Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-17
AERIAL NAVIGATION
Captain George W. Byron
Believes It is Assured.
HAS FLYING MACHINE
WILL MAKE TEST ABOUT TOP OF
WASHINGTON MONUMENT.
Ship so Constructed as to Insure
Safety in Case of Drop
Into the Sea.
HAS FLYING MACHINE

1t is promised that the citizens of Wash
ington shall soon witness an unusual spec
tacle in the clouds over the White Lot. The
novel performance will be by a massive
flying machine, which, like some great
white bird will circle about the dizzy
heighted Washington monument. This is
the expectation of the inventor of the air
ship. Capt. George West Byron, Wash
ington man prominent in commercial and
Spanish War Veteran circles.
Capt Byron has entered his claim at the
patent office so that his rights cannot be in
fringed. and the work of constructing one
of the aerial vessels will begin, it is ex-
pected, in the coming spring early sum-
mer.
/ The inventor says he can discount Santos
Dumont who sailed about over gay Paris
in his airship. and to demonstrate this
he proposes to navigate in air about the
Washington monument in his machine. and
perform nidar evoutions which will put
the Dumont ship. in the shade. One of
Captain ByrOn's claims is that he can fly in
his ship from Washington to Chicago
without once alghting on terra firma for
either food or fuel.
On the official files of the patent Office
the Byron machine is described as IAN in
vention which has for its object the pro-
duction of an airship that will form a
MINIMUM resistance IL the Wluu currents,
whereby the control of the same is rem
dered possible"
A further object is to locate the cabin or
other place for the accommodate ton of pas
sengers or freight as to afford the least
possible resistance to the buoyancy of the
airship. A further object is to SO
position the cabin as to protect the same
from the wind and other air currents
whereby the drag of the air currents upon
depending cages is obviated. \ still fur.
Their object is to provide means for as"
sistng the airship in it's initial movement
incident to elevation and flight
Outlined in a Dream.
Speaking of his airship to a Star reporter.
Captain Byron said today that the very
first thought he had of inventing an air,
ship came to him while he was asleep.
Il dreamed 1 was my way to Cuba in
q flying machine he said. ''and it was
made of two cigar-shaped balloons. with a
abin between them. When l awoke 1 was
surprised at such a dream, for l had never
before thought of going up in a balloon
or flying machine. | could not get the.
matter out of my mind. however. nor could
/ go to sleep again. At last | said to my.
self If l was actually going to Cuba ins
such an airship and it should fall intet
the gulf l would be drowned. Then 1 be-
gan to figure how one could be made so
that if it fell into the water it would be
SAFE and could be propelled to the shore
Finally" continued Captain. Byron. Il
thought of making it in the shape of 4
boat, with a cabin in the center. 1 thought
of it again during that day, and made 4
crude drawing of the ship at nay office.
Then it was that the wedge-shape gas bag
came to me. and the six different eompart-
ments. Most of my best thoughts came.
Z to ME between and 10 clock in the morn
ing, while yet in bed l thought of can
opy for my cabin, which finally developed
into an immense gas bag over the entire
airshp.
Nine Separate Gas Bags.
Il now intend to employ nine separate
gas bags to make the aerial ship for long
distance traffic. Two of the bags are to be
square, and will be located in each end of
the cabin, and can be detached In thirty