THE PIONEER WORK OF M. SANTOS DUMONT
The efforts of M. Santos Dumont call for special reference. He
contributed greatly to the science of aerostation, and may be
considered one of the foremost of the flight pioneers. He was a man of
remarkable industry, perseverance, and courage.
His first noteworthy effort in construction was in 1898, when he made a
cylinder of varnished silk, 82½ feet in length, with pointed ends, and
measuring 11½ feet in diameter. An internal air ballonet was fitted,
and an engine giving 3 h.-p. A balloon basket was hung beneath the
envelope. There was a two-blade propeller, whilst shifting weights
controlled the poise of the ship, steering being effected by means of a
rudder composed of strong silk over a steel frame.
Comparative success greeted the venture. The airship left the
Zoological Gardens in Paris and performed various evolutions, in spite
of a gentle wind. Later, however, disaster threatened the ship and its
distinguished pilot, owing to too rapid contraction of the gas whilst
the ship was in the act of descending. But a calamity was averted by
some schoolboys, who with commendable foresight caught hold of the tail
rope of the airship and drew it along kite fashion with such speed that
a gentle landing was effected.
At a later date, being encouraged by the offer of a prize, M. Santos
Dumont built a new and larger airship with the view to flying from St.
Cloud, round the Eiffel Tower, and back to the starting-point within
thirty minutes. This new ship was 109 feet in length and 17 feet in
diameter. It was fitted with a 4-cylinder air-cooled motor, driving
an enormous propeller of 26 feet in diameter, which gave a thrust of
120 lbs. at 140 revolutions per minute. Among other novelties, water
ballast was used, and piano wires replaced the old type of suspension
cords.
An attempt to earn the prize was made in July, 1901. At 6.30 in the
morning the airship started from St. Cloud, reached the Eiffel Tower,
and made a successful turn. But the weather conditions were adverse to
the venture. A wind arose, and the return journey took thirty minutes.
Not to be outdone, Santos Dumont made another attempt in August of
the same year. He failed again, but soon got to work upon yet another
airship. This developed an ascensional force of 1,158 lbs., and was
driven by a 12 h.-p. 4-cylinder motor which gave a thrust of 145 lbs.
With this ship, on October 19, 1901, Santos Dumont started for the
Eiffel Tower hampered by a side wind of 20 feet a second. Nevertheless,
he reached the tower in nine minutes, but owing to allowing
insufficient clearance he barely missed colliding with it. However, he
got the airship under control and returned to his starting-point in
29½ minutes, thus winning the Deutsch prize of 125,000 francs and an
additional reward of 125,000 francs.
The greater part of the money was given by the aviator to charity,
showing clearly that in his experiments M. Santos Dumont had other aims
than self-gain. A wit has observed that he was a ‘man of high-soaring
motives,’ which is, in fact, entirely true. His aim was to construct
an airship that would prove of real service to mankind, and in his
experiments he sacrificed both time and money, and, of far greater
importance, he made his ascents at great risk to his personal safety
at a time when ‘air courage’ was comparatively new, and in conditions
which made no immediate call to patriotism and duty. He was of the
‘stuff’ of which the true hero of the air is made, taking with a brave
heart serious risks, and going from flight to flight with no other
thought than achieving the end he had in view.