Show t I CONQUEST OF THE TH AIR AIRI I BY FREDERIC J HASKIN The official trials of the Wright aero aeroplane a to o plane at Fort Myer Va which are about abo t tto to begin will work a renewal of intense popular interest in airships airship The flights of Orville Orvllle Wright at Fort Myer last fall which terminated In the death of Selfridge the injury of Wright and the wreck wreak of the aeroplane were only tests The fulfillment of the contract of at the Wright brothers with the government over ment will wUl yield them with a liberal Donus for extra speed The Wright brothers proved in the United States their claims as pioneers in inthe Inthe Inthe the realm of the birds and then pro proceeded proceeded to astonish Europe They are selling aeroplanes in France and Italy the French government having paid them for their patent rights In that country A company com pan has been organized In hi Germany for tor the construction n of Wright aeroplanes The brothers will re return return return turn to Europe later this year and give demonstrations in England Germany and perhaps other countries The Th machines which they are now building will carry earr two passengers but they Uley say the tile aero nero aeroplane aeroplane plane eventually m n nibe Bi be e capable of car ear carrying carrying fourteen or sixteen passengers Sixty Wright machines are being built in France at a cost of 1500 each The Wrights rights have eliminated the awkward starting device which was a feature of ot their aeroplane and are said to have evolved great improvements in inthe Inthe inthe the steering apparatus Miss Katherine Wright i la is no longer designated as the sister Meter of or those crazy Wright boys She participated In part of their European triumphs and the three received a royal welcome when they returned to America The city of Day ton 0 O the home of the aviators broke all records for a real homecoming celebration at which nothing was left undone which would show the pride which their fellow citizens and neighbors took in the achievements of the Inventors Inventors I tors tore The brothers received medals from their state and city from the Aero Club of America and finally from the United States government President Taft him himself himself himself self in the historic east room of the White bite house bones pinned upon the bosoms of the champion champton navigators of the air the beautiful gold medals awarded them by congress The records of the patent office off tee show that over tOO patents on flying machines of various kinds and their parts have bave been granted of which or more were I issued during the last six months Two of or these the e were granted to the Wrights rights for Improvements on their aeroplane Rep Representative Representative Representative Butler Ames of Massachusetts chu setta grandson of General B F Butler has applied for rol a patent on a machine the principal feature of which bl h is that the planes revolve on horizontal axes The Inventor is said to have obtained the Idea for this scheme by watching flutter to the ground a bent pasteboard card which he had thrown into theair tb The Aeronautical Experiment Ex association tion of or which h the moving spirits were Alexander Graham Bell of pf the telephone and G C Curtiss has been dissolved It was organized to perfect perfecta a successful flying ma machine machine machine chine After a long series of experiments at N X Y and sand in Nova Scotia Beetle this was accomplished The as association association built and operated the June Bug Hug the Red Wing ring and the Sliver Dart all successful aeroplanes The Thelast Thelast Thelast last named was the first air machine to fly fl In Canada A factory for making similar machines has been established in that country countr Dr Bell recently sailed lied for Europe on a vacation but while there he may get some new Ideas for improving his tetra tetrahedral tetrahedral TI TT This WR WA was u flown In n Canada Ca ada last si vi winter ter and Dr Bell is 1 satisfied RUstled that it can com corn compete compete pete with the aeroplane as soon as he obtains a suitable engine for tor his machine Instead of having large planes Cygnet II is made up of a number of small email triangular cells which afford a larger surface for lifting than mere planes plane but which at the same time confine the air pressure p to a small email area of each tach cell so that the apparatus is said to be very steady in gusty weather A M Herring of Philadelphia has con oon constructed constructed for the war department under undera a contract contra t an aeroplane to be tested i at Fort Myer He claims that the chief I features of or his machine are automatic control and an engine of extraordinary small size else and light weight Walter Wellman ell man Is in Paris and is 18 due to start for the pole pote from Spitzbergen in an air airship airship ship in August His ship Is said to be bethe bethe bethe the second largest in existence Emile Berliner and J N Williams are with a helicopter near Washing Washington ton which is 18 the type of flying machine favored Thomas bThomas by A Edison Aeronautics is Ia becoming a practical science Flying machines are no longer toys Military experts say their utility I in time of war for scout work for the quick transportation of dispatches and possibly for transporting troops and bombarding forts fort and ships cannot be questioned In France scientists are finding an entirely peaceful use for the too balloon On the approach of or a hailstorm explosives are sent up in one of or the big ships of or the air and when at a great ale ete atlon are touched touch d off for the purpose of dissipating the storm which threatens the vineyards The United States weather e ther bureau uses U captive or free balloons and kites In hi Its Ita station at ML Mt It Weather Va Vs to ascertain a the t e temperature barometric pressure wind velocity and humidity in high altitudes Professor eor Todd a noted astronomer now proposes to ascend next September to a height of ten miles In a balloon equipped with wireless antennae in th the hope of catching some BOme of the signal signals which he supposes the Inhabitants o oMars of Mars to be trying to transmit to th the earth Eventually it may be possible t to communicate with the sister ster planet I Inot If not to visit it by means of an airship The United States Stat s signal corps is equip equipping equipping ping the army balloons with wireless ap apparatus apparatus apparatus and Lea Leu Stevens the celebrated aeronaut is using the wireless telephone with some of the balloons he Is making The Tho United d States a war department i Is far behind the war offices of other pow powers powers ers era In the matter of ownership of or means mean of air navigation The United States now owns but ut one military airship a sma small dirigible constructed by Captain Torn Tom Baldwin and several ordinary free an and captive balloons Germany on the other othe hand has seven even huge dirigibles includIng IncludIng includIng Ing one of the th Zeppelin Z One of this type 4 feet long not long ago carried carrle a company of or twentysix men across th the country on a run rus and onla only a few days das go o Zeppelin made a run 0 O Of about miles in a similar ship Ger Germany Germany Germany many Is building airship harbors an and dockyards France has baa four bg lIlg air airships airships ships of different types one at ch o oher of her chief r fortified cities on the German frontier England has two airships Rus Rue sla ala Italy and Spain one each Belgium and Switzerland are each building an air airship airship airship ship Each of the continental nations has a awell awell awell well organized corps of or aeronauts and ii In several of them there 1 io a commission o of experts considering a plan of defense defens through the application of aeronautics Congress refuses to appropriate money for military aeronautics In the United Unite States although strategists say aay that a aleast at least half hair a dozen large dirt gibles and a number of aeroplanes be besides besides sides several well equipped aeronautical stations In different of the Union are necessary to l Insure aur the safety of th the country countr At present the army has on one satisfactory station at Fort Omaha Neb with a big balloon house wireless tower hydrogen gas gall generator and other necessary necessary necessary sary apparatus For lack of ot suitable equipment at Fort Myer and because b cause the balloon tent there has been blown down several times the army dirIgible and other balloons are being ng shipped to Omaha whence the aeronautical detach detachment detachment detachment ment of five officers and seventeen men of the signal corps are being transferred for practice The American navy nav ha ts no airships al although although although though experts say it should have ha j sev mv severa several era oral eral aeroplanes for scouting Lack o of funds explains the situation In this case also An effort will wilt be made to provide one next year Special artillery artiller mounted on automobiles has hall been built abroad to pursue and destroy military aircraft am aman and an artificial fog Is Ia planned to hinder their operations Numerous records in flight have been made ma e and broken during the past few months Wilbur Wright flew continuous continuously ly for two hours houra and minutes and attained a height of or 30 feet teet The longest trip of the kind was made by the th German Gross Grosa which left Berlin earn carry earning carrying ing four passengers and returned tp to the starting point after covering 17 miles mites In thirteen hours Point to point balloon races have been held in North Adams Adam Mass To Henry Farnam the Scotchman belongs belong the honor bonor of having basing made the first aeroplane flight He traveled seventeen mil miles s on this trip at ata ata ata a speed of or miles an in France the Frenchman In his monoplane not long ago flew an equal distance across the country The American Amen Ameri ran can zin an aeroplane rop i for the he British iii i army The Aerial Navigation company has haa been In Incorporated incorporated to do a freight and passenger business between Boston and New York YorkA A new code of laws governing the high highway highway way wa of or the air is a recognized necessity Aeronautics has become so popular at Los Loll Angeles Angele that the authorities propose to Invoke the law against t balloonists forbidding the tile dumping of rubbish on an others premises this course COUrM being deemed necessary because of so much ballast be being beIng belag ing lag thrown overboard onto private prop property property erty city Lea Lao favors governmental control contra or f aviation and sn a system df of f aeronauts An international con congress congress gress cress on aeronautics to determine the rights of nations in the air they breathe Is proposed Europe is Ia ahead of America in encouraging encouraging aging the air navigator The old world work has bas offered in prizes not to men mention ties tion Germanys prize of roo for tor a journey The first In International International aviation races will be held In n France for the valuable James Gordon Bennett cup and in cash ca h prizes In Inthis Inthis this country count the recent national cham championship race from Indianapolis will wilt be succeeded In the fall ran by a great air car carnival carnival at St Louis Louts and a series ries of aeronautical aeronautical contests conte ta In connection with the celebration at New York The conquest of the air Is already a fact Aeronautics has haa progressed further In n the past year than In any previous decade The aeroplane and the dirigible are being operated in nearly every Used Iliad l ed country count It took centuries to evolve the Lusitania the locomotive was Wall the re ye result reI suit sult I of many long years of development The automobile has hall been perfected In ten years yean It looks as though aerial flight would reach something like full fun develop development development ment in less 1 time p I Copyright ht 1 by Frederic J Haskin f Tomorrow Training the Body |