The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1880-04-09
A FLYING-MACHiNE.
Prof. RitchcII's Proposed Aerial Voy-
are lO The North Pole.
IRON the New York HeraId.l


From the New York Herald.
Prof Ritchell made fying-machine
about two years ago that would really
fly. 1t went up or came down at the
wish of the operator, went forward and
backward turned around, remained III
one place, or went to any desired point
in short. it proved that a fiying-machine
was possible, although it fell far short
of realizing what its protector hoped for,
and that, while navigation in the air was
possible under certain conditions, there
were circumstances when it was not
practicable. The machine was exhibited
| at Philadelphia Mt the Permanent Expo
sition, ut Hartford, and subsequently ut
Boston. Its performances excited won
der and surprise, and indicated the cor
rectness of the principle upon which its
construction was based, even If it did not
go further. But even the fying-machines
lose their novelty as a show-piece, and
Prof. Ritchell is now in the field with n
new project, suggested, perhaps, by
Commander Cheyne's grand scheme of
reaching the North pole by aeronautic
voyages. Prof. Ritchell says: 81 will
90 to the North pole in my air-ship, and
the very reasons that will keep Capt.
Cheyne from reaching there will be the
ones by which | will be able to succeed.
In carrying ont this idea, he has built II
working model of the air-ship he pro-
poses to send TO the Arctic regions. 1t
does not materially differ from the one
exhibited II few months ago. The lift
ing power is in horizontally placed
cylinder of gossamer cloth-fne linen
Il i, oh
with hydrogen gas, made by the usual
process from iron tllrnings and sulphuric
acid. Broad bands extend over the cyl
inder, which is about twenty-five feet
long and thirteen feet in diameter, mar
rowing toward each end. The bands are
fastened to light, strong rod, from
which the car is suspended. The ma
chine is shaped something like the skel
eton of a cutter sleigh, ON the top of
which is the operators seat.
In front of the seat is II cog-edged
steel wheel about ten inches in dame
ter, with double handles, geared to II
four-bladed fan, moving horizontally be-
meath the operator. 1t can be turned
$500 times Il minute. The blades of
the fan are of strong wood, and each has
II superficial area of about fifty square
inches The blades are set like those of
ropeller-that is, mt n small angle
with the screw which turns them. This
constitutes part of the lifting and draw
ing-down power. The gas raises ninety
nine pounds of every 100 to be lifted;
the fan takes care of the other pound.
The operator, wishing to descend, re-
verses the wheel. From the front of the
frame reach out two rods, carrying
at their extremity Il notwithstanding
fan, revolving $500 times minute. 1t
is exactly like the propeller of n steam
ship, except that 1t can be turned by the
operators foot from right to left, and
vice versa, and thus it becomes rud-
der rs well. It Will send the machine
forward or take it backward, and also
change its direction. The two fans can
be worked together or separately, the
machinery being simple and quite with
in the control of the operator. Such is
the plan in the diminutive by which
Prof. Ritchell hopes to reach the North
pole. The machine he now has will
carry one man. 1t has been tried, and,
although much like the one exhibited
before, it has many improvements, is
more easily controlled and perfectly bal
anced. Instead of worsted bands around
the gas cylinder the professor proposes
to have steel adjustable bands on the
bag ship, which will compress the gas
in the bag or allow it to expand mt will.
This arrangement will, he says, counter
act the influence of the cold weather III
the high ATTITUDES He believes he can
make Roadway against wind blowing at
the rate of ten miles an hour The ma
chine has already travelled against II six
mile wind at fair speed. Further de-
tails of his proposed pleasure trip to the
pole the professor has not yet formu-
lated