Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1899-08-17


which the following are the directors:
Colonel A. c. Fisk, president of the
Federal Supply Company; S. B. Reed,
architect; A. De Bausset. inventor;
Charles L. Pierce, life and fire insur-
ance broker; Thos. F. Donohue, build
err and contractor; Ernest l.. Squire,
secretary Interstate Law Assocla-
ton; Ambrose Sweeney, contractor.
When young Joseph Letter was at
the high tide of wheat speculation he
became interested in the airship pro-
ject and started East to complete ar
rangements for beginning work at
once. While on the way he received
a telegram telling him of the reaction
just that moment begun and by the
time he reached New York Mr.. Letter
had other uses for his money than to
experiment in airships The principle
of the De Bausset airship is absolute
ly new, easily understood and appeals
at once to the imagination. 1t can be
best understood by stating we'll
known fact concerning airships. Make
a ship of iron six inches long and it
will sink in water. Make one sixty
feet long and it will float, because it
displaces more water than the boat
itself weighs. Take small, hollow,
alright cylinder, exhaust the air from
within, and it will not rise. Make a
steel cylinder eight hundred feet long,
at lease one hundred and fifty feet in
diameter, pump the air out, and,
strange as it may seem, the weight of
the air taken out is greater than the
weight of the cylinder itself. For that
reason the cylinder will float in the
air just the same as a steel ship floats
in the water. Really the only problem
is to so brace the sides of the cylinder
that the pressure of the air outside
will not cause it to collapse like an
eggshell under bootheel. Engineers
who know about such things, how
ever, say that the inventor has over
come that difficulty.
Many persons, no doubt, will pro-
claim the projected aeroplanes imprac-
ticable. There is no reason to be in
idea of a steamship was under discus
| sion, just as the projected aeroplane
is now, many of the scientific men of
| the time pronounced the scheme Wis
ionary. Among these was DIR. Diony-
| sius Lardner, esteemed in his day as
| the greatest scientific authority in
England. DR.. Lardner demonstrated
| IN hic kot
propelled by steam could cross the At
lantic. He lived long enough to see
steamships taking the place of sailing
craft, which up to that time had been
| the only means of ocean navigation
| Among the most amusing literature
to be found anywhere are the speech
| es of eminent statesmen against the
practicability of the telegraph 1t is
surprising that the vivid flashes of
their scorn failed to paralyze the pow
er of electricity. Aerial navigation
does not seem more difficult problem
in 1899 than ocean navigation was in
1899.
The only system of aerial navigation
that has been successful so far is that
of imitation by hydrogen gas. This in
all its nature was not practicable as
business proposition. The balloon is
not dirigible to begin with. 1t goes
with the currents of the atmosphere,
and is incapable OF direction. 1t is in
adequate in lifting power and in the
power of resistance under atmospheric
pressure. Whether the vacuum prin-
ciple." which is the invention of DR..
De Bausset, is the solution of the
problem of aerial navigation can only
be determined when his aeroplanes are
built end tried.
The lifting power and ascensional
force of the De Bausset airships is to
be obtained by a vacuum within a
cylinder of great capacity. This cylin-
der is to be made of steel of the great
est tensile strength. 1t must be
strong enough and light enough to re-
sist the enormous pressure of the at
mosphere when exhausted of the air
within. 1t is claimed that an aero
plane constructed on this principle.
when exhausted of the air from within
the cylinder. will float into the at
mosphere and carry with it load of
passengers and merchandise weigh
ing from so to 20 tons. The vacuum
cylinder is to be TIA feet in length
from cone to cone. and IA feet in d.
ameter.
The means of propulsion are indie
pendent of the ascensional power. 1t
is obtained by 80 turbines of AZ inches