Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1910-09-23
M A Romance
Of Flying
LANES I
Copyright. 1909. by the Bobbs.
Merrill Company

had been visited by reporters and the
impossiblity Of surface communica-
ton between 1t and Shayne's Hold
pointed out. The mysterious Craig.
head had leased for the Aeronef cor
pOratiOn the vacant aerodrome on the
roof of this very building. gone back
to the inn. whence the Virginia had
sailed to their leased roof within an
hour. and not by Shayne's Hold. after
which Craighead was the news center
from which emanated the most as.
founding medley Of scientific, psyche.
logic. mystical and mystifying news
ever heard.
Then some one discovered that on
the day the Carson.C raighead company
had been formed the Universal Nj
trates and Air Products company was
born. with directors and stockholders
identical with those of the Aeronef
company. and that they had spent a
great campaign fund In getting leases
and grants for the extraction from the
atmosphere Of nitrates and the like in
lines like those Of Scotch plaid all over
the continent. The air over almost
every highway had been granted away
by the owners Of the fee-the very
streets of New York being covered
so far as to cut the city into nearly
hundred irregular blocks. The other
great cities were similarly GridirOned.
The space over the smaller rivers and
streams was mostly sold TO the Air
Products company. The mystery in
this so stimulated curiosity that it
caused more excitement than the Vir-
ginia herself. for these seemingly
worthless rights over farms. streams.
roads and streets were like huge
SPIDERS web spun as q net over the
world-Europe and Asia as we'll as
America. Some one with great re-
sources was up to something big.
Something was to be caught in the
net-but what?
Craighead and Carson dinod with
Mr.. Filley. Mr.. Waddy's personal rep
resentative. a little man with a great.
scantily matched head and no body
who ate lobster and green turtle soup
day
when shall we know?" asked Theo.
dore.
''Soon." replied Filley. well cover
the whole country with injunctions
this afternoon and get hearing here
In few days, In very few weeks
we shall win the greatest legal tri-
umph Of recent times or-snuffed out"
That night began the series Of sen.
sations that made so memorable the
war for the use Of the air. In the
of every federal district and the
state courts Of West Virginia Mr.. FIJI.
ley filed his injunction suits against
the owner Of every known airship and
by the clause used in labor disputes
bound all persons. whether named or
not. who might with the defendants or
design trespass against
the plaintiffs rights.
The bill In New York recited that
the plaintiff was the owner OF all
rights of navigation In the air In GER
tain described belts or bands surround
ing the city Of New York. dividing 1t
Into portions. and gridironing the con-
tinent; that the defendants had In the
past habitually trespasSed on these by
dying over them in airships; that the
passage to or from the city Of New
York over the sea. the river or other
route was impossible save by such
trespass. and therefore injunction was
asked prohibiting the defendants. their
and all other persons from
from or coming to the said
city Of New York through the air own
ed by the plaintiff or from navigating
my aerial craft across. over or through
he real property of the plaintiff where
,oever situated.
Finley Shayne's name led the list of
followed by that of the
Aerostatic Power company and page
litter page Of names Of people owning
lerial craft. and airships every where
we're hemmed in"by the real proper
"" Of the plaintiff. like whalers frozen
In the ice. The ''real property" was
that wonderful spiders net Of grants,
and the plaintiff was the Universal
Nitrates and Air Products company!
opium dream was explain.
I'd. The relation between the twin
companies was disclosed. Two perfect
y we'll known legal principles were
lere united In an audacious attempt to
the air. the rights attach.
ng to ownership of land and that of
Injunction to prevent trespass or nui.
,ance.
Public and press were struck With
lmazement The unthinking laughed
It the unheard of and preposterous
.laim to private control of the atmos-
ohere. Lawyers began porting over
'ases dealing with rights In and over
and. with growing dubiety as to the
outcome of the case of the Universal