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. CHAPTER IV FURTHER LINES OF PROGRESS