New-York tribune., 1900-12-23
A CONFEDERATE AIRSHIP.
THE ARTS AVIS WHICH WAS TO DESTROY
GRANTS ARMY
From The Charleston News and Courier.

From The Charleston News and Courier
A few days ago a person who had been reading
an account Of an experimental trip of Count
Zeppelin's air ship remarked that in few more
years people will travel in the air instead of on
the solid earth. Iron and steel rails Will lose
their value, because railroads Will go out of use.
The new mode OF travel Will be more pleasant,
for there Will be no dust and. by rising higher,
as necessity may require the happy traveller
may keep cool.
Travelling in the air by means Of balloons is
not Ct very remote date. The first successful
experiments in this line We're made in France
about 11S3, when the balloon sailed across the
Seine and a part OF Paris remaining in the air
twenty-five minutes. a balloon used for
military observation the battle Of Fleurus,
fought IN 1874.
A great deal concerning aerostation can be
found in books and newspapers, but there is one
experiment that seems TO have escaped the no
In the winter Of 1SG4-G5 General Robert E
Lee and his army were defending Petersburg
Va. The troops were stretched out along the
lines perhaps Al the rate of one 10 every one
hundred yards.
McGowan's brigade held the works not far
from Battery - cor the Star Fort), and near
where the great dam was built. one cold, raw
day the brigade was called out, without arms
TO hear speech from a scientific parsonage who
was introduced as Professor" Blank. The old
soldiers crowded around and took their seats on
The cold ground, and he unfoded his scheme for
demoraliZng and driving away Grants army
He had just invented air ship.
In shape il something like bird, and for
that reason he had called il Arts Avis or
The Bird Of Art which the meaning of
the two Latin words. The frame was made Of
hoop iron and wire. II was covered with white
oak splits. IL 10 be run by a one horse
power engine and one man to each bird would
be sufficient. The engine was 10 be in the body
OF the bird and TO furnish power for keeping the
wings in motion. small door at the shoulder
was opened or closed 10 control the direction of
the Bird OF Art door under the throat was
opened when il was desirable 10 descend and a
door top Of the neck when the operator
wished TO go higher. There was machinery by
which the tail could be spread out or closed. In
the body of the bird there was room for a num-
Der Of shells, and the operator, by touching a
spring with his foot could drop them upon the
enemy from a safe distance.
The Professor said that he had completed
one bird and made test of its speed and how
il would work. He tied il TO fiat car which
was coupled TO a fast engine 1t was attached
70 the fiat with a long. strong rope. The
word was given, and the railroad engine started
of al great speed. The Bird of Art did the
same, and had no trouble in keeping up with the
iron horse without pulling on the rope.
The Professor concluded his remarks by
saying he needed little more money to make
birds enough TO destroy Grants army, and asked
the old soldiers 10 contribute dollar each to
the cause. Many of them did. and the Pro
fessor'' moved and disappeared.
No doubt many of the survivors have forgot
ten this incident but not long ago the writer
met John W. Butler, a commercial traveller, who
belonged to the 18th S. c. V. in 1864, and asked
him:
did you ever hear Of the Art Avis?'
he replied: 'T certainly have heard OF H. for
i gave dollar to it."