Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-02-02
NOVEL AIR SHIP.
Has THE PROBLEM OF AERIAL NAvI-
CATION BEEN SOLVED?
Mr.. Helmer Ras Constructed Machine
Which Defies Wind, Storm
and Sea.
[FroIn the Kew York snn.l

to produce some sort of flying machine c
air ship which would enable man to travt
through the air.
Flying machines have been constructe
upon almost every conceivable principl
Mammoth wings have been adapted to
about the human body, to be worked Q
propelled by light machinery. Canva
tails of great size have been constructe
for steering apparatus, but the fate of thos
who have essayed to fly like the birds c
the air has always been more or less hu
initiating, like that of Darius Green.
When the era of flying machines ha,
| been passed balloons came in for thei
share of study. They were constructed il
all sorts of shapes and sizes. Their invent
ors invariably believed, before they triet
them, that they would be able to explor
the unknown portions of the globe, to G,
to the Polar region at will, to survey from
lofty nights the wilderness of Africa ant
the mountains of the moon, but somehow
or other, just at the last moment, some
| thing went wrong and the invention PROVED
a failure.
There is a genius in this town who
claims to have profted by the experience.
of others and to have at last solved the
| problem of aerial navigation. He ha:
given the subject unlimited study, anC
has completed and tested machine, or ar
air ship, as he chooses to call it. 1t flies; il
works; it goes with or against the wind
and all that is now necessary to make
aerial navigation glowing success is capi-
tai to construct air ships sufficiently large
to carry passengers across the Atlantict
The air ship will do it, and do it in hall
the time required by one of the ocean
greyhounds of to-day. Seasiekness will be
avoided, and all the unpleasant features OF
transatlantic voyage will be done away
with. If it rains, the captain of the air
ship has only to ascend above the clouds,
where his passengers may bask in per-
petual sunshine. Head winds won't have
the slightest effect; heavy seas will be
powerless to do injury, and shipwrecks
will be without terrors for passengers who
have to cross the ocean.
n. Helmer, the inventor of this latest
air ship, was seen at his place of business
in Fourth avenue, near Thirteenth street.
yesterday. Mr.. Helmer is the senior mem
Der of the firm of Helmer & Let's, and
manufactures wigs and cosmetics, for a
living. Invention is a side issue with
him, but he knows that he has talent in
that direction, and he uses it whenever
his business will permit.
81 commenced experimenting with the
subject of air ships many years ago, and in
1885 l completed the first full-sized model
of my invention. 1t was not very large
affair, to be sure, but it was large enough
to demonstrate to my satisfaction that my
plan was the only feasible one yet thought
of, and it proved to me that my ideas
about navigating the air were correct. In
my air ship | have embodied two prin-
ciples. One is a sufficient lifting power to
sustain such weight as it may be required
to carry, with such small comparative
surface, owing to peculiar shape, for the
wind to strike that it amounts to little.
The second is propelling machinery of
sufficient power to drive the air ship
against strong gale and yet to make good
headway against it.
"My working model of the balloon,
which may still be seen in the Military
Museum on Governors Island, was 40 feet
in length, feet in diameter, and was
shaped at the ends like a cigar. 1t was
held in place horizontally by the attach
ments beneath it, to which the car is sus-
pended. The only point of contact with
the wind is the cone end of the balloon,
for it is held in a position of head on to
the wind by means of the stationary sail
which runs along a lghtly-construct
,1,,lar,,aofh ,,,,,ol, IL.
keel of ship. Now, if this balloon was
l 900 feet long, and operated just as this
one was, it would not present greater sur
face for the wind to act upon than if it
were only ten feet long; hence balloon of
enormous lifting power would offer practi-
cally no resistance to the wind. The sail
the balloon can be furled up
when but little wind is blowing, or let
down when there is a strong breeze. The
more surface it presents the steadier the
motion of the balloon, for the reason that
the sail passes through the air edgeways
instead of broadside on, as is the case with
the sails of ships.
"Now inside this main balloon l have
smaller canvas bag, which is connected
with the machinery in the car by rubber
pipes. There is nothing in this smaller
interior balloon. But it has purpose to
serve nevertheless. Suppose the Captain
Of an air ship wants to land a passenger at
the Azores on the way to Spain. He
hovers over the island few minutes, stops
his propelling machinery and then fills
this interior balloon with air. The weight
If the cold air causes the air ship to sink
slowly and gracefully toward the earth.
The decending motion can be stopped at
any point by simply shutting off the air,
and then the propellers may be started
again until landing place is picked out
Then the air is pumped in again until the
nner balloon is filled 1t is of such size
hat when filled with air the balloon will
,est upon the ground, stationary. The
passenger gets out, takes his baggage with
lim, and then the Captain forces the air
,ut of the inner bag and up he goes again.
Simple, isn'tit?
"The propelling power for the ship is
arranged for in three ways Compressed
,ir engines, petroleum engines, or better
han all, electricity. In the model air
hip which ! constructed l used power
'ul sort of clockwork, but my idea at that
ime was to use gas engine. You see,
With gas engine for driving the propeller
wheel, you always have supply of fuel |
With you that not only is not burdensome
o carry, but actually carries the ship in
tead of being carried by it. The burning
If the gas from the balloon will not cause |
t to settle, for my idea was to construct a
,alloon to carry several thousand cubic !
'ards of gas more than was required for |
he lifting power of the balloon. If, how
.ver, electricity is used, there would be
10 necessity for this extra amount of gas.
Vow to get at my idea concisely. We
will say we have balloon that is seven
eet in diameter and of any length, with
fitting power of several thousand pounds.
III the surface it presents for resistance to
he air is conical end, and to drive this
here is a great four-bladed propeller
TheeI, revolving in the air at a great ve-
ocity. Isn't the whole thing bound to
dvance and go ahead? OF course it is. I
elieye that if my ideas are carried out
here will be seen not many years hence
n air ship that will travel at any desired
leYation, faster than a locomotive can
un on track, and safer by far than
ither railroads or steamships. Its within
he possibilities.
81 know that people call all men who
Al -