Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1886-11-18
FLOATING on AIR
Boston Herald

"a gentleman" said friend OF tho
writer, "would like to see you. lie
wants to talk to you about navigating
the air
"Who is her.
ellis name is C. G. Loeber it is Ger
man name, evidently. He is an intelli-
gent man, speaks English like ma
tive-born American, has good com
mand of the language, and is student
a thinker, worker, and an enthu-
siast."
"You interest me. Is he not also a
excuse e--something of a crank!'
"Not at all, but quite the reverse. lie
has studied aerostatics in a way of his
own, and has made new departure in the
science
Has he flying machineF"
"No, butI am satisfied he will have
one before he is two years older. He
has discovered properties or peculiarities
of the atmosphere of the earth which
have heretofore been unknown to science.
And yet that does not express it, for
these properties have been known in a
way, but his discovery has given to them
r new significance. He has discovered a
law of motion which will enable any one,
with the proper appliances, and the neces-
sary amount of power, To mount the air
to any desired altitude as an individual
would mount a stairway or a powerful
locomotive climb steep gradient
That sounds like the modern Arabian
Nights tale. But it is still interesting,
Go on
yes, l will 90 on. He has also discov-
ed that air, though a highly tenuous sub
stance, is yet
CAPABLE or WONDERFUL THINGS
when properly excited. That is to say
1t is substance to be acted upon, az, in
a degree, earth and water are, though un-
der varying conditions. For example, he
has demonstrated that it will require al
most as much power to come down to
earth with his flying machine as it will to
mount
THAT is funny. What about gravita
tiony'
"That, of course, has its effect; but, in
the manner in which he deals with the
atmosphere, the peculiar forces which he
awakens are of a nature to make gravita-
ton almost a secondary factor in what he
undertakes
But air is practically resistless to fall
ing bodies or to things which have no
support beyond the friction or resistance
of the air to their body, OF course, | do
not moan birds, whose methods of loco
motion fit them for the navigation of the
air."
Air, in its normal condition, is unfelt
as we'll as unseen. Disturb this coudi-
ton, and your develop its latent powers
that is, You develop in it the powers of
its disturbance What are the sounds we
hear, of whatever nature, but the evil
dences of the disturbance in degree of the
static condition of atmosphere? We do
not feel any pressure upon our bodies of
the atmosphere, and there is none that
Ia, none to our perception. But let US
try to pull the atmosphere asuuder or
apart, and then note what task we have
undertaken. The pressure against even
partial vacuum is something enormous,
and, If caused TO exist against large
parallel surfaces, would induce collapse.
no matter how strong the material of
which the exhausted chamber was com
posed
We'll, what has Mr.. Loeber got. or what
has he accomplished"
II cannot tell you definitely, for what
l know has certain reserve which can
not be oyerstepped | can, however,
state my conclusions, 1 think he has
made a most important discovery"
"Ilas he invented new balloony"
NO"