Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1902-10-30
SWIMMING THE AIR WITH SANTOS.
DIJMONT.

| M. SanTOS-DumOuU, WHO recently
returned to Europe, has again taker
up his experiments in aerial naviga
ton. Although much attention has
been paid to this subject for large
number of years, the industry has
not as yet been gotten upon what
might be called paying basis. AL
the airships so far constructed have
| been more or less tickle minded and
vacillating and have not shown as
much of willingness to throw their
tails over the dashboard and cut out
through the moaning breeze as their
| inventors had counted on.
Mr.. Santos-Dumont once started
| to drive around Eiffel tower, but
when nearly around, his airship laid
back it's ears and refused to return
to the original starting point. He
then built another flying machine
which trotted around the tower with
out baking, bucking or breaking
pace, but which later on in it's career
became fatigued in an unexpected
moment and settled down in the
| Mediterranean sea, to the accom-
paniment of a large quantity. of off
hand-Brazilian profanity which Mr.
, Santos-Dumont had taken along for
use in case of an emergency.
M. Santos-Dumont's present expert
| ments are interesting, partially Sc
| because his air machines are the re-
suits of over three centuries OF
4 1oxy Of esni-
ence. This period has been quite
thickly punctuated by the attempts
of those who have built flying ma
chimes and then have attempted to
jockey around through the cerulean
dome with them.
Early in the sixteenth century an
italian inventor, while sojourning in
Scotland, decided to run over to
Paris in an airship. He sailed out
of the barn door headed directly for
Paris, but came down in the middle
of the alley with so much emphasis
that he broke several ribs and tore
up quite good deal of dirt.
In the early part of 1870, a philos-
opher who responded to the name of
Boreli constructed a dove shaped
machine, which he said would flee
as bird to the mountain. When it
came time to flee, however, the bird
spread out her great pinions a mo-
Inent, then slammed them shut with
a shudder and fell off her perch in
a nervous, faint, while Mr.. Borelli
mounted a chair and announced that
the entertainment would be indefn-
itely postponed.
In the fall of 1888 the first balloon
ascension on record was made. The
ascension was executed by Stephen
and Joseph Montgolfier near the vii
1age of Annoyhan, France. They
were brothers, and they made use
they got out for the ascension and
scattered over the country.
GRAND BALLOON ASCENSION!
By the Fearless and Intrepid
Aerial Artists
BROTHERS MONTGOLFIER-2
(Steve) (Joe)
Positively the first and only open air
balloon ascension ever given in the
history of the world will take place
at the old picnic grounds east of
town
SATURDAY, AUGUST %, 1888.
Come one, come all. Lemonade, pea
nuts and absinthe for sale on the
grounds. Excursion rates on all
turnpikes. Plenty of hitching room
for those who drive. The Annoyhan
Cornet band will be on hand to ut
ter music throughout the afternoon
UThis is positively the loudest
band in the county.
See Steve do the Giant Swing six
squares above the ground.
DON'T FORGET THE DATE AND
PLACE.
In 1912 an Englishman named Phil
ipps built an airship which spread
out it's wings like a scared goose
and wendell it's way through two
corn fields, destroying everything in
it's path, after which the great in
ventor took sledge hammer and
wendell his way through the machine.
He also settled up with the farmer
for the corn and then went out of
the flying business.
In 1843 a man named Henson de-
signed the most ambitious flying ma
chine that had ever been made at
that time. It had two large wings,
and tail which it carried pretty
high. Mr.. Henson believed that with
it he would be able to monkey
around the upper regions to his
hearts content. When it came time
to soar he shook hands with his
friends and told them that he would
take a little scorch and tear up a
few rods of ether blue, after which
he would return. He might have
succeeded had it not been for the
fact that a brick school house
stepped directly across his path at
an unexpected moment and refused
to get out of his way.
In 1S47 an Englishman by the name
of Stringfellow built flying ma
chine which looked like large bat,
and had springs for it's motive now