Graham guardian., 1895-07-26
WHEELING In TIE AIR.
A Bicycle That Is Intended to Fly
Like a Bird.
On which tho Rider Can Rise or Descend
at WiIl-When Perfected the Ma
chine VIII BE Valuable
War Agent.


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, combining 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 remem-
Der several articles which have APP
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 buoyant force.
One of his latest machines he calls an
air bicycle, and the novel point about it
is that it provides its own wind. A re-
cent description says it is a curious and
ingenious affair and looks like a large
balloon or bag shaped like a boat
turned bottom uppermost. 1t isround-
ed on top and fiat at the bottom, slight
ly 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 a bicycle saddle, with bicycle
handle in front, and cranks and pedals
below Instead of wheels, the pedals
land the handles also when desired)
operate a piston rod, which extends
about fourteen feet ahead, aud on
which is fitted hollow tube ratcheted
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
rigidly fixed on the tubes. On these
two arms of steel is stretched a piece of
light canvas, hanging perpendicularly
down in the same plane as from chin to
feet of the rider, and looking like the
topsail of a 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 and 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 by 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
decend 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
himself astride the saddle, springs into
the air, and as the bicycle rises six or
eight feet, the rider works the pedals,
leans back slightly and up he goes.
Prof. Myers claims that head wind of
ten or fifteen miles an hour will not
interfere with the machines progress,
but is rather an aid as far as labor and
speed are concerned. Owing to the
backward tilt of the spindle, the head
wind rushes under meath, forcing it
upward instead of backward only.
Prof. Myers finds no difficulty in ris-
ing to heights of one thousand feet or
more and circling about at will He
claims it is almost impossible to have
an accident unless the rider throws
himself off. He says: 1.-THE bicycle is
not yet perfected, although with patent
varnishes, new cloths and new styles of
gearing them, have produced balloons
which will last for years instead of
months My aim is to provide suita-
BILE motor to drive it. Then it will be
a machine, indeed. You remember
that in the Franco-Prussian war bal
looms were used for spying purposes
and the conveying of letters, and the
Prussians had to make special guns
with which to shoot at them? Do you
remember that only one or two of the
balloons were ever hit, although they
were totally at the mercy of the wind
currents? Well, suppose get motor
for the bicycle, and coming from ten
miles away at an altitude of two thou
sand feet, do you think anything in the
shape of a gun would be likely to hit
me? Suppose, too, that | sail over
feet or an army with half dozen dyna-
mite cartridges hung on to the horizon
tai shaft, properly weighted to drop
and strike the ground with the busi-
ness end; suppose one or two of these
are cut loose by me at that height,
what would happen? The air bicycle
is capable of such work, as well as car
rying lifeline to a wrecked ship, or
thousand other things"
Triumph of Engineering.
One of the most remarkable things