The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1897-05-13
THE AIR SHIP A FACT.
Tennessee Centennials Enterprise
Solves the Great Problem of
Aerial Navigation.
A. w. Bernard, II Nashville Man 0utstrips all
in the Scientific World.


At 11:20 o'clock Thursday morning it
5ook unto itself wings, arose from the
lill side behind Vanity Fair, and dis
appeared in the ethereal distance, going
with race-horse rapidity in the direc-
tion of Memphis.
For several weeks a great mystery |
has surrounded building on the hill
back of the Commerce Building, and
people wondered what was going on in
there and what the building was for.
A week or two before the centennial
opened, the Centennial Company prom
ised the public marvellous exhibition
in the way of an airship, but, though
many professed to have seen it, the
story was generally accepted as fake.
All the time, however, preparations
were constantly going on, and the ma
chine was nearing completion. The
inventor had hoped to get it ready for
fight on the opening day, but it was
impossible. Tuesday he did his last
work on the apparatus, and Wednesday
made preparations for the ascension on
yesterday morning.
No one was let into the secret, and
the matter was kept as quiet as possible
the intention being to permit no one to
be present at the trial fight, except a
few members of the Centennial Com
pany. Consequently but few were pres
ent when the machine was let loose
from its moorings. Outside of the
newspaper men, the gentlemen wit
Messing it were Director General Lewis,
Mayor Farrell, Supt. Creighton, R. I.
Stewart, Capt. Eastman Currey, Di-
rector of Affairs Dudley, and those in
charge Of the arrangements. But hun
dreds saw it in the air after it had been
loosed from its moorings.
FROM OUT THE MYSTERIOUS BUILDING
The apparatus was brought out O
the mysterious building early in th'
morning by its inventor, Prof. A. W
Barnard, director Of physical training
in the Young Mems Christian Associa
ton of this city. Prof. Barnard enter
@ | into q contract with the Centennia
Company year OF so ago to furnish al
airship for the centennial and he guaran
teed to successfully demonstrate 1t
practicabiIity. Since that time he ha
been experimenting on his ideas in
remote rural section of the state, nea
. the Kentucky line, and yesterday tn
result of his labors was brought out fc
the first time for public inspection an
d trial.
What Prof. Barnard has constructe
70 is cigar shaped balloon about 46 fe'
long. made of silk and cotton weave
in shades of yellow. The diameter
the balloon at its largest portion
about 19 feet. Instead of the usu
basket or car that is ordinarily seen a
tached to balloons, Prof. Barnal
,e suspends complicated network and
machine made like a bicycle, upon whi'
ly he sits as upon an ordinary bicycle.
y. MoDUs oPERANDI OF THE WINGI
/ CRAFT.
The gearing from this bicycle rul
+. the propeller situated in front of Il
machine. The propeller is kind
us screw that bores into the air and pu
= the machine. Aeroplanes on each 81
are used for guiding. Raise them al
. the airship rises lower them and
descends. Turn the left one in an Q
It posite direction from the right and
e the use of the propeller the operat
= can turn the machine at will
All of these things were demonstrat
bv Prof. Barnard yesterday, and
story of his experiment as he told it Ii
3 night is wonderful. 1t reads like
fairy tale.
When the balloon had been charg
! with hydrogen gas yesterday mornll
. Prof. Barnard took his seat on the
d cycle and told the attendants to let
NJ Let him go up slowly, The ropes W
W. accordingly loosened little by lit
y and the machine went up nicely TO
II height of fifty or sixty feet, wher
Z would seem to wobble and sway to
side, and showed disposition to d
/ back to the earth. This happened
- or three times, but after five or
= minutes exciting experiments the ro
were finally and completely cut lo
and the airship amounted toward the
with tremendous velocity.
PIE PIE Then it became visible to the visi
ere in the grounds, and everybody gaze
at at perfect amazement. People ran ou
md the buildings, and both amusem
,ci- and business were suspended. g
excitement prevailed.
lC GUIDES THE BIG BIRD AT WILL.
3 IS a When Prof. Barnard attained he
, up up of several hundred feet he exhih
oful perfect control of the machine to
4S multitude below, by turning this
,,xO Is and that, aud making wide circle
eft. the air. After n few maneuvres OF
rice maykable nature he turned the alr
Ind. toward the west and soon disappe
es from view.
'ith' What happened after that is best