FLIGHTS BY THE BRITISH AIRSHIP.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 24, 23 October 1907, Page 10

FLIGHTS BY THE BRITISH AIRSHIP.

Aldcrshot, September 11.

At eleven o'clock to-day the doors of the great balloon factory on tho Farnborougji ltond were swung open. Soon. the big sausage-shaped balloon,, 100 ft. long and 30ft. in diameter, began slowly to emerge, and in another moment rose shimmering in tho sunlight. Around the huge gas-bag were a number of wide bands which, with a'netting, held tlio basket or car hanging beneath.' In this car, shaped like a small rowing-boat, wore the machinery and seats for the passengers.: ,: ■•'.'■■■■ ''. '.:■■'! ■■'■■■ Colonel Capper, U.K., sat at the helm, and Mr. Samuel F. Cody stood at the' engines . ■ . ■ ■ . ■ After tho balloon had been pulled into an adjacont field by twenty men the signal to get ready to start was given, .Sandbags were piled in, the two propellers, as a final test, were whirled around sit.tho.rate'of 1000 revolutions a,minute, and Captain W. A. King, R.E., jumped in to join the crew.

' Unfurling a Union Jack at the stern, the ship, glittering with its white wings and golden-coloured balloon, began.'gracefully'to ascend. Thousands of people cheered.

■.At'- the height of 150 ft. the vessel' was stopped by the ropes attached below. To test tho effect of the wind, which was blowing from the oast, the ship was pulled down two or three times an dallowed to float irp to tho full limit of the ropes. An ocdinary captive balloon had been previously sent up to dotermino the condition of tho upper currents of 'air. ■• : ' ■'' ' '■ ■■ ■ '■ ' •

Satisfied with the prospects, Colonel Capper, gave the order to throw out sandbags. The • ship rose quickly to the limit of .the ropes and paused. Finally a megaphone was.held over the car above, and the, order came down,: "Let. go I" Instantly the ropes were:let loose, and the ship-continued to ascend.

.Dipping itsnose. in tho wind, it turned towards the east. Presently the propellers began to buzz, and with a graceful rocking motion the'vessel, curved through the air. Higher and higher it mounted, diminishing in size and casting a great moving shadow on tho ground. Like a bird fixing its course, it veered about for an instant, and then turned toward' the south, flying over trees and housetops, and growing still smaller in tho distance. Seen through field-glasses, .the ship looked liko somo. i 'liuso monster silhouetted against the■ sky.-.,.•', The tops of tho heads of the passengers 'in■the car wore observed to bo busily moving. ' -. After going half a mile southward, the courso was changed to the west. Now Soaring still higher; as ; inoro sandbags wore tossed overboaTd, .and'inow dipping toward the earth as the gas;was,'-allowed/.tp oscijpe, the vessel kept; steadily^i'pnirard,^seemingly under admirabl6 v Jsiit .just after skirting over s'onicfchijls' bolt attached to ithe"'cooling■'.ap.paratus' oil tho motors broke, and' c while'.'sti!l the ship for a momeht.;clriftcd^'y'Colonel Capper then opened tho exhaust'valve''oil the, .gas bag and brought the ship'gently to a smooth part of the field.. The point'■.'Was'about 300, yards from the balloon s|ietl.!.';-A: scoro of tho balloon brigade had;" followed-.tTib course on horses, and wore soon on the'spot. In ten minutes more the ship was safely "docked."

At four o'clock- the ; vessel was again pulled out to the field. ■ Colonel Templar, the expert adviser to the War Office, one of tho builders, who had been absent in- the morning, helped at tho ropes, but did not ascend. Air. M'vVade, works foreman, took the place of Captain King as a passenger, .vWhen at a height of 150 ft., Colonel.Cap■ipor gave the % usual order to let go, ,-prepara:tbry .to ani'extendeclf^tr'ip.;..'The- ship; had inoiinied'only a.;'few-,feet.--higher;., with its ropes, dangling beneath it, when an attempt ■was made'to turn-sharply. '.Almost instantly, the ship turned its prow, downward, and with great swiftness shot obliquely toward 'the carfch.YVv ..?;.'•.,•,. .' ■'■',■.; ': ~ , ':■: Tho" "spectators'gasped, fearful of'the consequences, but the ship, though hitting tho ground '-hard,-rebounded, and so lessened tho blow. The trials wens then ended for tho daj\ .' : ' ttriMore'vaseents'i'are.'■•to , be made to-morrow. (Wednesday)' ; if' the weather is favourable. , Colonel Capper, preferred not to express an opinion ;as .to the success of thp. ship.; :.''We had a very pleasant sail,",;he .said. "Of course, we could:have gone'.'a thousand feet higher or more if-, we had desired,.but this was , not.deemed necessary. I ,' ' ' ■ :.'; ' Mr. Cody' (who describes the aseent from the' point} of view. l of a passenger and of a in his, message io tho "Daily, :Mail," printed- bclow)'.is' , a'ii'.Americaii l born' at Birdville, near .-,Fort Worth, Texas. Ho is a well-known inventor of- man-lifting kites. — "Daily Mail." A PASSENGER'S STORY. ,(By MR. SAMUEL F, ; ; CODY, -Part Builder : . •;.■'.'-. of-.the Airship.) :''•'. -,: Our first flight was a big success. As wo. mounted in the air and saw the ground deep beneath us, I confess my, heart'leaped with joy;- :.;:.■. ■'<:■'-/■::■■,;:-.\ : :;': .■ ;;,.'■;,- , To' bring an airship .'.right out of the. workshop and :■ successfully- navigate; it' : through the air is certainly no small accomplishment. ; We :'db • not' pretend;; however,'; .to.' be, perfect yet. Gratified as we arc, yet we shall probably rtnake some material improvements. -~ l'p'ssibly, instead of the present sausageahaped ■ balloon' we will construct one moro pointed at the ends and bigger round in the middle. This, I think, would increase the speed by diminishing , , tho friotion. Our present balloon holds 00,000 cubic feet of hydrogen gas .' By substituting silk supporters instead of-: the^.pi;esent;ijotting which holds.\tho baskpt. Qγ • ! car,'',we may- also;afford increased .swiftness;-■-■r , ' , ... ~->■ ...•."■,*..'. Y- ; - .-.-/: ■■ My part in tho construction is easily : shown', yd -did'spme work ; on ' ; :tho design-it.- , -j' bought the engine for the Government. I designed ;,t)ie onginc-bed, the supports, and the device ■for..transmittihg the power from tho engine fact, the -entire power:"produ'cm^:'secfion'M'pfi'.tire airship' is of my : desipi7-''and' J 'a;"gr6at V: deal;';of,.it was made at the. lathei,';a.nd ; --faench'with my own hands, '/I', designod'all '■. th'e>' aeroplanes or wirigsrbywhich, tho', ship>is.; steered. ; .;,' As: it stands,; : thp. sHipCis' papablo of from twolve. .to , .fifteen';miles -an'' hour iii a dead calni; .■■\Yho/i : 'some ■.improvements aro madp wo shallbe able to'do.twe'nty-five miles an hour, and later, Ithinkltlie Royal Engineors will be able to turn out.an.airship that will do thirty miles. Of course j- if the ship is navigated against tho wind;, the velocity of the wind must bo deducted, while if tho ship goes with the wind the.-.speed. is still further increased. For instance, if the ship herself .wont twenty-five miles an hour, she would actually travel forty miles if she followed in a h'ftpen-mile-an-hour wind.

To-day'we went at'the fate of about five miles an hour against a nino-iiiile-an-hour wind. • I think we went at least 400 feet high, and possibly 500 feet. I know when I looked over the people began to dwindle into pretty small specks. ~-\Ve were, particularly pleased '-.to'; find'ihe' sbip 'turn,, ascend, and doscer.d. so easily. Having been with tho ship, during her-;construction for so many months, I.had .'every confidence in her, and neither Colonel Capper nor Captain King had any apprehensions. After we had sailed for about a mile and a half, and while we iyere 300 feet high, a bolt on the cooling fan broke. This was only a slight mishap, and easily remedied. Wo thought it best, however, to.descend. Accordingly, some of the gas v/as lot out, and we came down. ■•••.■■

; Tho. damage done by . hitting the ground this afternoon -.was ; . slight. ;We 'Were trying to manoeuvre 1 too .low down. Two hollow bars in the framework were bent; This will be readily repaired. Indeed, wij shall probably take another sail to-morrow. '■ There is no' onp-niau . work in any of this airship. Wo are .assisted by able aeronauts —namoly,'tho' officers of the balloon companies, under command of Colonel Capper. Encouraged by our success to-day—for there was not a hitch worth speaking of—no doubt we shall: go rignt on'improving this branch of tho service until the British Army will be in tho first rank so far as military' airships aro concerned:—Samuel Y. Cody,,. 'in 'tlio "Daily Mail." ■_ '■ ■•'■• ' ■ : : .

The French airship Patrio's best (light, so far, lasted.nearly three hours, with a speed varying from eighteen to thirty-one miles an hour against and with tho wind. The German Gross airship has remained in tho air for three and a half hours, ami travelled at twelve and a half rrjiles an hour against tho wind. The German Paiscval airship has also given good results.