Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1884-07-12
AN INGENIOUS AIR-SHIP.

and experimenting with balloons, Charles
p, Fest, resident Of Germantown. has at
last, so he believes, succeeded in perfecting
a ship which he claims can be steered at
will through the air.
Mr.. Fest lives in little cottage on Stem
ton avenue, below Wyoming street. He is
of German origin, jeweler by trade, and,
besides having an inventive mind, also pos
sesses determination, as is illustrated by the
fact that his aerial experiments have already
cost him $4,000. Mr.. Fest has great de-
sire, TO cross the ocean in an air-ship, as he
thinks that such feat would make him
famous for all time to come. lie 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 ust been completed at
all expense of 5000, seven months of labor
having been expended on it. He had in
tended trying it on Friday morning, but
the demonstration was unaVoldaDly post
poned on account of his wife meeting with
an accident by fall. This so upset matters
that the model was packed away and the
Inventor WAS W tuiil Aiio 'i'tShtiO'i
to his suffering companion.
The model is made of strong MANILA pa
| per inc.osed in Il patent net of stout twine.
| The body is cylindrical in shape with cone.
shared 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
small reservoir containing oil, which is sup
pied 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
the flow Of the oil can be regulated at plea
sure. The car will hang directly under the
bag. The ship is provided with six valves,
being arranged one al 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 open
| ing and closing Of the valves. The highly
heated air in the interior of the bag will es-
! cape with much more force through the
open pipes to the outside, and in striking
the cold atmosphere will veer the ship
round in the right direction, so Mr.. Fest de-
clares Hc says that it is impossible for
| any air ship to sail against the wind, but
he proposes to override this trouble by as
cendng and descending in slantng dircc-
| tions in about the same manner as u boat
StllS ttStliISl sllo "lii't ~ ttShih, iiohi ohS
point to another. In order to descend the
valves need only 10 be opened and the
| flames i'll the lamps lowered. The escape
| Of the hot air will permit the ship to sink
ofits OWN weight. In ascending the valves
| will be closed and the lamps made tc burn
higher, thus creating quick supply Of hot
air. In aud about the lamps the bag is COW
cred 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-
slruct a ship $50 feet long and 40 feet III
diameter, which, with the car and all other
appliances, will not weigh more than 250
| pounds. Mr.. Fest estimates that il will
carry ,45O pounds, as it will be provided
with $3.50 cubic feet of hot air space. 1t is
| in this ship that he expects TO cross the At
| lantic ocean. He believes that he can at
tain II speed Of from 100 TO 12o miles an
hour In the big ship provision will be made
| for carrying fifty gallons of oil, which will
last nearly three days.
| Mr.. Fest has constructed over POO balloons
| in an effort to devise scheme which would
permit them TO be steered through the air
| For II long time he tried gas for initiating
purposes but so many of them were destroy
ed by explosions that he abandoned gas and
turned his attention to electricity. This
not proving satisfactory, 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 ne
cessity Of carrying ballast, and thus makes
the ship so light that it can be more readily
guided through space. rudder Mr.. Fest
considers useless for purposes of steering.
He says the power 10 steer must come from
the inside and not from the outside. The
bic shin will be covered all over with ashes.
tos and silicate of soda as a prevention
against fire. Philadelphia Record