The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-12-28
HOW ALLAN HOPES TO FLY.
His Machine Will Bore Hole in the Air
and Go Up in the Hole.
From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer,

From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
In an upstairs room in the Western
House at Ballard has been developed
within the last eight months what in
the opinion of men of sound judgment
will prove, if practicable, the invention
of the age.
Mr. William Allan, a real estate broker
and former employe of the West Coast
Improvement company, has nearly COM
pleted the mode. of an aerial ship or fly
ing machine. 1t consists of two oval or
cigar-shaped bodies with tapering ends,
the smaller suspended within the
larger. Around the larger an immense
thread of stiff canvas, or some
other strong but light material, winds
spirallv from end to end. Within
the smaller body is situated the pro-
polling power, which, by means of a set of
pullevs. bands, wheels, etc, TevOlves the
interior oval body, and as it moves so it
causes the larger machine on the exter-
Tor to move with correspondingly greater
velocity.
The theory which William Allan has
held and reasoned upon for the last
twenty years is this: a screw by revolu-
ton forces itself through wood, so Mr..
Allan concluded if he could invent a ma
chine with threads large enough TO re-
volve in the atmosphere it will travel
through space, and with great rapidity,
on the same principle. If Mr.. Allan be
not deluded inventor, one may travel
in this machine in any direction, with
almost any speed desired and with per
feet safety. by means of a steering APP
al VIII oh
are attached and under the control of
the aeron2ut within the bowels of the
invention. If the invention proves
practical. and Mr.. Allen thinks it
will, railroads and ocean gTeyhounds
will be easily distanced The details of
the machine can not be fully described,
as only a working model has been con-
structed. and although Mr.. Allan has OBJ
tanned a caveat he does not wish to give
away his secret until he has more sub
stantisl financial backing.
Mr. Allan has also constructed huge
unicycle. or a. some paradoXically call
il. a one-wheel bicycle. Ii is twelve feet
in circumference, and has a tire one foot
wide. The cvcliSt stands IN the center,
and by moving his feet up and down on
pedals turns a small wheel. which re-
wolves the larger one at the same tune.
As every revolution of the smaller wheel
turns the larger. 1t viii readily be seen
the cvclist goes distance Of seventeen
feet every revolution. The unicycle Is
now in the ward of James McLachlan, =
contractor and builder. who Is putting
the finishing touches upon Il under Mr..
Allan's supervision. II Is expected a
public trial Of this invention viii be
made in a short time.
Recently. in conversation with a re-
porter, Billiards. inventor said: There
may be some skepucal people who deem
my inventions impracticable, but the
public thought Fulton was crazy when
he was building the Clremont; and
when Columbus was trying 10 convince
the monarchs Of Europe that another
world existed. even the children signlfi-
cantly pointed their fingers 10 their fore
heads when he passed by. But there
was no screw loose in Columbus head,
neither was there in Fultons.