M. Santos-Dumont on Saturday last fulfilled his promise of circling
the Eiffel Tower in his navigable balloon. He accomplished his task with ease, though for a few minutes he had to contend with a head wind, and on hi a descent he claimed the prize, 24,000, offered by M. Deutsch to any one who should perform the feat in 30 min. He had, however, it was believed, occupied 30 min. 40 sec., and the Aeronautic Club, which arranged all details, and which is a little annoyed that "in the land of Mongolfier " a Brazilian should ontpace all Frenchmen, at first refused the prize. An explosion of feel- ing in Paris, however, induced them to revise their calculations, and unless a competitor appears before November 4th, the money, which is already promised to the poor, will be paid to M. Dumont. He deserves the highest credit for courage, persistence, and inventiveness ; but, we repeat, the true problem still awaits solution. The successful navigator of the air must be independent of any breeze not actually a hurricane, must be able to carry at least a ton of weight, and must be able to provide means of escape if any accident occurs to the balloon. The danger will not be really great, but men are governed-by their imaginations.
Previous page
