The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-06-29
TO Ely OVER NIAGARA
The Apparatus With Which Inventor
Campbell Proposes to Defy the Falls.

The Apparatus With Which Inventor
Campbell Proposes to Defy the Falls.
From the Philadelphia Press
BUFFALO, June 22.-The much talked of
trip over the Niagara cataract, to be at
tempted by the latest of Prof. CampbelIs
air ships, after number Of postponements,
IS at last likely to become an accomplished
fact. Prof. Campbell arrived in town
about week ago, and for the last three
days he has been busily engaged in making
the f1nal preparations for the initial trip OF
the flyer The finishing touches, which
were all that the ship needed when the pro
feSSor arrived, consisted in covering the
wings aud repainting and decorating. Since
the professors arrival the ship has been re-
moved from the somewhat dingy workshop
OF its maker, Adolphus Mitchell, a. No. 1872
Clinton street, to an unoccupied barn near
by, where it has since received its fresh
coat of paint The material with WHICH
the wings are to be covered has been pro-
cured and is ready for adjustment. The
top rod OF the car, to which the balloon is
fastened. will be of steel twenty-five feet
long. The basket will be constructed of
thia wire work, three feet square aud three
feet high. The basket will be suspended
from the balloon by thin steel rods made
especially for the purpose. The balloon
will be filled with gas, and will have just
strength enough to float the ship few feet
from the ground. All of the other move
ments of the ship will be caused by the
propellers and wings, which are designed to
perform the same functions as the wings of
d bird.
The wings and propellers will be moved
by small electric battery placed in one
corner of the car ana operated by four
levers, with side lever for the different
motions of the wings. Two of the four
propellers will be used to raise the car to
the required hight, and also to draw it back
to the ground. as the balloon will remain
stationary the moment these propellers
cease to work. A third propeller will be
run by belt and used to assist the wings
in turning the balloon from side to side.
When properly operated the ship can be
made TO swing around as If on pivot The
other propeller will be used to send the ship
either forward or backward, as the case
may require. The wings will run up on
each side of the balloon to hight of four
feet. They are twenty feet long, and will
be composed Of a fine quality of silk
spread over a bamboo frame. When the
operator wants to turn to the right the left
wing is raised and the right wing lowered,
at the same time setting in motion the pro-
peller run by the belt, which serves the
same purpose as birds tail. If any part
OF the machinery breaks. the wings can be
spread out in horizontal position and they
will cause enough resistance to the air to
allow the whole car to sink slowly to the
ground. Thus they comprise both rudder
and parachute The car will hold two per-
sons. but can be easily operated, as Campbell
says, by one man who understands the
workings A recent idea conceived by the
professor is a telephone he has just ordered
which will he cOnnactad with the shin 81
that the occupants can speak to the specta-
tors from a hight of about 200 feet.
On Wednesday the machine will be taken
to Canada for trial trip, and then Camp
bell will fly over the falls two weeks from
TODAY,