Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1903-02-05
WHEELING IN THE AIR.
A Bicycle That Is Intended to Fly
Like Bird.
On Which the Rider Can Rise or DESCEND
1t Will-When Perfected the Ma
chine Will BE = Valuable
War Agent.

tlOn OF the prODlein Vi deIifii haN "oioHi
but the aeronauts are still far from
evolving practical machine. Some OF
them continue to experiment with n.y.
ing machines. doing away to greater or
less extent with gas as a buoyant
force, and others make gas their main
stay, combining themselves to means OF
controlling the balloon when once in
the air. Everybody has probably heard
of Prof. Carl Myers, the famous aero
naut, of Frankfort, \. Y, and readers
of the Illustrated Express may remem-
Der several articles which have APP
peared in this paper from his pen.
Some month a,,o the Express contained
an illustrated article describing his bal
loon farm, as rs calls his headquarters
at Frankfort. Naturally, Prof. Myers
| is one of those who are studying the
| problem Of aerial navigation, and,
| equally naturally, in his efforts to solve
that problem, ne does not discard the
use of gas as buoyant force.
| One of his latest machines he calls an
air bicycle, and the novel point about it
is that it provides its own wind. A re-
cent description says it is a curious and
ingenious affair and looks like large
balloon or bag shaped like boat
turned bottom uppermost~ 1t is round
ed on top and fiat at the bottom, slight
| ly following toward the center, as an
inverted boat would. The bag is filed
with hydrogen. Attached to the net
ting which covers the bag are two
stays, which support very light but
strong skeleton of steel On this is
| v11o n o1.,
handle in front. and cranlls and pedals
below. Instead of wheels, the pedals
(and the handles also when desired)
operate piston rod, which extends
about fourteen feet ahead, and on
which is fitted II hollow tube ratcheted
onto or cogged into the mechanism
operated by the pedal. AT the extreme
end of this tube is rigid steel arm,
which, when at rest, lies at right an
giles to the head, and about six feet
nearer the rider is corresponding arm
| rigidly fixed on the tubes. On these
two arms of steel is stretched piece Of
light canvas, hanging perpendicularly
down in the same plane as from chin to
feet of the rider, and looking like the
topsail of ship beating to windward.
l
arm at the extreme end of the shaft is
turned back and forth, and this action
twists and untwistss the sail into a
right and then into left-hand helix,
such as would be produced by taking a
square sheet of paper with one hand at
each end and twisting the hands in op-
posite directions. This action of the
cloth produces a current of wind, which
strikes backward and upward against
the under surface of the balloon and
causes it SO soar up in the air The
machine is like the toy balloons one
buys at the dry goods stores for chill
dren, which will not rise by them
selves, but blow under them and up
they go. The entire weight Of this
r machine is about fifteen pounds. The
, hydrogen is made from water by a
patent process of Mr.. Myers, and it's
purpose is simply to counterfeit the
, weight of the rider. There is no
rudder To rise it is only necessary to
, lean backward and work the pedals; to
decend one leans slightly forward; to
, turn to the right or left one leans in
the direction desired. In short, it is
like riding bicycle, except that there
is no front wheel to turn.
To start the machine the rider place.
himself astride the saddle, springs into
] the air, and as the bicycle rises six OF
eight feet, the rider works the pedals
leans back slightly and up he goes
Prof Myers claims that head wind OF
ten or fifteen miles an hour will not
interfere with the machines progress
| hnf lS rathar q N i'll fo, 1,y
{ speed are concerned. Owing to the
0 backward tilt of the spindle, the head
8 wind PUSHES underneath, forcing il
! upward instead of backward only.
Prof Myers finds no difficulty in ris.
ing to heights of one thousand feet OF
}, more and circling about at will. lie
claims 1t is almost impossible to have
: an accident unless the rider throws
] himself off. He says: "The bicycle is
y not yet perfected, although with paten,
yarnishes, new cloths and new styles OF
gearing them, have produced balloons
which will last for years instead OF
months. My aim is to provide suita.
e bic motor to drive it. Then it will be
s a machine, indeed. You remember
r that in the Franco Prussian war bal.
q ASOuo Wcrc uSeu IOr spying purposes
q and the conveying of letters, and the
Prussians had to make special guns
: with which to shoot at them? Do YOU
remember that only one or two of the
balloons were ever hit, although they
were. totally at the mercy of the wind
Z currentsP Well, suppose / get motor
} FOR the bicycle, and coming from ten
i miles away at an altitude of two tho,,
d sand feet, do you think anything in the
shape OF gun would be likely to hit
me? Suppose, too. that | sail over a
fleet or an army with half a dozen dyna-
mite cartridges hung on to the horizon.
tai shaft, properly weighted to drop
and strike the ground with the bust
= ness end; suppose one or two of these
are cut loose by me at that height.
|. what would happen? The air bicycle
! Is capable of such work, as well as car
rying lifeline to a wrecked shin. on
thousand other things"
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take Laxative Bromo Quinine Tab
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