ACROSS THE ATLANTIC.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 266, 8 April 1914, Page 6

ACROSS THE ATLANTIC.

BY AEROPLANE. MR. WANAMAKER'S PLANS. A DREAM 01? SCIENCE. CK.U'T NOW .nUJLDIN'Ii. New York, March Ift,

Mr. Rodman Wanamaker estimates the cost of the large aeroboat now bun 1 in:.! here to (ly across the Atlantic lie::! summer at ,£IO,OOO, and he is prepared to spend £20,000 if necessary to finance the expedition. "My idea," he said to-day, "is to develop aerial navigation and incidentally to celebrate the Anglo-American CouSeu arv of Peace."

Mr. W.anamaker is vice-president of the famous dry goods corporation of' the same name, and for years lie has divided his time almost equally between dry goods and aeronautics.

The aeroboat in which the trial is to be made was begun six months ago at Haminomlsport, New York, and is now Hearing completion. Tt carries a wingspread of SOft, whereas the largest aero planes now in general use carry a wingspread of hardly half that distance. Its engine, instead of being the l(!ll-ii.p. type in common use in the most powerful areoplanes, will have 200-h.p. and be capable of driving at sixty-threo miles an hour an aeroboat large enough to carry two pilots, and fuel and provisions enough to make a dash to Europe the matter of a single flight. That. nt. least,, is the libpe of Mi'. Wanamaker and Mr. (llenn 11. Cnrtks, I the American aviator and enginer, who | designed the aeroboat. ST. JOHN'S TO IRELAND.

Trie crart wITI Tie like :i» unusually large Curtiss flying boat. The liull is toipedo-sliaped and almost entirely clo.-.-ed, so that in case of a forced descent, in 'raid-ocean it would float for days. The 1 wings will be detachable, so thai, I hey 'can he dropped off to allow the boa! to j float ;i!;me. A 200-ih.p. motor will lie j installed in the bow, accessible for adI justments in flight. The cockpit pro- > per will be ]"2ft behind the motor, mid in i I it will he room for two men to sit :tt £easc. The controls will be duplicated, | so that the machine may be handled by 1 both men or either.

The area of tihe lifting surface of lh" 80ft wings will be nearly 12U0 square feet, and their actual lifting capacity will he several tons, although it noi estimated that any such load will be carried. A tractor screw in front o; the machine will be used instead of the ordinary propeller. Fuel will lie carric,! Tor a lli-iit of thirtv hours.

An j'.l;i(.iide of lli,<i;,nfr. is coulemphi.!. Ed, as at that height tlie wind vcioc.t is between four and live times as gre.i

as on the surface, and will greatly i: crease the speed of the craft.

, Mr. Wauamakor said to-day thai the aviators would probabi.v be one English officer and one American.

Lk'utcnanl Porte, a skilful and wei known luiglish Jlicr, was among the iirto lie taken into tlic secret, and lie ; ; once volunteered his assistance Uoi.ii i operating and in designing t..e big ni craft. It is understood that his oil', lias been acc'cptcd, and for months !«> lias been using one of the Curtiss llyi:!-; boats in long flights over the liugli ii Channel, and will soon be practising ovor the Mediterranean. Which one of the American lliers will be invited to accompany him is undecideil.

The route is from St. John's, Newfoundland. to the Irish coast, and ii calls for lliOO miles continuous flying, to lie done, if possible, between dawn and nightfall of a single day. The speed of sixty-live miles an hour, which it is e\pected to maintain, is given as the moderate that is to lie expected. 1' is hoped to attain a speed of 100 miles an hour, and to add to this' whatever velocity the winds blowing towards the Irish coasts from Newfoundland «uv have. To-day Mr. Wanamaker s.iM: "We shall surely make the attempt in cross this summer. If we fail, why we j will simply try again."