The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1892-06-10
WORLDS FAIR CITY.
Principal Features of the Coming
treat Event.
A New Airship to Be Exhibited-The Prob
lem of Aerial Navigation-A New Tenn
pie of Art Rising Out of the
Old Exposition Building.
Especial Correspondence


tions of certain Cincinnati people
are realized the worlds fair will
be characterized by tan event that
viii stamp it at once, without regard to
any other feature. as the most impor-
tant of all industrial expositions.
These men intend to sail to Chicago in
an airship and exhibit the machine at
the exposition.
It has been thought that the glory of
the worlds fair would consist chiefly in
its electrical exhibit; that the electric
current, which is destined to produce in
the industry of the future revolution
similar to that brought about by steam in
the recent past. would for the first time
come into its own at this exposition,
marking thereby the beginning of new
| industrial era. in which the electricity
building will be the leading attraction
of expositions. as machinery hall was
wont to be at all the expositions of the
past thirty years.
However. if there is to be an airship.
that is. a successful one, then such an
exhibit would at once shift the center
of importance to the new invention.
There has rarely been worlds ex-
position at which some attempt was not
made to exhibit an airship. There
have been several suggestions for an
| airship for our worlds fair.
First there was Pennington's alumni
ium airship. 1t sailed around in the
old exposition building for a little
while. but did not last. The first sue
cessful Journey it accomplished was
| made when it was recently taken to
the suburb of Washington Heights-on
a freight car The invention has not
vet been given up, however.
| Then came the Maxim airship, and it
was expected to carry off the honOrs,
for it glided easily into public notice
on a certificate from the Smithsonian
| institution as to its practicability. But
! the atmosphere, not being yet mOnopo-
lied by the government. refused to rec
ocnize the certificate. There seems to
be hitch somewhere. and the Maxim
airship is still in the air, so to speak.
Now comes the Cincinnati invention.
1t is described as huge metallic cylin-
der with conical ends, large rudder
and propelling screws. The inventors
predict that they will make the trip
from New York to Liverpool in forty
eight hours, which is at the rate of
something over sixty miles an hour or
mile a minute
By far the most assuring reports as
to the solution of the problem of aerial
navigation come from Germany and
Switzerland. / had occasion to talk
with a man recently from Switzerland
and heard some really astounding
things. Some weeks ago. every one
will remember. the papers reported
that flying machines were seen over the
Russian border. coming from Germany.
that they sailed and steered appar-
emily with perfect disregard of the
wind. My informant adds such contir-
nation to these reports as to leave lit
tie room for doubt as to their anthem
ITCHY.
| Accordingly, large machine build
ing firm of Berlin made some expert
ments in Switzerland last October with
a flving machine which were eminently
successful. They flew from one noun
tain peak to another at a velocity which
is compared to that of the carrier
pigeon The highest record of these
birds is about mile a minute. This
airship. therefore. seems to accomplish
what the Cincinnati people claim for
theirs.
OF course. a description of the airship
is out of the question, the construction
being secret of the manufacturer and
the German government which pays a
million marks for It's use. Allthat was
obtainable is that it succeeded in a
most ingenious way in initiating the
; flight of birds. wings and inclined plane
and all The only drawback was that
the material for the propellers was not
strong enough and broke repeatedly.
But this seems to have been overcome.
The most convincing and really as
. touishinC circumstance about the whole
matter" saws my informant, lis the
confident tone in which the traffic de-
: partment of the Swiss government
speaks OF the affair. 1t evidently con
siders that the problem has been
: solved, and recommends in an official
: report that the government assume the
monopoly of the aerial traffic. 1t goes
so far as to advise the government to
/ reconsider its resolution to buy up a
! certain railroad in the canton OF
Berne, inasmuch as in the near future
railroads would sink TO a secondary
place and be used only for local trans
> portation, all other traffic being sure
= to be absorbed by the new engine.
Now, what look upon as remarkable
, is that so conservative and slow going
; body as q department of a European
government surrounded by a corps OF
the most efficient experts should be
, come 50 enthusiastic over the inven'
{ ton. think we are safe in accepting
the Judgment of such men"
r The great pity about this invention
: which NAV turn out TO be the greatest
I of the age. is that it will not come &c
r our exposition. The construction Is q
. secret and the mechanism is surrounded
with as much secrecy as possible. Only
the German and Swiss governments
can use il. Of course it will leak out
after awhile. but not in time for the
worlds fair, l am afraid. Some have
[, said that the German emperor might
: visit the fair. If ne travelled in an air
ship he might make the trip in three
DAYS. which would keep him neal
enough to his country at all times I'm
i, agine an emperor visiting the exposi
ton in an airship. Ignatius DonneIly':
dream would seem almost Outdone.
. That alrship of Pennington's was al
most the last thing shown at the ole
: exposition building. The old building
Is coming down fast Only a few sec
lions of the walls remain standing, anc
!, amid the ruins are rising the walls o.
+ba nay1, a-+ t.anula II was an inter