Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-03-28
IT FLIES At NIGHT.
MYSTERIOUS AIRSHIP SEEN BY
SCORES OF KANSANs.
is UNDER PERFECT CONTROL.
FLOWS THE AERIAL MAIN AT THE
WILL OF THE NAVIGATOR.
Has Passed Over BeIIeville Several
Times Within u Week-General-
ly Believed That 1t Is the
Machine First Seen In
California.

Belleville, Kas.. March 27.-(Special.) The
mysterious airship which has been sighted
at various points in Kansas and Southern
Nebraska during the past month has been
seen on numerous occasions within a week
by a number of BeIleville people. More
than fifty persons had a plain view of it rs
it passed over the other night about 10
o'clock going SOUTH and three or more saw
1t the next morning at 5 o'clock returning
north. 1t has been seen on at least four
successive nights, and so plainly that there
can be no possible mistake about the real
ity of the mysterious contrivance.
The airship seems to be under perfect
control of the navigator, raising, lowering
and changing direction and speed in
prompt obedience to the steering gear and
motive power. The ship has a brilliant
electric headlight which appears in the sky
larger than the headlight of locomotive,
and by which the movements Of the air
ship may be watched long after the ship it
self has been lost in darkness. The speed
of the ship is estimated by those who have
seen 1t to be from sixty to seventy-five
miles an hour.
On one occasion this week, when 1t
passed over Belleville, 1t moved so close to
the gtound that the electric headlight made
the city almost as light as day. The ship
seemed to stop a few miles northeast OF
the city, remaining almost stationary for
twenty or thirty minutes. Then 1t sailed
up and down, north, south, east and west.
now rapidly, now slowly, as IL the naviga-
tor were testing the possibilities of his
aerial steed. 1t rose at one time tar above
some scattering clouds, and then sailed
away to the north. and was lost to view.
At o'clock in the morning 1t was seen 60
ing south again. and three hours later was
again seen on its way north.
It is generally believed that the ship is
the same one which created such sensa-
ton in California a few months ago, and
that the men who are experimenting with
1t have brought 1t to this part of the coun-
try to bring 1t to perfection, the furore
that 1t stirred up on the coast having made
question. 1t is probable that, unless the
machine soon reaches the point where its
inventor or inventors are ready to initiate
the public into its mysteries, there will
have to be another move, for 1t has been
seen so many times in this vicinity that its
resting place during the day will soon be
discovered and secrecy will no longer be
possible.
When the story was first told in Cali
fornia that an airship had been seen flying
about mysteriously at night, it was re-
ceived with little credence, but 1t was not
long until a reputable lawyer. when pinned
down, admitted that the inventor was his
client and that 1t was a fact that the prob
lem of aerial navigation had been solved.
He stated that all that remained to be done
the full attention of the public was the per-
fection of small details. an1 that the mys-
terfous nightly journeys were taken for the
purpose Of discovering and correcting
weaknesses. After this admission the sto-
ries of the marvellous machine received
opments of the past week In Kansas have
demonstrated they were entitled to.