28 



KNOWLEDGE & SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



[Feb., 1905. 



The Lebaudy, 1904. 



wards, however, during a calm, a more successful 

 voyage was made, and the vessel, after taking a tour 

 above the Fair grounds, returned successfully to its 

 point of departure. 



The third machine was that of Mr. Benbow. This 

 was a beautifully-shaped balloon of 73 ft. long by 

 20 ft. greatest diameter, with pointed ends, beneath 

 which was suspended a car-frame of angle-steel carry- 

 ing a pair of feathering paddle-wheel propellers. A 

 4-cylinder engine developing 10 h.p. rotated these 

 wheels, which were so constructed that normally the 

 blades were opened while passing the lower portion of 

 their path and closed while going over the upper half 

 "f the circle. But by an ingenious arrangement of 

 ' .ims this action could be altered, so that instead of 

 driving forward, it was possible to cause the propellers 

 to give an upward thrust, or even to reverse and give a 

 downward or backward thrust. This arrangement may 

 be good in theory, but it was palpable that much power 

 was lost in the gearing and complication necessary. 

 This apparatus was tried on several days in almost dead 

 calms, but owing to insufficiency of lift it ascended to 

 no great height. It was, however, well able to exhibit 

 its powers, and the exact rate of progress could be 

 nieasured. The fans revolved at exactly one revolu- 

 tion per second, and the airship progressed at a rate of 

 just about three miles an hf)ur, this being, of course, 

 altogether insufficient for a praclirable airship. 



But while these more or less abortive attempts to 

 further progress with airships were being carried on in 

 .America, some really impf)rtant work was developing 



on this side of the .\tlantic. P'rancc, the birthplace of 

 the balloon and the country in which nearly all the 

 more notable advances in aerial navigation have taken 

 place, now contains what may uiidoulstedly be called 

 the first really practicable airship. 



It will be remembered how, in November, 1903, the 

 Lebaudy airship, which had had so wonderfully success- 

 ful a career, came to grief, \\lTilc l.'inding at Mciidon. 



The Lebaudy from Underneath. 



(This apparatus was fully described in the Illustrated 

 Scientific News of September, 1903.) The vessel was 

 completely wrecked, but M. Julliot, backed by the 

 affluence of MM. Paul and Pierre Lebaudy, at once 

 started on the construction of a new machine. 'Hiis 

 has now been completed, and has undergone,- its trials 

 with much success. The new machine is practically 

 of the same design as the old one; indeed, most parts of 

 it are the same, repaired. The gas-vessel is new. 



