Evening journal., 1897-04-15
PEGASUS IS ITS NAME.
The Airship Said to Be Floating
Over the Breezy West.
LETTER FROM AERIAL wANDBRER.
a Message Purporting to Have Been
Dropped From the Alleged Airship
Found In Red Stocking Near Apple
ton, Wis.-Is 1t "a Cnnard?


Found In a Red stocking Near Apple
ton' wis.-Is 1t a Canardg
Chicago, April 15.--An sorts of tele-
grams come here in regard to the al
Ieged airship seen in this section Of the
country, but IL seems to be impossible
TO get anything reliable in regard TO it,
1t has been several weeks since the
agitation started, but the reports did
not begin TO arrive in close order until
the 5th of this month. Since then they
have come in every night. Some of the
newspapers here declare it a nonsen-
sical story, yet the reports in most
cases have come from reliable persons.
OF course the practical joker has come
to the front and in some cases small
balloons, with lights attached, have
been sent up in various towns, but in
the majority Of cases the persons who
saw or thought they saw an object in
the sky have treated the matter in the
most serious manner.
dispatch just received from Apple
ton. Wis, says that on Sunday night
many persons saw. an airship pass over
that city. On the farm of N. b. Clark,
near there, letter was picked up, at
tached to an iron rod Is inches long.
sticking in the ground.
Letter From the Airship.
The letter. which was not signed, was
as follows:
Aboard the Airship Pegasus,
April 3. 1897.
"The problem Of aerial navigation has
been solved The writer's have spent
the past month cruising about in the
airship Pegasus, and have demon
strated to their entire satisfaction that
the ship is a thorough success. We
have been able to attain a speed Of $50
miles an hour, and have risen to a
height of $500 feet above the sea level.
The Pegasus was erected at a Sc
cluded point ten miles from Lafayette,
Tenn. and the various parts of the
machine We're carried overland from
Glasgow, KY, to that point being
shipped from Chicago. Pittsburg and
St. Louis. We have made regular trips
OF three days each from Lafayette to
Yankton, and no harm has come TO the
Pegasus thus far.
Within a month our application for
the patents for parallel plane airship
will be filed simultaneously at Wash
inston and the European capitals. 1t is
propelled by steam and is lighted by
electricity. and has a carrying power Of
1000 pounds"
A telegram from Greensburg, Ind,
says the skeptics of that city no longer
doubt the reality of the airship, since
the machine was seen there last even
ing. The airship made its appearance
about half past o'clock and was seen
by several hundred prominent persons.
One hundred and fifty-six prominent
citizens Of the city and county are will
ing to make sworn statements that they
saw the strange machine.
Seen In Greensburg, Ind.
The dispatch further says:
1.-THE first report of the machine being
seen in this county came from St. Paul,
Raymond Walker. correspondent for a
newspaper in this city. wiring word
from st. Paul to his paper to at once
look for the airship. as it had been seen
there and was coming slowly this way
at a rate of about ten miles an hour.
Three or four hundred people were inn
mediately on the streets, when, in a
few minutes, the strange object made
its appearance. 1t was seen slowly ap-
preaching from the west. When within
about half a mile of the city, it turned
it's course to a southerly direction. 1t
was not quite dark, and the sky being
clear it was plainly outlined. No light
was burning.
About half an hour later it was seen
approaching from the east with three
lights-a green, red and a large white
one in the center. The green and red
lights were small, and the clear light
was large and very strong and is be-
lieved to be a searchlight"
Professor George Keeley, who OBJ
tanned a good view of IT from his OBJ
servatory, says the searchlight is OF
medium power. He probably got the
best view of any one, although he did
not get in his tower till II was passing
away the first time. For the last two
days and nights Professor Keeley has
been on constant watch for the ma
chine thinking 1t would pass over this
way but had temporarily left his post
tonight when ii appeared. The second
time he could not see it so clearly, Ow-
ing to the darkness.
"He says the machine is about so feet
long, the ballon being about so feet
long. II is cigar shaped, the car hang.
ing about 20 feet under the balloon
The car was entirely inclosed, it being
impossible to see IN it. but two mer
were visible in the lookout One wa:
apparently so years old. with a beard
and the other young. The Oldest on,
wore a stiff hat and the younger a Gu.
ban crush hat. The lights would occa.
sionally be changed from one color I,
another and would sometimes be ex
tinguished.
Has Great Speed.
The ship would make usually aboui
ten miles an hour. but on disappearing
the last time it dashed off at the tire.
mendous speed Of fully $50 miles al
hour. 1t went in a southwesterly direc.
ton Newton Kennedy saw II out a,
the edge Of the city and described It a,
did Professor Kelley"
A dispatch from Washington. Ia, say.
an object was seen in the sky south
east of that city and seemed headed II
a westerly direction. Various rumor.
in regard to it are afioat. Frank Brln
ton, who has some fame as an airshir
inventor, has been missing from hii
home for ten days. and many think h.
has completed his craft and is expert
menting with IL. He has been Workinf