The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-08-19
SAILING IN MID AIR.
"A NEW YORK INVENTOR SHOWS
HOW IT CAN BE DONE.

The Proposition That Congress shouid
Donate 500, o0o-Better Combine Ex-
listing Plans Than Form New Onc-An
Extremely Novel Combination Suggested.
Now that the congressional committee
on acoustics and ventilation has recon-.
mended an appropriation of hundred
thousand or so Of dollars for the purpose
OF aiding Mr. Do Bausset in his cndcavor
to demonstrate the practicability OF an
air ship which he has devised, It is proc
able that, at no distant day, congress
will pass upon tho recommendation. 1t
Il q question whether such recommends
ton should have much weight in securing
the appropriation, and, in this instance,
It Is TO be hoped that it will not.
This matter is, undoubtedly, OF the
first Importance, and, if practicable plan
for navigating the air can DO devised, its
value TO the human race is incalculable;
The very fact of its supreme import
ance should cause us to pause before do
mating any amount Of tho public money
for the development of an individual plan.
legion. and, in the past. probably hundreds
of thousands of dollars, both public and
private, have been expended in endeavors
to solve problem that is practically 10
nearer solution than it was hundred
years ago,
However, there have been instances
wherein air ships have been controlled, to
q limited degree, under favorable condi
tions of air currents, etc, and this would
seem to indicate that, in time, it is within
the range of possibility to overcome the
obstacles; but when it comes to ques-
ton of public money, rather than expend
ono dollar on an untried individual plan,
1t would be wiser to appoint q competent
commission, whose mission should be TO
endeavor to effect combination of those
devices that have already shown the best
elements of success, each in its own par.
tcular field. x*x
Without going into the merits or de-
merits of any of the propulsive air ships
that have been launched, it is safe to de-
clare that none, so far, have proved to DO
OF the least practical value except for ex-
hibition 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
ell knowledge which we now possess IN
this field, here would seem to be our
proper starting point for successful
evolvement of the mid air conveyance,
The ability to cause our balloon and its
attachments to attain a certain altitude
by initiating it with rariied gas; to fall
o certain distance by liberating certain
portion of the gas; to again rise by dis
charging a portion of our ballast, and
soon. until both ballast and gas are ex-
hausted and our balloon comes to earth a
collapsed and unwieldy bag, seems to be
the limit of control attained thus far. and
under these conditions it is exceptional
for the aeronaut who desires to travel in
@ certain direction to cause his vehicle 10
stay in convenient air current-even
should he succeed in finding it-long
enough to accomplish his object. Now,
if it were made possible to go 4 step be-
yond this, and be enabled not only 10
hold our balloon indefinitely at 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"
Snch q device could not only be placed
In a proper air clarent at will, but in the
event Of sudden change in direction of such
current, it might be Immediately shifted
above or below it, and in case another
convenient current could not at once 30
found. the balloon might be held station
airy 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 inves;i.
cation of aerial phenomena; az sort OF
pathfinder for the future Greyhound Of
the heavens, it would be simply invalu-
able. ~
We must all creep before we walk, and
II we ever hope to travel through the air