The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1878-06-18
A FLYING MACHINE.
The CaDabilitics of Professor Ritcheis
Invention Exhibited AT the BIZ
show

genuine "fying" machlne-the only
one, according to the inventor, MI
Charles f. Ritchel, which has yet sue
ceeded in doing any "fying worth talk
ing about:' A private exhibition OF the
machine and it's capabilities was given
one day last week. The exhibition was
witnessed by about one hundred gentle
men, who had been invited to attend,
including representatives of the Frank
lin Institute, with other prominent
scientific and professional individuals,
and gave general satisfaction, the ma
chine performing all that had been
claimed for it. But whether the thing
would work equally well in the open,
stirring air is question yet to be de-
cided.
The name "fying machine" does not
convey so correct an idea of what the in
yention is as does the statement that 1t
has the form of balloon, which can be
guided by the aeronaut. First, there is
a cylinder of oiled canvass containing
about 5000 cubic feet of hydrogen gas.
This is horizontal, twenty-five feet long
and twenty-five feet in diameter. The
cylinder is bound lengthwise by stout
woven band, and transversely by nine or
ten similar bands. These bands are
fastened to hollow, brazen rod, as long
as the cylinder and hanging parallel to
it, foot or two below. Suspended from
this is framework mainly of steel and
brass rods and somewhat resembling the
skeleton ola boat. This is about half as
long as the cylinder. Upon it the aro-
naut sits as upon a velocipede. With
his hands he turns double crank, which
sets in revolution four-paddled wheel,
resembling the propeller Of steamship,
and fixed horizontally beneath the seat.
When the crank is turned forward this
wheel gives upward motion to the ma
chine, and when reversed causes descent.
The purpose of the cylindrical case of
hydrogen is not to directly cause ascent,
for this is effected by the wheel, but to
give the entire machine specific gravity
very little greater than that of air, so
that when loosed from the earth it will
remain in condition of almost equi-
poise, not rising until the wheel has be-
gun to turn.
For the purpose Of propelling the ma
chine in still air, and shaping its course
whenever nessessary, there is second
wheel, similar to the other. 1t is fixed
vertically at the forward end of the
frame work, and has two motions, one on
its axle for the purpose of propelling,
and another in horizontal, are de-
scribed by short rod to which it is fix
ed. By means of this second movement
the aronaut is enabled to turn and guide
the machine The wheel, in order that
it may have as much power as possible,
is or 10 feet distant from him-nearly
as far as point directly under the end
of the cylinder. But he governs it very
easy by means of pedals, which move
like those of a sewing machine. The
weight of the entire machine is 100
pounds, the cylinder weighing 55 and the
remainder 4S. Hydrogen gas, although
far more costly than the Illuminating gas
ordinarily used in balloons, is adopted
for this machine in order to avoid the
greater bulk, which, by offering more re-
sistance to the air, would proportionately
counteract the power of the elevator and
propeller. Prof. King, the balloonist,
who was one of the spectators, said that
1000 cubic feet of illuminating ga:
would be required to accomplish the re-
suits effected by the 5000 cubic feet Of
hydrogen. But he added, while the for
mer would cost only about So per 1,00(
feet, the-latter could not be obtained fol
much less than $25 per 200.
A lad named futile, weighing III
pounds, who had been trained to operate
the machine, did the eronautic work Of
the day. When he first straddled thu
framework Professor Ritchel ascertainec
with a steelyard that the machine wa
ten pounds above ali equipoise. He sale
that gas had escaped and the thing would
not 60 up with so heavy an operator, sos
lad of 96 pounds was substituted, bu
wanting experience, the best he coulo
do was to ascend, which he did, encour
aged by applause. Reversing the crank
he descended upon an immense showcase
and rebounded like an India rubber ball
causing great laughter. More hydrogen
being put into the cylinder the exper
young Tuttle again straddled and this
time " few" rising almost to the roof O.
the building at its highest point, tn.
cell ~er, descending, going forward, turn
ing and moving generally as he pleased
in the still air, applauded from below
The motion, however, was always slow
not more rapid than would be the move
ment of thistle-down or the lightes
Of feathers in the same atmosphere.
Professor Ritchel is a native Of Maine
"a rather large, intelligent and serious
looking Yankee, with sandy beard. Fl.
is an old friend of Edison's, and, ik,
that wonderful individual, has for, man,
years been given to experimenting il
labor. saving machinery. He has taker
out thirty-seven patents in the Unite'
States, four in Great Britain and three
in Canada, many of them being for ma
chinery to make brushes and to inla,
wood. Nearly all of last winter he wa
engaged in experimenting with and i'm
proving the present machine at Bridge
port, Connecticut, where an ascension
was made with it to height of one thou
sand feet
The Home of the Potatoes.
Mr.. Edward Andre has an article il
the Illustration Horticoie, showing tina
that the original home Of our common
potato is in South America, in the Andes
near the equator. He first found i
growing wild on the summit of Quindio
near the volcano of Tolima, at heigh
Of II, 400 feet, in latitude 1894 north
He next found it at $500 feet high il
the Cauca in 10 s3N north, in May 1856
It was growing as a handsome vine, sun