The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-07-14
THE FLYING MACHINE.

|
TALK WITH INVENTOR RITcHEL ABOUT HIS
| NEW BALLOON CANNOT GO AGAINST THE
1 WIND.
81 have overcome" said Mr.. Rtchs, the inventor
Of the new hynG machine, to HERALD reporter yes
terday Afternoon he fatal objection which has always
been the practicabiIity OF aerial navigation
that Is, have made machine that can bs stsered.
claim no more. have never pretended that balloon
could be made to 90 against the wind, and am sure
II mover could II 10 as ridiculous perpetual mo-
tion machine, and tho latter viii be invented just
tho former"
TWAS just this point that the reporter desired
M Rtche 10 express his opinion, for an impression
seemed generally TO prevail that q balloon has been
invented which can be made TO navigate the air as
successfully q steamship sails the ocean. But the
inventor, who Is spending few days in the city on
business relating to his invention,
disclaim any such profession What his machine can
be made to rise descend at the will OF the
navigator, to sail with aud faster than swift
wind, 10 hold its own against wind
moving At the rate Of from four miles hour,
and to move slowly against three mile breeze. Mr..
Rtchel is professional inventor, and as taken out
nearly hundred patents In this country as well az
in France, England aud Canada His inventions have
mainly in the direction OF labor saving machinery.
and from one pstent he claims TO have cleared
$4,000 my principal INVENTION, he said yesterday,
'was machine for boring holes in brushes and
seat airs and another for insying wood, which Is
the only machine for that purpose In existence but
my pet idea 10 the flying machine"
WHAT MACHINE CAN DO.
"Whsn did the idea occur your
s.Wen, think It was some time in the year 1871
Ny attention turned In that direction, and I've
been thinking II over ever since. About nine months
age began working on The machine In bridgeport,
Couu. The brat public exhibition al The Cen
tennial Exhibtlion buildings, GU the 10Th Of May.
exn,bnsa ths dyer there Tor two weeks, and then
another week IN The CITY OF fhilAdephia But the
first open air exhibition Hartford, tho 18th
OF June. There about thousand people
there and the weather was perfect. The machine
wen. In any direction desired, and even came
back against u slight wind. In Boston, The Atm OF
July, the wind was blowing across the Common al the
VI twenty-five or thirty miles nour, and I
didns want " send tns balloon NJ a. all; but there
wore hundred thousand psopis there aud DIDN'T
Ike 10 asappeint snsIn. so said TO Marx Tuttie,
the navigator snow, Mark, get her up quick a.
aasn or you'll blow against the houses" He went up
like streak and only missed tne trees ny twenty
isel. The wind took him like fash out oil town aud
he finally landed n Dover. The stood there
waiting Tor MIN 70 come oaSk asains. ne
explain that tnat was impossible There 200
refresnment booths along tue sidewalks and around,
ana the owners told every one the balloon would be
back IN hall an nour SO the crowd stood there from
Two O'Clock MI i've waiting iVr the mschiue tn
back. Tho man got back ABOUT five on the IRAN, aud
WAS afraid take balloon up to the Common Tor
fear mob might destroy It.
How do you propose ever 20 utilize tho invention "
IT'S CONSTRUCTION.
Sins hundred ways. AS soon us have perfected II
ana people come u understand 1t thoroughly II will
come lnto use Even now Pve had ever so many APP
plications for machines; but man couldn't
II he had It. Ihis one email and INTENDED only
sxubitions, under cover Tho weight OF cylinder
balloon Is ~ pounds, OF The machine proper as and
Mark weighs 20, SO The weight Is 2o4 pounds. But
l am going 10 make bigger one during tue
next SIX months that viii carry two heavy
men. You SEE don't have 10 carry
any ballast or waste any gas, SO need only $500
cuoic iee OF gas. Now the propeIling fan Is equal
to 500 cubic feet Of hydrogen raising the balloon
10 thirty-nve pounds OF ballast IN lowering H.
Tue thing Is run entirely by hand is nothing In
COMPARED with all the others that have
IN TINS country ana elsewhere The prope,hn. -thas
rs rais,ug aud lowering ians only twenty inches
III diameter makes :, 00O revolutions minute.
IN. steering ian Is two incncs smaller aud revoives
z 200 times y minute.
swiyrgK THAN rHg WIND
The machine is propelled by turning a wheel by q
navigator suing astride ne The advau-
tagc oil ms over aI other bal oous that u he
made 10 NY switcr than the Wind and TO from
Eide TO current OF air moving IN any dircc-
ZION tnl another current Ii reached moving toward
IN various direc,iohs favorable current wall inev,ta
bly, ce reached TO bear The aeronaut his progressed
Journey When the big msehiae IS made proposeto
the voyage IN SIX hours But this ono too small
Tor exclusive travelling Where there IL wind It
viii travel kix or seven niles hour IL goes up
miie a miuute, comes down two min utes I
have never bacn Ia II myself but when The large
mashed inteud TO take y RIDE. Inc machine be-
uscu, sure, IN reaching the NORM pplc ships
going 10 the Polar regions will hereafter probably
carry H. For military purposes. too, 1t wouia very
valuable. When was making II people Ia ugaea ut
y good deal, but 80 thoy did at Noah wnen
Duilt The ark"
AIR. RiicheI Is a Yankee, having been born In Port
laud, Ale. He has also lived IN Detroit, Chicago,
Newark, and a iew years ago had factory IN TINS
city. hut noids that New England .'tbe part Of
INC county" When tho weather gets "A little cooler
hs Is coming TO this CITY to EXHIBIT his hieh dying
machine INDOORS ana out several circuscs, he SAYS
have announced IL al. ong thor exhIUitIons without
authority, Oncr to exnipit Paris
the birthplace OF aerouautcs.