen miles away, where the country folks were thrown into consternation, thinking it a supernatural visitor. Dec. 1, the makers made an ascent in this balloon and were carried about three miles. On a small scale coal gas was used before the end of the eighteenth century, but owing to the difficulty of making it in quantities, by the methods then in use, it was not generally adopted till the beginning of the nineteenth century, when it came into use for illuminating purposes. Though heavier than hydrogen gas it is invariably used now because so much cheaper. The necessity of controlling balloons was at once recognized and mechanical geniuses began as early in 1784 to turn their attention to this subject. An early sketch shows the air ship of M. Bois of Paris. It is a balloon shaped like a ship, with rudder and a sail. Many others followed, all like this, failures. One the Dolphin, commenced in 1817 was to cost $50,000. Fish shaped, it was provided with fins to be worked from the boat like [?]. It was never completed. [[image]] Mines [[and Metallurgical?]] Building-Jamestown Exposition balloon was ignited by fireworks [[FOLDED CUT OFF]] she had taken up with her, the [[FOLDED CUT OFF]] being a fete at the Tivoli Gardens [[FOLDED CUT OFF]] The pioneer and most daring in [[FOLDED CUT OFF]] realm of gliding flight was Otto Lilie [[FOLDED CUT OFF]] of Berlin. He made about 3,000 [[FOLDED CUT OFF]] between 1891 and 1896, when he was [[FOLDED CUT OFF]] ed. And English marine engineer [[FOLDED CUT OFF]] Pilcher, improved Lilienthal's appar [[FOLDED CUT OFF]] but was killed in an upset in 1899 [[FOLDED CUT OFF]] Germany, in 1897, Dr. Wolfert and [[FOLDED CUT OFF]] [[FOLDED CUT OFF]] ceive records and give [[FOLDED CUT OFF]] r standing. This club is affiliated [[FOLDED CUT OFF]] the Aero club of France and Eng- [[FOLDED CUT OFF]] and the various clubs in all coun- [[FOLDED CUT OFF]] of Europe. [[FOLDED CUT OFF]] arly five hundred ascents were made [[FOLDED CUT OFF]] the balloon park at the Aero Club [[FOLDED CUT OFF]] rance last year, making an average [[FOLDED CUT OFF]] wo a day during the season; on the [[FOLDED CUT OFF]] antest days eight or ten balloons [[FOLDED CUT OFF]]d be liberated; it is possible to see a moving. We came to the edge of an open field. The count cautioned us not to get out of the basket until ordered, then he pulled the valve rope, allowing some of the gas to escape. We descended lower, and when within 100 feet of the ground he cut away the anchor which fell, imbedding itself in the gorund. The balloon, lightened by this much of its load, made an effort to rise again, but it did not have force enough and descended to [[image]] mont's famous airship, "The Bird of Prey," on exhibition in the Aeronautic building. During the period of the exposition the Jamestown aeronautic congress will assemble, at which time the most eminent people interested in aerial navigation will present papers on this subject. Following is the list of the members constituting the Jamestown aeronautic congress. Honorary Advisory Committe - Harry St. George Tucker, chairman; Thomas Alva Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Octave Chanute, Gen. James Allen. General Committee - Alexander Graham Bell, president; Albert Francis Zahm, secretary of the congress; William J. Hammer, chairman, general committee; Earnest LeRue James, secretary, general committee; Gen. James Allen, chief signal service, Army and Navy building, Washington, D.C.; Frederick[[??]] Allen, patent office, Washington, D.C.; Patrick Alexander, Rothesay, Spencer road, Hants, England; W. T. Brooke, Norfolk Va.; Emile Berlinger, 1459 Columbia road Washington, D. C.; E. B. Bronson, 100 William street, New York city; Cortland Field Bishop, 52 William street, New York; Capt. Charles Chandler, war department, Washington. D. C.; Octave Chanute, 61 Cedar street, Chicago. Ill.; W. E. Cottrell, governor of works, Jamestown Exposition company, Norfolk, Va.; Dr. David T. Day, geological survey, Washington, D. C.; Carl Dianstback, 9 East 119th street, New York; Thomas Alva Edison, Grange, N. J.; Charles Jerome Edward, 204 Montague stree,. Brooklyn, N. Y.; J. Taylor Ellyson, governor history, education and social economy Jamestown exposition, Norfolk; Capt. P. V. Fournier, French embassy Washington, D. C.; Charles J. Glidden, Hotel Tourraine, Boston, Mass.; James J. Gray, weather observer, Norfolk, VA.; Gilbert H. Grosvenor, national Geographical magazine, Washington. D. C.; William J. Hammer, 153 West Forty-sixth street, New York, N.Y.; Allen B. Hawley, 20 Broadway street, New York; A. M. Herring, room 414, 1931 Broadway, N.Y.; Capt. Homer W. Hedge, 11 West Thirty-second strret, New York; Maj. Hemry E. Hershey, United States Weather Bureau, Washington, D.C.; Dr. J. A. Holmes, United States fuel testing plant, St. Louis, Mo.; C. Brooks Johnston, chairman board of governors, Jamestown Exposition company, Norfolk, Va.; Ernest LaRue Jones, 142 West Sixty-fifth street, New York; Wilber R. Kimbel, 140 West Ninety-first street, New York; Roy [[spelling]] Finabonshue [[spelling]], 133 Milrose avenue, Toledo, Ohio; Maj. Krebs, Panhard and Levassor, Broadway and Sixty-second streets, New York; Lieut. Frank P. Lahn, 2 Rue Gambetta, Saumer, France; Frank S. Lahn, Hotel McKinley, Canton, Ohio (for the present); Israel Ludlow, 110 West Thirty-fourth street, New York; Charles M. Manly, 17 Battery place, New York; Charles F. Marvin, United States weather bureau. Washington, D. C.; Willis L. Moore, chief of the United States Weather bureau, Washington, D. C.; Maj. C. [[cutoff]] Franklin, Pa; J. C. McCoy, [[cutoff]] sor David T. Todd, Major E. Hershey, James J. Gray, O. L. Fasig. Publicity and promotion committe-- Homer W. Hedge, chairman: Barton Myers, Carl Dienstbach, Ernest LeRue Jones. Foreign Committe--Carl Dienstbach. Foreign Representatives--To be appointed by foreign aero club. A general invitation is extended to those having models, full size machines, balloons or other aeronautical materials, to place the same on exhibition or loan them to the Jamestown Aeronautical congress. Those favoring the aeronautical congress with exhibits will be at no expense whatever, and their property will be well cared for and promptly and safely returned at the close of the exposition. Competitions--The committee is arranging for holding aeronautical competitions during the exposition, and we give herewith a list of the competitions thus far proposed: Dirigible balloons competitions. Airship and automobile competitions. Competition of balloons for distance. Photographic competitions for the photographs taken from balloons or kites. Signal competitions. Hot air balloon competition. Competitions for [[unable to piece together document]] Photographic competition, for photographs of meteorlogical phenomena. Balloon and automobile competitions. Coal and hydrogen gas for balloons is furnished [[?]] gratuitously. All competitions are international. In addition to the above mentioned competitions, the committee reserves the right to organize other competitions, should there be special demands to this effect. Cups and trophies will be given to the winners of all completions, and each competitor will receive a commemorative medal. Pure [[?]] and hydrogen gas will be furnished free [[?]] competitors. Those desiring to enter any of these contests can do so by writing to Ernest New York, N. Y. [[?]] secretary, 12 E. 42 street, --------------- When Gunga Walks in Spring [[text incomplete]]
