Fergus County argus., 1903-09-16
NEW FLYING
MACHINE MAN
A Former Great Falls Man is PUTTING
Thousands Into an Airship of
New Design.
PATRoNlzED BY MRS. HEARST
Noted California Millionaire Widow
Furnishing the Means for the
New Machine.


liver, formerly of this city. who later
resided near Arlington. where he I'm.
vented flying machine" has
caught on" in California, where he
has been for about two years. and 1t
is now believed that his airship, test
ed in this city. may be a success. He
has secured the financial support Of
Mrs. Phoebe A. Hearst and the assist.
ance of scientists of the University
of California. and It is probable that
the man who was ridiculed by the
people of Cascade county may yet
achieve fame. The San Francisco
Bulletin, in an article containing
some inaccuracies. says:
An atrship is being built in Happy
Valley. Alameda county IS miles
northeast of San Francisco. Happy
valley is a tributary to Liyermore
valley, at the head of which is the
Hacienda del Poso dc Verona, the
summer home of Mrs. Phoebe A.
Hearst. At the other end of the larg
er valley is Pleasanton race track.
where Lou Dillon, Star Pointer and
Joe Patchen were bred and trained.
Mrs. Hearst is furnishing part of
the funds for the building of the air.
ship on land owned by her. She has
been encouraged to back the enter
prise by the sincerity, persistence and
ability of the inventor, c. III. Tolliver,
whose mechanical genius has been
confirmed by the scientific reports of
President Wheeler and Prof. Cory, Of
the University of California, who say
that the inventor, or, combination of
inventions, is likely to revolutionize
the transportation system of the age.
Tolliver has been working a year
where he is now and has been perfect
ing his plans for Is years. He will
make the first test Of his life's dream
in about five months. 1t will take the
constant work of 16 men until that
time to complete his designs. Already
$22,00 has been invested and $780,
900 more will be put in. Thirty-six
patents have been applied for and OBJ
tanned. Because of the evils resulting
from publicity and because no stock
is for sale absolute secrecy as to the
enterprise has been main
tanned until this morning, although
though the scientific experts of the
Universities OF California, Stanford
and Harvard have been studying and
experimenting with the scheme for
more than a year. 1t is the most am
bilious. practical attempt yet made
anywhere in the worlG, to solve the
problem of aerial navigation. The
airships of Santos Dumont in France
and of Won Zeppelin and Schwartz in
Germany, have been able to fly only
for exhibition purposes, while this
aims to be practical means of trans.
portation from its first trial.
Great and Simple.
Tolliver's idea is great because 1t is
ii will be revolutionary be-
cause it is practical. 1t is not new,
but a combination of old ideas, with
a wedding out of all that has been
demonstrated useless. 1t seems as
plausible as the light and as demon
stratable as an easy problem In arith-
metic. II is one of those inventions
which causes everyone to say: why
didn't think OF that beforeW z
Hence If 1t succeeds it Is likely to
put Tolliver in a class with Stephen
son, Morse, Edison ana Marconi.
The inventors problem was this
TO make gas-tight compartment
strong enough to bear the rigors OF
the atmosphere and yet light enough
to carry, in addition to its own weight,
several thousand pounds Of mechan-
ism and from 90 to 80 passengers.
Thus may be summed up the whole OF
mans difficulty in his fight to conquer
the air. To add buoyance to resist
ance and produce aerial equilibrium
apparently a simple task, has, in re-
aiity. heretofore proved impossible
Motive and steering power. which are
minor considerations. have occupied
the attention of most of the inventors
who have tried and failed. The near
est to success is -Dumonts d.
rigible balloon. To cigar-shaped
silken balloon. unlike the ordinary
circus toy only in Its form, he has
attached a pendant basket which car
ries the passengers-limited to two or
steering apparatus and the
motor. All other airships, either pro
iected or built, have been either
laughable failures or possible only as
experiments.
They have had huge wings, elabor.
ate baskets. or complicated mechan-
ism.
A Great Machine.
The length of the ship is 223 feet
the width 40 feet. its capacity, exclu-
sive of cabins. is 1S6,46i cubic feet,
its weight 1000 pounds. while the car
rying power of the gas is 1900 lbs.
so that 5000 pounds is the allowance
for freight and passengers.
Whether the motive power VIII be
gas or steam engines is not yet de-
termined. Three engines are being
one a gas motor the pro-
duct OF a French manufacturer the
second a Chicago invention giving a
horse power TO two pounds of weight
and the third. which is likely to be
81 IT,,