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[[image]] DR. THOMAS GETTING READY FOR THE ASCENT rome construction have failed up to date because of this defect. The balloon propeller as a means of sustaining a man dates back to 1783. The first successful dirigible was American, in 1833. This, however, was but a model. A dirigible was begun in Paris during the siege of that city and later completed. It proved fairly successful. Prior to that, a dirigible was constructed, but it could not be sailed directly against the wind. The more recent accomplishment of Santos Dumont and that of Kanbenshue, who sailed around the dome of the capitol at Washington show that the dirigible has reached a stage of considerable advancement. That the dirigible is likely to play an important part in modern warfare seems to be attested by the trip made a few years ago by a German dirigible over the frontier into Russia when it hovered over a large town long enough to photograph its fortifications, and though fired on, returned unhurt the way it came. Man's attempt to ape the bird is almost as early as history, and indeed legendary. Ovid tells of Daedalus and Icarus who imprisoned in Crete, unable to escape by sea, made for themselves wings of feathers attached to frames by wax, and tied them to their arms. All went well till Icarus soared towards the sun which melted the wax. Icarus fell into the sea. A Persian legend tells of a king who required his wise men to prepare a device thereby he might ascend into the sky. The wit of the wise men evolved a platform to which were attached four eagles, suspended above which were pieces of goat's flesh. As the eagles flew up to reach the meat the king had his desires satisfied, but he was compelled to stay in the etherial regions until it pleased the birds to descend. Plying toys are mentioned in Greek literature. One Archytas, 400 B. C., made a mechanical pigeon. It is described as "suspended by balancing and animated by an enclosed spirit of "aura." Through the Middle Ages, attempts at flight were frequent and generally disastrous. An Augustinian monk believed that fire, lighter than air, would raise a hollow globe, while a Jesuit believed that is a supply of the upper atmosphere, being more rarefied than that near the church, could be obtained, the problem of flight would be solved. But a supply of the upper ether could not be obtained. At a time when it was believed that dew was of celestial origin, being shed by the stars and drawn up in day time by the sun, the conclusion was reached that if egg shells were filled with dew, the sun would draw them up. Torricello, in 1643, discovered that air [[?]] [[?]] made several successful trips, going some fifteen miles an hour and returning to its starting point. Prof. Carl Meyer made a dirigible in 1890 which he propelled, bicycle fashion, making about ten miles an hour. One of the earliest victims of ballooning was Count Zambeccari. He had sent up unaccompanied balloon in London Nov. 25, 1783, March 23, 1785, with Sir Edward Vernon, he made a trip of twenty-five miles from London in less than an hour. Sept. 21, 1812, he fell from a burning Montgolfier fire balloon, at Bologna, and was killed. The largest hot-air balloon was made in Lyons, France. It was 105 feet in diameter and 130 feet high. The present day Nirvana is but 47 1/2 feet high and wide. The Lyon balloon took up seven persons in January, 1784, to a height of 3,500 feet in 17 minutes. Its lifting power was 18 tons. The Nirvana's lifting capacity with Norfolk gas is 41 pounds to the 1,000 cubic feet of gas, or about one and a quarter tons including its own weight of a little more than half a ton. The old timer came to grief, however, on it memorable ascent. It was too frail for its size and a rent of some fifty feet dropped it to the earth with more than comfortable celerity, but not with fatal results to the occupants. In 1875, Blanchard, a Frenchman, and Dr. Jeffries, an American, crossed the English channel and Arban, French, was the first to cross the Alps in 1845. He covered a distance of 400 miles from Paris in eight hours. Charles Green, English, who adopted the expedient of a guide rope, made 1,400 ascensions between 1812 and 1857. He was also the first to use coal gas. He died in 1870, eighty-five years old. The longest aerial voyage, up to 1870, was made by Americans, John Wise, John La Mountane, O. A. Gager and a reporter, Mr. Hyde. They made the trip from St. Louis, starting July 2, 1859, and landing in, Jefferson county, New York, after twenty hours of flight. The distance was 1,150 miles. The longest trip on record to date was that of Count de la Vaulx, in October, 1900, from the Paris Exposition to Korosticheff, Russia, 1,193 miles in thirty-five hours, forty-five minutes, the maximum altitude being 18,810 feet, more than three and a half miles. The record for altitude was made Sept. 5, 1862, when the superintendent of the Greenwich observatory rose from Wolverhampton, England, 37,000 feet, more than five miles, in less than an hour. The first woman balloonist was Mme. Blanchard of France, who was finally dashed to death in July, 1819, when her [[?]] [[?]] engineer were killed by an explosion of their hydrogen dirigible, set on fire by the gasoline motor. Perhaps the first balloon ascension America was that of Frenchman Blanchard, Jan. 30, 1793, in Philadelphia when Gen. Washington was a spectator. A philosophical voyage was made from Hamburg, Germany, in July, 1803, when Messrs. Robertson and Lhoest reached an altitude of 23,526 feet and made various experiments--electric and magnetic-- by explosions, in temperature reading, determining boiling points of fluids, and in the liberation of birds. At the Jamestown Exposition the whole world will be in competition, making herculean efforts to travel through space in machines that will be under as perfect control as ant that now travel on land or water. Capt. Homer W. Hedge, founder of the Aero club, says: "No man can prophesy what the next few years will see accomplished. Men are spending their lives trying to solve the problem. Some day they will stumble upon the right principle. Then the world will say: "How simple.'" It seems probable, therefore, as Arthur Shadwell Martin, a writer on the subject from whose researches the foregoing material is largely obtained, says, that before the seven months of the duration the Jamestown Exposition shall have expired, many new remarkable records will have been made in aerial navigation, both for pleasure and for profit, as aeronautics will be discussed in all its phases, and experiments made, and practical demonstrations given of the present state of the science. It is wonderful how the American people take up everything new and follow it to perfection. Take automobiles, for instance; they are now as well made and extensively used in this country as they are in Europe. In a short time balloons and airships made in the United States will be fully equal to those manufactured abroad, and the accomplishments of American aeronauts will add fame to the world's history, as they have with steamships, railroads, the telegraph and telephone. The first successful flying machine which traveled twenty-eight miles in thirty-six minutes, and has made many successful flights, will certainly be soon developed into one of the most useful of human agencies, both for commercial and military advancement. Realizing that the importance of this subject was not appreciated, nor was any organized effort made to assist individual success, the Aero club was formed in New York city to gather together widely scattered facts, to disseminate knowledge, it in a circle, to be attatched to tting, to hold the balloon in the world's long distance record of les in thirty-five hours from Paris r, Russia, was made during the race held by Paris exposition in the following trips: Miles Hrs. to Warsaw (Russia Po- ... 900 22 to Lubeck (Baltic Sea) ... 550 17 Breslau (Silesia) ... 850 10 Westervek (Sweden) ... 550 28 o Emden (Hanover) ... 400 16 valve and neck are separate from in part of the envelope, and are [[?]] before inflating. The valve rope [[?]] fast, and the ripping cord which [[?]] fastened to a portion of the ma- [[?]] arranged to tear out, leaving a [[?]] opening through which the gas escapes when the descent is made [[?]] the gas bag is on the ground; prevents dragging the basket with [[?]] occupants along the ground, if the wind is blowing very hard. It is a very inspiring sight to see the balloon swell up and grow larger and larger, finally assuming the shape of a large sphere, while many men keep continually lowering the [[?]] bags around it. After it is entirely [[?]] with gas the collecting ring is attached to the ropes leading from the netting and the car is then fastened to this ng by four or six stout ropes; the aeronauts then take their places, bags of ballast are taken on board, when all is ready the men around the basket allow the balloon to rise from the ground a little way. This is to balance it properly. it does not rise some ballast is put if it has too much ascensional force ballast is taken on. Finally when right and wind is still, the word let go all" is given, and, strange to y, the earth, the crowds, the trees, all em to shrink away; there is a slight murmur of voices that seem to grow weaker, a waving of handkerchiefs, until finally all is still. While floating in a current of air, and moving as fast as it does, breeze is felt at all and if it were not for the rising and falling of the recording barometer which shows just how many meters your altitude is, it would be impossible to tell that there was any motion at all; there is nothing to judge by, e you relative change of position over the hills and lakes, the lott of which are as clearly visible as the banks around them, a fact that makes airships the natural enemies of submarine vessels, we sail, the houses looking like toy farms that you buy in stores, the cows looking like so many [[?]] in the fields, and people hardly recognizable; now and then they wave something white and the welcome is truly appreciated; far from reach of anything on earth, with no communication except as we threw small parachutes with postal cards attached and addressed, which we received later, everything is at perfect peace and the feeling one gets is like the feeling of being out on the great ocean or in the big forest. Although the wind may be taking you thirty or forty miles an hour, the only sign by which you can tell that you are moving is when you see the round shadow of the balloon below, or when you approach near the ground, or the noise of the wind in the trees sounds like rushing water. After sailing almost two hours and having had a light luncheon, we chose a good landing place and prepared to make a descent. The temperature was taken by a thermometer, the time and altitude, the rope from the neck was made fast so that when the valve at the top was opened and the gas would escape, the bottom of the balloon would not form a parachute and catch the wind. Lower and lower we came, four thousand feet in five minutes, until the guide rope hung three feet below [[?]] the tops of trees and dragged [[?]] them. Ballast was thrown out until we gained our equilibrium. We could see the wind blowing in the branches and we could see how swiftly we were [[image]] KNABENSHUE MAKING A SAFE LANDING the ground. We held on to the ropes supporting the car, raising our feet from the bottom of the basket, and did not feel the shock when it struck the earth. The great ball rebounded in the air from 50 to 75 feet, dragged the anchor, and cleared a stone wall and a clump of trees, then settled again on the ground. The anchor held firm, the ripcord was pulled, and a great rent made in the top of the envelope through which the gas at once escaped, leaving the deflated harmless thing spread out on the ground looking more like an innocent piece of material laid on the grass to bleach than a marvelous air ship, that had brought a party of four large men more than forty miles with their baggage and luncheon and all the conveniences of air travelling. The farmers of the surrounding neighborhood came crowding around us asking where we came from and if we were not afraid, and desiring to help us pack up our things. The barometer registered 1,700 meters for the maximum height and we had traveled over forty miles in two hours from [[?]]field, into the state of Connecticut, and landed near the town pf Winstead. We loaded up our balloon on a farm and drove to the nearest railway station where we saw the first account of the San Francisco disaster. Many ascents have been made and many contemplated. The Aero club has balloons that are ready for use. Another year will see even greater progress; we will have speed races and contests to see who may have speed races and contests to see who may remain the longest period of time in the air. Walter Wellman has started for the North Pole and Aeronaut Beachey sailed up from Luna Park near Washington to the White House the other day, to pay his respects to Mr. Roosevelt. Great interest will center in this subject and science will have gained one more star on her Twentieth Century Coronet. A special building in charge of the Jamestown aeronautical congress will house the exhibits of aerial navigation and manufacturers pertaining thereto. The building, which is 120 feet long by 65 wide, contains some 8,000 square feet of exhibit space, and will be one of the most novel and interesting features of the transportation display. Besides the government's exhibit of the Langley models, there will be a great display of balloons, dirigible airships, kites, etc., Belonging to individuals and aerial clubs. The German government had expressed its intention of sending one or more war balloons to the exposition, and a movement is now on foot to have Santos Du-[[paper folded]] Post, 753 Fifth avenue, New York; Maj. Samuel Peber, signal corps war department, Washington, D. C.; Richard Rathbun, Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D. C.; Hon. C. S. Rolls, Hotel Belmont, New York (the Hendre, South Lodge, Rutland Gate, S. W.); A. Lawrence Rotch, Blue Hill observatory, Hyde Park, Mass.; C. S. Sherwood, vice chairman board of governors Jamestown exposition, Norfolk, Va.; R. H. Sexton, chief department congresses and special events Jamestown exposition, Norfolk, Va.; Albery Santos Dumont, Chapps Elysees, Paris, France; T. S. Southgate, governor of exhibits Jamestown Exposition company, Norfolk, Va.; Leo Stevens, P. O. Box 181, Madison Square, P. O., New York; Prof. David T. Todd, Amherst college, Amherst, Mass.; Harry St. George Tucker, president Jamestown Exposition company, Norfolk, Va.; Count Henri de la Vaulx, 120 Champs Elysees, Paris, France; Charles D. Walclott, geological survey, Washington, D. C.; Orville Wright, Dayton, Ohio; Albert Francis Zahn, Catholic University of America, Washington, D. C. Executive Committee [[tear in paper]] chairman; Ernest La Rue Jones, secretary; Augustus Post, William J. Hammer, Orville Wright, Carl Dienstbach, Robert H. Sexton, T. S. Southgate, Lee Stevens, C. Brooks Johnson, Oliver L. Fasig, A. M. Chandler, Capt. Chas. Def. Chandler,Wilber R. Kimball, J. C. McCoy, Chas. M. Manley, E. S. Bronson, Albert F. Zahn, Maj. Samuel Rober, Admiral C. M. Chester, Cortlandt Field Bishop, Wilber Wright, Allen R. Hawley, Homer W. Hedge, A. M. Herring, A. Lawrence Rotch, Charles J. Edwards, Hon. C. S. Rolls. Technical Committee——Charles M. Manly, chairman; A. M. Herring, mechanical engineer; W. T. Brooks, civil engineer; William J. Hammer, electrical engineer. Committee on Congresses and Program——A. Lawrence Rotch, chairman; J. Taylor Ellyson, Octave Chanute, Albert F. Zahn, Gilbert H. Grosvenor, Robert H. Sexton. Exhibition Committee——Richard Rathbun, chairman; T. S. Southgate, Israel Ludlow, Augustus Post, Wilbur R. Kimball. Contest Committee——Cortlandt Field Bishop, Chairman; Admiral C. M. Chester, C. S. Sherwood, Allen R. Hawley, Lieut. F. P. Lahn, J. C. McCoy, Leo Stevens. Buildings, Grounds and Gas Committee——David T. Day, chairman, C. S. Sherwood, W. E. Cottrell, Dr. James A. Holmes, Leo Stevens, W. T. Brooke. Meteorological Committee-——Willis L. Moore, chairman; A. Lawrence Botch, Professor William H. Pichering, Profes-[[cutoff]] the elephant, at him in fu By this tir voice at the distant sou to the monke thought for a The grea c in the grate spring sunshift when far acr the screen of majesty the short or grow every animal focuses his ke form. he li trail the seem ke tures, the with ervo Slowly their bod forwrd the war o dow the cle ense the awny huri bend and broken, a monkeys air. A mo ence of th memory the member the year; d strength and thus feel it the ravings a on before him Whatever th in his dignified ing out towar trunk, and w the occupants once seems the more, and g. is interesting. the hubbub cea the elephant is performance to cats seeming confines ther they do littl phant in ey ones lying heads.-New The Rear Adm at Delmontee "'The gentlem hypocrticial. It ner who, after h and missed his bi "'Ah, well, live to.'"-Ex.
