Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1901-01-10
A CONFEDERATE AIRSHIP.
The Arts Avis, which Was to Destroy
Grants Army.

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 90 out of use. The
new mode of travel will be more pleasant,
for their will be no dust, and, by rising
higher, as necessity may require, the hap
py traveller may keep cool.
Travelling in the air by means OF bal
looms is not of very remote date. The
first successful experiments in this line
were made in France about 1888, when
the balloon sailed across the Seine and a
part of Paris, remaining in the air twenty
five minutes. A balloon was used for
military observation at the battle of Fleu-
rus, fought in 1894.
A great deal concerning aerostation can
be found in books and newspapers, but
there is one experiment that seems to
have escaped the notice of the curious.
In the winter of lS64.'65 General Rob-
ert E. Lee and his army were defending
Petersburg, Va. The troops were
stretched out along the lines perhaps at
the rate OF one to every one hundred
yards.
McGowan's brigade held the works not
far from Battery 40 Tor the Star Fort
and near where the great dam was built
One cold, raw day the brigade was called
out, without arms, TO hear a speech from
scientific parsonage who was introduced
as Professor" Blank. The old soldier;
crowded around and took their seats or
the cold ground, and he unfolded his
scheme for demoralizng and driving away
Grants army. He had just invented ar
air ship
In shape it was something like a bird
and for that reason he had called it car
tbs Avis" or "The Bird of Art" which
was the meaning of the two Latin words
Tie frame WAS made of hoop iron anC
wire. 1t was covered with white OAK
splits. 1t was to be run by a one horse
power engine and one man to each birc
would be sufficient. The engine was tC
be in the body of the bird and to furnish
power for keeping the wings in motion
A small door at the sholder was opened
or closed to control the action of the Bird
of Art. A door under the throat was
opened when it was desirable to descend
and door on 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 number Of
shells, and the operator, by touching a
spring with his foot, could drop them
upon the enemy from safe distance.
The professor" said that he had COM
pleted one bird and made test of its
speed and how it would work. He tied
it to flat car, which was coupled to fast
engine. 1t was attached to the flat car
with long, strong rope. The word was
given, and the railroad engine started of
at 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 to con-
tribute one dollar each to the cause. Many
of them did, and the professor" moved
on and disappeared.
No doubt many Of the survivors have
forgotten this incident, but not long ago
the writer met John w. Butler, who be-
longed to the 18th S. G. V. In 1864, and
asked him:
"Did you ever hear of the Art Avis ?"
He replied 81 certainly have heard of
it, for gave a dollar to it"