The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-05-13
TO MOUNT SKYWARD
Plans of William Allan's Air.
Ship Completed.
READY TO BEGIN BUILDING
A Great siIken Machine which VIII Re.
duce the Air to slavery-oners OF
Financial Aid.

william Allan, of Ballard, yesterday gave to a
| observation-disclosures reporter full description
| of his air ship, which was briefly mentioned in
f! the columns of the Posr-IsTELLIGESCER several
months ago. After that notice appeared Mr..
Allan received large number OF letters from all
parts OF the United States and one or two from
Europe inquiring for further particulars about
his aerial machine. One man from Portland
wrote offering to take $4,000 worth of shares in
stock company to construct his flying appar-
atus. He said he had implicit faith in the pos
sibilities of aerial navigation, and had West
coast pride in desiring the honor OF the in
vention 10 belong TO the Pacific slope. Mr..
Allan received numerous other fattering offers
of financial assistance, but at that time bis
plans, diagrams, models, ETC.. were not
sufficiently matured to warrant him
in accepting any. During the last
few months, however, he, with the
assistance of one of the ablest draughtsmen in
the country, has been working hard upon all
the details OF the machine, and he is now ready
to begin the active construction OF his inven-
tion and to consider all offers that may be made.
The story of Mr. Allan's late labor is told best
in his own words. "The common term air
Ship" said he, sis scarcely applicable to my
aerial invention, for it Ia my design to use only
large inflated propeller or screw, with small
cabin inside of it, the weight OF which would
be used like the weight in clock, to whirl the
entire machine, and screw it through the air
like an auger
"There is no pondrous. bulky ship to be
driven ahead, or dragged behind, nothing but
the propeller, cabin and rudder, the whole for
ward resistance being less than one-ffth OF the
propelling surface.
at is more particularly described as follows:
outwardly it resembles an immense barrel with
both ends knocked out so that the air can pass
through IL without obstruction. This barrel is
made not of heavy oak slaves and iron hoops,
but Of gas confined in Enclosures OF oiled silk.
Fastened to the inside of this open barrel, or
cylinder OF gas, are wide silk hanges running
spirally like the threads of a screw. These
hanges are kept in place by cords OF uniform
length stretched across from side to side Of the
barrel. A light hollow center shaft Is also held
In place by these cords. and the rudder which is
also inflated, is hinged to one end of the center
shaft, and can be turned in any direction re-
CURED to steer the machine upward downward
or sideways. The cabin is suspended inside of
the propeller underneath the center of the CEN
ter shaft, with nothing to obstruet the forward
or rear view, except few cords, which will not
be visible when the propeller is in notion
GLOW will you illustrate your eccentric
weight-revolving principle?' asked the reporter.
Mr.. Allan said: "Let us imagine this light,
inflated propeller suspended in the air by its
own buoyancy, evenly balanced and with no
bearings to cause friction. Then let us put an
endless chain or rope ladder round the centre
shaft and commence climbing one side of the
endless ladder. OF course, If the centre shaft
was two feet In diameter. you could not climb
as last as the propeller would spin round, but
that difficulty is overcome by an adjustable pull
| ley, which can be reduced, when necessary,
| from two feet to one inch in diameter, and vice
versa. With this reduced pulley you would
have to climb only three inches to each revolu-
| ton OF the propeller, which, being over twenty
five feet in diameter, could not possibly revolve
| faster than You could climb the ladder with
| ease This partially illustrates the manner in
which the weight of the cabin, passengers and
| power are utilized to whirl the immense in
fated screw at a terrific rate through the air.
In conclusion Mr.. Allan said: 81 need not
| 'hand-over-hand engine, which I have designed
for the application of this eccentric weight re-
| volving principle, but it will readily be seen
that the power required is exceedingly small, az
| there is no friction whatever to overcome"
Mr. Allan has not confined his inventive
| genius to aerial ships. He has also been work
| ing upon model of ship to sail upon the high
| seas The ship will be propelled by q power
| constructed on the same principles which are
| applied to his air ship, aud he says ship thus
| constructed will undoubtedly attain q speed
| greater than that of any vessel hitherto built
| He has already manufactured an ingenious toy
| propeller, which contains two spiral springs
| which turn in opposite directions, and when
1 thrown in the water skins with great rapidity
| over its surface. His unicycle, thirty-ive feet
| in diameter, has been built at great expense and
| labor, and will some day probably be of great
| practical utility