The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1897-04-13
Mysterious Western Flying Ma
chine En- Route to This City.
TO TOUCH EARTH AT LAST
Mr.. Kasmar, of Chicago, Describes
the Aerial Wanderer and Tells
People to Wait-Snaps Shots OF
the Craft While Flying Through
Space Secured.

correspondent three months or more ago.
Corroboratiye detail was the strong factor
of the story The appearance of the ship
by night over Sacramento, its journey
with bird1ike speed, from Oroville, its
lights of differe ut celors, voices descending
TO earth from the heavens, and reputable
witnesses galore were given infinitely.
Within week a fter the story's appear
ance IN print the ship was seen at no less
than ten different parts of the State. The
alrshp was next seen near Omaha. about
a fortnight ago. There other people saw
in the heavens what they believed To be a
flying machine, and their haliucinations
were all duly chIopieied and sent broad
cast over the country. At last the ship
was seen in Kansas City, and there no
less a person than Gov. Leedy ayeTred
that he had beheid the moBstrous thing.
The newspapers in Chicago gradually
filled up with airship news, which finally
increased until IL took department by it
self and a special editor. Several points
In Indiana and Michigan supplied one air
strip story each night, and from the town of
Crown Point, Ind, Il correspondent, made
jealous by the space-workeTs at adjacent
places, wired his Chicago newspaper:
"Airsfiip will be seen here tonight. Shall
i send story?"
Meanwhile the people of Chicago had be
come violently interested in the airship,
and thousands OF them swept the heaye
every night with tile naked eye, opera
glasses or telescopes. Their gaze enCoun-
tered high up in the sky brilliant white
light. which shifnmered and wayered, NOV
ing with a perceptble motion Friday
night from 10 O'Clock until after midnight
not less than ten thousand persons were
upon the streets, looking at the slowly
moving hight, and specializing at the alight-
ing OF the airship
Attorney Max l.. Kasinar, secretary OF
the Chicago Aeronautical Society, now
comes forth with his official sanction, and
insists that the airship is no dream.
I'VE received word from San Francisco
three weeks ago." says Kasmar, that a
party had started FROM there in an air
ship, AMI tia they would stop in Chicago
for the purpose of registration. The end
OF the trip is to be at Washington, ID. c.,
where the ship will be brought to the
earth ami given up to inspectors. The car
contains three persons, and know one OF
them.
The ship is not of steel, as some spec
tatOrs in the West have declared, but of
paper. There lis the customary inflated
gas reservoir, but the inventors have dis
covered tie secret Of practical propulsion.
The only new feature of the propulsion is
the fact that the posteIior of the propeller
is flexible and elastic. while the anterior
is rigid. The fans have a peculiar twist
ing motion. President Octave Chanute.
with other wealthy men, have furnished
the money for the venture
Not a few take stock in Mr.. Kasmar's
story, and fair portion of Chicago'S pop
ulation really believe that an airship has
been lowering over the city for the past
three nights. However, the scientists OF
the Chicago and Northwestern universities
will have none OF it. Instead Of the
strange light in the heavens being a flying
they insist il is a tlamp star, 10y
name Alpha 0Tionis George W. Hough.
professor of astronomy at the Northwest
said last night,
THE stars appearance Of flight is due TO
The fact that it lies comparatively close to
movement creates the optical Illusion that
he star is in motion. as il constantly
ehanges its position in the heavens. The
marked popularity Of this star lies in its
,olors. The lower section is blue, above
hat pronounced reddish hue, and above
he latter hue merges into Iustrous white.
This variation of colors and their apparent
give rise to the impression of
lights, but all come from the same
,tar.''
The fact that the much-taIked-of airship
3 a reality, and not phantom, is, appar-
.Btly, attested by two remarkable photo
graphs, now in Chicago, watch, tits alleged,
we're taken while the machine was in mo-
ion
Walter Mccain, of Rogers Park, a town
went weight miles north of here, took two
napp shots with his camera at what he
believed to be the airship, and secured two
.xcellent negatives. It was early in the
morning, and the vessel was scudding along
II rapid rate. but the pictures he secured
Ire very good ones.
The work of Mr.. Mccain dispels any
ho1ght OF an optical illusion. Three wit
lesses assert that they saw him take the
about $50 O'Clock.
Mr. Mccain is a newsdealer in Rogers 1
lark. 1t is his custom TO get u1, very early
a the morning, particularly on Sunday, to |
eiiyer the Chicago papers. La mis- store fe |
las small camera, the property of his |
'oung son. When Mccain sighted the |
TRANCE object in the sky early Sunday
morning he at once came to the conclusion |
was the airship- of which there had been |
q much talk, and which had set so many |
'eopie 10 thinking He rushedinto hi $ store,
eized the camera and secured good pic |
ure Oft. G.. A. Oyersocker, who was also /
boxing at the ship, suggested a second |
nap shot, and the result w as a much better /
egative.
The pictures developed from these plates |
we're tested by acids, and were pronounced |
enuine productions of an object in the |
William Hoodlees and E. L. Osborn, the |
alter an operator in the telegraph office |
the Chicago and Northwestern Railway |
in Rogers Park, saw Mccain |
nd Oversocker at the hour named, and
ssert that they not only witnessed the
of the object in the air, but
aw the vessel
The craft, according to the statement
T all these witnesses, is an Invention |
'ithout wings or sails. All agree that
he outlines Of a man could also be seen. |
through glass they were of the opinion
ley could see the man in motion. as
lough he were engaged in steering the |
essel.
The upper part of the shin apparantlv
onsisted of a cigar-shaped silken bag, at