The Independent. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1895-1905, 1896-10-03
This Ship will Sail in the Air.

Soon the "Come, fly with me" OF
the ardent lover to the maiden fair
will cease to be- mere figure of
speech. She may accept the invita-
ton literally, and it will be possible
to speed from obdurate papa at the
rate OF $50 miles an hour,
Travellers will be winging their
way from San Francisco to New
York in twenty.four hours without
encountering the choking dust OF
the desert, the heat OF the plains or
cold of the mountains; astronomers
will soar above observatories and
mountain tops to study the stars,
geographical surveys will be made
from the clouds, the Dunhams Of the
future will be located instanter from
the vantage OF an airship, enemies
by land aud sea will be routed by
death dealing missiles from the sky,
a million fancies will become facts
if
And the sip is about to be put to
the test.
The Atlantic and the Pacific
Aerial Navigation Company has just
been incorporated in all seriousness,
and it is about to build an airship
invented by DIR. G. A. Smith OF San
Francisco. That they believe in the
practibility of the project is evil
denced by the fact that they are put
ting up their good red gold to the ex-
tent Of some $1,000 or $4,000 to have
trial airship built. Dr. @. A. Smith
is president of the company, l. j.
Truman, President Of the Colum-
bia Bank, is vice-president, Mark
Terry is secretary, George t. Gaden
is director and Edward Foster is
treasurer
The airship that is to revolutionize
transportation is to be built OF alu-
minum. 1t is to be cigar.shaped,
the body perfect cylinder sixty
feet long and thirty nine feet in dia-
meter, the bow a perfect cone forty
FIVE feet long, and projection from
the stern of the ship fifteen feet
long, making the total length 120
feet. Hydrogen gas in the upper
half of the cylinder and in the cone,
something like $4,000 cubic feet, is
to give it buoyancy. An eight horse
power electric engine with storage
batteries will be used for driving it.
1t will have wide spreading wings
OF aluminium that can be extended
or folded at will. 1t is to have
screw propeller fashioned on the
principle OF that OF an ocean
steamer, and the steering apparatus
above, on the rear projection, is to
be so constructed that the ship can
be driven anywhere, and at any
speed, even in the teeth OF storm
When it is necessary to land it will
come down aslant, on a zigzag
course, and when near the landing
place will throw out an anchor and
be carefully hauled down. II the
proposed model is successful, ships
OF various sizes will be built. The
trial ship is to weigh completed
about 1000 pounds, and buoyed
with $4,000 cubic feet of hydrogen
gas, which has lifting capacity Of
seventy pounds to every thousand
feet, will be able to lift over 5000
pounds, which permits OF the airship
carrying 1000 pounds OF passengers,
mail or express matter.
The lower half of the cylinder is
to be used for carrying purposes, to
be fitted up for passenger or express
service.
That. the aerial navigation pro-
blem will be solved some time even
the most conservative admit, and
the white-haired inventor OF this
aluminium airship confidently be-
lieves he has solved it now.-S. r.
Examiner.
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