Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-08-18

q New yoNK INVENTOR shows
HOW n CAN be DONE.

IEoIomesoD 1nes Co@et snouao
4 ocoes oaoe Ooo--netter Cenbins Ea-
4 So,ne r1sns Thsn Form New One-An
Hstssnsly Novel Combination Suggested.
Now that the congressional committee
= acoustics and ventilation has recon.
msnded en- appropriation OF = hundred
thousand or % Of dollars for the purpose
of aiding Mr.. Do Bausset in his endeavor
g domonstrato the practicability Of an
a. chip which he has devised, Il is prob
able that. at no distant day, congress
WI pass upon the Recommendation. IL
y question whether such . recommenda-
tlon should have much weight in securing
the appropriation. and In this instance,
a ID to be hoped that IL will not.
This matter is, undoubtedly, OF the
s HIT Importance, and, II q practicable plan
boe navigating the air can be devise !, It's
vn1ue to the human race Is incalculable:
The very fact Of its supreme import
An6s should cause as to pause before do
mating any amount Of the public money
for the development of an individual plan.
Tho name Of the air ship inventor is
le9ion, and, in the past, probably hundreds
Of thousands of dollars, both pub and
private. have been expended In endeavors
TO solve problem that is practically no
nearer solution than 1t was hundred
years ago,
However, there have been instances
wherein air ships have been controlled, to
d limited degree. under favorable condi-
tions Of air currents, ETC., and this would
seem TO Indicate that, in time, II Is within
ths range Of possibility to overcome the
obstacles: but when 1t comes to Q ques-
tion Of public money, rather than expend
one dollar on an untried individual plan,
Il would be wiser to appoint q competent
commission, whose mission should be to
endoavor to effect combination Of those
Hevices that have already shown the best
elements Of success, each In its own par
tjcular field. -
Without going into the merits or de-
merits of any Of the propulsive air ships
that have been launched. IL is safe to de-
clare that none. SO far, have proved to be
Of the least practical value except for ex-
hibltion purposes; but we do know that
in certain directions it Is possible TO con-
troll, to limited degree. the movement
{ Of gas Inflated balloons. and considering
all knowledge which wo now possess in
this field. here would seem to be our
proper starting point for a successful
evolvement Of the mid air conveyance,
Tho ability to cause our balloon and its
attachments to attain certain altitude
acertain distance by liberating certain
portion Of the gas; to again rise by dis
charging o portion Of our ballast, nnd
soon. until both ballast and gas are ex
hausted and our balloon comes to earth d
collapsed and unwieldy bag, seems to bt
the limit of control attained thus far, and
under these conditions 1t Is exceptional
for the aeronaut who desires to travel in
certain direction to cause his vehicle t.
stay in . convenient air current--even
should he succeed In finding it--long
enough to accomplish his object. Now,
II It were made possible to 20 a step be.
yond this. and be enabled not only 10
hold our balloon indefinitely at q selected
altitude, but to do this without sacrificing
either gas or ballast, except in emergen.
cies, It would seem that we had taken a
long stride toward the successful develop
ment Of "a dirigible balloon"
Such device could not only be placed
In proper air current at will, but In tho
event Of sudden change In direction of such
current, it might be Immediately shifted
above or below 1t, and In case another
convenient current could not at once be
found. tho balloon might be held station
ary In still air until desirable change
should occur. A conveyance Of this char
acter would Immediately be Of service for
purposes Of war and systematic investi
cation Of aerial phenomena; as sort ol
pathfinder for the future Greyhound" o.
tho heavens, it would be simply invalu
able. x*x
We must all creep before we walk, and
II we ever hope to travel through the aiI