102 RECREATION 
claimed for him, with a good deal of reason 
too, that he came nearer to solving the 
problem of aero-dynamics than any other 
man. 
‘ And yet, while not wishing to controvert 
the findings of men higher in aeronautics, 
as shown in the foregoing, the present 
writer believes, with Capt. Baldwin, who is 
probably the greatest American aeronaut 
and who is certainly the pioneer of recent 
years in this country, that the dirigible bal- 
loon filled with hydrogen will answer every 
requirement for pleasure transportation. 
There are hundreds of practical prob- 
lems to be solved in the construction of a 
flying machine, a balloon, or an airship. 
The materials must be light enough and 
strong enough; the gas for a balloon must 
be of the right sort, easily handled and as 
cheap as may be; the form of the airship 
must approach that of least resistance; 
it must be stable and sufficiently rigid; its 
motors must be safe and of maximum 
efficiency; its propellers must be of the 
right shape and attached at the proper 
places; the rudders must be similarly 
planned. ‘These are only a few of the 
essentials. The experiments of the last few 
years have solved a number of these prob- 
lems and many are thought to be in a fair 
way of solution. 
The past few years have been years of 
many aeronautic aspirants: Ader, in France; 
Kress, in Austria, who built a long boat 
with three pairs of outstretched wings to 
be propelled by screws; Hoffman, in Ber- 
lin, and Hargrave, in Australia, who is 
well known for his many interesting ex- 
periments. In this country Baldwin, of 
California; Knabenshue, of Ohio, and the 
Wright brothers, of Ohio, have all shown 
marked ability. 
“The real joy of aerial navigation,” says 
a veteran, ‘‘ will never be found in mechani- 
cal speeding over predetermined courses. 
It is rather in the glorious uncertainty of 
the goal. The pleasure experienced is 
that which expands the soul in the pres- 
ence of vast perspectives, and in the variety 
of the changing scenes, the exhilaration, 
the fun—and there is a wealth of it extracted 
from the mutual unexpectedness of the 
landings and the astonishment of all 
witnesses thereto.” 
Count de la Vaulx, of the Aero Club of 
France, and an honorary member of the 
Aero Club of America, who holds the 
world’s record for distance and time and is 
considered the cleverest aeronaut alive, 
made several ascensions while on a recent 
visit to America, and his presence here gave 
a distinct impetus to the interest in the 
sport in this country. In all, some too 
balloons have been purchased here as a 
result of his visit. In fact, ballooning has 
enjoyed a considerable vogue, and many 
busy men of affairs, such as Col. John 
Jacob Astor, O. H. P. Belmont, Harry 
Payne Whitney, W. K. Vanderbilt, Jr., 
Jefferson Seligman, Philip T. Dodge, and 
many others just as prominent, have become 
members of the Aero Club of America. 
Count de la Vaulx’s famous balloon, the 
‘“‘Centaur,’”’ with which he made his world’s 
record, was purchased by a syndicate of 
members of this club, and following as- 
censions of other members, in June Dr. 
Thomas in this big balloon made one of 
the most successful trips ever accomplished 
in this country. He traveled more than 200, 
perhaps 300, miles, being up all night, 
rising to a height of 8,o0o feet and going 
through a thunderstorm in upper air. His 
time in the air was fourteen and one-half 
hours. 
No one can prophesy what the next few 
years will see accomplished. The men who 
are spending their lives in trying to solve 
the problem of flight are groping in the 
dark, apparently; but some of these days 
one of them will stumble upon the right 
principle, the correct form, and then the 
whole world will marvel at the simplicity 
of it all. 

J ae? ine: xx 
. i ee 

