The Iola register., 1902-05-30
OUR OWN DR.. 5. |. n. FOOTt
He of the Tape Worm, Divorce Epi-
sOde, Desires to Win HOnOrs With
an Air Ship at St Louis.

an All snip at ~. LOUIS
REGISTER readers are not 'unfamil-
lar with the name of DR.. Sherman l.. Il.
Foote, late of Gas City, the married
gentleman who secured divorce from
his wife in the district court here. His
petition was "a very remarkable docu-
ment. 1t was known at the time that
the doctor was a scientist and he tried
to talk lola men into advancing funds
to place his wonderful air ship in the
field. The doctor left Gas City and
moved to Stark some weeks ago, but
he is still doing business as is shown
by letter in Tuesdays Kansas City
journal.
A Kansas City man advocated a
contest of air ship men at the St.
Louis exposition. The doctor has the
virus and believes he has the correct
idea of aerial navigation. So he
wrote this man, scathingly rebuking
all frauds, and cranks and concluding
his letter thus:
81 am familiar with all that has
been done on the subject of aerial
navigation and can excel the best ef-
forts of any and all mot excepting
Santos-Dumont) as far as an electric
| light eXcels a penny rushlight. Du-
mont is clever genius. He has come
nearer solving this problem than any
other man and he will no doubt carry
off the the great st. Louis prize un-
less | get help to bring out my work,
in which event he will stand no show
whatever. | should regret to see that
prize taken from this inventive nation
and carried to -barbarous South
America, for the results of successful
aerial navigation are past all COM
prehension in Importance.
All plans hitherto hit upon stand
when compared to the correct and
philosophical plan about as alchemy
stands to chemistry, or as astrology
stands to astronomy. Maxim, Lilin-
than, Penningto, a. De Baussett and
IA host of others who have claimed sue
cess are all pitiful failures.
To succeed, no law of philosophy
must be overlooked or ignored-no
precaution to avoid accidents must be
forgotten, and when all things
are thought of and duly pro-
vided for the grand ocean of N. o. c..
o. 2 is far superior to the ocean of II.
2 o. for observation, pleasure, light
expressage, mail service, military op-
erations, safety, scientific research
and many other purposes but not for
the transportation of heavy freight.
make no claim that cannot sus-
tain. am no crank or enthusiast.
speak whereof | know mot only the
oretically but by actual and practical
experiment. and all | need in addition
to what ! can furnish myself is $40, 600
mot given to me, but so placed that |
can draw on it as the work pro-
crosses and l will keep that prize at
home and immortalize our own coun-
try. The plan is developed in detail,
and will work from the start as
smooth and as graceful as the Allan
tic liner leaves its slip. Having built
three models | can oversee and direct
the work from start to finish. | am
the man who saved this government
$50, 600 by exposing the folly of De
! Bausett's idea. Plumb and Martin
both thanked me, and that was all the
reward ever got for my trouble. |
will divide the st. Louis prize and
share the glory of the invention with
him or those who aid me to get up a
working machine. If you know an
able promoter please introduce us,
and it shall pay both you and him il
he raises the funds. When proper
arrangements are made can go up to
Kansas City and close the contract.
have no patent as yet to secure me, SC
| will demand IA written pledge Of
secrecy with responsible backing.
Please let me hear from you soon
and believe me Thine Truly,
S. L. N. FoOTE. NJ. D."