Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-09-25


in other divisions"
So spoke an official in the aeroplane
and airship section of the examining
division of the patent office at Wash
ington when asked as to the charac-
ter Of inventions now being offered
for patent in this line,
Before Wright startled the country
with his fight of more than one hour
over here at Fort Meyer a couple OF
years ago continued the official
there were not many applications of
this kind filed. Since that time, how
ever, they have steadily increased un-
til now we are getting them in at the
rate of more than $50 a week. They
are row far ahead of all other kinds
of invention in number filed, and, /
may add. in freakishness.
The large majority offered are not
allowed and of these the public can
know nothing. But these rejected
ones have by no means a monopoly
as examples of unique form of lun-
acY. Many of those for which we are
obliged to issue patents would be
mighty dangerous evidence if offered
in court against the sanity of the in
yentor'
Al Inspection of u number of tho
patents lately issued 10 those aspiring
10 soar shows that the patent office
man knew what he was talking about.
Wore it not that these freak airships
were formally patented, and that it
had cost the inventor at least 500
apiece to obtain such patents, it
would seem, from cxaHination. that
e
petrate a practical joke on III y, tss5
office officials.
The widest flights o. 49, NJ.
imagination can not reach DC, i !
some OF the crazy combinations re-
corded as airships and aeroplanes in
the washington archives. Could the
claims made by some of the fathers
to these weird machines be practically
realized the magic carpet of Prince
Ahmed and the fabulous Roc of the
Arabian Nights" would hide their
chagrined heads under the bed and go
out f the flying business
What adds to the grotesaue humor
OF these patents is that their claims
are all couehed in strictly scientific
language. reading like a report of an
aeronautic society.
Also the strict attention to minutest
detail is amusing; ratings to prevent
the passenger from falling over in
the scenery; muns to keep hands and
ears warm y lille soaring through the
zero attitudes of the upper air. com
Portable sleeping beds carefully ar
ranged with springs, SO that the jar
81 alighting will not awake the folks;
telescopes arranged on sWiVels at
convenient places about the decks
that the curious traveller may discern
what continent he's flying over. these
am Il score of ether details are care
tully inserted. doubtless to show IN
tending purchasers how Their comfort
has been looked after
In many % the drawings the aero
naut is shown. invariably sitting With
hands placidly folded, to show You it's
Just rs e-e-easyi All manner Of
means Of propulsion have been brought
into requisition from dynamite to
ducks. Wings, air aerform and IL
quid. torredoes. all come in fer
share.
Occasionally, too. one comes across
ah inventor who has worked out all
the problems to a nicety-and then
has JAILED to provide a motive pow
err But this trile is dismissed with
some such remark as Any convenient
form of motive power may be used. -
No single locality can boast itself
the home of these geniuses. They
stretch across the country and over
Ian Europe from Colorado to Buda-
pest in Hungary. Washington has one,
NeW York several, and a man from
Baltimore tiptoe1 into the patent OF
flee not long ago cautiously made his
way to the office of the chief eXamin-
er of the airship section, shut the door
securely and informed the astonished
examiner that his secret Was too val
liable to commit to paper, and hence
he Lad come over to eonfide it To his
cars which he would do only after q
solemn pledge in writing signed by the
official not to divulge or take advan-
tage Of the knowledge. The examiner
declined the honor, the Baltimore man
insisted, and upon further refusal
waxed wrathfhl whereupon the eN-
aininer called the houucer
An inventor in Highlands, Colo, re-
Gently obtained patent upon an air
ship that contains all the comforts
OF home. In the drawings it resembles
aa enlarged picture of some sort Of
a bug with Il row Of eyes along the
side md ruffle down it's back; on
inspecf \ the rufIle resolves itself into
the rai11g rIr9T the upper deck and
Tire cYes into aindows of the various
staferconss On tho ship
The lace curtains OF each Window
arc oarof''l'y looped back 50 as not
Ia rrs,s,,tita the view. staircase
leot down from the hatchway that
modest women might alight without
undue exposure OF ingeries. Every
thing man can want is shown, even to
the buffet that is. all except the ma :
chinery. which is probably in the cell
h,r OF the craft with the laundry tubs
and the furnace.
A man of Bergen, n. j., has patent
ed what looks like a large. metallic
box turned upside down. There is no
bottom in it. In the side walls are
circular openings and i'm these are ro-
tary fans which suck the air into the
box. Fhc aeronaut sits in ear suS'
pended from the box.
When the Bergen man wants to ny
he turns the power on to his fans
these pump air into the box 1t can