The morning times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1897, 1896-08-09
Michigan Inventor Making an Aluminium Rocket That Shoots
Upward Two Miles a Minute.
10 BE AIMED BY ASTRONOMERS TOWARD THE MOON
Shot Forth From an Immense Electric Machine
Resting Upon Highly Charged Platform.

air. How shall you descend with safety,
and how can you proleng your stay alOft?
IN THE AIR.
This the new machine has solved by
parachutes. They offer the best known
resistance to the air." the professor de-
! clares. And that he is right anyone can
test by jumping from a shed with a
strong umbrella over the head. A per-
fectly smooth descent is certain, il the UNI
breila is held steady and does not break
nor let air through it.
The air rocket must be fitted with a
parachute at each end. At the moment
that the rocket is expelled into the air
the baud OF the professor will be upon
the lever that operates the parachutes.
Tue flight into the clouds will not take
over sixty seconds. Its stoppage can be
speedily determined by the turning OF the
swivel and the slant of the rocket as
ats speed slackens.
AT this second the engineer opens the
parachutes with quick motion. They
will instantly lie spread out against the
clouds. Immediately the rockies comes to
IA standstiil, and the aeronauts can gaze
around them.
But as perpetual stiffness has never been
found any more than perpetual motion,
the parachute will move on, the wind
VIII carry it along one way aud gravity
will take it downward. Mechanical de
vices for steadying it as 1t floats along
and steering it-the desired way have been
fitted TO the rocket. There are also three
small engines, which will force the rocket
higher in the air while in this steady
position. and they can travel many miles.
Steering will be the least OF all diff
cuticS. as this rocket, unlike balloon.
has no great amount OF air in it, and
is, therefore, not so very light Briloons
dance so that it is impossible to hold or
steer them.
The trouble with the rocket will be to
keep 1t from coming down too fast. It
should descend by easy stages until it
touches the earth. perhaps ten hours after
1t took its meteoric course through the
air. The course upward IN a slant took
sixty seconds Getting down should take
ten hours, coming straight down.
1f the parachutes work right there will
be 10 trouble. But if they get slaDted or
turned in any way, quick drop is ineri
table. But to prevent this a mechanical
cnntrvance has been made which will
turn the parschutes the way they should
go, keeping them always fun of wind and
floating directly overhead. This is done
by placing them in u kind of swivel. by
which they are independent of the rocket.
There Is also oontrivanc. for guiding
them should they turn independently.
Al IiS HtluS SGdNlty the SwlNels may
cease to work so far up in the clouds. and
in that case the rocket will have a ct,r-
Dartment inside for the adventurous in
ventor.
Numerous inventors have tried this ne.
fore and have filed certain rocket patents.
These are now ready TO claim that Prof.
MCEwen has adopted some of their IDEAS
The details Of this rcma rkab rocket are
being kept as still as possible that the sur
prise may he all the greater and also that
the professor may re guarded as much as
possible from oppressive notoriety. The
one thought now is not viii it work."
hut viii people believe in IL and give it
their respect"
AT its very best behavior the rocket
should fly into the air and, when Mt its
height. the parachutes should fill me-
chaDically with air and the rocket start
downward SO slowly as not TO re visibly
fflliDg. But there are hand appliances
If the mechanical ones should fail.
The, place desired for this ascension is
Hyde Park, Chicago; but the inventor, =
it is claimed, viii prefer some less con-
spicuous place to make the trial; for
upon the trial the machine will be made
or inarred forever. 1t is likely it will
take place secretly, and in the dead of
night. Itsaim will be at the full moon for a
target, and the marksmap an experienced
astron onef.