Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1890-11-29

H. bdtlNOuS ut pthblllS NIbii''J rl''i
the currents of the atmosphere for their
movement. III. Air ships consisting #
ga envelope and car containing ma
chinery for operating propeller wheels
to drive the ship against the wind or to
cause it to rise or fall. To which class
shall the successful air ship of the future
belong? And what effect will the gem
eral introduction of the air ship Gin tho
near future) have upon the railroads and
steamship lines now in existence, are
questions to which the recent unfortu-
nate experiences of aeronaut Hogan
lend additional interest. The expert
ments heretofore made with the flying
machines of Darius Green" and others
have not been sufficiently successful to
lead us to look for the solution of the
problem by machinery constructed to
drive sails, wings, or propellerS, and to
which no gas envelope is attac ed. In
the National Museum at Washington is
the original steam engine, and recon-
structed car, and sails, for which Thomas
Stringfellow obtained the first prize at
the exhibition of the Aeronautical
Society of Great Britain at Crystal Pal
ace, London. in 1864. The engine
weighs only 10 pounds, and by the in
genious arrangement of wings, sails, and
propeller wheels the machine attached
to and sliding along a wire, was made
to f1v from one end of the exhibition
hall to the other. The idea of combin-
ing the flvng machine with the balloon,
in the 'pnion of modern aeronauts, con-
tains one element Of hope for the future
for successfully navi ating the atmos-
phere. To insure absolute safety the
practical air ship must be constructed in
the most substantial manner. 1t must
be provided with life boats in case an
accident occurs near deep water. 1t
must have a full complement of para
chutes, so that officers OF passengers can
be "drorped off" when it is necessary.
1t must have light but powerful engines
to drive the vertical and horizontal pro-
pellers, with reserve set to put in serv-
ice in case of accident-and must be
provided with ample generators to man.
ufacture gas en- route. The envelope
which shall contain the huoyant gas
must be rigid in shape and design so as
to give the least resistance possible to
head Winds 1t must be air tight-im-
pervious to moisture and not reasonably
affected by heat or cold. 1t must be
divided into compartments so that in
case the envelope is damaged only por-
ton of the gas will escape.
Recent progressin constructing boilers
and engines of the "Copeland" type
gives great ragement to the aero
naut who requires the lightest possible
engine for his air ship. A four horse
power Copeland marine engine weighs
81 pounds, occupying a floor space 10
inches square, and is only 81 inches high
over all and with boiler for petroleum
fuel. 20 inches in diameter and "a inches
high, weighs very much less than the
average man. The motorcycle Copeland
engine is so light aud powerful that at
tached to tricycle. with fu,l and water
for four hours trip, the whole machine
weighs little more than 200 pounds, built
to carry two passengers at a spec of 8
or 10 miles an hour upon ordinary car
rage roads. The perfection recently
reached in constructing thin steel tubes
Oess than 1-16.h of an inch thicb) several
inches in diameter which will stand a
pressure of 700 to 1000 pounds square
inch enables the aeronaut to carry with
him large quantities of gas in highly
condensed form to be used in operating
steering machinery and for other pur-
poses. To this add the service which
light electrical machines can do toward
moving valves and performing other
duties of like nature and we can form
some idea of the advantages that the
aeronaut of the present time has over
his predecessors. With the present con-
dition of mechanical science there is no
reason why successful machine could
not be designed, and if a series of ex-
periments were inaugurated by practical
men who should devote only as much
thought and money to the subject as has
been given to one matter of interest to
the railway service-the perfection of
the Car coupler-there is every reason to
believe that an air ship could be con-
structed, and, after some experience,
could be manned by a crew in whose
hands a passenger would be as safe as on
a transatlantic steam hip on the bolster
us ocean-an air ship which could with
reasonable certainty be made to rise and
fall to any desired altitude and remain
in the atmosphere for any reasonable
length of time
With our present understanding of the
subject it is not probable that any sys-
tenn of air ships can compete success
fully with railways or steamboats, for
travelling very short distances. The
dreams of the most enthusiastic aero
nauts have led them only to hope to
construct an air ship that shall pass over
long distances quickly The dangers and
difficulties of landing safely have never
yet been overcome and it is not prob
able that local lines" will be pro-
jected until after some success has been
reached in this direction, although some
system by which an electric air ship
floating 80 or 100 feet from the ground,
sliding along double line of wires and
driven by an electric motor similar to
that used by the overhead wire system
for street railways, may be devised for
local lines 100 miles or less long. Such
a system would meet the requirements
of territory thickly populated, and has
many advantages in its favor. Long
distance air ship lines must, from the
nature of things, in the beginning only
compete for passenger business, all
classes of freight being carried more
cheaply by railroad and steamship. III.
E. Watkins, in the Epoch.
Pat was detailed as sentinel when the
Seventeenth Maine was near CuIpepper,
and was told to be very careful, and not
la