The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-05-05
THE SECRET LEAKS OUT
Mr.. Patten the Guilty Man Who
Sent Up
The Airship That Was Seen in
Topeka Recently.
It was a Government Experimental
Kite With Two Lanterns At
tached to It.

The airship which several hundred To-
pekans stood and watched in the western
heavens on q Saturday night several
weeks ago has been discovered Strange
as it may seem the airship is now care
fully confined within the city limits Of
Topeka and within three blocks of the
state house. where it is kept from the
gaze Of the curious public.
1t wasn't Venus which the crowds saw
on that Saturday night. 1t wasn't
newly discovered evening star which
travels swiftly through the heavens, it
wasn't a will-'o-the-wisp as the state
university professors concluded
The ''airship" which was seen west of
the city on several nights is the property
of Manager Joseph NJ. Patten, of the To-
peka Railway company, and has been
operated by him on the occasions named
The so-called airshlp was in reality
government kite used at the experiments
al stations by the government weather
observers.
on the evening when so many people
stood and watched it Mr.. Patten and his
son. Howard. started the kite from the
clearing west of Auburndale-
Mr. Patten is a man of veraeity and in
his experiments he has not sought to fool
the dear people but to gain scientific
Knowledge. He purchased the kite in
at the Blue Hill observatory, a govern
mcnt station. II is a model in cOnstruc-
ton and neat in appearance
It does not weigh over two pounds. It
is constructed wholly of wood and can
vas and it carried on it two small lan>
terms. Those were the electric head
lights which were seen on the Saturday
night when people stood in crowds and
watched the strange lights. On that
J.,
Gordon. were out in the edge of Auburn
dale watching the flight of their machine.
Up higher and higher it scared, all the
while keeping remarkably steady for
craft SO small and light. The size of this
thing which made so many people stare
ia amazement, is Is inches in height, is
in width and 9 inches through. On i
framework of wooden sticks there are
two strips of yellow canvas which en-
close two hollow rectangles. Between
the two strips there is a space of about
inches. On the two uprights al this
point are fastened two small lanterns
Cords are fastened TO the framework a
little above the lanterns and this is the
airship which caused SO much comment
1t is really a scientific kite, but unlike
the old kite of the schoolboys it does
not require a tail while at the same
time it has several times the lifting pow
er and does not bob about in the sky
like the old style pattern
In the east extensive experiments have
been conducted with these kites. Photo
graph cameras have been taken up with
the kites and pictures taken from great
elevations.
One popularity of this form of kite
is that it can be sent up without the
operator having to run with it. The cord
is laid out. the kite lying fiat on the
edge and Immediately it begins to rise
Mr.. Patterns kite, although being small
and light viii lift from six to ten pounds
with it in a breeze Of ten miles an hour.
So this is the real and genuine air
ship" State Journal reporter saw the
kite yesterday and talked with Mr.. Pat
ten about it. He would not at first ad-
NIT that it was he who put up the kite
on the night when the airship was sup
posed TO be headed this way, but he said
that the kite was up that night. After
ward he said that he and his son had
gone out to Auburndale and sent it up.
People near to where he and his son
stood. not realizing what the lights We're,
declared that it was airship and that
il must be ten miles away a least.
1T funny to hear people talk about the
lights said Mr.. Patten. They think the
airship is many miles away One time
when it was up some colored people saw
it and one Of them thought it was the
devil, while others declared that it was
the airship or something which they
couldn't account for. Ny son and I have
had the kite up with lanterns several
times, mostly in the western part of the
city where there was a good clearing. It
doesn't dart about like the old kites and
that small one there will pull like Turk
] am gOing to have q large one made on
this model and then We will send up
kodak and photograph the city from
high altitude. AS soon as I can arrange
for it I will begin the construction. It
viii be four or five times larger than this
one and will have immense lifting power
It is a common thing back near Boston
to see these kites being flown by day and
night At the observatory they are con.
tnually experimenting with kites"