The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-07-30
TRIALS OF AN INVENTOR
Tolliver Has a Patent on His
Airship.
GOVERNMENT WILL AID
Given Much Encouragement a. the Tests
of the Airship at Washington.
1t VIII Be on Exhibit
ton Soon.

inventor are many and his path is
ventor is apt to receive more ridicule
than the man seeking to solve the
problems of air navigation. With all of
this knowledge, c. H. Tollliver, ranch
er of Upper Belt, who has devoted his
spare time for the past Is years to air
ships, has made a trip to Washington,
and alone, unaided by any influence
with the powers, has received hear
ing from the government, obtained a
promise of aid, and secured patent
upon his airship, some brief notices of
which have appeared in these columns.
He returned from the East in April, but
was so anxious to get back to the
ranch and do his spring planting that
he has been unable to get to town I'M
til this week. He has his model here,
and in few days will place it on ex-
hibition to the public.
Mr.. Tolliver visited the Standard
office yesterday evening, and for three
hours or more recited the story of his
experiences in Washington and New
York. They are more than unique.
Some Of the situations would outshine
in absurdity those created by Stockton,
and no one sees and enjoys the funny
side better thanthe central figure himself.
But at the same time his mission was
a serious one, and everyone in the
county will congratulate him on the
progress he has made toward success.
He went to Washington in January,
and after five weeks of waiting, in
which there now appear more laughs
than tears, he was ena bled to place his
drawings and his model before the
board of Notifications and ordnance.
Down in room on F street northwest,
a few blocks from the white house,
trial of the model was made before the
members of the board and officers in
the army and navy departments. The
machine is intended to be lifted by the
use of gas, but this is impossible of use
from the size of the model he has. The
lifting power was represented by a
slack wire stretched across the room,
and with the model hung from this by
a pulley, the test was a thorough sue
cess. The machine went forward and
backward. turned in circle, and, with
the use of the wings, even raised itself
a trif1e, although it is not expected to
do that without the filled gas cham
bers. The engineers present were en-
thusiastic over the performance, and
stated that it was the nearest to So
luton of the problem that they had yet
seen. One engineer from the naval de-
partment said that with ship built
from the lines of the model, he had no
doubt that one collla actually fly or
navigate the air. Another asserted that
the steering and lifting devices were so
perfect that he would guarantee, with
a working machine. to ascend into the
air, stop and then revolve the machine
with its own center as a axis. Shortly
after that Mr.. Tolliver was assured by
the board that the government would
experiment with his machine just ss
soon as Professor Langley's experiments
We're concluded. The final test of the
Langley machine was made on May IL,
and according to newspaper reports
was a failure. Since then Mr.. Tolliver
has been offered a contract by the gov
eminent, but is not satisfied with it's
terms Negotiations have not yet been
broken off, and some agreement may
be reached later
While in Washington the inventor Wis
tied number of notablesl and among
them was Professor Langley, the head
of the National museum. He looked
over his laboratory and workshop, one
of the finest in the land. and there saw
the three models of ships on the aero
plane system, TO- IL and Is feet in
length, respectively. They are con-
structed of light wood in the bodies,
boo rods, the silk being clamped to the
rods with aluminium. The latest model
weighed 2S2 pounds, and to carry 1t
the aeroplanes had a surface Of 85h
square feet Professor Langley gave
Tolliver no encouragement, in fact,
most decidedly discouraged him, and
Mr.. Tolliver gave encouragement back,
and, like a genuine Montanan, not only
told the professor that his aeroplane
would not work, but offered to back his
faith with cash, betting that should his
model fly, 1t would be unable to return
from the place of alghting to The
starting point, unless 1t was carried.
Professor Langley did not bet, and there
by saved his money.
He also called upon Miss Clara Bar
ton, the woman of Red Cross fame and
while she spoke encouragingly of his
plans, she did not lend material aid.
Gen. A. w. Greeley, Of Arctic ocean
and north pole reputation, was another
on whom Tolliver called, and he met
some Encouragement here also, but as
the main point of his trip had been ac-
complished, the explanation of his
model and it's test and the securing of
a patent, these minor clouds did not
deter him. From Washington he went
to New York, and there spent four
weeks. He became acquainted with
Tripler, the liquid air man, and had his
model at the Iflpler LABORATORY, anu
in fact made the laboratory his Office
and headquarters during his New York
visit The model was given a test and
run with liquid air. About three spoon
fuls of it were put into tube fitted
with a cork and a squirt nozzle, and
this connected by a rubber tube with
the machinery. This power worked all
right, and so delighted WAS Tripler
with his tests that he used to bring en-
f~t,, tn n hn rN1n tn -I,nNn OFF
his new toy.
The inventor returns to Cascade
county more thoroughly convinced than
ever that If he has not completely
solved the problem, he is at least on
the direct road ITO solution. Some
minor improvements have been added
to the model since it was shown here
last winter and in a few days Mr..
Toniver will have it rugged UP and the
public win be invited to go in and look
at it.