The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-12-11
TIN AIR SHIP.
TIN AIR SHIP.
One Falls Not Far From San
Francisco.
This One Is Not a Fake But a
Real Ship.
1T is FORTY FEET LONG
And Cylindrical in Shape-Oc-
cupants UnhUrt.
Details Of Its Down Coming
and It's Construction.
IT is FORTY FEET LONG

San Francisco. Dec. 11-An air ship
1 built of galvanized sheet steel. 40 feet
/ long caused much excitement among
I the people on the Mission hills last ev-
ening.
4 They saw 1t sail over the Twin Peaks
and then getting out of order in some
way it made wild plunge into a gulch
200 yards south of the Corbett road,
near what is known as Stanford
Heights.
Its two occupants We're turned out Of
the cockpit in which they stood and
landed badly bruised in the bottom Of
the gulch.
When seen late at night by two Call
reporters the huge metal affair present
ga pitiable appearance.
The propeller was twisted and bent;
one elevating fan was ripped off and lay
on the ground, while the other was bad
~ twisted from the force Of the shock
A large hole in its side permitted the
escape of a sickish smelling gas The
steering apparatus, rudder, as it was
called, which had been on the bow, was
also broken off.
As stated, the machine was about 40
feet long and was of cylindrical shape,
with both ends cone shaped.
Near by stood one of the bold, but I'M
lucky aeronauts, j. ID. de Gear Of 53S
Fulton street
He looked WOefullv at the wreck and
thanked his lucky stars that he was
stil alive. The other man. the inventor.
had disappeared as soon as he found
that no bones were broken
De Gear positively refused to reveal
the name of the inventor
De Gear. upon being pressed. told in
substance the following story Of the air
ship and the accident:
III am tin roofer and metal worker
and the inventor who has the money is
a we'll educated man. Some time ago
we decided to build an air ship and we
built this one in the Mission. We put it
together up the hill back of here in
clump of trees.
This was our first attempt to make
light The hydrogen gas used is made
from muriatic acid, and the fans and
propellers are operated by electricity
This evening the inventor and I
started out from the hill up yonder to
see how it would work. but after we got
started we failed to rise over ten feet
from the ground, as the metal of the
fans was too thin for the work they had
to do
IN short time we saw we had
trouble ahead. for we lost control of it
and away we went.
Il cant describe the sensation better
than to say It was feeling similar to
that one has when he had a nightmare
and dreams that he is falling.
You see We started high up the hill
SO our downward flight was very long,
or SO it seemed to US. But we were in
for it and did not have very long to
wait
When we struck we struch hard in
the soft ground. and the force Of our
flight carried US over and into the gulch
where We were thrown to the bottom of
No I VIII not tell who the inventor is
nor where it was built. We are not dis
Outraged for we know we can fly when
this is perfected It needs strengthen
Is this one of the ships seen over the
city with electric lights, etc. 2" was
asked.
the people connected with the air ships
the papers have mentioned
This is a private enterprise. the /
luck, and he scraped a chunk Of mud /
off his coat
The first news of the unfortunate air
snip was obtained from Emile H. La /
place, who has milk ranch on the Cor /
pert ROAD, ABOUT zOU yards from where !
the air ship lies. In his words he said: |
I was about to go to bed when /
heard noise down the pasture. 1t
sounded Ike a collision Of trains loaded /
"A second later heard two voices
down the gulch crying Help, helpi I /
found this affair"
Mr.. Laplaee says that the ship could
not have been built near this place for
there are no trees there to conceal it
and he knew every inch of the country
therea bouts.
He is sure that the air ship came
from distance, but how far, he is I'M
able to say.
He says that as soon as the inventor
learned that he was a bout to telephone
to town from the almshOuse. he skipped
out for the city, but not before the two
mad stripped the wrecked vessel of all
the electric appliances and storage bat
teries- so as to prevent curious outsiders
from getting an idea of the theory and
principles they are working on
The machine adhereS in a manner 10 /
the usual cigar shape. 1t is about 40
feet in length and is built of galvanized
sheet steel
The main body or hull of the contriv-
ance is cylindrical in shape ten feet in
diameter. and 20 feet i'm length.
Attached with rivets and thoroughly
sOldered to the body are two metal
cones each ten feet in length
Two eight bladed fans. each a few
inches over six feet in diameter. are To-
Gated on top Of the body. and are ayi-
IDENTIFY capable of tremendous sneed
The vessel is fitted with a huge pro
pelier. also elgnt bladed, which is fur
nished with power from a steel shaft
running TO the center Of the hull.
A similar shaft runs forward and pro
trudes through the end of the front
cone and to this shaft the ruddar M
steering apparatus is attached
In the center Of the ship lies the Sc
cret which its builder refuses to thor
oughly explain-the vessels motive
He acknowledges the power to be an
intricate electrical apparatus. run b1-
storage batteries and connected bv
means Of a worm and cogs to the driv-
ing gear.
He also says that the storage batter
les are capable Of carrying sufficient
electricity to run incandescent lights
one of which, the aeronaut said is al
ways kept burning when the ship is in
motion.
Not how cheap out how good is the
way we try to do our work Peerless
Steam Laundry. 1l2 and ia West Sth
Shirts. collars ana cuns iaundered