The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1896-04-23
An Inventor WhoGOtRi

Yo:, invention was ut the bottom
it all, and though it took some year
and Il peculiar combination of circun
stances, | owe my present condition o
the sunny side Of Easy Street purel
to invention. emerged from the wa
u poor man; tho old homo wa
mortgaged, my invalid parents locke
to me for support, and, suffering my
self from two gun-shOt wounds, ono q
which persstently refused to hea
mace the prospects look rather gloom
for man in his early twenties.
! had dabbled some at invonting
took out several patents, which, how
ever, proved only moderately lemun
erativc, and finally decided to tax
Grccly's advice, go to Kansas, avail
myself of the soldiers land act. acquir
Il farm and trust to the development
Of the country for the rest.
In pursuance OF this resolve, | fOunt
myse!i year later in Norton County
on Il quarter section of what was salO
to be us fine land as the sun ever shOne
upon. | had tolerably fair success
guagnd by the local methods had my
"adobu house, q good team and and q
fair amount OF range stock: but, as time
advanced, between the grasshoppcr
pest and no corn one year, and Its
scliug the year following at ten cents
ucr buehcl, the frequent visits OF cy-
clones. etc. made the pursulto OF wral th,
a rather unpromlslng one. Inc luca
kept gradually growing on me that
there were better things in store.
All this time the invention lever hau
never quite left me. had taken some
books with me and had gradually
added to my stock such scientific works
- l,i pal n nnS' u.
The somewhat visionary project OF
navigating the air had occupied
nv attention for a long time, and
the cxhilarating effects OF the rare
atmospncrc in that latitude, | sup
pose. intensified the faculty. | had
read some oi I.illicntna;'s and Har-
gravcs' experiments, and later OF
Iauucly'S and MaXimS Investigations
in the same line, ana ] had gone So lar
rs to construct u machine ON what
had deemed correct principles. but,
through lack Of ready means and
available material J had not yet reach
ed the ''llying point,
One day in June Il foreign tourist.
bcmonoclcd and bclcggincd, made APP
plcation at the door Of my 'dOby > for
shelter from an impending storm
which was already darkrnlng the
western sky. My years Of isolation
had made me Indifferent 10 companiun-
ship. but the prOvcrbi;ti hospitality OF
the pa!uS shDud not be violated in
my case. and babe him enter. ! soon
found out that he WAS Il representa-
tive Of Il foreign c0llcg" and that h
haI 4 general commission to invcsti
.utc the tlOra and fauna mincGalogy
and geology Of the country Tor his
alma mater: and when ! further found
that he had also invrojiS gated the in-
tricdcirs III aerial navigation, my heart
at once warmed up to him. and Hll my
reserve left me. was even conlidipg
cnOugh to show him my crude draw
iGGs ana explain my theories, anu he
was gracious cnought to say that WAS
on tue right track and would no doubC
eventually succeed. Here was Il man,
said |, who Is apprGciativc without
being elusive. anu in the two weeks
t'rat he stayed with me-, making daily
iLcurSiOns into the surrounding coun-
try, had unbosomCd myself cOmpietc-
iy to him, my past life and future
hopes and prospects, and | inward y
Wondered why we could not always
u" together. SO enthusiastic was |.
Finally, upon leaving, he remarked
that this WAS no place to get on rs
lie tGrmcC it,, and he advised me to sell
0ut and move farther west, in tho
vicinity OF Denver, buy small piece of
ground suitable for an " experimental
sLallon.' and uS he was to be for Il year
stuyin" the mincralugy Of the noun
tam districts, he wOulu make his home
with m", and we would cOllaboratc y
on pcrfcc,ing the ilying machinc
lie had already quite an extensive
scientific, chemical and mechanical
apparatus shipped to Denver for use in
making and recording the results of
his observations.
This WAS enough for me. Iouickly
found purchaser in the person OF a
land spcculator from Falls City, Ncb.
aud Two months later WAS installed ut
Platte Canon. on the middle fork of
the Ptattc lNNer, about thirty miles
south Of Denver. Here, for somcthing
Hike ten months, We labOred together
perlectnS our acroplanc. and at each
succeeding trial came nearer and
nearer TO the realization of our hopes
we had already succeeded in ilying
with an caHy, we'll controlled motion
from one rise OF ground to another,
ana atlas were making the final prep.
aratlOns Tor the supreme ctfO"t which
was I" decide whcthcror not we should
abandon tne project. We added q
little more "wind surface" to the
sails at one point, provided for Il few
more revolutions per minute Of the
naptha motor, and on Il fine Scptcm-
Der morning, favored 10y a brisk breeze,
we, taking our seats in the aluminium
basket. severed the last cord that held
Ms to earth.
Slow y and majcstically our craft
arose like thing of life unti we were
ABOVE terrestrial! distractions to air
currents, when me met a strong south
west breeze, acluated by which we be
gan rApld northwest course. "Isn't
Ii giorous?' said l. MaupiGrnnt y
said he. Both Of us were lost, Ia all
sense OF danger by the unparalleled OK.
hliaratlon Of the experience.
We were suddenly confronted with
the pcri!Odancss of our position nv tho
near approach TO the mountujDs about
Boulder. We had been travnlinu at q
lHrr'hc rate. ana, to add to our con.
sternation, the ruddcr, from some
cause. failed To work. and VIC wore
a. The mercy OF d constantly incrcas.
ing Wind. Larger and larger grew
Inc trees and rocks on the mountair
sldc as we approached them at rail
ROAD speed, and we knew that the
inevitable was at hand. Neither o