St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-12-24
His Air Ship That Will Con-
quer the Dominion Of the
Air.
Nothing Visionary About It,
but a Plain, Practical ld
Scheme. IN
=,
A Globe Reporter Invited to
Make the First Trip to
Alaska. rs,

G. 0. Shields, the well-known author
of Crossing the Cascades" 1.-THE Bat
tie of the Big Hole" 1.-The Big Game of
North America" and other popular
books. is in the city and is stopping at
the Merchants.
He talked enthusiastically to a GLOBE
reporter yesterday morning of his latest
enterprise. the building of an air ship.
Yes" said he. 1--WE have organized
stock company, our stock is nearly all
placed, and we expect, within few
weeks, to begin the erection of an air
ship as large as the largest steamer that
plies the Mississippi"
"But do you believe it will go?''
believe it? No, we don't believe it;
we know it. The time for theorizing on
this subject is past. Aerial navigation
is an established fact. Half dozen
air ships, or balloons, have been built
within the past ten years that have been
driven at fair rates of speed against
winds and across winds, but most of
them have lacked some important eie-
ment of perfect success. Most of these
experiments have been made in France,
lHUuStl IIOl Cdlup Dcll, Vi NEW L oTh,
built ole that. in 1888. made success
full ascent at Coney island. 1t went
up 500 feet. was driven in various
directions and finally sailed round in
circle several times. This was driven
by a little two-horse power engine. 1t
lacked, however. the important re-
quiSite of rigidity. The basket, nr
house, hung twenty feet below the gas
dome. suspended by ropes, and when,
on later test, the aeronaut encoun-
tered gale, at thousand feet above
the earth. and attempted to stem it, lie
came to grief"
What happened then?"
''Weil. lie was able to propel the car
against the wind all right at first, but
the car, of course, went away ahead of
the gas envelope, and as the force of the
wind increased this great sphere was
driven out to sea. despite the little en-.
! gIne, and the, aeroHaute, With his yes.
sci. went to Davy Jones'.
where are the other air Fships you
mention?'
Two of them are owned by the French
| government. In 1884 two French mill,
| itary officers built vessel with which
| they made ten experimental trips of
| from 40 to 100 miles each, regardless of
! winds. attaining speed of seven to-
fourteen miles all h0nr. This was only
| small vessel, however. carried four
horse power engine, and was intended
only as an experiment. So soon as these
experiments were completed: these Of
ficerS. CaptS. KOebS and Renard, were
instructed to house this vessel and be-
| gin work on larger and more eiabOr-
ate one. This was completed in due
time, and has made MARY successful voy-
ages, mostly by night. andis kept under
close guard by day. 1t has achieved a
speed of eighteen miles an hour, carries
a ton of freight easily, and is now
| housed for future practical use. In the
next war France engages Ill yon will
read of cans of dynamite being dropped
from this vessel and others like it into
the midst of her foes that will wipe
them from the face of the earth in an
hour"
And, now. tell lis of your scheme"
well, there is little of it that is new.
! True. one inventor has been studying
and experimenting OH the subject for
twenty years, and l have been inter-
eSted with him for seven years. He
| has invented a great many valuable de-
vices, on which we have applied for
I patents, bnt the bassic principles are
| the same as those used by the French;
| that is. gas dome to carry gas
4
| the remaining weight to be lifted
by fans, or air wheels, and the vessel to
be propelled by another set OF these re-
| vo'yng vertically. These wheels are
| to be driven by powerful steam en-
| CINE. using hydrogen gas for fuel. and
! one of Mr.. AtwOod'S inventions is a
| method of making this gas from the air
as we go. Another is a means of con-
| densing water from the air. Still
another is to utilize the scaling prin-
| cip'e. by which a kite is made to climb
or poise on the air, and anotheris CEN
| ira. pivot and series of auxiliary pivots
| for the vessel to rest on when on the
ground, ans by means of which her bow
will travel around as the W nd changes
and always head the Wind.''
'Of what material will your ship be
built?"
Largely of aluminium, though steel.
wo I'd and canvas will be used for othe r
parts for which the new metal would
not be suitable. The cheapening of
aluminium, however. has figured largely
in solving the question of aerial naviga-
ton, and the air will be full of air ships
in five years from to-day. We have done
all the other woIIerful and impossible
| things in this nineteenth century but
navigate the air, and the man who to-
day says that this can't be done, simply
don't know what he's talking about.
And think of the commercial and scien-
tific possibilities of the thing? Railroads
will be nowhere, and .aS for explorations,
Stanley will be a boy and the air ship
will be out of sight. Interior Alaska
| will no longer be a sealed book, and the
government need not send an expedi-
| ton there with axes and snow shovels
| to hew their way through the mount
| aims and jungleS. We will sail round
over it-a hundred feet above the tree
tops. or hill tops-alighting wherever
we see good landing. and after thirty
days will come back and tell you all
about it. And, for that matter, you
| shall be invited to go with U.S.