The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1884-07-12
an INGENIOUS AIR SHIP.
TO Sail Through Space at 40 Miles
an Hour.

TO Sail Through Space at 40 Miles
an Hour.
After spending thirty years in study
ing and experimenting with balloons,
saws the Philadelphia Record, Charles p.
Fest. a resident Of Germantown, has at
last. so he believes, succeeded in per-
fecting a ship which he claims can be
steered at will through the air.
Mr.. Fest lives in d neat little cottage
on Stenton avenue, below Wyoming
street. He is of German origin, a jeweler
by trade, and besides having an inven-
tive mind, also possesses determination,
as is illustrated by the fact that his aerial
experiments have already cost him So,
0O0 Mr.. Fest has a great desire to cross
the ocean in an air-ship, as he thinks that
such feat would make him famous for
all time to come He has been granted
nine different patents by the United
States Patent Office for as many air-ships,
but all previous efforts have failed him
in his purpose to go sailing through the
air. His present air-ship was patented
on March IS last. A model has just been
completed at an expense of $500, seven
months labor having been expended on
it. He had intended trying it on Friday
morning, but the demonstration was I'M
favorably postponed on account OF his
wife meeting with an accident by fall.
AThis so upset matters that the model was
aEwacked away, and the inventor was oblig
ed to turn to his suffering companion.
The model is made of strong manila
paper inclosed in patent net of stout
Irvine The body is cylindrical in shape
with cone-shaped ends. Hot air alone
viii comprise the motive power. The
ship is thirty feet long, nine feet in dia-
meter, and weighs twenty-four pounds.
beneath the bag is a small reservoir con-
tanning oil, which is supplied by little
rubber tubes to two lamps at either end
Of the bag. The lamps furnish the hot
air. and the size Of the flame and flow of
Oh can be regulated at pleasure. The
car viii hang directly under tire bag.
The ship is provided with six valves, be-
ing arranged one at each end and two on
each side. The valves may be opened
and closed at viii by cords from the car.
THE ship is designed to be steered by the
onaning and closing of the valves. The
highly heated air in the interior Of the
han will escape with much more force
through the open pipes to the outside,
and. in striking the cold atmosphere,
viii veer the ship around in the right di-
rectiou, so Mr.. Fest declares. He says
that it is impossible for any air-ship to
sail against the wind but he proposes to
override this trouble by ascending and
descending IN slanting directions nabOut
the same manner as boat sails against
the wind by lacking from one point to
another In order to descend the valves
need only be opened and the flames in
the lamps lowered. The escape of the
hot air viii permit the ship to sink Of It's
own weight In ascending the valves
viii lee closed and the lamps made to
burn higher, thus creating a quick sup
ply of hot air In and about the lamps
the bag is covered with asbestos and
siicate of soda to prevent it taking fire.
After this experimental ship has been
thoroughly tested Mr.. Fest intends tc
construct a ship, $50 feet long and 40 feet
in diameter. which. with the car and al
other appliances, will otweigh more
than 250 pounds. Mr.. Fest estimates
that it will carry /, 450 pounds, as it vii
a--..---..Iz1 I'll, = cSn ,.,,l,i1 foot of hn
air space. 1t is in this ship that he ex
meets to cross the Atlanta Ocean. H,
believes that he can attain a speed o
from 100 to 100 miles an hour. In tn
big ship prvision will be made for carry
ing fifty gallons of oil, which will las
nearly three days.
Mr.. Fest has constructed over 200 bal
looms in an effort to devise q schem
which would permit them to be steere
through the air For time he tried ga
for initiating purposes, bpt 50 many {
them were DESTROYED by explosions tha
he abandoned gas and turned his after
ton to electricity. This not provin
satisfactory. he conceived the idea {
burning oil while in the air, as it coul
always hadependad upon for a fresh SUI
pin Of hot air. Tt also odviates the nece
sity of carrying ballast, and thus make
the ship So light that it can be MOI
readily guided through space A rudd,
Mr.. Fest considers useless for purpose
steering. He says the power to ste,
must come from the inside and not fro