Spencer Heath Archive

Item 2742

Photocopy of clipping of a newspaper article, presumably The Baltimore Sun, of Saturday, August 12, 1922, entitled “Says Planes Will Have General Use; Spencer Heath predicts Big Demand for Flying Craft.”

 

 

 

 

SAYS PLANES WILL HAVE GENERAL USE

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Spencer Heath Predicts

Big Demand for Flying Craft

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Propellers Are Made Here

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Nearly All Blades on Flying Machines

Made in Baltimore

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Baltimore has the largest and only exclusive manufacturing plant for the production of aeroplane propellers in the United States. This plant, comprising several buildings, contains nearly 200,000 feet of floor space. During the late war the factory produced and supplied 75 per cent of the propellers on flying machines used by the armies of the United States and allied governments, particularly for the war planes of England and Canada. England alone purchased some 10,000 of them.

 

The concern in question is the American Propeller and Manufacturing Company. Its product is the “Paragon” propeller and the president, general manager and founder of the business is Spencer Heath, who not only designed and perfected the various types of propellers in use, but designed and manufactured the special machinery utilized in the manufacture of “Paragon” propellers.

 

Took up Work 13 Years Ago.

 

Recently, Mr. Heath devised a perfected gear propeller, the pitch of which can be changed at will. This enables aviators to instantly adjust their machines to all atmospheric conditions and to land and take off with greater safety. The device is also expected to assist in solving the question of aeroplane landing on the decks of ships. On dirigibles it enables the engineer to reverse or go ahead as easily as a steamship entering her dock.

 

In his younger days Mr. Heath was a patent attorney and had charge of the aviation papents of Simon Lake and his brother Christopher – well known in Baltimore. In 1909 Mr. Heath was called on to design a propeller and became fascinated in the technical problems involved in the work. He established his factory in a small back room in Washington, D. C. Very soon his propellers were adopted by the leading flyers.

 

Made many “First” Records.

 

In 1910 the first hydro-aeroplane ever raised by its own power was taken off the water by a “Paragon” propeller. This propeller is still flying. In the same year G. H. Curtiss, using a “Paragon” propeller, at Los Angeles won the great speed contest, defeating Radley in a Bleriot, Ely in a Curtiss, Parmelee in a Wright and Lathan in an Autonette. The first United States Army dirigible was driven by a “Paragon” propeller, and since that time tens of thousands of them have been in use in the United States Government.

 

In 1912 Mr. Heath began to see possibilities for an increase in demand for his propellers and sought a locality where he might find the greatest number of factors that would contribute to assist in the expansion of a growing business. He selected Baltimore. Beginning in a modest way, because he had only a small amount of money, he started in an old building on East Hamburg Street. Soon he was using the entire building. Then he began to add by annexing surrounding buildings.

 

By this time “Paragon” propellers, built in Baltimore, were flying everywhere: on South American rivers driving boats, over the Andes, in Mexico for Carranza, in Alaska carrying the United States mail, in Canada on the first dreadnaughts, in the air fleets of China and Japan, on the military machines of Siam, with the Black Sea fleet in Russia, on training planes in England, with the Allies in France, with the United States Army and Navy at all their flying fields and in many other parts of the world. Even the first naval seaplane to cross the Atlantic Ocean, the NC4, was equipped with “Paragon” propellers.

 

The war gave the business a great impetus. The mother plant was inadequate to supply the demand. A mammoth new plant of concrete, steel and glass, occupying nearly three acres and costing more than $300,000 was constructed on Key Highway. The Company’s capacity became 400 propellers a day, turned out by 865 men. In 1918 there were five separate plants of the Company in operation here.

 

It may be surprising to the average reader to be told that riding in an aeroplane is much safer than in an automobile, as comparative statistics show. When the people learn more about aviation, Mr. Heath says, traveling by air will be as much a matter of course as by train or automobile.

 

                            /The article has a photograph of

                            Heath, with the legend as

follows:/

 

HEADS GROWING INDUSTRY

Spencer Heath, pioneer in the designing and manufacture of aeronavigation propellers and president and general manager of the American Propeller and Manufacturing Company of this city, whose product, “Paragon” propellers, are flying in every country in the world. This plant is the only one devoted exclusively to propeller production in the United States.