Democratic Sentinel, Volume 4, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 April 1880 — A FLYING-MACHINE. [ARTICLE]

A FLYING-MACHINE.

| Prof, KitcheU's Proposed Aerial Voyage to the North Pole. [From the New York Herald.] Prof. Ritehell made a flying-machine about two years ago that would really fly.. It went up or came down at the I wish of the operator, went forward ami backward, turned around, remained in one place, or went to any desired point in short, it proved that a flying-machine was possible, although it fell far short of realizing what its projector hoped for, and that, while navigation in the air was possible under certain conditions, there were circumstances when it was not practicable. The machim 1 was exhibited at Philadelphia at the Permanent Exposition, at Hartford, and subsequently at Boston. Its performances excited wonder and surprise, and indicated the correctness of the principle upon which its construction was based, even if it did not go further. But even the flying-machines lose their novelty as a show-pice.', and Prof. Ritehell is now in the field with a j new project, suggested, perhaps, by I Commander Cheyne’s grand scheme of reaching the North pole by aeronautic voyages. Prof. Ritche.il says: “ I will 1 go to the North pole in my air-ship, and the very reasons that will keep Capt. | Cheyne from reaching there will be the j ones by which I will be able to succeed. In carrying out this idea, he has built a working model of the air-ship he proposes to send to the Arctic regions. It i does not materially differ from the' one exhibited a few months ago. The lifti iug power is in a horizontally-placed cylinder of gossamer cloth—line linen coated with india-rubber. It is charged : with hydrogen gas, made by the usual process from iron turnings and sulphuric acid. Broad bands extend over the cylinder, which is about twenty-five feet 1 long and thirteen feet in diameter, nar ■ rowing toward each eml. The bands are fastened to a light, strong rod, from ■ which the ear is suspended. The ma- ; chine is shaped something like the skel - I eton of a cutter sleigh, on the top of which is the operator’s seat. j In front of the seat is a cog-edged steel wheel about ten inches in diameter, with double handles, geared to a i four-bladed fan, moving horizontally be- ! neath the operator. It can bo turned 1 2,500 times a minute. Tin 1 blades ol the fan are of strong wood, and each has a superficial area of about fifty square inches. The blades are set like those of a propeller—that is, at a. small angle , with the screw which turns them. This | constitutes part of the lifting and draw-ing-down power. The gas raises ninety - nine pounds of every 100 to be lifted; ! the fan takes care of the other pound. The operator, wishing to descend, reI verses the wheel. From the front of the i frame reach out two rods, carrying j at their extremity a vertically-working ! fan, revolving 2,800 film's a minute. It i is exactly like the propeller of a stenm- ; ship, except that it can be turned by the ; operator’s foot from right to left, ami ! vice versa, and thus it becomes a rudder as well. It will send the machim' I forward dr take it backward, and also j change its direction. The two fans can be worked together or separately, the | machinery being simple, ami quite with in the control of the operator. Such is I tlie plan in the diminutive by which | Prof. Ritehell hopes to reach the North ' pole. The machine he now has will . carry one man. - It has been tried, and, : although much like the one exhibited before, it has many improvefnents, is 'more.easily controlled and perfectly lad : aueed. Instead of worsted bands around ! the gas cylinder the professor proposes to have steel adjustable bands on the bag ship, which will compress the gas in the bag or allow it to expand at will. This arrangement will, he says, counter- : act the influence of the cohl weather in the high latitudes. He believes he can 1 make headway against wind blowing at the rate of ten miles an hour. The ma- ■ chine, has already traveled against a six mile wind at a fair speed. Further details of his proposed pleasure tri]) to the pole the professor has not vet formulated.