New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-02-05
An Town sensation.


1. is well known that q number of tia
best aeronauts in France have been a
work for some time endeavoring to perlec
an air ship by which aerial navigator
would be made as safe and much more
speedy than water navigation. 1t may ot
that their labors have been at last crowned
with success, and that the almost incred
IDLE story related below IS Iact, and tht
air ship reported to have been seen yesteT
day morning il Taylor township. possibly
the successful invention on d trial trip
around the world.
As Mr.. Randolph Seegeess went out
about daylight yesterday morning % at
tend to his stock. he was terribly fright
ened and astonished to hear voice Issue
from the gray twilight Of the early dawn
above him aud inQuiring, IN broken lag
lish, FAY, my trient. va. state Is dis g MI
Seegeese is a good Catholic, and, first tax
ing time to devoutly cross himself, he
looked up and saw what almost struck him
dumb with wonder and surprise; Tor, poised
in the air, not more than 100 feet over his
head was an immense balloon. Or numbers
Of bale ons, supporting regular ship Or
boat that must have been at least seventy
or eighty feet in length. lie couli also dis
cinguish tho heads OF several people bend
ing over the sides OF the remarkable craft,
and presently the voice again hailed with
the inquiry, "Vlil you please tell us, sir,
vat State dis is! By this time Mr.. See
geese had recovered enough setpossession
to answer, Iowa"
..Vat city IS dat over dare" again asked
his interrogation, holding his head towards
the south.
"Marshalltown," responded Nj. Seegeese.
We're is de Missoory rlTare!' was the
next question.
You are about half way between the
Missouri and the Mississippi rivers now
answered Mr.. Seegeese.
"Oul dat K you'll said tho voice.
moment after some order was z ven in
a language which Mr.. Seegeese did not IN
derstand, and the huge canvas paddle
wheels. like the arms OF an old-tashcned
windmill, slow J TeyolVeG, and the monster
silently yet rapidly assembled ard bore Oh
in a westerly direction.
Mr. Seegeese said It was hardly light
enough Tor him - see this wonderful
machine sufficiently plain 10 attempt
thorough description OF i. There were
three Immense balloons, the largest above
the other two, which we're rugged quite close
to the boat-apparentiy wooden structure
built after a ships model, and seventy or
eighty feet in length by sixteen o. twenty
feet wide amldships. The vessel was also
ten or fifteen feet deep, and from VIA. he
supposed to be the cabin windows in the
stem lights were shining brightly. There
wer- huge paddle-wheels or arms, attached
to each side OF the ship, that appeared 10
prOpel ii in any direction desired by tho2e
navigating this most singular of a.! remark
able craft. From behind an enormous rud
der also Of canvas, fastened to light
frame, extended fully forty feet. he is quite
certain. This. also, as the strange ship,
bore away to the westward, revolved rap
idly. That she was operated by steam
power he knows, for he plainly heard the |
hiss of csc ap;ng yapOr IS the machine, ship, |
balloon, or whatever il may he called, |
stood nearly stationary IN Ike air, 100 feet |
or less above his head.
just as the aerial vessel moved off, a /
tiask was thrown over the side, which ie.i |
near him, Mc. Seegeese i,astered to pick |
il UP. hoping tina. il might contain sonc I
account or clue OF the the mysterious y8y |!
q gers-where they cane ircln, where they |
were going, or. to state it IN TIE emphatic
language of NJ. Srcgeese. who the devil |
shey were. any way. sailing around in tie
clouds ut daylight. frightening honest peo. |
pie ont OF tneir vita" The flask Mr.. See
geese bronght to Tie eli? wi h him ycsfer-
day afternoon, and il i, now on exhibition
az the Times ctilce. IL is evidently OF for
eign manufacture, and entirely empty
worse luck. There was a peculiarly pun
gent odor about it. however, which experts.
who examined it this morning, pronounced
to have been produced by the presence of |
absinih e--l liquor in very common uss in
France. The fact of its French origin is
also conclusively proven by stamp on
The bottom OF il, containing the words |
Louis de Berneau, Rae De kreml!n,
Paris
This story was received with somewhat OF |
a display Of sl1epticism by those to whom
Dir. Seegeese related it yesterday, and not |
a few freely expressed the opinion that that |
gentleman must be chronic sufferer f.On |
the nightmare or some kindred halluc;Ia-
ton.
One, medical gentleman. closely cues
tened Mr.. Seegeese as TO tho component
parts OF his Sunday nights supper Mr.
Seegeese stoutly maintained the truth Of |,
his statements and offered to go before a
magistrate and make affidavit to the truth |
of the story Whether Tayl or township |
boasts Of full grown Jimmy Blanchard |
or not. remains to be seen. Those who are |
with the gentleman tSeegeese, |
not jimmy, assert he is perfectly reliable. |
To the writer he seemed to he an honest
man striving to tell a straightforward
story. He Is not an educated man, yet we |
can conceive of 10 possible object he could |
have in making such q procI9!ous yarn on. !
of whole cloth. |
As we remarked at the outset OF tho |
present article, It IS well known among !
that q machine OF the kind Mr.. |
Seegeese claims to have seen has been con- |
templated by French saral.s for some time, |
and that not long ago Mr.. Laville a pro |
lessor in the Poly tschnic school at Paris. and |
dire ctor general of the balloon corps in the |
late Franco Prussian war, read paper be !
fore the Academy Of Science, sketching a
balloon ship of this character, and express !
ing his belief that it was perfectly practi- |
cable. Said Mr.. Llville in the essay allu |
led to:
"That astonishing progress that was made |
IN aerial navigation during the late war has |
caused scientific aerOnauts to carefully in |
restigate the principles which govern bal
DON voyaging. l believe the machine
to describe to you will yet be
out in operation, and astonish the world by
making q trip around it, some tine day
fQrshal!t0scn lIowa) Times