The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-10-28
THE FLYING DUTCHMAN,
The Proposed Aerial Voyage.
ANOTHER HERALD EXPEDITION.

SHORTLY BE SOLVED By THE ENTERPRISE
OF AN AMERICAN NEWSPAPER.
The Baltimore correspondent OF the New
York Sun sends that paper long account of
the Flying Dutchman's contemplated aerial
voyage: 1t is stated, on au hority do not
think OF questioning, that Mr.. James Cor
don Bennett, of the Herald, of your city,
has had long interview with Mr..
Schroeder, the result of which has been
the engagement of the inventor and his
Flying Dutchman for an adventure be-
side which all former enterprises of the
Herald become positively insignificant. A
word as to the object of the new Herald
commissioners mission. There is a
question relating to the constellation
known as the Dipper, which has engaged
the attention OF the astronomers and star
gazers generally ever since 1t was first pre-
pounded-by Tyc ho Brabe, If mistake not.
What does the Dipper contain? In the
present state of philosophy, when the doc
trine of adaptation to end is so universally
admitted, it is unnecessary to reply to those
frivolous skertics who would deny
that the Dipper contains anything at
all. Else why should evolution have
made dipper oft! No more need be said.
There is another class of shallow reasoners
who, while they dare not assert that the Dip
per was given in its several properties of ca
pacity, tightness, completeness, and utility
only by wanton and aimless chance, do
nevertheless maintain that whatever it may
once have held, its contents must have long
| since spilled out, inasmuch as every twenty
four hours it is turned topsslteric in the sky.
/ This theory is very taking with baked
! philosophers; but they have only to remem-
Der that the apparent inversion of the dipper
is relative; that 1t is our world, and We that
| are turned upside down, and that
THINGS IN TIE PERMANENT ON HIGH
must be presumed to keep always right side
up. Coming then to those who perforce al
low that the Dipper, with its immense
cubic capacity, and its long, convenient
| handle, is in fact as we'll as in design a res
ervoir, we find puch difference of opinion as
to the nature of the contents. One school
says water, AID would have it that the Dip
per is the especial utensil OF Jupiter Pl1vius,
or st. Swithin, or the clerk of the weather,
as the comptroller of rain is variously called
Others hold that the Dipper contains milk,
and point to the Milky Way as evidence OF
its superfluity ofcontents stopped over. Still
others are inclined to accept the gin theory.
&C.," they say, "to the top of the
tall tower (if you can obtain a card
of admission) on any clear evening
when the Dipper is high in the heavens,
above Cynosura, and you may detect faint
but unmistabable smell of gin in the air"
(See Jay Geuld's Tribune Extra, No.
XLVL) Others again, undecided between
"
promise upon the gin and milk, aud so on
TO the end OF long catalogue of diverse
| views. To settle this important and inter-
esting question beyond the possibility of
doubt and to wipe out a prominent source
of discussions among scientific men, the
Herald has conceived the bold aud original
idea OF sending aloft Mr.. Schroeder in his
flying machine, with instructions to test the
contents OF the Dipper and, if practicable, to
bring home sample.
THE PERSONNEL OF THE EXPEDITION.
The idea that the atmosphere reaches up
ward only for 40 or so miles was long since
exploded. The Herald expects to find good
air all the way from Tompkins Square
(which will be the starting point TO the
Dipper. But TO provide against emergencies
the Flying Dutchman will be equipped with
palm leaf fans and carbolic acid. The Fly
ing Dutchman will leave Tompkins Square
at noon on November 10th, that being the
2 274th anniversary OF the day when Archy
tas flew his wooden pigeon at Tarentum-
the first attempt at artificial aerostatiOn of
which we have any record. The president of
the United States, the mt mbers of the Rapid
Transit Commission, and other distinguished
public men will be invited to be present. The
expedition will consist of Mr.. Schroeder
as captain, mecha nician and astrcnomer-in-
chief: Sergeant Bates, who wishes to carry
the American flag through every constella
ton; an ambassador from the Herald office:
and Mr.. Smith, volunteer, who IS we9ried
OF this planet with its hard winters, hot
summers and interminable financial discus
sons, and desires a change OF scene. Stanley
would have been recalled from Africa to
become the literary man of the expedition
had he not lest himself-beyond discovery,
it is feared-in a hopeless jungle Of verbs
and nominatives. Mr.. Bennett is still III
decided whether or not To accompany the
voyagers; at all events he will personally
escort them part way in a Herald balloon.
Prof. Peters has applied for passage for him
self and his landing net, in the. hope of bag
ging a few stray comets on their native
heaths. l do not know what answer has
been made to his application.
SKETCH OF THE EQUIPMENT.
The Flying Dutchman is to be made as
safe and comfortable as possible for the
long-shall not say dsngerous?-tr1p. The
gas used will be of the least specific gravity
attaiuable, and will be evolved by the new
Tribune process. No ballast will be carried,
but the captain has secret instructions to
pitch Sergeant Bates and his flags overheard
in case of an emergency. The vessel will be
stocked with canned meats, desiccated veg
etables, and food in other compact forms.
A barometer, thermometer, an anerome-
ter, chronometer, and a dipsometer
will constitute the scientific outfit;
a planisphere will of course serve
admirably for a chart. The crew will wear
Cardigan jackets and sealskin caps, with
Davy lamps attached to warn them if they
enter nebule, where there is not sufficient
oxygen to support life. Other articles of
the equipment will be these: A portable
range; a gallon of proof spirits; an opera
glass for the closer inspection of Venus and
Cassiopeis; a small cannon for saluting the
planets, and possibly for defence in case OF
attack by ill-disposed celestisls; Roget's
Thesaurus and a dictionary of quotations
for the use of the ambassador; and several
thousand copies of the Herald for distribu-
ton along the way.
STRIKING OUT FOR THE DIPPER.
Mr.. Schroeder anticipates no difficulty in
making the Dipper on the second track. He
intends to lay his course from Tompkins
Square to the moon, where the flying ship
will make a brief stop in order TO paste an