The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-03-28
NAVIGATION In THE AIR.
a Flying -Afachiao in Which tho Hon, p. II,
Barnum Is Interested. ~

Mr. @. +. Ritchel, of Cory, has been
perfecting fiying.machiue ON new
plan in the Riverside Hotel, East Bridge
port; the machine stands in the nail
nearly completed. 1t consists of black
silk cylinder twenty-four feet long aud
twelve feet in diameter, holding 5000
feet of gas, and car suspended from the
elk cylinder by cords and rods. This
car is of slender brass rods, aa.i extends
the whole length Of the cylinder, taper
ing TO point at each end. In the center
Is platform, upon which the occupant
sits. In front cfthe scat sre two orsnks
attached TO wheel, which in turn Is con-
nected with an upright shaft, at the lower
end of which is fan similar to the screw
of propeller. This fan 10 about level
with the bottom CT the platform, aud is
made of thin brass plates. At the front
end OF the long car is another brass fan.
which is 80 constructed that it can be
turned in any direction by the feet of the
occupant of the car, while the center fan
ia at the same time worked by his hands.
a man of ordinary strength can re-
volve the handles at the rate of 100 n
minute, which gives the fan $500 royo.
lutions. The silk cylinder, filled with
hydrogen gas, which is the lightest that
can be used, is to sustain all but frac.
tion of the weight to be carried, and the
central fan is expected to lift the rest by
"a pressure upon the air similar 10 that
Yhinh propeller %@l.ooooi has upon the
water. The air being much lees dense,
the fan or @rial screw is given O. rapidity
of motion sufficient to partially overcome
this difference. BY reversing the motion
of the fan the power ia 90 exerted as to
raise or lower the machine at will. The
fan at the end of the framework is also
re=o.rs1 win great rapidiry by foot
power, and car. be turned straight ahead
or on either side, working on plan aim
ilar to that of the Fowler steering pro-
pellar. b. the use of this fan the ma
chine can be steered like ship, and the
inventor expects that erial navigation
will be accomplished in the same man
ner that the ID traversed 'bS ,hips,
the gaa-filled cylinder serving thv puur.
pose of sail, and the fans guiding the
machine through the air. /
mr. r. L. Barnum, who il interested
III the invention, was present at yester-
days teat There was flaw in the steer
age apparatus, by which the ian was
caught and broken; nevertheless the
machine raised as high as the ceiling,
and was lowered at the will of the opera
tor. We are informed that the machine
was tested day or two ago in the pres
ence Of an expert from New York. and
that it worked perfectly, sailing about the
room, and all the time under the perfect
control of the operator. Mr.. Ritchel has
been working upon the invention since
1871, and is confident he has found the
neutrality-suspicious. principle to be safely
applied in Rrial navigation. He hoe sc-
piled for patent in the United States,
Canada, Great Britain and France. He
expects that larger machine, capable
OF carrying several men, wot..d work even
more successfully than the email one now
being tested, as more power could be en-
ployed, and he even has hopes of o still
larger one, Az ,::.:c... Tho motive power
viii be furnished by S. email engino.
He informs us that tho model of his in
vention has been shown to the editnr ef
the Scss7tifc dasssioGss, Who said no be-
lieved it might be made 30 ruccessful that
o trip could bo taken to the North Pole
in it. MIR. Ritchel ia q very intelligent
looking gentleman, apparently about
thirty -fivs years or age. He claims that
ell other inventors have failed with their
flying machines becaus5 they nave trust
ed entirely to. the lifting capacity of the
balloon appendage, rising by throwing out
ballast and falling by letting out gas.
Another defect has been the placing of
the steering apparatus in the csnte.,
where only comparatively small amount
OF power could be exercised.
Standard.