The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current, 1895-08-01
WHEELING In THE AIR.
A Bicycle That Is Intended to Fly
Like a Bird.
On Which the Rider Can Rise or Descend
at Will-When Perfected the Ma
chino VIII Be a Valuable
War Agent.

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evolving practical machine. Some of
them continue to experiment with fly
ing machines. doing away to greater or
less extent with gas as a buoyant
force, and others make gas their main
stay, confining themselves to means of
controlling the balloon when once in
the air Everybody has probably heard
of Prof. Carl Myers, the famous aero
naut, of Frankfort, n Y, and readers
OF the Illustrated Express may remcm-
Der several articles which have ap-
peared in this paper from his pen
Some months ago the Express contained
an illustrated article describing his bal
loon farm, as he calls his headquarters
at Frankfort. Naturally, Prof Myers
is one of those who are studying the
problem of aerial navigation, and,
equally naturally, in his efforts to solve
that problem, he does not discard the
use of gas as a buoyant force
One of his latest machines he calls an
air bicycle, and the novel point about it
is that it provides it's own wind. A re-
cent description says it is d curious and
ingenious affair and looks like large
balloon or bag shaped like a boat
turned bottom uppcrmost. 1t is round
ed on top and flat at the bottom, slight
~ following toward the center, as an
inverted boat would. The bag is filled
with hydrogen. Attached to the net
ting which covers the bag are two
stays, which support very light but
strong skeleton of steel. On this is
placed bicycle saddle, with bicvcle
handle in front, and cranl1s and pedals
below. Instead Of wheels, the pedals
land the handles also when dcsircd)
operate piston rod, which extends
about fourteen feet ahead, and on
which is fitted a hollow tube ratchcted
onto or cogged into the mechanism
operated by the pedal. At the extreme
end OF this tube is a rigid steel arm,
which, when at rest, lies at right an
giles to the head, and about six feet
nearer the rider is corresponding arm
rigid]y fixed on the tubes. On t.esc
two arms Of steel is stretched q piece Of
light canvas, hanging perpendicularly
down IN the same plane as from chin to
feet OF the rider, and looking like the
topsall OF ship beating to windward.
When the pedals are operated the steel
arm at the extreme end of the shaft is
turned back and forth, and this action
twists and untwists the sail into a
right and then into left-hand helix.
such as would be produced by taking a
square sheet of paper with one hand at
each end and twisting the hands in op-
posite directions. This action of the
cloth produces current of wind, which
strikes backward ana upward against
the under surface of the balloon and
causes it SO soar up in the air. The
machine IS like the toy balloons one
buys at the dry goods stores for chill
dren, which will not rise by them
Selves but blow under them and up
they go. The entire weight of this
machine is about fifteen pounds The
hydrogen is made from water bv a
patent process of Mr.. Myers, and its
purpose is simply to counteract the
weight Of the rider. There is no
rudder. TO rise it is only necessary to
lean backward and work the pedals: to
aecend one leans slightly forward; to
turn to the right or left one leans in
the direction desired. In short, it is
like riding bicycle, except that there
is no front wheel to turn.
To start the machine the rider places
astride the saddle, springs into
the air, and as the bicycle rises six or
eight feet, the rider works the pedals,
cans back slightly and up he goes
Prot. Myers claims that head wind of
zen or fifteen miles an hour will not
interfere with the machines progress.
out is rather an aid as far as labor and
speed are concerned. Owing to the
tilt of the spindle, the head
wind rushes under meath, forcing it
Upward instead of backward only.
Prof. Myers finds no difficulty in ris-
ng to heights of one thousand feet or
more and circling about at will. He
claims it is almost impossible to have
In accident unless the rider throws
himself off. He says: s"The bicycle is
lot yet perfected, although with patent
'arnlshes, new cloths and new styles of
gearing them, have produced balloons
which will last for years instead of
months. Ny aim is to provide suita-
'le motor to drive it. Then it will he
; machine, indeed. You remember
hat in the Franco -Prussian war hal
oons were used for spying purposes
nd the conveying of letters, and the
russians had to make special guns
With which to shoot at them? Do YOU
emember that only one or two of the
'allcons were ever hit, although they
we're totally at the mercy of the wind
urrents? Well, suppose get motor
or the bicycle, and coming from ten
allies away at an altitude of two thou
and feet, do you think anything in the
hape OF gun would be likely to hit
1e? Suppose, too, that l sail over
eet or an army with half dozen dyna-
lite cartridges hung on to the horizon
al shaft, properly weighted to drop
nd strike the ground with the busi-
ess end; suppose one or two of these
re cut loose by me at that height,
hat would happen? The air bicycle
capable of such work, as well as car
wing lifeline to a wrecked shin. or
Thousand other thinrro