The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1901-11-21
hlRSHlP LIKE A BIRD.
Kansas Inventor Has a New
Flying Machine.
MUCH Is EXPECTED FROM IT.

Enormous Wings Are To BE Pro-
PEELED Through space mt Fearful
Specialize Machine u 90 Be Con-
structed at AIuminism.
There is on exhibition in the office OF
a local patent attorney the model of an
Rirship. says the pittsburg Dispatch.
If when it has been constructed the
ship does all that its inventor claims
for 1t, the birds and the insects which
inhaNt the atmosphere and the fishes
that fkim the seas will nnd themselves
far aud away outdistunced by this
wonderful new aerial monster. In
point of speed the bats and the hawks
will compare with this new airship as
did the legendary tortoise TO the hare.
From the standpoint Of the model II
would seem that the ship viii do good
work. After IL has been constructed,
however, and all of its working gear is
In active operation it may possibly be
found that there is something wrong.
But Of this danger the inventor, Gener-
al y. Il. Van Norhis, has no fear He
Is pcrfCctly willing to take chance in
the dizzy heights If somebody i'm Pitts
burg will take a similar chance in put
ting up the money to build the ship.
Ills confidence is infectious, and
wealthy Pittsburgers who have an in
clinatlon toward aerial flights are call
ing 10 inspect the model.
General Van Vorhis has been resi-
dent IL Kansas for twenty years, but
originally lived in Washington county,
Pa. He obtained his military title
through appointment by Governor St
John OF Kansas. He is not a mechanic,
but has always had a fancy for scicn-
tifc affairs, and his ideas have been
embodied in the construction of many
articles now in common use in the
country
In fashioning this atmospheric bird
General Van Vorhs has taken for his
general IDEAS the wings Of insects aud
other flying creatures and the tail of n
fish. .Uhere are three pairs OF wings on
each side Of the ship. The cront pair is
combination Of the wings Ut a fly and
those Of pheasant Little apertures
are cut in the wings Gt regular inter
walls SO that when the ship is in full
flight the wings will offer no resistance.
but will allow the air TO slip right
through them. After the forward mo-
tion is made these apertures close. and
as the wings make the backward sweep
the air comes in contact with solid
surface and propels the vessel forward
with lightning rapidity.
The wings OF the second pair are like
those Of an ordinary bird. They move
upward and downward with an easy,
gentle motion. sustaining the vessel in
the airf pnd aiding In keeping up the
speed. In the extreme end OF the vessel
General Van Norhis has brought the
tails, iike those Of some enormous fish,
into action. They swish and swash
through. the air with a violence well
nigh alarming. The tails bend forward
until they almost touch the side of the
vessel and then rush backward with a
stroke which would put 10 shame the
whales which dwelt in the North sea.
In bis preliminary steps General Van
VorhH used five cranks with which To
propel these wings. Recently he has
made an improvement by which they
can all be operated with one crank. IL
is designed, when the machine is all
ready for flight, 90 have this crank op-
Grated with n gasoline engine.
To attain sufficient elevation Gen
eral Van Norhis has modelled a small
balloon which will be 100 feet in diane
ter The gas viii be generated right in
the balloon, and the latter will be con-
structed with innumerable cells. so that
II one goes wrong the gas will be re-
taned in all of the others.
'IIow rapidly will you be able to fly
Will this air monster of yours" Cen
efnl Van Norhis was asked
$50 rapidly" was the reply, that
am almost afraid TO tell you. In my
ideas / have the advantage even over
the birds, for In their flights their
wings form a certain resistance. None
can be found in the wings of my ship.
a can light IN the ocean and ascend
again from the water at will. There
is not one piece OF mechanism about
the vessel which Is not perfect. have
not yet definitely decided how much
the machine when completed will cost,
but the expense win not be great, It
will take 1000 yards OF canvas to
mako tie sass. and the vessel will be
from - 20 50 feet in length. The body
\of the ship viii be constructed Of alu-
mlnium. LGOw that II will be n sue
cess,and that II will reyolutionlze air
navigation"