The San Francisco call., 1896-11-23

eye-witnesses of this airship declare that
the inventor has carefully followed out
the principle of flying exemplified by the
albatross. The machine itself closely re-
sembles a bird, and when all the facts
connected with its construction are made
known it will doubtless be learned that
the Oroville man took seabird for his
model and drew from it his inspiration.
SACRAMENTANS STARTLED
Thousands View the Great Airship
With Wonder.
SACRAMENTO, CAL, Nov. 22.-The en-
tire city is in fever of excitement, and
all that can be heard on every side is air
ship, airship, airship. The mysterious
aerial traveller paid this city another visit
this evening, and this time it passed
directly over the downtown portion of the
city and exhibited to wondering thousands
OF the citizens its magnificent searchlight.
There could be no possible mistake, tor
there in plain view of all, moving slowly
along with slight wavering motion, was
large electric light. fully twice the
candle-power OF an ordinary arc light.
The light was at an enormous height and
still plainly visible, as the heavens were
entirely obscured by mass of dark clouds,
which every moment threatened to burst
into drenching rain, and in consequence
the mysterious light was thrown into in
tense relief against their dark background.
The light first made its appearance over
the lower portion of the city, and was
moving slowly into the wind in q south
westerly direction. One OF the first to see
it was Isaac Cough on Second and K
streets. As soon as he became fully salts
fed that it was the much talked of aerial
visitant he gave notice to all in the sur
rounding stores and hotels, and within q
few minutes the streets were black with
masses of excited people, all gazing
heavenward.
AS the news spread the housetops be.
came black with people, and frantic men
rushed wildly into telephone communi-
cation with their homes in order to in
form their wives and families that high up
in the heavens human beings were gayly
sailing through the air toward San Fran
cisco. The streetcars were an i'm mportant
factor also in spreading the information
as the motormen shouted the news to the
bystande ers as their cars rapidly threaded
their way through the crowded thorough
fares, and 1t needed but wave of the
hand skyward to draw the attention of all
TO the heavens.
Jacob Zemansky, the WELL known down
town cigar man, obtained a powerful tele-
scope and watched the light until 1t faded
into pothingness in the distance. In
speaking of IL he said: sit simply passes
my understanding. If that was not an
electric arc light of intense power then 1
never saw one. Looking at it with the
naked eye it seemed to move in straight
line, but seen through the glass it rose
and fell like a boat on gently swelling
tide. could not distinguish any posi-
tive shape, only dark mass of mistlike
substance to which the light seemed to be
attached"
Mr.. Carraghar of the Saddlerock Restau-
rant also gives similar description of the
light and its movements, and states that
in his opinion it was attached to an air.
vessel of some description, and after being
In plain sight for over twenty minutes it
faded away in the distance.
OF the thousands who viewed the mys-
terious visitant this evening, the vast ma
jority had been among the ranks OF the
most pronounced skeptics ever since the
first publication of the subject in Tues
days CALL, for the reason that they are
living in the lower part of the city and
had Jailed to catch a glimpse of the light
on Its previous appearance, and in conse-
quence Its temperance descended upon
them like clap of thunder out of clear
sky. For over week they had laughed
and ieered and treated the subject with
scorn and derision, but here before their
very eyes was the seif-same vision which
had greeted their friends and neighb bors
in the eastern portion of the city, and they
were forced by The evidence of their own
eyes to abandon their un belief.
As soon as it became fully evident to
all that the light was no meteor or star. a
thousand stories were related of what
people he'd heard and seen on its previous
visitation.
Mr.. Johnson, foreman of the Hapain
ranch, in company with another gentle
man, was driving across the bare plains
adjacent to the city last Tuesday night
when they plainly heard merry chorus
OF human voices The thing was nm.
| canny and unreal. They were entireIv
| alone; on all sides stretched bare fields
| without bush o. fence, no human helm
was visible. nor was there a possibility OF
secretion, and yet the merry chorus rang
out distinct, but faint. They stopped
their team and listened and looked. saw
the clear bright light high over their
heads, but did not dream that but short
distance above them human beings were
floating along on the night wind and fear
ing the rioicule OF their acquaintances,
held their peace.
Another story which has come to light
Is that an employe of the paint shop OF
the Southern Pacific Railroad Company