The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, November 25, 1896, Page 1

{ 2 (::v(."f‘ 2 Will Probably Be Used to Destroy the City of ITS DESTINY IN GENERAL Havana. HART’S HANDS. Interesting Details of the Powers of the Mysterious Con- queror of the Air. 'VAST FORTUNES IN EXPECTANCY FOR ALL CONCERNED. Oakland People Claim to Have Seen Intricate Evolutions in Midair—Venus and Jupiter as Fair Deceivers. Ex-Attorney-General W. H. H. Hart now has charge of tne destinies of the air- ship, which bas hitherto been under the legal wings of Attorney George D. Collins. The reason for the change is said to be due to the loquacity of Mr. Collins. The in ventor, who is said to be extremely desirous of maintaining his incognito, thinks that Col s talkea not wisely and too much. General Hart admitted his new and mysterious responsibilities yesterday and then made the sensational announcement that the airship was to be used in the ser- vice of the Cuban insurgents and intimated that Havana was to be the first point of attack. While the new custodian of the secrets relative to the aerial mystery states that be has not himself seen the wondrous invention he expresses himself 2s confident that it can do all that has been ascribed to it by those who claim to have seen it in operation above the earth. within a few months. He expects to make a fortune out of it for all concerned Itis now reported thatthe inventor is s Dr. Catlin, who was assisted in the work of construction by Dr. E. H. Benjamin. ‘While Tre CALL is not in a position to give it as a posi ve fact that a successful airship has been constructed and put into operation, neither is it prepared to say that the thousands of people who claim to have seen such a thing are mistaken. In this - connection it regrets that it bas to call attention to two deliberate attempts of the Examiner to play upon the credulity of the people. One of these attempts was made in Oakland on Monday and another hoax was attempted in this City last night. Both were feeble and ineffective, and acted only as boomerangs on that “Monarch of the Fakers.” Considerable excitement was createa in this City last night by the mistaken idea N that got abroad that the airship was visible. The peculiar flight of Venus across the western horizon and the brilliant reflection from Jupiter in the east cansed this false impression. Oakland again contributes an interesting chapter to the serial history of the past week. Among other things it is asserted that the airship was seen performing intricate evolutions in midair. All the secrets of the mysterious airship are now in the hands of ex-Attorney- General W. H. H. Hart. The responsibility of their keeping was legally transierred yesterday from Georg e D. Collins to that gentleman. Mr. Hart spoke freely and fully of the machine, but declined to divulge the name of the inventor and owner, its present location or its mechanism. It was learned by a CaLL reporter irom another source. however, that the name of the inventor and owner is Dr. Catlin; that he was assisted in his work by Dr. E. H. Benjamin and George Applegate, and that the machine is housed within a short dis- tance from San Francisco. Attorney Collins was visited by the airship inventor yesterday morning, and ac- cording to Mr. Collins’ slory, the latter asked to be relieved from anything further to do with the aerial mys: stery. His client, he said, asked him to recommend another attorney, and the result was that a visit was paid to the office of the ex-Attorney- General, whose offices are a few flights higher up in the Crocker building. After a short consultation the mysterious client was under the legal protection of Mr. Hart, “General, I understand that Dr. Catlin, the inventor of the airship seen in various parts of the State within the past week, has placed his interests in that wonderful creaticn in your hands,” was the first remark addressed to the new custodian of the secret, of which the world is to-day anxiously and impatiently awaiting an explana- tion in detail. Aft:r admitting that such a transfer had been made only a few hours before, the ex-Attorney-General, without further preliminary, went on and made a series of most astounding revelations in reference to the machine and its ultimate purpose. Eis story, exactly as he told it: “There are two inventions and they are very much alike. This is One was perfected in the East and the other in California. I have been concerned in the Eastern invention for some time personally. The idea is to consolidate both interests. “I have seen the machine invented in the East and I am convinced it will work all richt, and from what I have been told Idon’t see any reason why the machine in- vented in California cannot be worked. “My plan of utilizing the invention would be different from that of other people in the w complete secrecy in regard to it. I have very little doubt the California invention will work. in the problem of aerial navigation has besn a question of motive power. y of making money out of it. and in order to do so there would haye to be The whole trouble In this they bhave the right motive power, which is without question sufficient to work the ship, and that is by electric storage batteries. “My plan of operating this invention requires it to be kept as secret as possible. 1 propo:e to use it wholly for war purposes, and within the next five or six months it will be put to the test. “From what 1 have seen of it I have not the least doubt but that it will carry four men and 1000 pounds of dynamite. “Before it is brought mto practical use, howéver, two important modifications must be made. It must be so constructed that il it should be injured while overa body of water and drop, it will float like a Foat. The bottom will also have to be pro- tected so that the cyiinder cannot be penetrated by rifle bullets or weapons of small caitber. “‘Because we expect to use it for war purposes is the reason I will not give the names of the persons who are interested in it. We don’t want to busters on the first trial of the machine. “This machine will be tested in the neighborhood of S8an Francisco from time to time. noon for some time. be arrested as fili- I don’t expect to see it myself or even get a look at it. I have had a full description of it, however, from the people interested. I was with them this after- “I believe it can be nsed #o that the inventor and the parties interested can muke from $5,000,000 to $10, €00,000 cut of it in five or six months, *'Four men or two men can operate it. From what I.know of it, I am quite con- "Anm‘ that two to three men could destroy the city of Havana in forty-eight hours. . “This machine is being tested in California owing to the favorable character of our climate, There is one drawback to the invention, and that is that the inventor _cAmnot cause it to staud still; it must be kept moving like anarrow. Otherwise it is 1895 LANDELLES SCREw AIR SHIP, ‘63 Twod Centuries of the Flight MAXIM'S FLYING MACHINES (K93 je Airship; From the Bird Wing to the Maxim Machine. M. Penavo 1272 E -FIVE CENTS. BROF werLneR' FLYING MACKINE. 2 2399 PROPOSED AiKW.tATA&AgéN FORU.S. COAST DEFENSE under perfect control. dead standstill. even how many wings it has. There is no doubt about this. I cannot go into details about its construct It ca ‘made to rise from a n, bif will admit that it is of cylindrical shape, is bai!t of aluminum and bas winz}, w4 cannot tell you “I do not know yet whether or not an But if one has gone on to Washington Lshall try to w!lhdrng 4 will be good policy for us to let the information that woula t application for %l!euc has been made. as I do not think it s be furnished become public, owing to the purpose for which we first propose to use it. We would rather make $5,000,000 1n six months than $100,000 for fifty years. “I am quite positive that Tue CarL is right in what it has reported, but I can’t say, of course, whether this machine is the one that has been seen by the people of Sacramento and other towns. ‘“‘Before the invention is put to a practical test as a war engine it will be remodeled with the changes 1 have suggest:d, and the new machine will be a combination of both inventions.” “Does the inventor, your client, sail | was asked. on these trial trlr.{huqn being made?” Ll “That T cannot tell you, because I have not talked of this phase of the matter with him.” “How much longer will these sxperiments in California continue "’ “That I can’t tell, but probably until they become fully satisfied with the working of the ship.” THE FIRST TRIP. Over One Hundred Miles Covered in a Few Hours. Probably the most interesting story told of the much-talked-of airship comes from one recently admitted into the inner circle of confidence and who it is believed car- ries a little bunch of airship stock in his inside pocket. It was oniy vnder a promise of concealing his identity that he consented to tell of what he knew of the recent movements of the mystery of the clouds. In speaking thereof, he said: “One of the surprising features of the affair is that the inventor has been abie to keep his invention away from’the pry- ingeyes of the public so long. As you may suppose, it took some time to con- struct the ship.” “Where was it constructed?” he was asked. T “Well, it is no use to keep that a secret any more than it would be for a hen to keep secret the location of her old nest after the brood is hatched and away. It was built not such a great distance out of Oroville at the home of the inventor's aunt. The statement of other parties to the effect that the material was brought from the East and put together in this State is correct. The men worked hard for some time to get the parts together in the right shape, and several short experi- mental flights were made to test the bat- teries and machinery,” “Then electricity is the power nsed ?” “Yes; one of the forces of nature that is made use of. Theship carries a storage battery. The hull is of aluminum. But I must not say too much about the thing itself, for I have never seen it yet. The first night that it was seen by the people in SBacramento was the first time that the inventor made a practical test of the strength, buoyancy and speed of his ship. ‘‘He started out alone, for, to tell the truth, even his assistants were a little timid about venturingoff the earth.: Well, the doctor started out alone and went to a great elevation, when he discovered that one of the copper bearings was becoming heated and he wanted to get nearer the earth. He slowed up his speed and began to come down, and as he approached the earth he realized that he bad lost,his course to some extent, for he could not clearly make out the nature of the coun- try over which he had been and was pass- ing. “High hills and low hills have about the * same appearance to a man high upin the air, you know. At last he made out that he was approaching a large town, for he saw many electric lights, and in order to be sure of his bearing aud location be steered siraight for the lights. He soon recognized that he was close to Sacra- mento. To tell the truth he had dropped lower than he intended and the lights on the airship attracted the attention of a large number of people of that city. “The next morning an account of the mysterious light in the sky over Sacra- mento was published in Tue Carn. The people of Sacramento made one mistake, and that is they did not hear voices. It was the noise of the machinery and the hum of the wheels that they heard and mistook for voices and songs. I have no idea that the doctor either sang or talked to himself, for he was entirely alone, as I said before, on the first voyage. ‘*He spent the nightsailingaround in the sky and about 8 o’clock in the morninz he landed in the barnyard of a farm situated in one of the bay counties. He put his airship into the barn and locked the door, for he bad previously made arrangements to that end. The ship worked splendidly and behaved most satislactorily. Of course there were improvements to be made and several changes were necessary. But taken on the whole everything went well. “This was the very first trip of the new airship. Since’ then he' has been ouf nearly every night, so 1 am told. and as be has not limited himsell as to distance the ship has been seen at night by people in many localities. There, that is all I am going to tell you this time.” i At AN INVENTOR’S OPINION. Dr. C. A. Smith Has No Doubt That ‘ an Alrship Is Being Tested. «“Have I seen the airship? Well, I can't say that I have,” said Dr. C. A. Smith, the inventor, when seen in his office in the Spreckels building last might. “But 1 have no reason to doubt that it is an air- ship the people in.this City and other cities have seen in the heavens for the past few nignts. “I have been experimenting on air machines for the past forty-eight years and have invented noless than tnirty use- ful machines, some of which have been used in every State of the Union. I know of its practicability as I have had a model running through the air. “I expect to bave machinery ready for HOMAR. SAYS IT'S A TRUE TIME FOR REJOICING. BOSTON, Mass., Nov. 24.—The jubilee banquet and celebration of the Home Market Club in honor of the election of McKiniey was held at Mechanics' Hall this evening. A reception was held from 4:30 until 6 o’clock, when the dinner was served. About 1500 members of the club and invited guests sat down. Senator Hoar of Massachusetts was among those who addressed the meeting. He s+id in It takes more than one day for thanksgiving this year. No private dwelling, no church, no ordinary building can contain our joy. The campaign of strife, of dishonor, of broken faith, of sectional hate, of bankruptcy is ended as it de- served. The Ametican people once more stand before the nations of the world for peace upon earth and good will to men. The flag which our fathers left us and our brothers saved for s without a rent was handed down without a stain. good time for Union soldiers to celebrate. There is happiness again in the workman’s dwelling. Itis certainly a sad thing to think of States like Kansag and Nebraska, children of New England, that great farming population where we expect to find, if we find them anywhere, sobriety, integrity, steadiness, conservatism, the great commaunities where churchesabound, and where the schools are the best in the world, should have lent themselves to this crazy attempt at part: revolution and this passionate crusade of dishonor.’ General Alger of Michigan spoke in response to the toast, “Wrecks of the Rebellion.” Among other speakers were General 0. 0. Howard, Gsneral Stewart of Pennsylvania and others, business in the beginning of next April to make a trip across the continent, It will | be 160 feet long from bow to stern and 125 | feet cylinder. The main body will be 125 feet long. 'The frontend wilt be & cone, | as it is a scientific fact tbata cone presents less resistance in pussing through the air| than any other solid body. The gascom- | partments will be in the upper portions of the cylinder and cone, ana after being filled with hydrogen and acetylene gas, recently aiscovered, they will be hermeti- cally sealed. The sheet aluminum to be used is lighter per square foot than the oiled and varnished silk used in making balloons. “The rear end of the ship will be made like a frustom of a cone and the air wiil thus pass freely back to the propeiler, ‘witich wity drive the ship. In theinterior will be a cabin for passengers 35 by 40 feet, entirely partitioned off from the gas. In the bow inside of the shell will be a pilot- house, from which the rudders will be operated and controlled. It will have | windows, so that the pilot can see in all directions. L “A horizontal rudder of sufficient di- mensions will steer the ship up or down, 'and a vertical rudder will steer it to right or left. 'Both will be on the stern. The wings will extend the full length of the cylinder and in flight will be used as aero- planes, like the wings of the larger birds, and in crossing currénts of air they will be closed. When in a light atmosphere, too light for the gas, the wings can be utilized to carry the ship up into the at- mosphere. “There will be a wellhole in the bottom for an anchor and above will be a capstan on which the 1ope wili be wound. The ship will land by deflecting the wings and the horizontal rudder; the propeller will | Grive the ship forward, the aeroplane, wings and rudder steering it to the earth. It will pass above a platform where an an- chor rope will be fixed, and the capstan will then araw it down onto the platform. “I can get a Maxim engine which weighs 320 pounds and produces 180 horse- power. The ship will carry from twenty- five to thirty passengers. I calculate that the ship will run at a speed of 100 miles per hour and perhaps more. “As to light, we can hsve a storage bat- tery to give all that is necessary. The gas will be inclosed in aluminum compart- ments, so that it cannot escape, and this will insure ‘permanent buoyancy, and, as a consequence, absolute safety. “I do not know who is the inventor of the airship that people say, they see flying through the atmosphere. When it is placed before the public it will, I think, be seen that it is identical with the one'l have describe: p SRS VENUS AND: JUPITER. These Celestlal Orbs Mistaken by lunfliclent 1o say that the planet Venus is Thousands for the Alrship. An amusing phase of the airship mys- tery was developed last night, when that inoffensive planet Venus, sinking in the west, was mistaken for the clipper of the clouds scudding across the empyrean. That the briaht light which excited the curiosity ot many thousands on Market street about 6 P. M. was nothing more than Venus there seems to be no room for logical doubt in view of a statement obtained from such an authority as Pro- fessor Davidson last night. 3 Avoiding scientific details it will be at this season of the year almost at the full, and mey be seen any clear evening Itisa after dusk traveling rapialy from east to west until she disappears below the hori- zon. As soon as the professor heard the story, shortly after 7 . »., he got out his tele- acope and had no difficulty in identifying the supposed airship as an ordinary, everyday star. At 6 o'clock last night or thereabouts the ery was ralsed on Market street that the headlight of the much-talked-of air- ship was plainly visible at a lofty altitude in the neighborhood of the Chutes. Ex- cited groups of men and women rapidly gathered in every direction and all eyes began to scan’ the skies. Sure enough a bright speck of light was at once distin- guished high in the heavens and at that time seeming to be out toward the west in a line with Market street. ~After an inter- val 1t was noticed that the light bad changed its position 'somewhat, moving apparently west and north. ran riot, but the consensus of opinion was decidedly in favor of the airship theory, to which the gradual movement of the light seemed to lend a color of probability. A few unimaginative ones were sufficiently prosaic to sugeest that the light was merely the star Venus, but the majority quickly scouted that suggestion as absurd in the highest degree. It is safe to assume that Venus has been acting just as she did last night for many years past, but never before, as far as can be learned, has she been mistaken for an airship. Nob Hill and various other portions of the City also had their crowds of heaven- ward-gazers viewing the unembarrassed Venus in the firmament. On €alifornia- street hill there were the buds and beau- ties of society in elegant wraps and gal- lants equipped with lorgnettes, while near ine water front binoculars were brought into requisition. Later in the evening Jupiter, scintillat- ing brightly east of the zenith, drew the attention of thousands in a similar man- ner. Some claimed it was the airship, which had reached that position by a cirenitous route. But those who had seen what they confi- dently asserted were the lights of the air- ship declared that neither of these celes- tial beacons resembled the lights that had previously crossed their vision, BERKELEY, CaAr., Nov. 24 —The mys- terious airship, or at least a big light that was taken for it, was seen by a large num- ber of Berkeleyans to-night. It appeared to be hovering cver the bay, and a large crowd gathered at the corner of Center street and Shattuck avenne to watch it and speculate as to what caused the light. The ship, or whatever it was, soon disap- peared without allowing ‘any of the spec- tators to see more than a moving light like that of a searchlight. CHICO, CAL., Nov. 24.—Altnough dis- credited by many as beinz a hoax and a phantom story, yet there are mauny people who firmly believe in the airship. Last eveninz about 7 o'clock a bright and sparkling light was seen in the sky west of Chico. The light seemed to be travel- ing with great rapidity in a porthwesterly direction. Many people living along Fifth street were out with craned necks looking at the mysterious fire, and all who saw the aerial light will vouch ifor the cer- tainty of an airship RED BLUFF, Cain, Nov. 24.—Fully fifty people in Red Biuff are now willing to vouch for the reality of the airship. ‘What appeared to be it passed a few miles west of Red Bluff about 7 o'clock this evening at an elevation of probably 2000 feet. In afew minutes it fell fully 1000 feet and all the time vias traveling rapidly westward. It finally disappeared over the Coast Range Mountains, going in the direction of Eureka. The light only was visible and appeared to be about the size of a good-sized are licht. S VR FAKING OF THE FAKER. Underhand Attempts to Discredit the Airship Story. Just as the theatrical audiences were leaving the theaters last evening at 11:30 o'clock a balloon with a light attached to its base shot up into the air immediately over the Examiner's business office on Market street. 1t passed speedily along over Market street and attained an alti- tude of about 100 yards, when it passed over the buildings on Market street, oppo- site Mason. Those who saw the balloon _— Continued on Sccond Page. Speculation | ST GOING 10 PIECES Nothing Can Be Saved From the Unfortunate San Benito. WRECKING CREW LEAVE THE VESSEL. High Winds and a Heavy Sea Will Soon Complete Its Demolition. DEEDS OF HEROISM AFTER THE DISASTER. Sacrificial Attempt cf Ons of the Crew to Savs His Companions’ Lives. POINT ARENA, CaL., Nov. 24.—About as hopeless a wreck as was ever seen on tke Pacific Coast is the San Benito to- night, as her forward half lays listed to seaward with her starboard broadside to the shore and her after-nalf stern to the beach. Seas that measure the distance to her mastheads and even higher and pour down her funnel are leaping over her. Her pilot-house and other upper works are going to pieces. When the sun sank this evening into & tempest-tossed sea only the firm bed that the forward half has in the sinking sand prevented those terrible seas from rolling her over and over and casting her far up on the beach, scrapiron for the farmers. Scrapiron is all the steamer amounts to now, and if the northwester which blows a terrible sea into the bight in the land where she met her doom does not abate soon even the scrapiron will disappear. The wrecker Whitelaw, which leit San Francisco Sunday night, gave her up as a hopeless job and straightened away this evening on the home cruise. A telegram from Vice-President Schwerin of the Pa- cific Improvement Company called her in. After the first excitement subsided it has now been learned that the steamer was a wreck thirty minutes after she struck the shore. She struck bow on, and every heavy sea that came in lifted high her stern and dropped her nard onto the sand ridge just where the water suddenly deepens. She broke off amidsnips be- tween the boiler and engine rooms, just abaft the smokestack, as cleanly as a knife cuts an apple in halves. The after half lies with her gaping rents to the sea, which rushes into the open compartments with terrible velocity, threatening mo- mentarily to slip her open. The water also rushes furiously into the imterior of the forward half, and with such a nor’- wester as has been blowing all day—for there have been mquntains of water and whitecaps since early morning—it seems marvelous that she has held together so long. When the clouds clear away mo- mentarily to-night the two parts of the wreck seem like mountains of spray. Chief Officer R. Zolling and Chief En- gineer . W. Wood drove down from Men- docino this afternoon and arrived at the hotel this evening. They came to look after any bodies that might be found, “For we have friends among the lost,” said he. So far the sea has not given up its dead. No bodies have yet been washed ashore. “Mr. Zolling is reticent. Hesaid: “There is nothing more to be said that I know of. You knmow it all. Butitisa wonder that more of us are not dead. The captain has made a statement and that is all that is necessary.” The steamer Point Arena, on her trip to San Francisco to-morrow, will put in here at4p. M to take off Mr. Zolling and Mr. Scott and six other survivors here—C, Jansen, George Christopher, H. F. Ebn, H. Jackson, N. lLeyva and L. E. Foster. She will have on board the other twenty- nine members of the crew, including Cap- tain Smith, who were taken off the San Benito yesterday morning by the Point Arena, The Point Arena is due in San Francisco early Thursday morning. Captain Smith remarked while clinging to the rigging, Survivor Jansen says, that he cculd stand the strain only two or three hours longer. That was.on Sunday afternoon. About this time a happy thought struck one of the crew. Watch- ing his chance, he rushed across the deck between seas and seized an ax that hung in cleats on the ship’s side below the pilot- house. Others joined him, and together they cut a hoie through the bridge deck into a storeroom below. Itwas warm in the storeroom and there was plenty toeat. The captain ana others of the crew got down through the hole, warmed them- selves and ate. Every man made a trip to it when he could. It was this lucky thought and good fortune that strength- ened the then hopeless men and kept them alive until the next morning. Captain Smith was the last man butone to leave the ship. The captain was very weak and bad to have assistance from above in getting into the Point Arena’s small boat. 4 Captain Walvig of the steamer Alcatraz lay at Greenwood, fifteen miles above Chronic Catarrh cannot be cured by local applications. It is & constitvtional disease, requiring a cons stitutional remedy like Hood's Sarsaparilia The Best—In fact The One True Blood Purifier. Hood’s Pills ;i sotigediion