Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-07-10
an rNGENIous AIR sHrp.
10 sail Through space at leo Miles an
Hour

Hour.
After spending thirty years in studying
andexperimenting with balloons, saySthe
Philadelphia Record, Charles p. Fest, a
resident Of Germantown, has at last, so
he believes, succeeded in perfectiag a ship
which he claims can be steered at will
through the air.
Mr.. Fest lives in a neat little cottage on
Stenton avenue, below Wyoming street.
He Is Of German origin, a jeweleT By
trade, and, besides having an inventive
mind, also possesses determination, as is
illustrated by the fact that his arial ex-
periments have already cost him
Sc, GOO. Mr.. Fest has a great desire
as he thinks that such a 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 ehOrCs 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 of labor having been
it on Friday morning, but the demonstra-
ton was unavoidably postponed on ac-
count Of his wife meeting with an acci-
dent by a fall. This so upset matters that
the model was packed away. and the in
ventor was obliged to turn his attention
to his suffering companion.
The model is made of strong MANILA
paper inclOsed in a patent net of stout
Irvine. The body is cylindrical in shape
with cOne-shaped ends. Hot air alone
will comprise the motive power. The ship
is thirty feet long, nine feet in diameter,
and weighs twenty-fOur pounds. Beneath
the bag is a small reservoir containing 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 oil can be regulated
at pleasure. The car will hang directly
under the bag. The ship is provided with
six valves, being arranged one at each
end and two ON each side. The valves
may be opened and closed at will by cords
| from the car. The ship is designed to be
steered by the opening and closing of the
valves. The highly heated airin the interior
ofthe bag will escape with much more force
through the open pipes to the outside, and,
in striking the cold atmosphere, Will Yeer
the ship around in the right direction, so
Mr.. Fest declares. He says that it is i'm
possible for any air-ship to sail against
the wind, but he proposes to override this
trouble by ascending and descending in
slanting directions in about 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 lower
ed. The escape of the hot air will permit
| the ship to sink of its own weight. In
ascending the valves will be closed and
the lamps made to burn higher, thus
| creating a quick supply of hot air. In
and about the lamps the bag is covered
with asbestos and silicate of soda to pre-
vent it taking fire.
After this experimental ship has been
| thoroughly tested Mr.. Fest intends to con-
struct ship, $50 feet long and 40 feet in
| diameter, which, with the car and all
other appliances, will not weigh more
| than $50 pounds. Mr.. Fest estimates that
| it will carry 1,450 pounds, as it will be
| provided with $500 cubic feet of hot air
| space. 1t is in this ship that he expects
| to cross the Atlantic Ocean. He believes
that he can attain a speed of from 100 to
100 miles an hour. In the big ship provi-
| sion will be made for carrying fifty gal
Ions of oil, which will last nearly three
| days.
Mr.. Fest has constructed over 200 bal
| looms in an effort to devise a scheme which
would permit them to be steered through
| the air. For long time he tried gas for
initiating purposes, but so many of them
were destroyed by explosions that he
| abandoned gas and turned his attention
to electricity. This not proving satisfac-
| tory, he conceived the idea of burning oil
while in the air, as it could always be
depended upon for fresh supply of hot
air. 1t also obviates the necessity of carry
ing ballast, and thus makes the ship so
| light that it can be more readily guided
through space. A rudder Mr.. Fest con-
siders useless for purposes of steering.
He says the power to steer must come
from the inside and not from the outside.
I l.. III
tinn nnainst fire