The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1904-10-28
FLIES like A BIRD.
A Successful Test Of the
Baldwin Airship.
SCARED ABOVE ST. LOUIS
Its Pilot Maneuvered In Circles
and Against the Wind
A FLIGHT OF TEN MILES.

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A FLIGHT OF TEN MILES.
u Began from the Worries Fais
Grounds and Ended at cahoI<ia, 90,
Ten Miles from the Place Of start
ino-The Motor Broke.
St Louis, Oct 26.-PropeIled part
Of the way by its own power and the
remainder Of the distance by the wind,
which was blowing at ten miles IN
hour, the Arrow. an airship owned and
perfected by Thomas 8. Baldwin, a
San Francisco, In charge Of A. hoy
Knabenshue, Of Toledo, yesterday
made an unannounced flight q ten
miles from the worlds fair grounds
over St Louis and across the Msais-
| sippi river to Cahokia, III.
The aerial performance attracted
the attention Of thousands Of persons,
| who cheered almost continuously ~
the big flying machine passed over the
exposition grounds and SCARED high
above the high buildings Of the busi-
ness quarter Of St Louis.
Clinging to the framework Of the
car, his precarious foothold IN iron
tube that forms one side Of the base
Of the triangular network Of supports
and ribs of the Arrows body, Knab-
enshue directed the movements Of the
flying machine and maneuvered in
circles and against the wind high over
the great buildings Of the sxposttiou,
before an accident to the motor ren-
dered the big fan propellers useless
and curtailed his command of direc-
tion, but not Of suspension or descen-
sion.
aerodrome when the flight began The
trip from the starting point to the
main part Of the exposition grounds
was unnoticed by most Of the thou
sands of visitors to tks fair.
AS the airship. several hundred feet
In the air, sailed over the transporta-
ton building 1t was seen By several
and then by hundreds of sightSeers
and within ten minutes of its discov-
cry thousands were watching Knab-
enshue cause the flying machine to
d turn this way and that 1t his wfll-
Slowly the Arrow turned and.
breasting the wind, made progress In
the direction from which 1t had come.
Again the big cigar-shaped balloon
answered its helm and again Il SCARED
above the exposition buildings On IT.
way to the Cascades, where hundreds
of cheering spectators marked its
flight from the Plaza st. Louis. In af-
!. tempting to make the second turn the
motor broke.
When Knabenshue found that he
could control the movements oe the
airship even after the motor vas uoe-
less. he decided to effect q landing %
the east side of the Mississippi r1ylf.
Steering his ship so that he ool
gain the best speed from the -
Knabenshue directed its course 90
/, the southwestern residence quarter g
st. Louis, where its presence was soo6
3 discovered and watched by thousands
> of persons who rushed from their
homes to see the airship.
RI Passing rapidly eastward the Arrow
I reached the business quarter, where
) its appearance was the signal for
great excitement Clerks deserted
their desks, street cars were stopped
and all business was suspended until
the airship passed
From it's movements the spectaforl
: could not determine whether the pro-
pellers were working, as tho afrship
seemed to respond to every demand
E made by its navigator and to change
its course at his will. rather than al
o the vagaries of the wind.
Ell Although then nearly q mile high,
s Knabenshue could be seen, occasion
r ally moving backward and forward ou
+; the small platform, keeping the shiE
under control and directing its move.
!. ments either upward or downward q
!. he desired.
eI After sailing high over the sky.
- scrapers, Knabenshle passed to thu
: Illinois side Of the Mississippi river
\ | stunning the murky river a. q bird
|. and headed toward Caholia, where h<
, fbrought the airship to the ground
. easily.
When within ten feet of the eartl
Knabenshue threw out his grapplt
and one of the hooks caught In q large
Z tree. The large balloon settled slowly
to the ground, resting lightly on 1t,
8 framework.
vi Knabenshue alighted, secured thu
airship to prevent injury from the
ol wind and assured Mr.. Baldwin b.
I'll telephone that the Arrow was unin
e jured, except for the minor breakagt
v of the motor.
h The fight occupied exactly ons
!, hour. The motor broke about Is min
utes after the airship left the aero
II nautic concourse.
The airship was constructed undel
the personal supervision Of Capt
Baldwin in California, and differs II
many features from ships constxuctet
In the past. On the ship Capt Bald
r win places his hopes Of winning tn
$100, 900 prize at the fair.
!. The gas balloon is cigar-shaped. o
y Japanese silk, "a feet long and II Tee
= = in diameter and requires 5000 cubi
feet of gas to initiate It The Tram
Is attachment is 80 feet long. It carrie
le double cylinder 7-horse power gAso
IL line engine. maxim 1000 revolution
'n of the propellers a minute. The ma
D. chine is SO arranged that the ship
III pulled instead Of pushed.
: Toledo, O., Oct ga. r. Knab
- enshue is the second son Of 8.
III Knabenshue, of the Toledo Blade. H
is ~ years old and is an electrical en
g1neaE.