The Brownsville daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1897-1910, 1905-08-26
STAYED UP HALF A MINUTE.
Israel Ludlow. After Flight Of COntriv-
ance. Declares II a Success


yesterday, before a throng of more
than a thousand persons. at Sew
Ninth street and North River,
made six attempts to send aloft his
latest invention, Airship No. s.
So filled with enthusiasm and con-
fdence in the success of the air
ship were Mr.. Ludlow's followers
that one of them, a young man
from Texas, attempted to ascend
in il.
On the last attempt he reached a
height of about one hundred feet
and was sailing along rather un-
steadily, when suddenly the airship
headed for the ground and struck
with such force that il was smash
ed. The young man was thrown
violently, and a small boy who was
not quick enough to escape was
bruised under the maze of bamboo,
muslin and wire.
Like all its predecessors, the air
ship was built in a lot at Seventy
Eighth street and West End avenue.
II is in reality huge box kite with
a tail in the form of vertical and
horizontal planes projecting from
the rear. To raise it Mr.. Ludlow
obtained the services of an eighty
horsepower Mors automobile, once
the property of Fourier. When
all was ready, the automobile, con-
nected to the kite by a long rope,
was started forward at full speed,
and after a moment the kite began
TO rise. Charles Hamilton, of No.
500 West Forty-Seventh street, the
young man who volunteered to as
cend, was in a rope seat between
the two boxes of the kite taking
things easily until the kite should
be well aloft. His feet were slight
ly elevated and he leaned back
against an upright.
Suddenly, when the kite was
about twelve feet above the street,
the rope to the automobile parted
and the whole structure dropped.
Hamilton was only slightly bruis-
ed. He again took his place, but
on the next three attempts the air
ship would not rise an inch, and
Hamilton each time had an excit-
ing ride over the pavement with
nothing under him but the rope
seat.
At this juncture some one noticed
that the wind had shifted and the
airship was turned about and start
ed in the other direction. This
time Hamilton did not ride and the
airship went up with a bound. On
its reaching a height of about for
~ feet the automobile was stopped
and the airship descended. The
tail was smashed and several of the
braces broken, but Hamilton de-
cided to try again.
To the surprise of all. the air
ship on this trial went up nicely.
With a steady sweep it rose above
the street, foated over some freight
cars along the shore and over tele-
graph wires. Every one in the
crowd began TO cheer, but then II
was noticed that the airship was
to wobble and become
very unsteady. Hamilton dropped
his cigarette and also his hat.
After the kite had been up about
half a minute il turned over on its
front end and dropped to the
ground with crash. Hamilton was
unable to get his legs down from
their elevation, and again he was
bumped, his fall having been
broken, however. by two bamboo
uprights, through which he broke.
Edward Gleason, a l5-year-old
boy. who was caught under the
airship, received some slight
bruises.
That flight was entirely sue
cessful, said Mr.. Ludlow a mo-
moment later. The airship went