, 1878-04-06
Navigation In the .i!-.

Mr. c. +. Ritchcl, of Cory, has been
perlecting flying machine on new plan
III the Riverside Hotel, East BRIDGEPORT ;
the machine stands IN the hall i.early
Completed. Ii consists uf L black silk
cylinder tweaty-in;.- feet long and twelve
feet in diameter, holding .:UU0 feet of gas,
and car suspended from the silk ylinder
by cords and rods. This car Is Of slender
brass rods, and extends the whole length
of the cyiInGer, taperIrg - po:nt IA
each end IN the centre Il 4 platform
upon which the occupant sits IN front
Of the Scat are two cr,lllkS attached to 4
wheel, which IL turn is connected with an
uInl,ht shaft, at tar lower end ot yhieh
is Il IAN similar 10 the screw ot propeller.
This fan is about level with the Bottom
OF the platform, and IS made OF Tim brass
plates. At the front cad 81 ths long
car is another brass fan, which Is 81 con
s;rGctcd that it can he turned III any
direction hv the feet of the occupant or
the car, Wililc the centre fan Is at the
same tine worked 10y his HANDS.
\ man Of ordinary strength can rcvol1c
the handles AZ The late o. leo minute,
which gives the IAN 300 revolutions Tie
silk cylinder, fill-d with hydrogen g;ts,
which is the ii.hycst that can he used, Is
10 sustain al but a fraction VI tho weight
to be carried, and the central ian Is tx
pee cd to LIT the rest by Z. pressure upon
the air similar 10 that which Il propeller
wheel has gpou the wat,r- The ar ncing
much less dense. the fan or aerial screw Is
CAV, Il Il rapidIty Ot Notion suilicIcnt 90
partially Urcrcume tins difference. -
reversing the motion Of the tan the
power IS 50 excrted Is to raise or lower
the machine at will. The FAN at the en,.
Of the framework IS also TcVotVed wItl
great rapidity by loo; power, aAd can be
turned straight ahead OF on either sue,
wuri1in. Gn Il plan similar to that ~ the
Fowler steering propeller. By The use Of
this fan the machine c;,n be StCcrcd Ike Il
ship, and the inventor expects thit aerial
navigation viii b. accomplished iii the
same manner that the ocean is tiaycIscd
by ships, tn g;ls filled cylinder. serving
the purpose VI >all, and fans gulGln5 the
machine through the air
Dir. I. 7. Bafum, who Is interested
III the invention, saw flaw III the steera,e
apparatus, by which the fan WAS clught
AID broken nevertheless the machine
raised as high as the ceiling, and WAS
lowered at the will Of the operator. We
are informed thai The machln> was tested
a day or Two ago III the presence Il III eX-
pert from New York, ;nd that 1t worked
perfectly, sailing aboaJ the room a:id III
the time under the peiiect control ot the
operator. Mr. Eitchcl has been working
upon the invention since iSl Il, and - crE
tiaent he has found The much-sought-fo:
principle to he sitfoly applied III aeIiaI
navigation. He las applied fur :. patent
IN the United States, Canada, Great
Britain and France tie expects that {:
| larger machine, capable of carrying sever
al men would work even mere success
fully than theslnail one nov being tested,
as more power could b employed, and hc
even has hopes of still .argeT on, IL
which the motive power vii! lie furnished
| by small engina He infoImcd Us Ihat
the modI of h S invent II had been
shown 10 the editor Of the Sr,crt.tc
.im-ricaa, who sad that lie ielieved II
m ght be made so successful tha: Il tril
could be .ak-n to the NoTth Pole N IT,
lir. Ritehel is very im,el!igen, Looking
gentlemain, apparently about 80 years Of
ace. lie claims that all other inventors
have failed With their flying machines be-
cause they have trusted entirely to the
lifting capacity of the balloon arPendage,
rising by throwing out ballast, and railing
bv letting out gas. inother defect has
been the placing Of the steering apparatus
in the centre, where Il comparatively
small amount OF power could be eXercia-
ed.-BriG1, part StpstIsL