The Bourbon news., 1904-10-28
AN ARSH|P'S FLIGHT.
Ohio Man Successfully Nayigated
it at st. Louis.
1t Was Maneuvered in Circles and
Against the Wind Mile Above
the Earth-A Slight Accident
Marred the Exhibition.

st. Louis, Oct. 26.-Propelled part
Of the way by its own power and the
remainder of the distance by the wind,
which was blowing at the rate of
about nine or ten miles an hour, the
airship of Thomas S. Baldwin, of San
Francisco, in charge of A. Roy Knab-
enshue, Of Toledo, O., made an unan-
nounced ascension from the aeronautic
course at the Worlds fair Tuesday
and landed near Cahokia, Ill, dis
tance of nearly ten miles, after flight
that attracted the attention of thou
sands of persons who cheered almost
continuously as the big flying machine
passed over the exposition grounds.
left the residence section of st. Louis
far beneath it, and scared mile
above the towering Office buildings OF
the business district. Clinging to the
framework Of the car, his precarious
foothold, an iron tube that forms one
side of the base of the triangular net
work of supports and ribs of the air.
ships body, Knabenshue directed the
movements Of his flying machine and
maneuvered in circles and against the
wind, high over the monster exhibit
palaces of the exposition, before the
accident to his motor which rendered
the big fan-like propellers useless and
curtailed his command of the airship.
Notwithstanding the breaking of the
motor, Knabenshue did not lose COM
plete control of the machine, but with
the momentum given by the wind he
was enabled to steer the machine in
course that varied several points in
each direction from the trend Of the
wind and landed at a point of his own
selection.
Slowly the airship turned and, fac
ing the wind, made progress in the di-
rection from which it had come.
Again did the big cigar-shaped bal
ing man at it's helm and once more
it scared above the exposition build
ings on its way to the cascades, where
hundreds of cheering spectators mark.
ed it's flight from the plaza st. Louis.
In attempting to make the second turn
the accident to the motor occurred;
but almost instantly Knabenshue gain
ed control of the machine and steered
q straight course little east of south
east.
While the appearance of the airship
in st. Louis created excitement, the
sight of a swiftly moving flying ma
chine headed toward their town caus-
ed a furore among the inhabitants Of
Cahokia and the surrounding farms.
Horses were hastily harnessed and
within a few minutes the roads were
filled with persons fastening along in
the wake of the airship, which by this
time was unmistakably heading to-
ward the ground.
When within about seven feet Of the
earth Knabenshue threw out his grap-
pie and one of the hooks caught in
large tree standing on the edge of
clearing and the large body settled
slowly to the ground, resting lightly
upon it's frame work.
After he had landed, Knabenshue
stated that when he found he could
control the movements of the airship
even after the motor was useless, he
determined to make the test a fair
one and decided to effect landing
on the east side of the Mississippi river.
The gas balloon is cigar-shaped, OF
Japanese silk, 81 feet in length and II
feet in diameter and requires 5000 GU
bic feet of gas to initiate it. The frame
attachment is 80 feet in length. It
carries a double cylinder, seven horse
power gasoline engine, making 2,000
revolutions minute, to drive the pro-
pellers. One of the chief new fea-
lures of the machine is an arrange
ment whereby the ship is pulled
through air instead of being pushed.
Toledo, o., Oct. ga. r. Knaben-
shue is the second son of S. S. Knab-
enshue of the Toledo Blade. He is 27
years old and is an electrical engi-
neer and inventor by occupation. For
the past six years he has given much
attention to aeronautics. He went to
ST. Louis before the Worlds fair open
ed to work in the electrical installa-
ton and has for two months been in