Sacramento Daily Union, Volume 90, Number 99, 14 December 1895 — SHIPS OF THE AIR. [ARTICLE]

SHIPS OF THE AIR.

Startling Plans Suggested by Thomas A. Edison.

How Yachts Might Race and Fleets Maneuver Among the Clouds—A Telephone to Mars, Artificial Gems, Horseless Vehicles and South African Gold Mines Discussed by Mr<» Edison. Thomas A. Edison has a solution of the flying machine problem that is at once novel, plausible and simple. He believes that the day is coming when men ■rill fly But he does not think this will be accomplished either with a balloon or with an aeroplane. "The trouble with the aeroplane, B aid Mr. Edison one day last week, •Ms that it is cumbersome and un•wieldly. I have watched with much interest the progress made in the experiments of Hiram Maxim in England. He lias expended some $100,000 in building a track and constructing an immense machine on the aeroplane principle, while Professor Langley of "Washington has been making experiments along the same line in this country, but on a smaller scale. "Theoretically, these gentlemen have developed the principle shown by a, bird in soaring, such as the eagle and the albatross, either of which can sail for hours in the air without a motion of the wings. Ido not believe, however, that the aeroplane principle can ever be developed successfully so that jnen can fly. "An immense aeroplane machine like that oi" Maxim, which carries several men and a small engine, could not possibly be managed in the air; neither could a small aeroplane sufficient to carry a single man, for it would not be under proper control. "Afl for the balloon or gas-bag prinpiple," said Mr. Edison, "that has been practically abandoned by all recent experimenters along this line. The reason for this is that a balloon forms a body of a large bulk which is at the mercy of the wind. "In other words, it is impossible at present to construct a balloon which •will carry a machine or engine sufficiently powerful to force it against the Wind. The more powerful is your engine or storage battery, the heavier it must be and the larger the balloon to carry 'What is wanted is a flying machine that will go in any desired direction under ordinary circumstances. The balloon is unwieldly and the aeroplane is unmanageable. Now, 1 have an idea that the proper solution of this problem is to be sought in an entirely different direction. We must abandon both the balloon and the aeroplane. "1 would construct actual ships of the air—yachts, schooners and brigatir.es—which would tack and gybe and pail before the wind. My idea is that The lifting power for these air shi].s should be gas stored in the sails. "In other words, you apply the balloon principle in such a way that the pras bag, instead of being an impediment as it is at present, would be the actual means of propulsion. I would construct gas bags shaped like the sails « :" a yacht. •Take the mainsail, for instance. You could have that made out of two sheets of canvas, say one or two feet tiart and kept in shape by a net. Fill that with gas. Do the same with the jib, the topsail and the flying jib. "These sails would be actually bal- : jus, which would hoki the ship up from the earth, but they could be bo gainst the wind at angles as to drive her in any direction. The masts and spars could be made of bamboo or light material. "In this way an airship could rise from the ground, and it would make no difference to her what way the wind ■was blowing. A yacht can sail to any particular point so long as there is wind enough to fill the sails. An air-

ship of this kind would only need a good wind, and she could go anywhere, either tacking or running before the wind." WOULD USE BALLAST. "But how would you keep your airship from making leeway?" "With ballast," answered Mr. Edison. "You could, of course, have a centerboard. But I do not think that would be necessary. "A proper amount of ballast would keep the airship upright and steady, just as it does when a ship is in the water. She would not then make leeway. She would sail edgeways, just as all ships do at present in the water. "The balloons, in the form of mainsail, jib and topsail, would form a big surface for the wind to blow upon, and would force her ahead while at the t same time keeping her off the ground. "In this way squadrons and fleets could navigate the upper air. We could have yacht races. Who knows but that the near future may witness races for a cup taking place on marked-out courses of the sky, just as we had the Valkyrie and Defender this year racing on the water? The thing is by no means impossible. "I am no flying machine crank, but this is a theory which I am surprised has not occurred to those who are devoting serious thought and large expenditure to the solution of this problem. "According to the plan' which I have mapped out, the one great obstacle in all this question has been overcome. That is the motive power. A balloon cannot carry an engine strong enough to drive it against the wind, and neither can an aeroplane. "According to my plan no engine, machine, spring, dynamo or motor is necessary. All that weight is dispensed with. We make the wind itself supply the motive power. There are no fans, screws or windmills, no propellers, no wheels or other whirligigs. "The mere blowing of the wind on the balloon drives the ship ahead in any desired direction, and she can be steered from the stern by an ordinary rudder. There would be less danger in such navigation of the air than in yachting on the water. With an airship properly ballasted and balanced there would be no fear of capsizing, and sudden squalls would be harmless. "I merely throw this out as a crude suggestion, and leave it to others to work up. It is apparent to me that the possibilities of the aeroplane, which two or three years ago was thought to hold the solution of this problem, have been exhausted, and that we must turn elsewhere. "Where else can we find a plan which better serves the purpose than to dispense with weight and make the air itself supply the motive power? Even the most perfect motor, as applied to Jhe horseless vehicle, is too weighty for a successful navigable balloon. THE HORSELESS VEHICLE. "Talking of horseless vehicles, by the way," said Mr. Edison, "suggests to my mind that the horse is doomed, yet this animal shows a greater economy of force than man, for 70 per cent, of the energy of the horse is available for work. But the horseless vehicle is the coming wonder. "The bicycle, which ten years ago was a curiosity, is now a necessity. It is found everywhere. "Ten years from now you will be able to buy a horseless vehicle for what you would have to pay to-day for a wagon ■ and a pair of horses. The money spent in the keep of the horses will be saved, and the danger to life will be much reduced. "Will these vehicles be run by electricity?" "I don't think so," said Mr. Edison. "As it looks at present it would seem more likely that they will be run by a j gasoline or naphtha motor of some kind. It is quite possible, however, that an electrical storage battery will be discovered which will prove more economical, but at present the gasoline or naphtha motor looks more promising. "It is only a question of a short time when the carriages and trucks of every large city will be run with motors. The expense of keeping and feeding horses in a great city like New York is very great, and all this will be done i away with, just as the cable and trolley icars have dispensed with horses. "You must remember that every invention of this kind which is made adds to the general wealth by Introducj ing a. system of greater economy of I force. A great invention which faciliI tates commerce enriches a country just \ as much as the discovery of vast hoards I of gold.

"Even the deposits of gold have not been one-half exhausted. You take the >present craze for mining speculation | that is going on in England. That is undoubtedly based upon genuine merit in the South African mines. BARXATO'S GOLD MINES. "I find that the charter company with which Rarnato is connected controls one of the largest and most peculiar deposits of gold in the world. Here is a ledge which runs for thirty miles. '•It is of conglomerate quartz and pebble, and the assays show it is of high grade. Some $43,000,000 were taken out last year. It is estimated that there are $1,100,000 000 of gold in this one deposit in South Africa. "Undoubtedly the value of the Barnato shares has been exaggerated, and there will probably be a shrinkage. But the fact remains that there is genuine merit in this new gold field which is opened up to the world. "Mining engineers who have been on the ground and examined the field are astonished at the wealth which this one ledge shows. In all the mining operations in this country there was never anything found like this South African bed of a lake. The rich American mines were isolated one from the other, although of course within one general district. "With these new discoveries of gold fields there have come within the past few years more economical methods of mining that save a large part of what had previously been lost. Take the case of Leadville. They had been throwing away for years the refuse of the mines, which was not only useless but an expensive nuisance, until one crank went to work and examined it and found it was silver. "So with placer mines in Colorado, Arizona and other States, which are known to contain great quantities of gold, but which there is not sufficient water to work profitably. Some economical method of working these mines will be found and untold millions will come from this source. "It is not unlikely that there may be another great mining boom in the i United States. The South African I craze may not spread to this country, but there are undeveloped gold fields in the United States to form the basis for another great mining era, and I would not be surprised to see it spring up. "But gold," said Mr. Edison, "is only valuable because it forms at present the standard of value. It is intrinsically of little value in the arts. The real precious metal is iron. And in iron, too, we are learning every day more perfect and economical methods of mining and smelting and better systems for making it useful." Mr. Edison would say nothing about his own iron mine at Ogden Mountain, N. J,, where he has been working steadily for some months, but it is known that he is here producing the very best quality of iron ore which the market now affords. The place has been named Edison in honor of the inventor, whose system of extracting the finest ore has revolutionized the industry. A TELEPHONE TO THE STARS. Ogden Mountain is a veritable mountain of solid iron of the highest grade. It is here that Mr. Edison has constructed a mammoth telephone system upon which he is now working which is expected to bring out in tangible shape the veritable music of the spheres. Using this great iron mountain as a magnet Mr. Edison has encircled it with wires which are connected with megaphones, telephones and other sensitive instruments that give out strange and ominous rumblings during the stillness of the night. 'I got results of this kind," said Mr. Edison, "on a line running from New York to Boston. There were seismic rumblings that were unconnected with any earth currents, and which could only be explained by the movements of the planets and the electrical currents that may connect star with star and sun with sun." Mutterings from Mars are some of the things which friends of Mr. Edison say he has got through this elaborate interplanetary telephone system, which Is so delicate that it takes in currents operating millions of miles away, is influenced by sunspots and foretells comets and changes of the moon. As to these things, however, he will make no revelations. At present he is putting back some of the poles of the system which blew down in a storm, and the iron mountain is so solid that he has to bcre holes for the purpose. The great inventor" was found by the Sunday "World reporter intently watching a small retort which was heated to 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit, at his Orange laboratory. "Of course there is no way of registering a heat so great as this," said Mr. Edison, "but the heat in that little fireclay box is about 4,000 degrees. It is formed by gas, and it would melt almost anything but a diamond. "We are not making diamonds here, but it is not unlikely that diamonds will be made artificially in the near future. "We make rubies to-day which are chemically the same as the natural ruby and are superior as to color, and I know a man now who is working 1 to produce a diamond. "I should not be surprised if he succeeded in making big diamonds as large as the Kohinoor. Small artificial diamonds are already paid to be produced, but it would be a good thing if large diamonds could be made to use in drills. If they could be thrown on the market by the bushel it would knock the bottom out of the diamond market, and these stones would cease to be highly prized as ornaments." CARMENCITA'S VISIT TO ORANGE. The inventor has a large number of experimenters working under him at present, and is known to be following out lines of speculation in many chanaims at present at adapting the kinetoaims at present at adapting the kintoscope to use in a large hall by producing life-size figures on a screen with a phonograph accompaniment. Carmencita recently visited the Orange laboratory and danced before an elaborate and costly photographic apparatus, which reproduced her every movement life-size on a screen. This system, which is applicable to producing plays and operas in small amusement halls throughout the country by the work of only two or three men, has not yet been perfected. This is only one of the systems being developed at the Orange laboratory, which, in its facilities, is the most complete experimental laboratory in the would. Simply because Thomas A. Edison is keeping quiet by no means indicates that he is not working up to his fullest intellectual capacity. He may be developing his very greatest discovery at the time he appears to b'- trilling with mechanical toys, which are, as a matter of fact, his amusement. Just at present he Is putting in a good many hours at Edison, N. J., but the seclusion and remoteness of the place lead many people to believe that he is working out some problem there with which he will soon startle the world. —New York World.