Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-10-17
SAILING THROUGH AIR.
A Tennessee Inventor Who Has
Solved the Problem of Aerial
Navigation.
His Perpetual Motion Machine
and Its Unfortunate DesIrue-
ton.

mehiuk arrangements 70 uul ali luC
beef bladders the butchers could let
him have. Mr. Smith is from the
bsckwoods OF Bedford county, but has
given a good deal Of attention to the
subject Of building ships for nayigat
iDg the air, He thinks he has at last
struck a grand scheme, and is about
to realize the dreams of his boyhOod,
the ambition OF his manhood. and
make the name Of Herkimer Smith
immortal as the greatest inventor Of
the age.
Mr.. Smith claims that the%easOn
eronauts have never succeeded in
making vessels by which the air could
be safely navigated was because they
have always used a balloon that was
composed Of one chamber, instead Of
number OF chambers or compart
ments, as the one he now proposes to
build. He proposes TO take beef blad-
ders aud coat them with a preparation
that will keep them from drying out
too much and cracking He will then
initiate several hundred OF them and
put them into a balloon shaped net,
to which he will have a canvass air
ship attached. Through this airship
he proposes to have shaft run, wings
being attached on the outside made
somewhat after the fashion Of wind
mill sails. The shalt the inventor
proposes working in the same manner
IN which the wheel Of a bycicle is
operated.
Tn advantages be claims for his
Invention is its superior lightness as
compared with the usual balloon, oov>
ering in the mstter of weight it can
lite when inflated. Mr.. Smith maia-
tains that his balloon will be able to
hold twice as much hydrogen gas, and
consequently lift twice as much as any
ordinary balloon. Besides this he says
he will not be required to carry as
many sand bags to weight down his
balloon as is ordinarily done bee luse
When he wants to drop little he has
only to pierce a few bl05ders, upon
which the elevating power is lessened
and the ship will sail nearer the earth
Then when he wants TO raise his ship
be will only have to initiate few mere
bladders. one by one, aud let them fly
into the net. The Inventor says that
he will carry small apparatus for
making hydrogen gas in his air ship
with him, and manufacture gas as he
requires it, to initiate more bladders.
The battery is SO small that he can
carry it 10 his hand. fc
Mr.. Smith also has a steering appa-
ratus that he claims is new and bet
ter than any heretofore obtained. The
steering power consists Of a number of
balloons in a net capable of being
shifted 10 any direction around the
balloon proper, so as to act as a rud-
der, being held at a distance from the
balloon proper by rod. Rings are
arranged on the shaft, as a pivot, so as
to be capable of being yeered sudden.
| ly to any point OF the compass, and Of
either one being worked without the
other.
The inventor Of this wonderful ma
chine says he has been called crank
because he claims to be the discoverer
Of the way to produce perpetual mo-
ton, which he perfected in the form
of wagon with very high wheels and
a weighted body arranged so as to re-
volve around the man axle with
wheels around its periphery, so as the
whole machine would roll on together
perpetually when it was started. Be-
ing cross questioned by the reporter
Mr.. Smith admitted that his perpetu>
oil motion wagon had one trouble,
namely: that it had no provision for
seating a rider. The inventors expe-
rienee in putting his perpetual motion
wagon to practical use, however, was
not followed with that degree Of sue.
cess that would tend to make it gener-
ally accepted instead of the bicycle as
cheap aud rapid means OF locomo-
ton, but this mishsp was mainly due.
Mr.. Smith claims. to the Interference
In his plaus by some boys. Ii appears
from the inventors account of the
matter that upon a certain day, which
he had previously announced, he roll
ed his wagon TO village near Shelby.
vile for the purpose Of showing
the public its utility As usual upon
such occasions, the SIN III boy element
was out in full force. The inventor.
alter making a speech, opened the
door OF the wooden drum 10 which
the large wheels o. his wagon were
pistoned, as it we're. After getting
inside the drum the inventor closed
the door thrOugh which be had
crawled with a great flourish and hung
himself over the axle Of the ma
chine for the purpose OF utilizing his
hands and feet as sort Of animated
hywheel TO start the machine. There
was some difficulty in getting the ma
chine started, which Smith declares
was all owing TO a certain train Of coks
that connected the axle with the OUT
side wheels. The inventors original
intention was TO make the machine 20
up hill, but the boys seeing it 20.
log this way very slowly got on the
upper side OF il, and by main force
started il down the hill with a rapility
that no amount Of cog power was abs
TO Withstand. The consequences was
a shattered machine At the bottom OF
the hill, and a badly used professor o.
the science Of perpetual motion, with
heart full Of regrets for bruised
body and FIVE years savings lyiny
around 10 fragments Of iron and splin.
ters Of wood.
n.,,...T.,-.