Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-12-10
N oueRsIeHTlhS SCIENCE

4 woh1e''
an Knew Potts. lie had mover had much
.,v about himself all his life. and SO
..srybcdy had come TO lock upon him as
IAN with few ideas; but he owned halt
,hs town. and 1t was whispered that
!. sould buy the other half. so for that
.,sop II for no other. he was treated
"jh great respect.
y ne town. His house was of palatial
s'rsnslons, and the grounds around II
screred many acres. Around house and
~v",nds wns n high board fence, so that
Ky NO tallcat mon In Pottsville could
y, have looked over 1t, and so tight that
X. keenest curiosity could not have OBJ
,sIoed the faintest glimpse OF what was
sslnr on on the inside.
Fol two or three years boxes contnlhlng
po,,s and had been hauled up 10 his
tSwse on the hill. Several gangs OF
.rsnre men had come there also, one
rssg always relieving the other, all GO
iss away again as they had come, mys-
,e,ously without telling their business
"a any one In tho town
mi Potts aerial proiectile was finished
=, last 1t was announced to the world.
inyitatlona had been sent out to the most
hs,,ed men OF all countries to come and
,nrssiignie IT, and to make the initial
Nh in IL around the earth In something
tss than two hours.
Ton great men came from foreign lands,
two from famous kalamazoo and one
nom Pine Ridge. They were all invited
o Potts big house. The ten great men
from foreign laEds and the two from
Kalamazoo refused to do more than bare
tolerate Dooley, from Pine Ridge. whose
pnly claim to greatness was q wooden
-. .lN
ana then. TOO. Docley looked rather green
ana was very young.
When thoy We're all assembled Totts
proceeded TO show them his proJtctile and
% explain the principle upon which II was
me machine WIS cigar-shaped, made of
some material lighter and more durable
than aluminium, AT the blunt end Of II
was a fan-shaped screw propeller thirty
fee, long. After the prolcctile was Wen
under way Il was calculated that each
revolution OF the screw would send II for
ward nearly the length of the screw, or
less Y per cent. allowing for friction,
which would make Il II little over twenty
The Interior walls of the machine were
arranged Into electric storage batterlcs,
which, when once charged, would last for
a journey Of tour days, and ns the ma.
chine was calculated 10 make the circuit
o. the globe In less than, .wo hours iis
IS 70 simple Mg5S Potts ssia,ncd "Thc
helix Of the motor is ten feet in diameter.
and when all the power IL tntn,d on II
tons per second. on the outer. rim OF
this helix q band Ia PLACID, which runs
over wheel only one and oue-luuicr
feet IN diameter, and $ fast TO the shaft
which connects the scrSY-fl1 propelit u.
Thus the 1870 revolutions OF the big wheel
are converted into something like H,JOO
On the small one. per second, which is the
eAme as saying, after allowing for fric-
nrnnAltAr
yolved 10000 times per secUnd, which is
al, AZ ne velocity needed TO carry on, my
"But--" Dooley began.
Excuse me. young man." said the mem
oer nom Polynesia, frowning. Then he
turned TO Potts.
Mr. Potts" he said, "But will you kindly
ttl Us how you elevate the machine. II
having no wings. no aeroplanesi
Potts smiling, 'Srhe masn,me iii ise.
however assure you, as 1 VIII prove
70 you at the proper time. willaW frto,
however, that the impression that 'e'Ccity
cywcomes gravitation is Gironcoua. Yes,
ne Idea IL erroneous. 0rdvh alton nctH
upon the swlftest as well as IN the slow
~ ptojeetle. and Il would do 30 even
we're there no atmosphere to impede rs
onward night. have recognt;ed this
overcome It,"
Velocity VIII do It," smiled Potts.
But you said Just now, you know. that
velocity doesn't overcome gravltation."
said the man from the British Isles.
1T looks like contradiction" Potts
admitted. but this is the way OF II. The
curvature OF the earth's surface is eight
inches for the first mile. thirty-two inches
iot the second and so on, the rulo being,
You Know. 10 square the number OF
mles. and multiply the product by eight.
avp feet per second, will fave moved for
NAfa that distance, and have fallen tarth-
saru 10 feet the first second of It's night
nut " VIII be no nearer to the earth. Tor
we curvature OF the earth Will have
saused the earth's surface to haye faiien
sway almost exactly the same distance,
,Ah, yes" they all exclaimed In cnorus
"Mr. Potts. allow me 10 speak for my
trends, IA well as for myself" said one
~ lhe men from kalamazoo, after consult.
~ ASIDE with the others for a iitLle
tad Ne congratulate you. There is only
XIV ,hing you have not made clear to W.,
NJ mat, You say, you wiz prove TO VI
,uent!emen. thank YOU" said Potts
s0mims. Now. " you viii excuse me ioi
lew minutes ! will show to you that
~ brief time ut least, my machine DO
nes even the law OF gravitation."
ade Of the .projecifle. wen, inside and
| -@'Nh Aht uODT
AN M less than minute the machine pc
w 70 move; 1t rose slowly upward, per,
rwsnsdnlenlarly. Into. the air, to tho neigh,
y lu.ly hundred feet. For a moment II
sas stationary; then Il began to descend
I'm. ard finally It landed In precisely
~ same place from which II had risen
aaieW moments later Potts sprang to the
s,vuhd and stood triumphant among tn,
enpszed spectators.
ss,ressshtIy, however the two great mHr
ia',n kalamazoo found their yoicee. anc
VAN breath proposed three cheers iol
s rSsus and his wonderful machlOc. The
heartily.
vMhen the excitement had abatod some.
va,ns. We man from Gael pulled out MI
ansn ana looked at II hastily,
=. ueh,lemen." he cried, ''what say you 4
dnrasaske q "trip around the globe before
Samnesr There Is plenty OF tirne-thfe'
~ and we need only two"
,ni am at your service" said Potts, go
~ 70 The door OF the proIectile, and hold
M open. ENTER, gentlemen"
,ha..ey al made n rush TO get IN first. ans
aaais',, caused some confusion ana littl'
s,ssi,, which enabled Dooley who wal
,moid' waitl There Is AN oversight II
nav sn' Deoley was too late. All the grcal
@s, and Potts. had entered. and the doo
"' smut behind them.
,sann,,a little while the proJectlle began 9
n IA nv lp0oley ran forward ana tired u
HI DOWN. but IL slipped away from nj u
vsaer ana higher It went. until at last !
~ thousands OF feet. In the air. an
"nere y stood stationary.