The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1908-06-04
MISHAPS
IN HIS AIRSHIPS
Morrell Has Been in Two Wrecks And
Also in One Pro-
secution.
HE SAYS HE WILL TRY AGAIN
One Prospectus Was For An Airship a
Quarter Of a Mile
Long.
9 SAYS HE WILL TRY AGAIN

DAN rhAENClSCOt May Z4,-Ine
failure Of the arship yesterday to make
the ascent that was expected OF it was
not the first vicissitude that it's inven-
tor and promoter, Jonn A. Morrell, has
suffered. Morrell came here frorS
Chicago last year and built an airship
in the Mission that was not a success,
and the attempt to fly yesterday was
his second venture of this kind. In
addition to these troubles, he has been
prosecuted in the courts for collecting
assessments on stock that was sold as
non-assessable.
The first airship was built out on
the Mission road, and was much
smaller than the one that was wrecked
yesterday. The balloon was not large
enough to lift the engines and the
netting, but the machine scared 100 or
200 feet in the air and fitted along
the ground like hopping bird, touch
ing at frequent intervals. 1t managed
to reach the vicinity of Burlingame,
where it finally rested.
The first airship got loose before
the twelve men who had been selected
for the crew were able to board 1t, to
which fortunate circumstance they
probably owed their lives. The airship
was tied up, but later turned loose, and
it became nearly total loss.
Morrell next organized the National
Airship Company, a corporation capt.
talized at $10,OO0,OOO and incorporated
under the laws of South Dakota. He
opened offices at 81 Van Ness avenue,
and a machine shop at Market and
Franklin streets. His prospectus was
so lurid that it excited the interest of
the postoffice inspectors and there were
rumors that an investigation was to
follow.
The prospectus stated that an air
ship a quarter of a mile in length was
under construction and that it was to
make regular trips between this city
and New York. 1t was to be furnished
with especially light fitting composed
of a secret composition. The beds were
| to be inflated with secret gas when
was very light and the bedsteads were
to be constructed of hollow aluminium
tubes. The chairs were to weigh seven
teen ounces, while the bedsteads were
| to tip the scales at twenty-seven
| ounces.
Notwithstanding these strange pre-
| tensions and promises, numbers bought
stack at twenty-five cents a share. One
of the purchasers was S. l. Jacobs OF
1915 Laguna street, who charged
Morrell with making false and eXag
gerated reports regarding the posi-
bilities of his airship. Morrell OBJ
| tanned several continuances in the PO-
! lice Court, and the case was finally
dropped through failure of the COM
planning witnesses to press the prose-
| cUtion. There was also some discus
sion regarding a charge of falling to
pay his reincorporation fee in this
state, but that charge was never press
ed.
The airship that was wrecked yes
terday has been under construction for
some months in the companys shops at
Market and Franklin street, and was
recently moved to Berkeley. Morrell
obtained the services of George H..
Loose, an inventor who has had con-
ships and aeroplanes. Loose mad charge
of the construction work and butt the
vessels according to the directions OF
Morrell. He was to have been first Of
ficer in charge of the airship on its
cruise, but he says he refused to go up
in it because Morrell would not follow
his advice regarding it's construction.
He says he regarded the machine as
unsafe and adds that it never should
have been permitted to make the
ascent. In this connection Loose said:
Il told Morrell that if he filled his
vessel full enough to keep the cone
rigid, which was not braced it would
open the emergency valves, and ii ne
frightened the emergency valves, 1t
would burst the vessel.
John A. Morrell is not discouraged
despite his broken bones and the de-
siruction of an airship the value OF
which he paced at 100000 lie told
his friends last night that he proposed
to try again. He had lost a machine
a year ago and he nd suffered a great
disaster this time, but he had faith
in the type of airship which he had in
vented, and he knew where he could
raise the money to continue his work,
THE LATEST DISASTER.
Just as John A. Morrelrs airshlp
left its moorings in Berkeley shortly
before noon yesterday the great cloth
balloon burst, and the nineteen occu-
pants Of the machine were precipitated
into the field whence they had risen,
Nine OF that number lie grooming on
hospital cots, and at least two are not
expected to live