• Arthur Krebs
• The first fully controllable free-flight
• The Charles Renard and Arthur Krebs' LA FRANCE dirigible
• Periscope
• Gyrocompass
• The 1896 Krebs' car patent
• The Positive caster angle
• The Krebs' electromagnetic gear-box
• Panhard-Levassor
• The 1902 Krebs' first automatic diaphragm carburator
• The 1911 first elastomeric flexible coupling
• The 1917 St Chamond tank

On one occasion, a nine-mile breeze blowing, they travelled at the rate of fourteen miles an hour, head to wind, thus gaining on the wind, when it was dead ahead, at the rate of five miles an hour. After sundry evolutions, to convince the most sceptical of the permfect obedience of their little vessel to its helm, they returned to the extact spot they had quitted.

Electricity was their motive power. Such unquestionable feats stimulated the heads of the military departments of other countries to strenuous exertions towards yet further improvements, in the convinction that success, besides immensely increasing their efficiency in war, would, by reason of navigables superseding far costier armaments, lead to great economy."

A long and slender car consisting of a silk-covered bamboo framework lined with canvas hung below the balloon. The car, which was 108 feet long (33 meters), 4.5 feet (1.4 meters) wide, and 6 feet (1.8 meters) deep, housed the lightweight batteries and the motor. The motor drove a four-bladed wooden tractor propeller that was 23 feet (7 meters) in diameter but which could be inclined upwards when landing to avoid damage to the blades. Renard also provided a rudder and elevator, ballonnets, a sliding weight to compensate for any shift in the center of gravity, and a heavy guide rope to assist in landing.

The first flight of La France took place on August 9, 1884. Renard and Krebs landed successfully at the parade ground where they had begun—a flight of only 5 miles (8 kilometers) and 23 minutes but one where they had been in control throughout. During 1884 and 1885, La France made seven flights. Although her batteries limited her flying range, she demonstrated that controlled flight was possible if the airship had a sufficiently powerful lightweight motor."

 
This patent includes, the first time, the POSITIVE CASTER ANGLE principle :
"To ensure stability of direction by means of a special arrangement of fore-carriage, that is to say, to re-establish automatically the parallelism of the two axles of the vehicle when there is no tendency to keep them in any other direction, or after a temporary effort has caused them to diverge from said parallelism. [...] The axle of the fore-carriage is situated a suitable distance behind the projection of the axis of the pivot-pin in order to ensure the stability of direction above referred to."

This patent includes the "Three point suspension system" that Ford will widely use in his Model T in 1908  (see below) : 
"The rigid framing C, which supports the whole of the motor mechanism is indicated diagrammatically in doted lines in Figs. 1 and 2. It is suspended from the sides A A at three points C1 C2 C3 provided with pivoted joints, each of which allows in a certain degree the framings C to have an independant relative movement. It will therefore be understood that since by this means the framing C is not fixed to the frame of the carriage in an absolutely rigid manner, the framing is thereby placed out of the influence of the deformations to which the frame of the vehicle is liable to be subjected during motion."

• "1st car with a steering wheel in England "
• "C S Rolls sitting in the first car in Britain fitted with wheel steering, 1898."

"Three point suspension.
That disposition places the mechanism out of the elastic distortions which the frame of the car is always liable during motion ; it avoids two pivoted joints and reduces friction from 8 to 10 %. "

NEWSPAPERS.
For the first time on record the Wright aeroplane was operated solely by a stranger, M. le Comte de Lambert on Nov. 23. It is reported that a few days later Wright brought his machine to the ground, describing a spiral path, and lighted without accident. There is a report that Wright intends flying with two men besides himself.

A Russian by the name of Bolotoff is having constructed by the Voisin Bros., a triplane which seems to be arousing considerable attention. It is to be driven by a 100 H.P. Panhard engine and is built, as nearly as can be judged by a very poor accompanying illustration, to resemble the form of a bird. The machine is 33 ft. in length, its wings measure 21 ft. from tip to tip.

There has been a split in the French Aero Club in the form of a League Nationale Avienne which in a few weeks obtained five thousand supporters and considerable sums in prize money. As a result of the split the Marquis de Dion and M. Archdeacon have resigned from the Mother Club."

1908 - Henry FORD file a patent for the FORD THREE-POINT SYSTEM and widely used it on his Model T :

1912 - The scientific management (from Taylor) in the P&L works, with Charles de Fréminville (Krebs' brother-in-law ) : (see below)

"Three Point Suspension
Each of the Ford units is suspended at three points of the chassis. This method of suspension insures absolute freedom from the strain on the moving parts."

The motor as well as the hull herewith shown were specially designed for racing, and it was found that the motor worked perfectly under all conditions, starting with a half turn of the handle and maintaining its speed smoothly and regularly. The type of motor adopted was made famous by the Panhard & Levassor establishment, makers of the Panhard automobiles. The superintendent of the factory, M. Krebs, selected a 24 horse power gasoline motor and made some minor changes in it to fit the marine equipment of the launch."
 

Lutece, the winner, was built in 1902, is over all 49 ft.; beam, 4 ft. 11 in. and depth 2 ft. 7 1/2 in. She is diagonal built, with a double cedar skin, canvas between; and below the water line has a third transversal skin 0.118 in. thick; the second diagonal skin is 0.157 in. thick, and the third longitudinal is 0.236 in. thick. Has light locust frames spaced 39 in. The motor bed frames are of pine. The hull weighs 1,540 lbs. The motor, a four-cylinder 70 H.P. Panhard & Levassor, weighing 660 lbs., fly wheel included, the same as was in the Panhard automobiles in last spring's Paris-Madrid Race. The motor is started automobile fashion, with a handle, and then worked electrically with a switch. The motor runs at 1,000 revolutions. The screw is 2 ft. 4 in. in diameter and has a mean pitch of 31 1/2 in. The builders don't consider this screw satisfactory, as it was put in for the original motor of 60 H.P., turning 800 revolutions. The best hour's run was 21 miles, with 8 turns around mark boats. In the last race, October 25, on the Seine, near St. Germain, over the course of 62 miles with 6 turns, Lutece won in 3 hrs. 10 min. 2-5 s., and Rapee II was classed second. 

Rapee II is over all 26 ft. 3 in.; beam, 3 ft. 9 in,; depth. 1 ft. 11 1/2 in. The hull weighs 330 lbs. The motor, a four-cylinder 24 H.P. Panhard & Levassor, weighing 385 lbs., including fly wheel. Starting device same as Lutece. Has a three-bladed screw 20 3/4 in. in diameter, and 24 1/2 mean pitch. The motor does 900 revolutions. The Rapee's best hour's run was 19 5/8 miles, with four turns, at Lagny, on the Marne river, Oct. 4. 

I think you will be surprised at the weights of these motors. That which looks like a funnel in the photos is to carry off exhaust gases, the muffler being the horizontal type just below. The long and sustained effort of the motors over a 62-mile course speaks highly for them. The times quoted above were taken by the official timekeepers of the Automobile Club of France, and are to be relied on. Mr. Tellier, who, by the way, is a subscriber to THE RUDDER, said that he considered THE RUDDER is standing at the head of all nautical publications, and was delighted to give all possible details."
 

The motor is fitted with the Krebs automatic carbureter (described in our issue of February 14, 1903), and it is in every respect like the regular automobile motor.. A horizontal exhaust chamber is fitted just below the smoke stack, and the exhaust gasses pass out of the latter. This is the arrangement used in France, instead of conveying the exhaust through a pipe passing through the hull into the water. The rear cock-pit has luxuriously upholstered individual seats capable of accommodating six persons. The boat is expected to make 17 1/2 miles an hour at 750 R.P.M. of the motor. As the latter can be speeded up to 1,200 R.P.M., the boat should be good for spurts of 20 miles an hour or over. This speed, which seems to be the average aimed at, was exceeded a year and a half ago by a 55-foot, 120-horse-power launch designed by Mr. H. T. Leighton, of Syracuse, N.Y., and run on Oneida Lake at a speed of 23 miles an hour over a mile course that had been measured on the ice and staked off when the lake was frozen. Mr. Leighton had built several fast launches previously, and had had the benefit of a good deal of experience with this type of boat.

The particular launch in question was 55 feet over all and on the water line, 7 3/4 feet beam on deck, and 6 1/2 feet beam on the water line. She was of the regular launch type, with a torpedo-boat stern, and her engine was an eight-cylinder one of the two-cycle type. This boat, therefore, is the fastest small craft that has yet been built, and her engine is probably the first eight-cylinder gasoline engine to be constructed in the world. Thus it appears that America still holds the palm in the matter of fast launches."

• Classic Military Vehicle n°23 of April 2003 : "Confidential" 
• French Chatillon-Panhard Tractor by Tim Rigsby

• French heavy tank CA Saint-Chamond by  X_VanTagE_X
• French Heavy Tanks : Char d'Assaut St. Chamond on TANKS 
• JMGT:S 1/72 S:t Chamond by Tim Rigsby