The times., 1898-07-03
Trained Eagles for Teams -"Bird
of Freedom" in a New Role.
UNIQUE SCHEMES SUGGESTED
Many Plans offered the Government
for Solving the Problem Of Aerial
Navisation-A Deduction in Math-
ematics If Not in Maneuvers-
New Class of Aeronauts.


ograph drawings come TO the Govern
ment daily by the hundreds describing
every kind of ingenious apparatus. Some
Of the plans proposed are decidedly pic
turesque. even If not practical, and reveal
an imagination eclipsing that of some of
our best Spring poets.
/ was permitted to see several OF the
unique schemes suggested to Uncle SAM
and must confess now that Solomon was
wrong in saying that there is nothing
new under the sun" Could he but
visit the ''glimpses of the moon" again.
he would be astonisheG at the fertility
and freshness OF the average American
inventor.
Without expatiating further on the
novel and strange things that reach the
Army and Navy Departments these days,
let me mention several or the most origi-
nal and striking ones that have been
sent to the authorities.
An Ohio man certainly takes the blue
ribbon for originality. He accompanies
his letter with beauurui drawing that
stamps him as an artist of no mean
merit His idea, in brief, is to educate
the American eagle 10 be the winged
horse Of the we.kin: and he elaborates
his plan by a series OF clever drawings
The first shows an eagle carrying a lamb
In its talons and is labeied. IF this
followed by a second drawing showing
two eagles hitched together carrying
child in a cradle. and underneath the
words, why not this?"
The last drawing shows the full blown
plan Of the genius. 1t represents a dozen
eagles hitched TO a horizontal bar from
which s suspended a big baske. contain
ing two or three people. Beneath are the
words: "or this-plus the tractability
shown in faiconry." The argument OF
the Buckeye man is apparently that if
one eagle can carry lamb, a dozen eagles
can carry man-certainly a safe deduc-
tion in mathematics. II not in maneuvers
in midair. And the drawing shows you how
perfectly the plan works. You see several
people sitting in the suspended car chat
ting and tanning themselves. while up
above the dozen eagles are sailing through
the air with the speed of the wind The
picture indeed recalls TO you Guido's cele-
brated painting of Aurora in the Ros-
pigliosi palace in Rome. Just the
Dawn Is represented by the day-god in
his chariot mounting the rising cloud and
accompanied ny the Hours. so our Ohio
genins has represented Gen. Aiger in his
aerial carriage mounting the misty noun
tam TOPS anu uIaNn bs Il iOZt-i BlIuS OF
freedom" The genius OF Guido is GER
tainly eclipsed by the genius from Mark
Hannas bailiwick. The whole gives US
some hing TO think about on the advent
of the GLORIOUS Fourth.
A Pennsylvania inventor proposes TO
capture Havana by means of a balloon
anchored in the air over the Cuban city.
He would have rubber gas-pipes connect
ing the balloon with Simpsons ships, and
I,-, h nfS lyaer tf yaH
with gas. In this way gas generators
would not be needed-at least not in the
balloon-and the occupants of the car
could drop down bombs right along, thus
cracking the skulls of the Spaniards
night and day.
A Western genius proposes TO utilize his
balloon as a sort of courier of the air
He would make shells capable of carry
ing dispatches, so that they could be
dropped down In the American and Cuban
camps, thus doing away with the danger
that aides or messengers encounter in be-
ing intercepted by the enemy.
One Maine inventor says he can surely
give the Spaniards in Havana a 'hot
breakfast" If only the Government will
build his balloon IN accordance with the
accompanying specifica tions: First there
is balloon of peculiar construction; then
q clock to regulate the time for lighting
a fuse, and lastly flying torpedo. The
plan, in a nutshell, is 10 send the balloon
up, when the wind is blowing across
Havana, set the clock so as TO start the
fuse when it is calculated the airship will
reach the city. and then let the dynamite
in the torpedo do the rest. BY this meth
od the inventor claims. the Spaniards
will be blown off the island.
IAN airship for sea scouting" is one
of the novelties proposed for the blockade
of Havana. According to the inventor,
this balloon will have greater propelling
power than anything ever known" The
airship resembles cigar-shaped bal
loon, carries boat with keel. and GER
tainIy is made to look very destructive
on paper, with its stores of dynamite and
nitro-glycerine.
One genius, in consideration of $4,000,
offers to build an airship that will sail
about in any strata of air, pure or iEl-
pure" He evidently thinks that bad air
affects balloon, and hence the above
stipulation. According to his statement
the airship will raise straight up in the
air by six sets of propeller wheels
AN automatic balloon" is among the
offerings of a Kentucky inventor. 1t is
claimed to be able to destroy the Span
ish in two hours'-certainly, very cheap
sum for accomplishing so great task.
"a balloon kite gun" has some merit
for originality. The inventor says he
can direct It's movements miles away,
and discharge dynamite over the heads
of the Spaniards whenever desired.
An Indiana man has flying ship"
with turbine wheels, which he says can
be sailed around anywhere.
Balloon torpedoes" are among the
list of destructive apparatus offered the
Governemnt. The idea is to supply each
ship of the Navy with these aerial tor
does, and when the wind blows in the
right direction to send them skyward so
as to explode over the heads of the enc
my.
One man proposes to go up in the air
like big bird. flap his wings over Ha-
vana, and then drop some dynamite upon
Morro Castle. His apparatus is fitted
with oars sweeps" and looks as If
1t would have hard work to keep afioat
on the water, let alone in the air.
photograph of a flying whale ball
loon" gives the designs submitted by a
Southern genius. Suspended from the
balloon is boat, in which men are seen
rowing in the air, with one steering and
another smoking. 1t looks very beauti-
full on paper, and seems simplicity itself
Then there are several French bicycle
| balloons" offered, which are connected
with fans and manipulated as if you
were pedaling bike"
One tender-hearted woman has written
the War Department about her latest
contrivance in aerial navigation. She
proposes to. establish a skyline of COM
| munication with the starving Cubans, and