The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 23, 1897, Page 1

e S — = S — — VOLUME LXXXL—-NO.:174. SAN FRANCISCO, all SUNDAY MORNING, MAY 23, 1897—THIRTY-TWO ‘PAGES. PRICE F1VE CENTS. THIS MAY NAVIGAT THE AIR Novel Machine Being| Built Near Grand Island. TRIAL TRIP TO BE HELD VERY SOON. Propelling and Steering to Be Done by Strong Aluminum Propellers. AN ENGINE WITH GASOLINE AS THE MOTIV: POWER. Constructed on Lines Essentlally Different From Any Aerial Craft Previously Invented. GRAND ISLAND, Cin, May 22. — A r 1t on lines essentially from any aerial craft ever in- :nted, is in an advanced stage of con- ed spotin the vicin- onina sec 1 Island. For the past two months the people of | e borhood have been kept bus what the strange structure is of have occasionally caught <. Rumors of a mysterious h huge wings, adapted equally u through air or water, have | re local paper-, and over the e eountry for miles eround the mys- scraft Is the soletopicof specuia- p is being built by the Sweany- f Manufacturing Company, h has been incorporated with a capi- tal stock of $10,000, all subscribed and for the express purpose of making t to solve the long unsolved em of practical aerial navigation. The officers of the company are F. L pramdent; M. G. Fornia, vice- . and C. B. Pooler, sscretary and treasurer, who, w W. B. Parrett and C. I Davenport, constitute the board of di- Mes: Sweany and Davenport have peen busy wor g on the craft for some s past, and but for the delay of E | manufacturers in forwarding several s of the mechanism the ship would | ve besen completed before this, the in- | tention of the inventors having originally | been to make the trial trip about the first May. As 1t isit will probably be the of July before the craft will be hed. When finished the craft will measure length, 474 feet from the floor o the top of the cylinder and eet between the tips of the propel- The structure will consist of an gas-filled cylinder, to which a d, and two propellers situ- inder, as has been irships, but on both 1 the craft at the end of revolvable s s. Itd also from other craft in being without sails or rudder, being steered entirely by the propellers. A CALL reporter and artist visited the | scene of operations this morning at the Frank SLillig ranch, on the Sutter County shore the Sacramento River. Massra. Davenport and Sweany were busily at work at the forge and in the carpenter shop, adjusting the mechanism that is to be used in the ship. At present the craft is oniy partially constructed. The car hes been nearly completed and the canvas cylinaer has been made. It will be-coated inside and outside with rubber paint, and when all is ready for the trial trip, it will be inflated with hydrogen gas. The tank that will be used in generating the gas is | already on the ground, and also 8000 pounds of sulphuric acid and 8000 pounds of iron shavings that will be used in the ss. “Qur structure,” said one of the in- ventors, ‘‘is not a flying-machine, but an | airship. We rely, for lifting it, on a gas- | inflated cylinder with a capacity of 46,000 cubic feet. Pure hydrogen gas will be | used, with a total lifting capacity of abont 3300 pounds. ““There are several new features which we have introduced in the construction of the cylinder. Besides being made non-collap- sable by the use of bicyele tubing running lengthwise with the cylinder, there is at- tached to the cylinder underneath it a smaller, or compensating, cylinder, into which the gas escapes as it expands with the rise of the airship. As the ship de- scends and the gas contracts, it rises from the compensator into the man cylinder. Without this compensator, the gas would have to be allowed to escape into the sir, and would thus be lost, or the cylinder would burst from the expansion of the gas. Another improvement is the vlacing of the safety-valve below the equator of the cylinder, thereby making it impossible for more than half the gas to escape in case of any accident to the vaive. “The cylinder is rigidly connected with the car, which is fifteen feet in length by five in width and weighs 377 pounds. In the car will be placed the motive power, a gasoline engine of four horse-power. The most important and essential “ea- ture of our ship is the mechanism by which we obtain our propeiling and steer- ing power. We depend on no sails or rudders for steering. When these devices ars used it is necessary to achieve a con- siderable speed before the sails or rndders are of any avail. This has been the fatal defect in évery attempt at serial naviga- tion. With our mechanism our ship can be perfectly controlled in any position, whether at rest. or in motion. We can turn clear around either way within the length of our <hip and ascend or descend perpendicularly independently of the di- rection of the wind. “There are two propellers,.aituated one 1/ iy [HE WORKSHGP (N WHICH THE. MECHANISM OF THE AIR SHIP 'S REING ADJUSTED (FRom A PHOTAGRAPH) THE LiRSHIP PARTLY COMRLETED der and the car, supported at the outer | ends of revolvable shafts which extend nine feet on either side of the car. Each propeller consists of six aluminum blades, each blade being about five feet wide and eight feet long. These propellers are fastened upon a revolving shaft placed at right angles to and at the end of the supporting revolvable shaft. Thus the propeliers work in « free atmosphere, and the air which they set 1n motion does not strike against the cylinder and offer re- sistance to its motion. “The axis upon which the propellers revolve always points in the direction in which the ship is moving. Consequently to propel the ships in any direction it is only necessary to change the direction of the axis of the propellers. This is ac- comnlished by rotating the supporting shaft by means of a mechanism completely under the control of the operator. Our machinery is fitted throughout with roller and ball-bearings, and in the whole structure there are no cog-gearings. Fric- tion is thus reduced to a minimuin. “Our method of navigating our craft is as simple as, and quite similar to the method used by an oarsman in turning a rowboat. When we wish to turn, we merely direct the axis of one propeller forward and the other backward. In making any of the above changes it is never necessary to slacken the speed of the revolving propellers.” The promoters of the enterprise express the utmost confidence in the success of their venture. They believe that they have solved the vexatious problem of aerial navigation and that their dis- covery will re volutionize present methods of travel and transportation. *When all our preparations have been completed,’’ declared one of the inventors, “‘and we sev our propellers in motion there is no doubt whatever that we will rise and sail away in whatever direction we please. We have calculated everything carefuliy, and we know absolutely that the gasin our cy.inder wil! raise us off the ground. on either side midway between the cylin- We shall experiment in filling the cylin- der until we have enough gas to just lift the car. W:en we have secured equili- brium between the buoyant power of the gas and the opposing weight of the ship we will start our propellers going and soar away. *'Our first trips will be only for a short distance, probably to San Francisco and back, and we will not set forth in the darkness of the night, as nearly all pre- vions air-navigators have done. We will start ouat in broad dayligit, and we will give people a full opportunity to see our craft and its workings. We will hover over San Francisco for several hours, to give everybody a chance to see our ship. After our trial trip,”” he continued, ‘“‘we intend to make a transcontinental journey to the National capital. The project is perfectly feasible. We will have no difficulty in carrying sufficient gasoline to supply our engine for a week, and gasoline is something easily obtain- able anywhere. You see, none of our gas is wasted in descending, as in the case of all balloons, so we will not have to stop to generate it. We will not be in the fix in which aeronauts have fraquently fouad themselves—coming down in some remote spot where gas could not be generated and having to bring their balloon home APPEAR WHEN COMPLETED AND READY FOR FLIGHT, seen delay we will demonstrate to the sat- isfaction of even the most incredulous that our expectations Lave not been iu vain.” TARIFF BILL /N THE SENATE. Will Come Up for Consideration on Tuss- day Next—GBorman Ou'l.nes the Plans of the D:macrats, WASHINGTON. I' ©. May 22 —After to-day’s meeting of ine LAmocratic steer- ing committee of the tenate Chairman Gorman made the following statement: “The Democratic Senators unanimously agreed, notwithstanding the delay in fur- nishing comparative statements which would enable them to intelligentiy con- sider the tariff bill, that there would be no opposition to immediately proceed with its consideration on Tuesday, as they recognize that the business interests of the country require as speedy disposi- tion of the question as consistent with in- telligent consideration of the measure. | They were further unanimously of the opinion that the excessive increase in rates of imported articies provided for both in the Dingley bill and as reported in the Senate bill should be antaganized to the extent of exposing their enormities. Recognizing, however, that the Republi- can party is committea to these excesses, the Democrats will be content with only a fair discus ion upon these propositions. They also agreed that they would oppose an increased tax on beer, tobacco, cigars and other items embraced In the internal by wagon or train. “We are positive that we shall have no difficuity in traveling at a rate of thirty- five or forty miles an Lour, even in the face of a moderate wind. When going with the wind we can attain a velocity of all the way irom 100 to 200 miies an hour. “The success of our experiment will open up a world of possibilities,”” he con- tinued enthusiastically. “The carrying ca acity of our cylinder can be inaefinitely increased, and the weight thatitcan carry will be increased 1n like raitio. With the increased demand for hydrogen gas for use :n connection with aerial navigation a marked simplification is almost certain to be made in generating the gas. “We are certain of success,” he re- iterated in conclusion, ‘‘and before the middle of July if we meet with no unfore- ; S o S ‘.’:“:\c‘“:‘:‘ = SSS e | 2 () )y ENGINE AND CAR OF THE Al SHIP tFRoM A PHOTOGRAPH) revenue schedules. Neither party is com- mitted to such increases, and there is no governmental nocessity for such in- creased burdens upon these articles.” Senator Aldrich states that the tariff bill will be made the oraer for Tuesday instead of Monday. This change is due to the death of Senator Earle, as the Sen- ate will adjourn on Monday immediately after meeting out of respect to the death of the Senator. BADLY WRECKED BANK. President Johnson of the Logansport Concern Confessos to $300,000. LOGANSPORT, Isp, May 22.—The fatlure of the State National Bank de- Aeloped a new sensation to-day. Presi- dent Johnson hasconfessed that he forged notes to the amount of $200,000 and that in addition he emb-zzlea $100,000. He agreed to turn over all his property to the bank, but it will not nearly make up his shortage. 1t is said that further investigation will show still more rottenness in connection with the failure and that the president is not the only bank official who wrongfully used money belonging to the depositors. Johnson was taken into custody this afternoon. Iu view of his confession it is not probable that bail will be allowed. It is now asseried that the depositors will probably not realize 50 per cent on the depusits, which amount 10 $340,000. ABRARAM LINCOLN'S LOST LOVE Story of the Woman Who Was His First Sweetheart. REFUSED THE AWKWARD RAIL-SPLITTER. Mrs. Susan Boyce of Calistoga Tells of the Courtship of 1836. WOULD NOT MARRY A MAN SHE DID NOT LOVE. Conslders Washington and Jeffer= son Greater Men Than the Im~ mortal War President.. CALISTOGA, Car, May 22.—An e teresting story of Abraham Lincoln’s first and most ardent courtship has just come to light in this little moun- tain town of Calistoga, where the mar- tyred President’s early love dwells, a sweet old lady of 84. Mrs. Susan Boyce is the name of the charming octogenarian, who, as Miss Susan Reid of New Salem, on the Sanga- mon River, in Iilinois, refused to marry the immortal war President in 1836. She dwelis in a humble little cottage with ber widowed sister, wto is bat a few years her junior. Her husband has been dead for many years and her principal income is a pension which she draws by reason of injuries her husband received in the iamous Black Hawk war while fighting side by side with Lincoln, whose friend he was. Mrs. Boyce is an unusually bright woman, whose menfal and physical powers are well preserved, and there is character in every expression, in all she says and does, even 1o the siightest nod or gesture. She is about su a woman as ope familiar with Lmcoin’s early iife might suppose he conld Lave faved, for she still has a rugged beauty in spite of the snows of age, and it requires little effort to imagine that she was a remark- ably bandsome girl in 1836—not a doll- faced creature, but a woman of marked character. She is tall and stately in ap- pearance, and her eves are a grayish blue. Mrs. Boyce'sestimate of the man who of- fered her his heart and hand 61 years ago isa little dissppointing to hero-wor- shipers, for she does not consider that he was so great as he was honest, and says: *‘He is not to be mentioned in the same class with Washineton and Jefferson. I think Jefferson was the greatest of them all, because he wrote the Declaration of Independence.”” Sitting on the front porch of her hums- ble home to-day, Lincoln’s first sweete heart was a beautilul picture of se- rene old age. Her speech flows gently and wi hout a tremor as sherecalls eveats of her girlhood thoughtiully, yet withous hesitation. Clad in a plain black dress, with a be« coming white cap, she folded her arms and gazed toward the mountains that rise - ‘Lincoln, - MRS. SUSAN BOYCE OF CALISTOGA, Who Was the First Love of Abraham NEW TO-DAY. HANDS Itching, ecaly, blceding palms, shapeless nails, and painful fioger ends, pimples, blackheads, oily, mothy skin, dry, thin, and falling hair, itch- ing, acaly scalps, all yield quickly to warm baths with CUTICURA S0AP, and gentle anointings with CUTICURA (ointment), the great ekin cure. (Uticura T8 sold throughout the world. PoTTER DRro AxD CREM, Coe., Sole Props.. Boston. ‘@ “Tow o Produce Soft, White Hands,” free. ITCHING HuMOR WHY Be bothered with inferior goods when you can get a first-class article if only you will call for it. LEVI STRAUSS & CC’'S CELEBRATED GOPPER RIVETED OVERALLS AND SPRING BOTTOM PANTS Are made of tho best materials. Dewed with the best threads. Finished in the best stylo, EVERY GARMENT GUARANTEED. Instantly relieved Crricrza ReEpins. FOR SALE EVERYWHERE. SEND for a picture of ourll |Factory, we will mail one to you free| WE EMPLOY OVER 500 GIRLS. AgEEss: LEVI STRAUSS & CO. SAN FRANCISCO, J CALIFORNIA,