CONQUEST OF THE AIR.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 6, 2 October 1907, Page 5

CONQUEST OF THE AIR.

BALLOON RACE. AERONAUTS THROWN INTO THE WATER. FIVE STILL MISSING. By Telegraph—Associationr-Copyright. (Rccoived October 1, 9.59 p.m.) Paris, October 1. Nineteen balloons competed for tho Grand Prix of the Aero Club, Paris. Tho -balloon Lenord, steered by Belobel and Lefers, won with a distance of 160 miles. It descended into tho sea north of Ostond, and the balloonists were thrown into the water. They regained the car by means of life linos, and tied themselves in until a Gorman liner rescued them. Five balloons are still missing. A BRITISH TRIAL. ' London, October 1. The military airship Nulli Secundus, designed by Cplonel j. L. B. Templer, superintendent of the Balloon Factory at Aldcrshot, flew round the camp at Aklershot and circled a church steeple. The airship attained a speed of twenty, miles an hour with the • wind, and twelve miles against it. UT<7AL AIRSHIPS. IS BRITAIN UP-TO-DATE? When La Paine, tho French military airship, flew over Paris, it was recorded that her highest speed with tho wind was 31 miles ail hour, and the lowest against the wind IS miles an hour. These figures, it will bo noted, ' are better than those of the British airship. It was recorded that the German airship travelled against moderate wind at over 12 miles an hour. As to. dirigibility, La l'atrie circled the Church of the Sacre Cocur at Montmartre, and hovered over other public places, and was apparently easily guidable. • The German ajrship, at. a height of 500 feet, is said to have "circled tho Kaiser's palace, sailed along the exact course of Unter den' Linden and other principal streets ot li.it'lin, described %arious goimetrieal figures in the air, and headed northward, southward, eastward, and westward at the commander's will. The whirr of the screws was distinctly audible to the watching multitude." A CONFIDENT OFFICIAL. - "In my opinion tho cigar-shape'd dirigible balloon on which the French and tho German military, authorities set such store, will become obsolete in.' a few years. Tt is the aeroplane that is to be the lighting machine of the air, and it is tow-ird the perfection cf the •tCioplano that Grat Britain is working. The sheds.of North Camp, at Aldevshot, contain a machine which, when finished, will dim the glerios of La Pitrio mid, the new German airship." This statement, attributed to an official (not named), at , Aldersliot, appeared lately in the "Express," which adds:. "The original plan of Britain's air. fleet, which was submitted to the Committee of National Defence, included sentry kites, dirigible balloons to act as depot ships and supply stores to tho naval jleet, and fighting aeroplanes. As far as the' kites ' aro concerned, Great Britain is ahead of other countries, and that, at least, ; is reassuring. Every', day experiments are being carried out at . Aldcrshot, and three or four of these box-kites are frequently seen currying a . man—a black speck, tiro thousand feet above the earth. - • .. < • AEROPLANES. "Although no dirigible balloon has yet circled St. Paul's,, it must not bo supposed that the War Office is. behindhand in this matter. But,' asi the. informant quoted above, has stated, tho chief hope of the British aerial navy lies in the aeroplane—tho ' machine which is heavier than air. A great buik such as La' 'Patrie' cannot travel at the best more than twenty-four miles an hour. An aeroplane of the samo size could fly , through the air at more than 100 miles an hour. At, the Aldershot balloon factory .'there' are two designs of aeroplanes, but the oneiwhich is practically completed is built on the principle of tho Wright Brothers' aeroplane. That is to . say, it is built on tho "glider" principle. It- is worked with a petroleum engine, and its speed will be at least fovty miles an hour. In about two months it'is .hoped that experiments will -bo ;ma-le with it out of doors, but for. the.'.prcse'nfc it remains in tho great shed, where tho machinery is being tested. . STRICT SECRECY. "Only recently a curious incident occurred during one of these indoor experiments.' It was desired to test tho power,'of the engine, and for this purpose ' tho machine was strongly anchored. But, wlien tho engine started, the propeller shot , suddenly from tho shaft, smashed clean through the iron wall, and buried itself in the common outside. The strictest secrecy is maintained among tho workers in tho camp. Men and women—for' there are women making the balloons—take.lll oath'not. to divulge anything, and the. walls of every building are placarded with the Official Secrets Act, 18$ D, which warns tlifcm that tho penalty may be imprisonment for life, and w(vrns those, equally who incite the workers to betray a secret.".