The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-04-12

! his little hall room than had ever pene-
trated that peaceful residential neignbor-
hood in so short a time before. The
, ,isaors we're not inventors by any
means. but gentlemen OF note, whose
| opinion and influence would be powerful
factors for the young machine to own.
| The visitors come by invitation and pro-
mise TO keep the professors address
secret but one who visited him thus de-
scribos his invention:
Tho plan OF Prof. Blank - 10 sail the
air with a combination OF flying machine
and air-ship. The invention can be cali
ed either. As il goes by steam and car
ries men and guns. II can be called
ship. The wings. however, give II the
bird-liko appearance OF the flying ma
chine.
This machine IS a bold one because It
combats the theories Of that great war
inventor. Hiram Maxim. Maxim says
that flying machine Will never navigate
the air by wings. He holds that ii is
ridiculous TO suppose II viii. Maxim
says an air-ship will never fly on wings
any more than a locomotive VIII walk Oh
four legs Ike a horse.
"IIe, however, holds differently. And
his machine is planned TO actually COM
bat Maxims idea. lie considers that
locomotive might be made to walk on
II II
n horses speed were expected Of 10. lie
asks for no greater speed than that OF
a bird and therefore wings will propel
the machine as fast os he expects II TO
30.
TAKING 4 FORT.
"Thc object Of the professors airship
is utility In the war. This. really. is the
object OF tire introduction OF the Lodge
bill in the Senate. With so much smoke
rising from the countries of the world
there may be a spark coming TO the sur
face az any time. In the connagration
the United states would be sure TO take
part either directly or on the defensive.
Whatever her warlike policy might be
or her policy for peace. It would De i'm
pOrtant that she should be thoroughly
posted upon the operations Of the rest
OF the world, and what more useful than
a flying ship that could rise I'm the air
sight troubles. telegraph them 20 land by
wires. or by use of signals and stay
aloft until the globe was pretty well
looked over. This is what this airship
could DO.
But this particular airship has an
other use and that is part Of the secret
Of ITS construction.
"In the middle of the ship. which IS
shaped like q high whale, there lies q
large light cavern. This Is weighted
heavily with all kinds OF ammunition.
In the bottom and sides Of the cavern
are port holes through which great guns
can be fired upon foruncations below
"The actual plan Of the machine is 10
rise from a ship In mid-Occ9n, If a fort
ress is TO be attacked, and to sail toward
It, when near enough 10 fire the guns
could De- levelled at the fortress with
design either TO shatter or ter-fy the
soldiers away. once abandoned the sig
nal could he given for our warships to
approach. Their work Of beating back
the enemy ana offecung a landing would
Doe much simplihed.
This plan Of taking a fortress. thco-
rctically. is much more approved by SOL
diers than the one OF taking it with war
ships. And for this reason:
Suppose the fortress stands upon the
most prominent point Of a rocky or un-
even coast occupied entirely by another
country. Let us for argument suppose
it We're desired TO capture Quebec. our
warships could OF course approach It
and fire upon the nearest fort But sup
pose they captured 81, would they not
then be badly Off? The walls of the
fort would have been shattered by the
firing. and the first acts of the soldiers
would have 10 be 20 throw up for,ifca-
tons TO protect themselves from attack
in a hostile country.
with the alrshlp the Tort could be
taken without SCATTERING a wall The
airship. lowering overhead and sending
down an occasional volley, would terrify
the men. They would see the folly OF
firing up into the air. and would aban-
don the fort: and the man-of-war could
approach and land her regiment. There
would be less destruction. and less loss
OF life a thousand fold. than by a forci-
bic landing with the ships being beaten
back and fired upon at every advancing
step.
RISE FROM A LEVEL.
"This Is a very fine theory. and the
professor with the big airship model says
he has made IL practicable. His machine
has overcome three of the greatest diff
cultics of the airship.
First. IL mounts from n level surface.
This is a feat hitherto almost unaccom-
plished. one Of the greatest acrOnautical
societies Of America limits its prizes TO
such machines as can start not over 100