The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1896-11-26
IS 1T a REAL AIR sHlP7
Caltfornians Stirred Up Over An Alleged
1nventiOn-Sto-ies Of an ATTORNEY.

SeHfeo Up OveE An Alle&00
observation-disclosures of an Attorney.
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. a4.-The
Chronicle prints a story which indicates
that the air-ship in practicable form is
an established fact
About 1 o'clock last Monday morn
ing the inhabitants of Sacramento,
who were astir at that hour, claim tc
have seen an airship passing rapidly
over the city. Some merely said they
saw bright light. while others went
SO far as to say they saw a cigar-shaped
flying machine, and heard human
voices from it. The residents of Oak
land also say they saw the same sight
few nights ago.
George D. Collins, reputable lawyer
of this city, says the airship is a
reality. Mr.. Collins says: 1T is per.
fectly true that there is at last a sue.
cessful airship in existence, ard that
California will have the honor Of bring
ing it before the world. Ihave known
of the affair for some time, and am
acting as attorney for the inventor
He is very wealthy man, who has
been studying the subject of flying
machines for fifteen years. and came
here seven years ago from the state of
Maine in order to be able to perfect his
ideas away from the eyes of other in
vent rs
Il saw the machine one night last
week at the inventors invitation. 1t
is made of metal, is about $50 feet
long and is built to carry fifteen per-
sons. T we're was no motive power as
far as could see-certainly no steam.
1t is built on the aeroplane system and
has two canvas wings eighteen feet
wide and rudder shaped like birds
tail. The inventor climbed into the
machine, and after he had been NOV
ing some of the mechanism for a mo-
ment, saw the thing begin to ascend
from the earth, very gently. The
wings tapped slowly as it rose, and
then q little faster as it began to move
against the wind. The machine was
under perfect control all the time.
when 1t got to a height of about
ninety feet, the inventor shouted to
me that he was going to make series
of circles and then descend. He inn
mediately did so, beginning by making
circle about 100 yards in diameter,
the machine got within thirty feet of
the ground. 1t then fell straight down,
very gracefully. and touched the earth
as lightly as a falling leaf
The reports from Sacramento the
other night were true. 1t was my
clie~''s air-ship the people saw. 1t
started from Oroville. in Butte county,
and Few sixty miles in straight line
dire v over Sacramento. After rum
min: = and down once or twice over
the capital, my friend came right on a
distance of another seventy miles and
landed at spot on the Oakland side
of tn bay, where the machine now
lies, .arded by three men. The in
ventcr found during his trial trip that
his ship had wave-iike motion that
made him seasick. 1t is this defect
that he is now remedying.
I'm another six days the trouble
will be done away with. and it is then
his intention to Immediately give the
people of San Francisco chance to
see his machine. He will fly right
over the city, and across Market street
a dozen times. He can fly with it to
New York tomorrow if he wants to.
''He has forsaken the ideas of Maxim
and Langtry entirely in building the
machine, and has constructed it on an
absolutely new theory"
In spite of Mr.. Collins statement
there are many skeptics who say fatty
they do not believe his story. It is al
most incredible that an airship $50
feet long could be secreted in any
building near San Francisco without
the fact being made public.