The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-03-29
VENUS AS AN AIRSHIP.
Don't Throw a Brick When Asked
'Did You See the AirshipP"


"Did You See the AirshipP"
There is trouble among the celestial
spheres The planet Venus has been
misjudged-
It was left for certain people of To-
peka to fling the insult into the very
face of the planet by mistaking her for
an airship-a commonplace ship with
patent wings and headlight.
For years and years Venus has pass
ed over Topeka ON her well beaten trail,
but no one has dared to question her
identity. She has always attracted more
or less attention because she has the
reputation of being the most beautiful
of her companions.
Venus had grown to have considera-
Bile confidence in the people of Topeka.
That made the blow so much harder to
bear. She might have withstood a fling
from Kansas City, Lawrence or Atchi-
son without much surprise, but when
1t came from Topeka she hid her face,
and even Jupiter could not comfort her.
She disappeared from society for at
least II hours, and when she came back
last night there was cloud in her hand
with which she promptly covered her
face when anyone looked her way
1t was o'clock Saturday night when
Venus was shining in all her eHulgence
as an evening star, that a man, who had
been taking a quiet nap on a pile of
straw in an alley near Fourth street,
awakened ana GQDDeQ MS eyes. lie
looked around. In the west beautiful
Venus hung like a ball of heavenly fire.
She had decided to make a ten strike
and was more attractive than ever.
Through the befogged mind of the
man in the alley, there at last came a
thought Some one had told him of an
air ship while he was patrOniZing
place of business of one of Chief Steele's
acquaintance. Might not this be that
air ship? He continued to gaze, and the
idea became firmly fixed in his mind
that he had discovered the aerial visit
or. He Sprang to his feet and rushed
down Kansas avenue, calling the atten-
ton of everyone to the air ship" From
Smoky Row the news soon spread up
town, and soon ], 900 people were gazing
westward at the strange apparition."
Venus was fiattered at first, but when
! she heard the EXPLANATIONS that came
from the watchers, she was very much
| chagrinned and soon disappeared from
sight.
The following dispatch from Iowa in
dicates that at the time the supposed
| air ship was lowering over Topeka, it
| was in reality having fun with Iowa
| farmers:
Sioux City, Ia, March est will not
| be long before the air ship will be as
serious menace to life and limb as the
| bicycle.
Robert Hubbard, a farmer Is miles
north of here, thinks it is nothing less
| than criminal recklessness ON the part
| of shippers of such craft to permit a
| drag rope with grapnel attached to
! dangle from the rear of their cars. He
| asserts the anchor of one of them
! caught in the slack of his trousers a few
| nights ago and dragged him several
rods before the seat of the tortured gar
! ment gave way and dropped him into a
| dry run on the border of his Cow lot"
! Hibbard'S reputation for truth telling
| has never been bad, and the general
| opinion is that he either had EN-" or
| dreamed his remarkable experience.
| What the residents of Sioux City and
| vicinity suppose to be an air ship has
| been seen in this vicinity several times
| within the past month. Hibbard is one
| of those who have been eagerly watch
| ing for a glimpse of ii. On the night in
| question he says he was tramping about
| his farm in the moonlight praying for a
sight of the nocturnal V1Slt2nt, when
| suddenly a dark body, lighted on each
side by rows of what looked like in
candescent lamps doomed up some dis
| lance south of him. He watched it in
| tently until it was directly over his
| head. At this point the skipper evident
| Iy decided to turn round. In accom-
| pIishing this vancouver the machine
| sank considerably.
Hubbard did not notice the grapnel
| dangling from the car until suddenly,
| as the machine rose again, it hooked it
| self firmly in the seat of his trousers
| and shot away to the south. Had the
| car risen to any considerable height the
| result. Hubbard, thinks, would have
been disastrous. Either his weight was
| sufficient to keep it near terra firma,
| however, or the operator of the ma
chine did not care to ascend to a higher
| level.
On the bank of the dry run where it
| shook him off grows a small sapling.
| Hubbard passed near it in his flight, and
with the grip of a drowning man grasp
ed it with both hands. Instantly there
was a sound of tearing cloth and the
machine went on with a section of the
! farmers trousers, while Hubbard him
self tumbled precipitately into the run
He related his experience to several
| neighbours and, despite their incredulous
grins firmly maintains the truth of his
| story