The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-03
H. S. MAXIM'S AEROPLANE
THE GUN INVENTOR CLAIMS TO HAVE
SOLVED A GREAT PROBLEM.
Says He Has Already Crossed the Con-
tinent at the Rate Of One Hun
dred Miles an Hour.

NEW KENSINGTON, Pa, Dec. Aerial
navigation is said to be an accomplished
fact. Hiram S. Maxim, inventor of the
Maxim gun. who has spent years on the
invention of airship has built one of
New Kensington aluminium. He says that
he has Travelled across the continent and
back in his strange vessel and has speeded
it to one hundred miles an hour. Some
months ago it was announced that the
Pittsburg Reduction Company had received
a large order from the Atlantic and Pa
cific Aerial Navigation Company. The or
der was for large number of aluminium
sheets, to be one-hundredth of an inch
thick, two feet wide and sixteen feet in
length. T bars, rivets and various other
pieces of the same material were ordered
at the same time. Not long after this the
order was duplicated TO show that the
company meant business, the cash, amount
ing to several thousand dollars, was sent
with each order.
Early last week the reduction company
received another order for aluminium from
the Atlantic and Pacific Aerial Navigation
Company. This time 1t was printed on the
companys letterhead, with the names of the
officers and cut of the strange craft
Hiram S. Maxim, the world-renOwned in
ventor, is superintendent of construction for
the company; c. A. Smith is president and
M. A. Terry secretary. These two are we'll
known men in business and financial circles
OF San Francisco.
Mr.. Maxim furnishes the following de-
scription of his vessel. The dimensions are:
Cylinder, SO feet inches in diameter and 80
feet in length length of forward cone, so
feet: length of after cone, 45 feet; total
t. me ~,
feet of space The propelling power is a
105-horse-power naphtha engine. The cylin-
der, engine and every part of the machine,
so far as practicable, is made of alum
nium, which was purchased of the reduc-
ton company here. The ship will weigh
about five thousand pounds and will carry
more than a ton of provisions and passen-
gers The naphtha for the engine will be
the ship around the earth without replen-
ishing the tanks. The skin of the ship is
double and filed with hydrogen gas. 1t will
be confined in separte compartments, and
will be in the upper part OF the vessel ana
in the cones.
The tail that projects upward from the
stern of the ship directs it up or down as
bird directs its movements with its tau
The rudder changes the course from right
to left. Motive power is secured by the big
aeroplane at the stern, which is driven ny
the naphtha engine. A speed of one hun
dred miles an hour has been attained with
out difficulty. At this rate the trip across
the continent would be a twenty-tcur hours
journey. while Jules Verne is Outdone, as
Mr.. Maxim is able to made tour OF the
world in ten days instead of eighty.
Mr. Maxim is not prepared to say what
his company proposes to do in the airship
line A trip to the Klondike will be made
in a short time and he doesn't see THAI
there is anything in the road of him gong
to the pole if he feels that way. He has
passed the stage where he uses the doupttui
''if' in speaking of the success of his in
vention. Repeated trials, he says, snow
that it is a complete success. His company
proposes to go into the business in earnest
With an abundance of capital behind 1t, the
corporation proposes to construct large
number of these vessels of all sizes. Ihey
will be used for carrying passengers ana
fast freight principally of the character OF
express goods. as the limit of weight VIII
necessarily be reached, somewhere. Inc
machine Mr.. Maxim has constructed COSTS
$15.000. -. ,a,,s.os
Last summer great excitement was caused
in Denver ST. Louis, Chicago and otner
Western cities by the appearance OF what
was said to he an aifship, floating over THESE
cities by night All that could be seen was
red and green lights, such as a steamnoa5
carries. No further information was gained
about the nocturnal visitor until some
months had elapsed. Then it was learned
that the Atlantic and Pacific Aerial Nav
cation Company had built an airshlp IL Is
asserted that it travelled from san Fran
cisco as far East as Cleveland, y. maKilus
the round-trip journey in three DAYS tlile'