The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-06-22
Another Aeronautic ship

Ever since D@dalus, that inventive
genius OF royal blood, took his flight
from Crete through the air ON wings con-
structed of feathers and attached to his
arms by means OF wax, men have
been studying the problem of aerial nayi-
CATION. Numerous have been the ex-
periments for solving this problem, some
of them most ingenious, few disas-
trous, and all failures. Since the utili-
cation Of hydrogen gas for aerostatic pur-
poses nearer approaches to the solution
Of this problem have been made. BY
means of that the lifting and sustaining
power has been supplied. The motive
power is supplied by the natural winds.
1t is only the directing power, or the
power of controlling courses, that is now
wanting. That this may be attained by
mechanical appliances reacting upon the
air, as they do upon the water in guiding
u ship, is now the objective point of aero
nautic science.
A Prof. SCHRoEDER, as we learn from
the PhiladelpnIa Press, is now engaged,
to an elaborate extent, in devising these
necessary mechanical appliances; and
is sanguine of success. But SO inven-
tors always are. Nevertheless, it is
through individual failures that mankind
march onward to success. The common
flight of birds shows that the air may be
made the point d'appui Of resistance and
counter resistance for giving direction
t. aerial movements. The air is tickle,
and 80 are the waters; and it is doubt
| full whether there are more diverse cur
rents in the air than in the ocean. The
world that once laughed at the idea of
steam navigation ought not now to scof
at the possibilities of aerial navigation.
| OF Prof. Schroeder and his experiment
the Press says:
| Professor Schroeder, the inventor OF
| the air-ship. has none Of the appearance
of visionary. On the contrary, he
seems to be a shrewd, common sense
| man of business, who counts the cost OF
an undertaking carefully, and never at
tempts impossibilities. His air-ship,
which is now being built at Fortieth
street and Girard avenue, is to be sew
| enty-tive feet long, five feet high, and
lour and half feet wide in the center.
III is to be pointed at both ends and will
| be supported by balloon OF an elliptical
shape, one hundred and thirty feet long,
| fifty feet high in the center, and capable
| OF holding three hundred thousand cubic
| leet OF hydrogen gas.
| 1t will be fastened to the ship by five
hundred lines, some upright and others
stretched from end to end. These
"guys," as the Professor calls them, ARE
calculated to keep the balloon from
| sWaying to and fro, and also to keep it
setting snug to the ship. The latter is u
frame of iron wire, shaped someN hat
! ike a fiattened cigar. AT the forward
end tits to carry a pulling propeller,
made of plate-steel, covered with can
vas. IL will have two blades, and turn
| on tWo-inch steel shaft fifteen feet
| long. The motive power Will be an elec-
tro-magnetic engine OF twelve-horse
power, which Professor Whale, of the
Polytechnic, is now constructing.
| The engine is to have an elgnty-pound
magnet. There are to be three rudders,
| one aft and one on each side. The stern
rudder, of steel, like the propeller, Will
he feet high and feet deep, and the
side ludders, placed little forward of
|
high and 8 feet deep. The interior oil
| he ship will be fitted with hanging
seats, aud will accommodate 80 OF 40
| persons. Her weight, when covered
with canvas (Which will not be until the
Professor is ready to sail for Europe(.
will be $50 pounds. The gas used is to
be passed through purfcator, will
average 4,280 cubic feet to the pound,
and have lifting power OF ~ ounces
| per cubic foot.
There will actually be two balloons In
one, that on the inside being oil twilled
muslin, and the other one OF eight-ounee
cotton duck. Should the inner balloon
burst, the outer Will form parachute.
which Will lower the ship slowly and
safely to the earth. Prot. Schroeder
says his ship is not an experiment. IL
| is simply an improvement on former
models. He had ship OF this kind, be
says, in Rio de Janeiro, except that IL
had pushing, and not a pulling pro-
pellor, and succeeded well with it. 1t
Obeyed its helm like q frigate of the line,
and shot through tue air IKE q meteor.
| He also sailed in an air-ship with Dep
uty de Lhome, the Parislan aeronaut,
and although it was clumsily construct
ed, and had the Objectionable pushing
propeller, 1T still made good time and
cDeyed its helm. The Professor pro-
posea to exhibit his invention during
the CenteEnial, after which he intends
TO start for Europe. He says that by
following the atmospheric currents over
the GUT stream he eau make from sixty
10 one hundred and fifty miles an hour
| in other words, that he can cross the
Atlantic in forty-two hours, or less.
Another use that he intends to put his
machine TO is to photograph bodies of
water.
| The surface of the water, he says,
forms q powerful reflector, and thus, un.
der favorable circumstances, it is possi-
Bile to photograph the bottom of the sea,
even, provided a sufficient altitude can
be attained and the balloon kept still
long enough to permit the use OF the in
strument. The Professor intends to pho.
| tograph the bottom OF the Schuylkill
River this summer. He says he can
make his ship stand stationary as long
as he chooses.
Should this air-ship cross the Atlantic
in forty-two hours, as proposed, its time
will be just half that of the railway
train which has just crossed the conti-
nenr, and the distance about the same.