The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-02-18

Mr.. Gerber has been thinking with fright
full velocity for several years. He is one of
the few inventors who uses his own thinker
exclusively in the evolution of truly re-
markable machines. No one with even a
dOuble-geared thinker could ever hope to
produce anything like them.
The old man is nearly so years of age and
has been steadily lnventlng things for over
half century. He has not exercised his
inventive genins In the hope Of pecuniary
reward, which is all for the best, perhaps.
or he would have reason 10 feel disap-
pointed.
His object In life Is TO benefit mankind,
and with this end in view he has turned out
some really marvellous appliances, with the
aid OF which man can emulate the birds of
the air aud the fishes in the sea.
That is, man could do this, Mr.. Gerber is
con fdent if he had the means 10 build the
machine. lie has nothing but working
models, and the few dimes he makes is only
sufficient TO support himself and aged wife.
He is now looking for a rich partner to
help him launch the flying balloon on the
world, and make glad the hearts OF men,
women and letter-carriers. The latter. he
thinks, could effect a great saving in legs
with one of the machines.
1t was only three months ago that Mr..
Gerber thought Of the flying balloon. He
was one day working away az his bench
mending shoes with his parrot sitting on
us pefcl close y mat parrot, by the
way, is most remarkable bird
IL never says anything because il has
trouble enough already. There Is some
thing wrong with the birds face. Il Is too
fertile for the upper bill, which grows a
prodigious rate
Even now ii is nearly three inches long,
curling downward and back toward the
parrot, which is marked by the deepest
melancholy. Every few days Mr.. Gerber
saws an inch or so off the end Of this trail
ing beak 10 prevent it from growing into
the vitals of the bird and bringing about an
untimely end Mr.. Gerber SAYS he used to
saw the beak off close to the parrots face,
but the rasping so annoyed 1t that he now
confines his Surgery to the extreme end.
1t was while enjoying the society of this
Borrowing and extremely irascihle biped
one day that the flying balloon afflatus sud-
denly broke out in Mr. Gerber's Inventive
brain. Fl was thinking of the possibility Of
war with England at the time, and the bal
loon raj idly took shape. Then he set to
work on the model
The machine is to be built of bullet-proof
aluminium strong enough TO carry bombs
which, II dropped upon England, would
blow that kingdom out of the water
However, Mr.. Gerber Is pesceaole man
himself aud does not believe in boodshed.
Yet if the safety of the country demanded
it he would be willing to enter the struggle
with his flying balloon.
1t is designed more for pleasure and in
time may usurp The bicycle, the livery rig
and even the cable car, but Mr. Gerber is
especially DESTROYS of Frightening the letter.
carriers pathway 10 the cold and silent
tomb.
The inventor Is a queer old character.
surrounded by queer machines intended to
navigate the air and the depth Of the sea-
His working models are made OF clgar-box
timber. bits OF cardboard. sDools and strings.
He has faith in the ultimate success of each
nm n In L.,
the wealth 10 build the machines.
One OF his earlier inventions was OF an
aquatic nature. This was pair of cork
boots, with which he intended 10 walk from
San Francisco 10 Alameda without getting
his feet wet He worked three wears on the
boots, and also completed during that tine
cork walking-stick to be used on tha
journey. But one night his shop took Fl
and the cork boots persisted In the flames
before he had chance to use them
This serious blow to the advancement OF
aquatic science occurred thirty-one years
ago last summer. 1t Is perhaps well that
the boots were DESTROYED, as many subse-
quent Inventions might have been lost to
the world.
Mr.. Gerber next turned his attention TO
the rmination OF the dread phyIloxera.
and brought forth compound that Knocked
the bugs higher than kite.
In spite oil his earnest endeavor the Cham
Der OF Commerce have refused to take hold
OF the eXtermnat0r, but the Minister of
Agriculture in France, Mr.. Gerber's native
land. tried it with great success. The in
veDtOr also sent some to the Chamber of
Commerce at Berlin. and received very
fiattering letter in reply. From that time
on pbyloxera did not do very well in Ger
many.
Though 1t has been many years since Mr.
Gerber went out of the bug killing business.
he still retains large jar of dark and for
bidding liquid marked "anti-phylloxera'' ON
a shelf within easy reach.
1t was about this time he turned for TO-
lief to aerial navigation, and made models
as fast as he could think of new IDEAS for
soaring in the sky.
His little shop is full Of these productions
sitting on shelves or suspended from the
ceiling. There are armored cruisers with
wings, and any quantity of individual fy-
ing machines with paper propelers. Dur
ing the big storm last fall sudden gust Of
wind blew down the chimney and several of
the machines took flight. They flew rapIdIy
around the room TO the great amazement OF
the parrot. knocking into each other and
breaking OIL some wings, but the damage
was easily repaired.
One little aerial cOnceit 10 which tho in
ventor takes great pride Is labeled ".Jean
| Il. Gerber's improved hippodrome railway
especially designed and adapted for keeping
children oil the street. AS the passenger
baskets or cars run on poles 100 feet high the
inventor will no doubt accomplish that OBJ
| lect should the Supervisors take favorable
| notice OF the hippodrome
Some time ago, he says, Mr.. Gerber re-
| ceved call from Mrs. Sarah Il. Cooper.
| whom he tried to interest in the hippo.
| drome railway on behalf of the kinder