Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-07-31
MR.. sCnROEDER'S AIR.sHIP.


The New York Tribune Of re-
cent date says:
81 am not an enthusiast, but ]
practical man." said Prof. F. w.
Schroeder, the aerial navigator, who {
is building an air-ship in this city
with which to journey to Europe in
forty-eight hours, as he sat on one
of the benches in Stuyvesant Park,
recently, with drawings of his in
ventions spread out on his knees.
"Nor am / mere adventurer, but
the son of a distinguished noble
man of Hanover, colonel in the
Prussian army, and / have just as
good a home as a man can want.
Some of the papers have been try
ing to make me out crazy adven-
turer, and two years ago, when |
was trying my experiment, the Bal
timOre papers ridiculed me as lu-
matte, but after some of my inven-
tions had been adopted in France
they wanted to lay claim to them
as Of American origin"
81 am so firmly convinced" con-
tinued Mr.. Schroeder, "of-the prac-
ticability of going to Europe on a
current of air that | will risk my
life in the trial. Why, | have re.
ceived dozens of letters from all
parts of the world from persons
begging to be allowed to go with
me. Among others, the most cele-
brated aeronaut in Europe, Chris
topher Collier, of Brussels, has
asked me, but shall take only two
besides myself. l have no fear Of
accidents, for the material Of the
balloon or gas receiver is to be Won
delfully strong, closer knit even
than silk. Here is some of it," and
he exhibited white fabric Of stout
texture. "They call it 'batiste,'
and it cannot be procured in Eu-
rope. If the receiver should ex-
plode, there is above the balloon a
piece of canvas so arranged as to
act as a parachute, to let me down
slowly. With the same arrange
ment, when balloon burst with
me once in Brazil, came down so
slowly that took my pistol out and
fred holes into the canvas in order
to hurryit. Thepublished descrip-
ton OF my balloon is fantastical and
incorrect. The distance between
the car and 6alloon is 2 instead Of
90 feet; the length is SO feet;
it is rs feet IN diameter, with
capacity of $4,000 cubic feet OF
gas, the lifting power Of the gas
being one ounce to the square foot.
l have made upward Of 400 ascen-
sions, and never met with an acci.
dent. Heretofore have worked
the machinery by hand. On my
ocean trip shall have an electric
engine. On all my trips across the
ocean before this | would let up
from the steamers deck small bal
looms, which | observed would be
caught up in a current of air and
carried east; higher up they would
be caught by contrary gust o.
wind and Fhirled west, which
proved to me that o lower and warn
current Of air blew from west tC
east, while the upper current blew
from east to west. Now | shall geI
in the lower current and 60 straight
to Europe. l cannot fly in The
teeth of the wind, but, if necessary
by using the wings Of my machine,
| can mount to a favorable curren
and continue my progress"
elm two or three weeks my shiI
win be ready" continued Mr.
Schroeder, 81 shall be flying
around over Brooklyn, New Yorl
and New Jersey. l shall subiec
nv balloon to the severest test be
fore start on my ocean voyage.
shall pay visit to Washington ant
let the officers of the coast surve.
see for themselves. Returning,
shall 60 to various places in tn
Eastern States, and then, abou
September, will cross the ocean
Within year want to organize
company to build twenty or thirt
of my ships SO that ! can have tw
shirs leaving New York every da
and two coming in, carrying tn
mail between this country an
Europe. They viii be regular All
steamers, and are destined to 81
persede every other method
travel. There is only one improve
ment needed, and that a Frenc
professor, whose name l must ne
mention, promises to procure n
soon. He tolls me that he has di
covered q non.explosive gas, an
Que that possesses three times IL
lifting power of hydrogen gas.
this is so, then we eau make ba
lOOns out of copper, and the on