Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-10-17
How Control of Gravitation Would End War
and Solve All Problems of Aerial Navigation
BY Professor Garrett p. Serviss

tThc Distinguished American Aatronon,er)
erless and worse than useless. There are two
ways In which this might he accomplished. First.
take the simplest and easiest. In which the ma.
chine would possess only the power to neutralize
Its weight and the weight of whatever it
might carry. Such machine would be incom.
paraby superior in manoeuvring ability to any
existing air craft because there would be no
limit to the height II could attain no serious in.
reference from air currents no danger of upset
ting and 10 trouble In steering while It could
start instantly, could mount and descend with
marvellous speed and by simply stabilizing itself
In space could let the landscape slide away be.
meath 1t with the speed of the earths rotation.
which II middle ATTITUDES Is from 700 to $50 miles
an hour
Of with such speeds a special form
would have to be given TO the machine. approx.
mating that of slender projectile In order to
withstand the rush through the air BY swiftly
reversing it's course II could sweep TO and fro
over an enemy's army or stronghold. dropping
bombs and destructive gases like rain. while
itself safe from gunare through its speed II not
otherwise. hundred or a thousand such ma.
chimes would destroy and scatter an army of O.
million men and render wide space of country
uninhabable
No ship and no fleet would be secure against
theiratacks. No harbor could be fortified against
them. They could only be fought with their own
Kind, and two fleets OF such machines In conflict
would dart through and about one another with
the blinking swiftness OF fighting dragon dies
But suppose that upon the principle Of Undue.
ton the machine could be made to impart it's
neutralizing force to other things outside itself
as. for instance, to portion OF the atmosphere
The result would be tremendous A cylinder OF
air few rods In diameter set free from obedi.
ence to gravity would be forced upward In
great rush. Air made little lighter by being
warmed rises swiftly Think, then what would
occur with air suddenly deprived OF all weight!
Every such ascending current would become the
centre Of an Irresistible tornado cyclone because
the air would rush In from all Sides a mighty
swirl would be set up. and in an instant there
would be formed a tornado the land or
waterspout on the sea, which nothing could re-
ssL An ordinary tornado, which unroofs
churches. wrecks houses, tears up trees by the
and sucks ponds and lakes dry. would.be but a
slight disturbance compared with artificial
. tornado created by the suction Of gravtyneu-
traliZing machine. series OF such tornedoes
set to whtrling over army besieged
stronghold would be more destructive than the
most powerful artillery
On the sea or In crowded harbor they would
wreck entire fleets. With the weight of the air
above removed the water would rise in WhelInine
waves. which could be directed into harbors and
channels, sweeping everything to destruction
machine lying over a battleship at sea could
suddenly cause a waterspout which would toss
the steel monster as If a submarine volcano had