The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-07-28
AIRSHIP SERVICE TO EUROPE.
A Company Formed and Everything
Planned to BE Ready Next Year.

New York Tribune
The gathering of old and established fac
tories, mines. plants and businesses of var
ious kinds into trusts has become so common
recently that it is actually tiresome, and
american promoters appear TO be in danger
OF losing some of that reputation for strik-
ing out into new lines which has made
Yankee ingenuity famous all the world
prospective investors to find man who has
sufficient originality to think of some other
way of getting rich than by combining sew
at the same time can preserve those two
fashionable and essential features of such
enterprises vast capitalization and
get in upon the ground floor.
A. De Bausset Is this man. The prospec-
tus which he sent to the Tribune Office yes
Aerial Navigation Company, of New York,
has been incorporated under the laws OF
South Dakota, with capital of 100000, 0o0
De Bausset is president, general manager,
treasurer and one of the directors. The vice.
president is s: b. Reed. an architect. He
is also a director. The secretary is Charles
l.. Pierce. an insurance broker. He is a d.
rector. too. There are three other directors.
These hopeful individuals have taken offices
at No. 81 Cedar street, which Is appropri-
ately enough, the building CT an accident
insurance company, and propose TO establish
direct airship service between this city,
London and Paris. The schedule time is to
be thirty hours. Passengers may book their
herths now for the French Exhibition of
1900.
1t is true that the building Of the first OF
the four airships with which the line will
start business has not yet been begun, but
that is trifie. The proceeds of the first
$4,000 shares Of the company's stock which
the public buys are pledged to be devoted
to their construction. These are 500 shares,
but will be sold at an average price of 1880
each. The rest the prospectus unfaltering
ly says, will be sold at par value or at a
premium after the construction and equip
ment of the many aerial vessels for estab
fishing several lines of transportation con-
templated and also for the erection of sta
tons in the principal capitals of Europe.
Notwithstanding the fact that no airship
has ever yet shown itself capable of carry
ing ten persons ten miles, the prospectus
promises dividends of at least 100 per cent.
yearly upon the capital invested. and 1t
carries on the outside cover pleasing pic
ture OF large cylindar flying through the
air without visible means OF propulsion.
The system is clearly explained, however.
II the reader can't understand it, that is not
the inventors fault. Here is a sample:
THE method of rising from the earth
thus obtained, the means OF propulsion is to
two turbines of forty-two inches diameter.
located under and adherent to the cylinder
vacuum, acting under atmospheric pres,
sure-whilst eight helical propellers, located
at the front and at the rear OF the car
rigidly fastened under the cylinder are to
be pivoted upon an axis at an angle re-
CURED, Will act as rudders for steering the
aeroplane in any direction wanted. Lque-
Ned air and carbonic gas engines are TO be
vsed as prime power amounting to 300 horse
sion of electric current 10 electric motors
placed in the same shaft of the turbines
and helical propeller rudders to impart an
average velocity of 100 miles per hour thus
facing all the static resistance at the front
OF the aeroplane TO its forward notion"
This Is so plain that "he who runs may
read just as easily as he who stands still.
The prospectus does not rely alone upon
this lucid explanation but appends letters
from various scientific men who have ex-
smined De Bausset's system. IL seems as
II that OF Lieut.. John p. Finley. United
States army. must have crept in by mis-
take. or else De BausSet lacks a sense of
humor. Ii runs thus:
Boston. Mass. Nov. T. 1895
DIR. A. De Bausset. Inventor of the Air
ship Ben Franklin:
Dear Sir--I cheerfully acknowledge the
great care you have taken in placing before
me for examination an exhaustive discus
sion. accompanied by specifications and
drawings, OF the principle involved and the
methods employed In the theoretical con-
struction Of the airship Ben Franklin.
You deserve much credit and are TO be
congratulated for having. after much la