Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1901-11-06
AIRSHlP LIKE A BIRD.
Kansas Inventor Has a New
Flying Machine.
MUCH Is EXPECTED FIoa IT.
Enormous Wings Are to BE Pro-
PEELED Through Space mt n Fearful
Specialize Machine In to BE Con-
structed of Aluminium

PEELED Through Space nt n Fearful
structed of Aluminium.
There is on exhibition in the office of
a local patent attorney the model of an
airship says the Pittsburg Dispatch.
If when IL has been constructed the
ship q all that its inventor claims
for IT. the birds and the insects which
inhabit the atmosphere and the fishes
that skim the seas will find themselves
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 it
would seem that the ship viii do good
work. After it 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 \. B. Van Norhis. has no fear. He
is perfectly willing to take a chance in
the dizzy heights if somebody in Pitts
burg will take a similar chance in put
ting up the money to build the ship.
His confidence Is infectious. and
wealthy Pittsburgers who have an in
clination toward aerial flights are call
ing to inspect the model
General Van Norhs has been a resi-
dent of Kansas for twenty years. but
originally lived in WASHINGTON county.
10 ~ oh ht IN
through appointment by Goyeru-I -
John of Kansas. He is not a mechanic.
but has always had a fancy for scien-
tific 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 Vorhis has taken for his
general ideas the wings of insects and
other flying creatures and the tail of
fish. There are three pairs of wings on
each side of the ship. The front pair is
a combination of the wings of fly and
those Of a pheasant. Little apertures
are cut in the wings at regular inter
walls so that when the ship is in full
flight the wings will offer no resistance.
through them. After the forward mo-
ton 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 air and aiding in keeping up the
speed. In the extreme end of the vessel
General Van Norhis has brought the
tails, like those of some enormous fish.
into action. They swish and swash
through the air with violence well
nigh alarming. The tails bend forward
until they almost touch the side of the
vessel and then rush backward with
stroke which would put to shame the
whales which dwelt in the North sea.
In his preliminary steps General Van
Vorhis 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 1t
is designed. when the machine is all
ready for flight. to have this crank op
Grated with a gasoline engine.
To attain a sufficient elevation Gen
eral Van Vorhis has modelled a small
balloon which will be 100 feet in diane
ter. The gas will be generated right in
the balloon, and the latter will be con-
structed with innumerabIe cells so that
if one goes wrong the gas will be re-
tanned in all of tie others
How rapidly will you be able to fly
with this air monster of yours?' Gen
eral Van Vorhis was asked
so 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
l 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 will not be great 1t
will take 1000 yards of canvas to
make the sails. and the vessel will be
from IS to 50 feet in length. The body
of the ship will be constructed Of alu-
minimum. | know that it will be a sue
cess and that it will reyolutionize air
navigation"