, 1889-08-24
Loss Ofthe Campbell Air Ship.

OnOrUIy AFTER III O'CLOCK on the morning
of July Is, Prof. E. d. Hogan, an aeronaut
of considerable previous experience, made
an ascent from Brooklyn in the air ship
shown i'll the accompanying illustration.
This air ship is the invention of MIR. Peter
@. Campbell, of Brooklyn, and had as it's
most prominent feature an ovoid-Shaped
balloon, about sixty feet in length, made
OF fine japanese silk, imported expressly
for the work. Especial interest was felt
III this ascension from the fact that it was
claimed that the aerOnaut would, with
the various mechaniSms provided, be able
to control the movement Of the balloon so
as to practically navigate the air, moving
in any direction with or against the wind,
and at ii greater or less elevation, as de.
sired, an attainment which had, apparent
", been achieved in some brief trials made
last year at COney Island.
The ascent was made from the works of
the Nassau Gas Company, where a pipe
from Il large meter was connected with the
balloon to supply the lifting power. The
meter showed that 1927 feet of gas was
used, the balloon being filled at about
10 o'clock, when the ropes were tested and
some sand bags attached to the network
and placed i'll the car. Shortly after this
Prof. Hogan entered the car and gave the
"NAN " IN Az SOJ WLCn ZIG IOHCS
were cut and the air ship shot upward, amif
the cheers of a crowd of spectators which
had collected i'll the vicinity. The start
was made in a southeasterly direction,
owing to a brisk wind from the north
west, although the aerOnant was seen to
De vigorously turning a crank which kept
the steering apparatus and prOpelling
wheels revolving rapidly, with the evident
intention to compel the ship to face the
wind. When about a mile distant, the
large bottom wheel intended to raise and
lower the ship, became detached and fell
to the ground. An hour after the start
the air ship was seen to be uuder full way
toward the Atlantic Ocean, OH the south
side of Long Island, and at an elevation
estimated to be several thousand feet.
The suspended car and attachments were
reported to have had the appearance of
being greatly disarranged, and it appeared
as though a man was clinging to the net.
ting of the balloon. AT 1890, or about
two hours after starting, the air ship
vanished from view. From this time the
accounts Of the voyage Of the air ship are
conflicting. A New York pilot boat
reported sighting q big, yellow, oval.
shaped balloon, dragging in the ocean,
late in the afternoon Of the 10th, "a miles
southeast of the eastern end of Long
Island. Chase was given, but when with.
in three.quarters of a mile the balloon
broke away from the faStenings that were
holding it down to the surface of the
water and scared away to the southeast.
The pilot boat found no trace Of any car
or any human being. There was also a
report of an unknown balloon having
been seen over Providence, r. l., on
Tuesday evening, and a report that q
balloon had been seen over Astoria, Il. H.
near where the air ship started, about
midnight on Tuesday but in neither case
was there anything showing what had
become of the aeronaut. Other indefinite
reports mention a balloon having been seen
ut sea, but they are too vague to base any
hope upon.
In the construction of this air ship the
car is suspended from the balloon through
an intermediate rigid bar extending over
and from end to end Of the car by means
of suspending cords from the frame ofthe
car to the bar, which are made fast also
to the harness or netting of the balloon.
The center of the Car is circular in
shape, and has a circular seat with arched
guards reaching upward to the bar above.
Extending fore and aft is a vertical keel,
made of light framework, supporting q
web of woven material. Nearly all Of the
framework of the car and its attachments
was OF wood and rattan, iron being very
sparingly used, while the principal shafts
and rods were hollow. and a thin fabric