Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1901-04-06
NAVIGATING THE AIR.
Railway Mail Clerk on the Milwau.
kee Road lnVents a Ship,
Which He Says
will FlV


Ever since Darius Green made his dis
astrous trip in a flying machine there
have been many attempts at aerial uayi-
cation, bat few, if any, have been sue.
cessful or resulted in any practical bene-
tit to mankind. The balloon with its i'm
parfectiOns and dangers and lack OF
means for control under adverse circum-
stances Is abolt ali there is TO show for
Years Of study by inventors. A rail-
way mail clerk on the Milwaukee road
furnishes the Evening Wisconsin with a
drawing of an airship which contains
some new and entirely original features
and which he is confident is success
As proof that this mail clerk is no
dreamer and that his IDEAS are not Wis
ionary it may be said that he holds let
tiers patent for an extension to the plat
form OF railway coaches which admit of
the YeStlbule, an invention generally
credited to George NJ. Pullman. He also
invented an improved baggage truck, a
device for the determination of weeds
between rails and surfacer for rail-
way tracks, all of which are now in sue
cessful operation.
The mail clerk referred to is II. W.
Appleman, who lives at Clermont. Ia.
AS the fall of an apple from a tree gave
to Sir Isaac Newton the idea of grayita-
ton and boiling kettle revealed to
'"iiieS w az tue posSlulilIleS OF steam
power. so has Mr.. Appleman evolved 4
new principle of aerial navigation by
watching a spider and in observing the
manner by which n bird stores its energy
in keeping pace with a moving train.
The Spider aud It's Web.
While seated in a mail car one day
spider dropped past the brim of his cap
and hung suspended in the air. Ii di1
not make its web fast to the table. but
Immediately began to ascend by winding
the web ON is own body Upon refiec-
lion Mr. Appieman believed this prin-
clple could be applied to his airship, and
1t Is one Of the main features of the IN
Yentlon Ill its present shape He also
spent many hours in watching the fiigh+
Of birds who, yielding to the law of
gravitation fly downward till energy IS
stored up and they are enabled to fly
upward. The final object lesson was
given by the butterfly with its great
wings so close to the body, showing
clearly that a flying machine is an inn
possibility unless scientific principles are
applied and the ship becomes neutral
quantity the same as a fish in the wa
ter. Buoyancy and gravity are two OPP
posing forces, but when chained together
in the proper proportions will, ike the
fish, become neutral at any altitude.
Starting with the knowledge that an
airship cannot be propelled by means of
NIiSS MI. <ApptuldH borrowed the lUpa
of the boat and applied the principle Of
the screw-propelled steamship and the
sailboat. Then he made q balloon to
hold his vessel in the air while he tray
eled.
A Difficulty Overc ONE.
But a serious trouble with ships which
have been supported in the air by the
means of balloons has been in the fact
that to reach ground after having been
up in the air it has been necessary TO
free the balloon from gas in order that
the machine may drop and that to reach
desired attitudes the gas in the balloons
must be regulated and wasted. Here is
where he borrowed the idea Of n spider
He attached his vessel to the balloon by
means of an iron cable and wound the
cable around an iron drum in the body
of the vessel. Then he has a two horse
power naphtha engine to work the drum.
He lets his balloon 90 up fills it with
enough gas to put it Just where he wants
it and then stepping into the basket he
starts the powerful drum to revolving
and the cable winds IN and he is drawn
toward his balloon. up there in the air.
When he gets as far from the earth as
he desires he merely sfuIs the engine.
locks his drum and there he floats and
the spider idea is perfected. Then he
uses his sail if there is wind; if there is
not he sets his screw in motion and goes
at will.
The machine as his working model in
the workshop a Clermont shows. is
peculiar looking contrivance. First. the
vessel. 1t is a c0nical shaped craft
that's the proper word for airships-
built of oiled canvas covered with ashes
tOs. to protect it against storms and
fires. In the body of the vessel is the
drum upon which the cable winds and
also the two,,horsepower napntha engine
which furnishes the power to work the
drum and also the screws which are sit
uated at either end Of the vessel. The
screws are mortised wheel shape, some
thing after the fashion Of a windmill
wheel and are adjusted so that they may
be placed either straight out from the
ends Of the vessel or perpendicular to it.
When placed perpendicular they may be
operated to great advantage in helping
the drum tc raise the vessel from the
ground.
In Case of Accident.
The iron cable runs mp through the
deck of the vessel and through the hOl-
low mast, just the length Of the vessel,
which is set solid in the deck and this
mast is one Of the features Of the con
triyance. On it there is fitted a big UNI
hrella-s shaped cOntrivance which serves
both the features Of parachute, avaiiI-
bic should SEINE accident haprpn 10 the
balloon or IN the cable. When sailing
the umbrella spreads ont in the shape of
a mutton leg SAIL when descending it
opens up like an umbrella At the top
Of the mast is long spiral spring,
through which in turn the cable passes
This spring serves to lessen the swing
on the vessel which the action Of the bal
loon, propelled by the air currents, would
OF necessity have. At the top Of the
spring a peculiarly ball-bear
ing swivel which allows the balloon 10
whirl about as much as il wished with
ont affecting in the least the action Of
the vessel below. From here on the ca
bic has a clear course to travel until II
reaches the balloon. The balloon is fast
ened 10 the cable by means Of FIVE guy
ropes. one Of which is the cable itself.
1t, too, is a conieal-shaped contriyance,
but consists in reality of FIVE smaller bal
looms Of smaller size in coverings Of oiled |