AN AIRSHIP TRAGEDY.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10828, 19 December 1902, Page 2

AN AIRSHIP TRAGEDY.

Particulars of the terrible airship, tragedy, *by which Baron de- Bradsky; a wealthy youup, .Austrian enthusiast, and M. Morin, a clever French engineer, were dafihed to pieces, on the 13th pf October, neai Paris, came to hand by the last niail." At about half-past seven" that morning, the two men started <from Vau#irard, aiicr. an auspicious, trial trip. Tha machine, which' was ( of tite oidinaiy '"igar-shau^H, pattern^' rbae rapidly i»to--iho-,Hir^. a-iulj. contrary "to the" ac-ronautt/V expectatioij<?," v seemed tp. b,e suddenly 'caugnt in 'a south- 4 • crly wind, -for it- turned almost on' its 6 urn . axis, and" moved slowly across the .city in a norjth-eastsrly ' direction,- iSven, then everybody -was'i struck wi^h Jfie' Trail 4p« pearancc , of the ,'car, hanging' by sixteensteel wires' from the balloon. At niiie o'clock the airship floated over -the .village of Stains, about seven miles from Fari.s, :"nd it was then 300 feet fvom tiio groun-i. liradsky called out to some iupii on tlio road to show him a safe place of descent , and was directed to a potato fieldnear ,Ly. The airship was turned in. that 'direction, and then, as those- who saw rhe catastrophe afterwards stated, four ot five of the steel wirei which /held the <ar suddenly broke, there was a noise of tearing silk, and the car darted forward, detached itself, and fell heavily into the field, while the balloon shot rapidly upwards. Bradelcy and Morin, who had clung to the railings of tho car, left it when if became detached, and, turning over and over in the air, were flung' with tbrrible force' to the ground, aud killed simultaneously. It appears that M. Lachambc, the constructor of the balloon, had told the inventors bhat the car seemed to be much too fragile, and that strong rope should have taken the place of steel wires to support it. , -Jle also said that the motor appeared insufficiently powerful, and the propeller too weak, but .the uuforjtunate aeronauts could not be 'nrevailcoT Upon to alter their ideas. Santos Dumont inspected the machine before- the ascent., but refr^amcjl from^ expressing apy opinii)BL' :^i^2i'tß> r capabilities,f though he^did ■not se?m yerV^faVobr&bly '-impressed. An-^j other •fejt]^irir. / <Jf,tJtihe inaphine -winch was" advera€sMri?i^Bay x \ ! wa3 'the HnWoductioU of a, BCrjatiWith a axis, vrhicli re,volvod^^r^YvJliG^eaa: at 'the -rate of. 500. revohuio^isii. 55 ™!!^^- "This' \yas intended to regulate the height, and- enable' the aeronaut- to move upwards. and downwards at will,.l}irfc- < !u\ expert .pointed out that it wauld-' telid t6/"niake the balloon- turn round-^^and contiteract the effect of the rudderAvTheira .seoms strong reason to think that, the accident was mainly due to defects in the construction of the airship, and inexperience on the part of Ba~ ron jie Bradfky, wlio had only made three j aerial voyages "previous to this, and those ! in ordinary balloons. Ifc is a coincidence , that the ascent was made from the very same shed from which M. Severo and his Companion soared to meet tjheir death in Ma JSß^^? . - ■ •,- ■ " r