NAVIGATING THE AIR

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 157, 28 July 1909, Page 2

NAVIGATING THE AIR

THE " BLEIUOT FEVER." By Cable.—Press Association. —Copyright London, July at!. The Times says that upon the whole it is probable that Bleriot is working ou right lines. There are limits for the extension of aeroplanes in the direction of weight-carrying, and this department must be left to the dirigible, wii,cu nas the great advantage that its power increases with «izc at a greater rate than the resistance offered by air, whereas the limitation upon the increase in size and power of aeroplanes are inexorable, since the weight of the heaviest bird tlmt flies is inconaideiame. iileriot's monoplane is being exhibited in London for the beueltt of the London hospital. With its wings folded it occupies the space of a medium-sized motor

car. iileriot was banquctted at the Savoy tonight, anil received Captain Wyndlwm's gold cup. The jubilation in Paris is described as the "Bleriot fever." Levavasseur, the inventor of the mono, plane in which Mr. Hubert Latham attempted to cross the Channel last week, rose thrlce«durmg the night, and finally decided that the weather was unfavorable. He did not awaken Mr. Latham I until he saw M. Bleriot in mid-air. Mr. Latham hurriedly got out tee monoplane, but was dissuaded from starting owing to the rising wind. The Imperial College, Kensington, the Northampton Polytechnic, and the Regent Street Polytechnic have commenced aeronautic classes. Mr. Astor has contributed £IOOO to the Morning Post's airship fund.

BLERIOT RECEIVES A GREAT 1 RECEPTION. Received 28, 0.15 a.m. i ! London, July 27. ■ ' Bleriot met with a great welcome at ! the Savoy Hotel. < Mr. Haldane was among the first to I congratulate him. Twenty-five thousand : people inspected the monoplane. [ A small charge was made and as a > result £2OO was forwarded to the hos- • pital. i _ A PERTH INVENTION. Perth, July 27. A local dentist claims to have invented i an aeroplane exceeding all other types. t SOUTHLAND'S AIRSHIP. ' " A SILLY STORY. By Telegraph.—Press Association, i. Invcrcargill, Last Night. ! There is much local speculation in rc- ■ gnrd to the mysterious'light thnt has ■ been seen in the sky. The Southland, 1 News reports that a light was se<n here both on Saturday and Sunday night, and the paper publishes a column story suggesting that the light was th'at of an airship sent to reconnoitre by the German yacht Sccstern, which has not been heard of recently l a ANOTHER MYSTERIOUS AIRSHIP. By Telegraph.—Press Assiciation. Auckland, Last Night. Dunedin is not the only place boasting a mysterious airship. 'The residents of some of the highest points in Auckland suburbs have been mystified during the last few nights by the appearance of a peculiar light hovering in the sky in the direction of East Tamaki. Several people have noticed the mysterious illumination between the hours of 10 and 11 o'clock, and the only solution ia that a trial is being made of an airship. One person who has seen the strange light is a young engineer, and lie says that it has been visible on two nights. It could not have been a light attached to a kite, he declared, because < it moved too quickly. The only ex- . planartion is that ati effort is I>eing made to perfect an airship. As is al- . ready known, a couple of local inventors i | have constructed a Hying machine with < which they tried several flights, and < there is also at present in Auckland a i Chnstchurch gentleman who claims to t have perfected a machine which has I made several successful flights. It is t not known where -they are carrying out <a their experiments, but possibly they « nave selected the sparsely-settled dis- t tnct of East Tamaki for the 1 purpose, r TTiis seems to be the only explanation , or the myßtery. J