The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-05-09

better the machine ought to travel once
it rose above the tree tops.
When the roof doors of the airship's
cage were opened, the tremendous bulk
rose in good order. The engines were
set to work, and the hawsers that held
the colossal bird to earth were about to
be lOOsed when a tremendous gust of
wind took hand in the proceedings.
1t tore the airship from it's noorings.
1t dashed it madly over against big
oak tree. The silken covering and the
delicate mechanism were ripped and
breeze destroyed the careful work of
years. Mr.. Marriott became discour-
aged. The wonderful craft was never
rebuilt, and all further proceedings
looking to thefsecuring of patent were
abandoned.
One of the most remarkable of the
recently invented airships was that de-
signed by Carl Erickson and exhibited
at the recent mechanics fair in San
Francisco It Combines the silk bal
loon, filled With hydrogen gas; the
cylinder, containing the motive mech
anism. and the balancing wings.
Electricity is the propelling force. The
PiopCiiCI, maui OI ALUMINIUM, T6Su-
lates the speed. The car, which car
ries IL passengers, is made of Alumni
UNI and prepared paper. Underneath
it are regulators to control the upward
and downward flight
One of the most startling Of recent
aiiships for which patents have been
applied for at Washington is that of
James Sledon Cowdon of Vienna, Fair
fax county, Va. The claims which Mr..
Cowdon makes for his invention are so
astounding that to most people they
will appear incredible, but he declares
solemnly that he has actually solved the
problem of aerial navigation and that
the only obstacle that now stands in
his way is the necessity of conscripting
capital with which to put his airship
upon a basis of commercial operation.
The new machine is modelled not on
the bird principle, but rather upon that
of the fish in the water. While bird
cannot remain at rest in the air, fish
can poise at perfect rest and can raise
or lower itself by initiating or con-
tracing it's bladders. Mr.. Cowdon
bases his theory upon this idea.
He has also rejected the old balloon
notion. The balloon, he argues, is en-
tirely at the mercy Of the wind and is
compelled simply to drift with any cur
rent, thus being rendered practically
useless for purposes of volitional trans
portation, but with his own machine
Mr.. Cowdon claims to be able to poise
in the air at any distance from the
ground and to rise and fall as softly as
a feather would go to earth He can
with his apparatus; he declares, travel
through the air at the rate Of 100 miles
an hour in the, face of any current, and,
what is more, the machine is always
under the control Of the engineer.
The Cowdon machine consists of three
cigar shaped cylinders, two of which
are placed on a level, and the third,
which is midway between the two, is
elevated several feet above them. These
cylinders are filled with hydrogen or
any similar gas and when inflated will
have a lifting power in proportion to
their size. They are SO shaped as to
present the least possible resistance tc
the wind and yet give good surface
for expansion of the gas.
Few American inventors have up to
now made any machine with cylinders.
Though this idea has been adopted both
by the French and Germans, who, it is
conceded, are far ahead Of us in aerial
experiments, the inventors of both
these nations have thus far used but
single cylinder. Mr. Cowdons employ
ment Of three cylinders is for the pur-
pose Of givings4steadiness to the ma
chine, preventing any possibility of up
setting and reducing danger to the
minimum oattH 7s@J1i
The ends of the cylinder are fash
toned in a telescope way. so that the