Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1897-05-13
AN OHIO IDEA.
But One of the Very Few of
Them Which did Not Pan Out.

The following story from the
Washington Post is Of interest in
view of the air-fhip tales now going
the rounds:
THE renewal of the talk of flying
machines reminds me-" said a patent
Office official to a Star reporter, "of
the flying machine fever which pre-
vailed very extensively during Presi-
dent Grants administration, when
General Leggett. Of Ohio, was Com
missioner Of Patents. Many inven-
tors, or at least persons who sup
posed that they were inventors, had
it very bad, and there was scarcely
a week that some flying machine fel-
low did not turn up or write the pat
ent office. The great majority OF
them never even went so far as to
make model, but contented them
selves with crude drawings explain
ing their ideas OF aerial locomotion.
All of them were poor and wanted
the patent Office to furnish the mon
ey to build their machines. re-
member one fellow in particular. He
was we'll known to General Leggett
and served under him in an Ohio
regiment during the war. He tele-
graphed General Leggett from
Urbans, o: Hold pattnt on flying ma
chine until arrive; refuse all applications
until you have seen mine The General
answered him by mail, however, that the
Office would consider anything he had to
offer, or words to that effect. Then there
came from the inventor daily letter for q
couple of weeks describing the invention
with great detail. To cut off the supply OF
letters, the General wrote him personal
letter with the idea of cooling him down,
but it had the opposite effect, for it was fol-
lowed by the announcement that the inven-
tor would arrive here In few days and
would give an exhibition of the machine
The man did come, and with him came his
machine. In shape it was like a sugar
hogshead, with the customary wings OF
nearly all flying machines. 1t was light,
and was made of while cotton covering a
spiral steel frame. Nothing would suit the
inventor except that q tent off ,e should
take saort recess, while every one connect
ed with it could go out and see the mschine
fly from the F street porch of the building.
The General finally persuaded him that the
first exhibition should not be 40 publicly
given, and that he and few others would
examine the machine that afternoon after
OhiSO AOOub " CiOCh q udl- q uOLCL
or more repaired to the F street porch, and
the inventor, after screwing up half doz-
en- or so springs and counter balances. an
nounced that he was ready to fly the won
der. 1t was supposed that he intended to 60
up in it, but he soon dispelled that idea by say
ing the machine he had was but a miniature
model of what he intended to make, but
that it was sufficient to show what could be
done. Finally helet her go, and to the sur
prise Of every one, the machine flew nicely
up in the air ACROSS E street. By miscal-
culation it struck the corner of the Postof-
fee Department building very hard and fell
into a dozen pieces. The inventor ran
across to look at the remnants. and by the
time he had returned to explain the cause of
the disaster the portico was deserted. 1T
was an Ohio idea,' General Leggett re-
remarked, 'and it was one of the very few
Ohio ideas that did not pan out"