The record-union., 1896-11-23
Its Lights Seen
Last Night.
Said to be an OrOville
Invention.
Was Seen Over Oakland
on Saturday.
Statement OF a San Francisco
Lawyer.
The Inventor 10 His CIient-Only the
Lights Could be Seen
last Night
Statement OF a San Francisco
Lawyer.

The mysterious aerial visitor that has
been causing so much discussion and
agitation since Tuesday last again
gave Sacramento call last evening,
and the reputation OF the whisky dis
pensed here bids fair to be v1ndicated.
About o'clock the air-ship (Which it
now seems to be) passed over the city,
or the southern end of 1t, and slowly
sailed away and disappeared in the
mists and darkness of the southeastern
sky. That is, large and bright elec-
trio light was seen by any number of
persons, including those of the Record
Union" office. 1t was not near enough,
and the sky was too black to enable
anyone to distinguish anything more
than the large bright light carried by
the air-ship. and which Is evidently pro-
duced by an electric battery. 1t Is un-
like any other light, being clear and
sharp.
The light came from the east at an
elevation apparently of 500 or 900
feet, going in southeasterly direction
It was in sight for over an hour. except
that for Intervals of a few minutes 1t
would suddenly disappear. as If being
obscured by some part OF the flying ma
chine to which it is supposed to be at
tached.
Ed Carragher Of the Saddle Rock Res
tauFant states that by the aid Of
night glass he was able to make out
dark object above the light, and the out
line Of the supposed air-ship.
All sorts OF jokes have been made at
the expense of Sacramentans since last
Wednesdays publication of the stories
of an air-ship passing over Sacramento,
but 1t now seems the thing has been
seen in Alameda and even In San
Francisco. The San Francisco "Chroni-
cle' of yesterday publishes the following
statement made by George D. Collins,
reputable lawyer Of that city, who says
1t was a flying machine that passed over
Sacramento, that the inventor of 1t is
his client. and that he made the trip
last Tuesday evening from Oroville to
point In Alameda County. Says the
'ChronfcIe":
MIR. COLLINS STORY.
The mystery of the a1rship which has
been amusing the State and puzzlfng
some worthy citizens Of Sacramento has
made a change Of base. and now there
are plenty Of reputable people In and
about San Francisco ready TO make
oath that they have seen the strange
thing IN the heavens, and that In ap-
pearance and motion It was identical
with the ship lights and buzzing ma
chinery which menaced a church spire
at the capital
More than that, there Is San Fran
cisco attorney, George D. Collins, who
asserts that the airstip exists, that the
inventor is his client: that the strange
craft sailed without mishap from Oro-
vile to San Francisco: that ft did pass
over Sacramento on it's way TO the Bay,
and that within q few days this inven-
ton, which is the solution Of one Of the
worlds Oldest and toughest problems,
will be navigated In daylight, so that all
Gan Francisco may see It and that 1t
Will circle and rise and sink over the
central part of the city.
And yet there are wicked skeptics who
ohpckle and make rude jests about an
cpidenato of huTr7bug. and who poke all
maner OF fun at the good people who
think they saw an aArship in the sky.
Attorney Collins, who occupies offices
on the second floor Of the Crocker build
ing, wes seen about the matter at
his home In Alameda last night. He
said:
1T Is perfectly true that there Is at
last a successful a1rship In existence.
and that California Will have the honor
OF bringing It before the world. I have
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 who 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
ventors. During the last FIVE years he
has spent at least 100000 on his work.
He has not yet secured his patent. but
his application IS now In Washington. I
cannot say much about the machine he
has perfected, because he Is my client.
and besides he fears that the application
viii be stolen from the Patent Office If
people come to know that his inyen-
ton is practicable.
II saw the machine one night last
week at the inventors invitation. II is
made OF metal, IS about 150 feet long
and Is built to carry fifteen persons
There is no motive power as far as
could see; certainly no steam
II Is built on the aeroplane system
and has two canvas wings eighteen
feet wide and rudder shaped like a
birds tail. The inventor climbed into
the machine, and after he had been
moving some of the mechanism for a
moment I saw the thing begin to as
cend from the earth very gently. The
wings tapped slowly as It rose and
then a little faster as II began TO move
against the wind. The machine was
under perfect control all the time
when 1t got to hight Of about
ninety feet the inventor shouted to me
that he was going TO make a series of
circles and then descend. lie immedi-
ately did so. beginning by making a
circle about 100 yards in diameter. and