The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1869-09-11
The Model Avitor-Decided Success.

Man is I'm ambitious animal, and as the world
grows older and his 90 thoughts - are widened by
the process of the suns, his ambition also keeps
pace with the times. Step by step he advances
slowly and wearily, it is true, but still surely
and steadily. From the mighty hammer and the
flying car propelled by all-powerful steam, to the
lightning message flashed in u few seconds from
pole 10 pole, over mountain and through valley,
and even along the depths Of his old enemy, the
ocean itself, the invention of man has crept and
made nature and the clements subseryient TO his
will. And even while his mind was employed in
~grasping and overcoming the difficulties attending
these inventions, ut the very mention of which,
in the dark days gone by, our foreiathers would
have sneered, lie has in higher flights of %imagina-
ton dreamed ofhuge aerial vessels, gliding through
the ethereal blue
" OF the heavens flied with commerce, argosies Of magic sails,
Pilots OF the purple twilight dropping down with costly bales"
But although steam succunbed to his genius,
and electricity yielded TO his will, his schemes of
earial navigation appeared ID be forever doomed
10 failure. Men of science, men who boasted OF
their knowledge of all the mysteries of nature,
shut themselves out from the world, and for
months and years brooded over the solution Of
this great problem. The anatomy of the bird
was scrutinized with the utmost minuteDess, and
every bone and sincw and tiny muscle, of its
wonderfully constituted wing was examined and
studied by these men of science. This was IN the
old world, where the philosopher toiled and
thought, and surmised in vain. True, balloon
ascensions for miles were made, but an aerial
apparatus that could be applied To practical
purposes, was never discovered. But here in this
new land, far away from the time-renowned
universities and schools of Europe, the problem
of aerial navigation las been solved, and though
many improvements are to be made before the
Ayitor of Mr.. Marriott's invention can make its
first trip across the continent, yet it is beyond all
doubt u decided success. Yesterday, q number
of gentlemen including members of the press
were invited to witness an experiment with the
Ayitor in the Mechanics Pavilion.
The !Avitor is an oval-shaped balloon, fitted on
either side with u fan constructed like the pro-
pelier of a steamship. The frame is Of very light
bamboo. and the body of the machine is con-
structed of oiled silk inflated with hydrogen gas.
Ii measures about forty feet in length and twelve
feet in diameter. Immediately beneath the
centre of the body n small steam-engine is placed,
which connects with the fans on each side. On
the stern of the machine is a single fan which
acts as a ruddcr in steering the apparatus At
II O'Clock the engineer got up steam, the Avitor
and it moved slowly down the length of the
pavilion, being guided by two men, who held
cords attached to either end. A burst of applause
from the spectators greeted the strange looking
aerial CIR as il steadily worked its way, about SIX
feet from the ground, down one side and up the
| other of the pavilion. Several times it traversed
the building, and every one present agreed IN
declaring Mr.. Marriott's invention n grand sue
cess. Another machine, on a large scale, Is
being constructed, as the one experimental with
yesterday was merely a model of the great design.
IS. +. Herald.