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434 lines
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Taken from KeelyNet BBS (214) 324-3501
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There are ABSOLUTELY NO RESTRICTIONS
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December 3, 1991
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AERO5.ASC
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--------------------------------------------------------------------
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This file typed in and shared with KeelyNet courtesy of
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Chuck Henderson - KeelyNet Co/Sysop
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The source for this file is the June 1970 issue of Flying
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Saucers magazine, published and edited by Ray Palmer.
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Flying Saucers magazine is now out-of-print.
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--------------------------------------------------------------------
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Flying Saucers magazine was, towards the end of the '70s,
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incorporated into Palmer Publication's SEARCH magazine.
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Then SEARCH magazine was sold to OWL Press.
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If you might be interested in subscribing to this interesting
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journal, their mailing address, etc....is:
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OWL Press
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PO Box 81
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Rosholt, WI 54473
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(715) 677-3420
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--------------------------------------------------------------------
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from Flying Saucers, June 1970
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Did Pennington Build the 1897 U.S.A. Airship?
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Reprinted from BUFORA Journal, British U.F.O. Resaerch Association
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170 Faversham Road, Kennington, Ashford, Kent
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Speculation as to the origin of the 'Airship' reported over the
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central States of the U.S.A. in 1897 has resulted in many theories
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and at least one of these attributes the sightings to the activities
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of a peculiar antique U.F.O. I understand that the reason that the
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craft looked very much like the current airship design already
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flying in Europe is that the U.F.O. denizens wished to present their
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ship to the natives in a manner that would be acceptable and
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understandable. However the airship in question did not seem to be
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at all anxious to present itself, operating as it did almost
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exclusivly by night and skulking during daylight hours in out of the
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way places.
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Before accepting such 'way out' theories it would seem necessary to
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exclude any possibility of the machine being the production of some
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far-sighted inventor with the ability, wealth and resources to build
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and fly such a machine and also keep the whole project secret.
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Page 1
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Witnesses of the airship were often men of excellent reputation for
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veracity and often crowds of onlookers werte able to compare
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experiences.
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The descriptions tallied to a remarkable degree. It seems clear also
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that some of the sightings of night flying objects were of quite a
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different catagory and to present day ufologists may be recognized
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as being the result of 'normal' U.F.O. activity.
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From the reports still in existence it is possible to build up a
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very good idea of the type of dirigible involved and there is no
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doubt that in many respects it is similar to airships already built
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and flying in Europe particularly in France. In 1884 Renard and
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Krebs devised and built an electrically propelled airship called 'La
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France' which made a circular flight of five miles at its first
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appearance.
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It would indeed have been strange if there had been no parallel
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activities in the U.S.A. at that time. Resources of material and
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money were there in abundance and amoung the fertile brains of a
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rapidly growing scientifically orientated community was there no
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person of sufficient genius engineering ability and wealth to take
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up the aerial challenge?
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I believe there was and I believe that his name was Edward J.
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Pennington.
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Pennington was born in Franklin, Indiana in 1858 and as a boy showed
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remarkable engineering aptitude and as he developed into manhood he
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displayed remarkable initiative, charm and persuasiveness. With
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these attributes it was not long before he was running his own
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factory and at the age of twenty-three had patented a reciprocating
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head for planing machines, the first of a continuous stream of
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patents which flowed from his active brain until his death in 1911.
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He was ruthless too and could exhibit considerable showmanship in
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order to further his own ideas. A characteristic of Pennington which
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in this context is significant was the secrecy he achieved to
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protect his projects and his habit of quietly dropping one idea in
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favor of another with little regard to the financial outcome.
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By 1885 Pennington had acquired sufficient capital to set up the
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Standard Machine Works in Defiance, Ohio and two years later he
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created two further firms to make pulleys and wood-working
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machinery. A flood of Pennington patents were registered at this
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time at Fort Wayne.
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There are rumors of a company capitalized at one million dollars in
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Oswego, Kansas and another at Cincinnati with factories to produce
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'Freight Elevators'. (Could this phrase possibly have been a
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euphemism fo load-carrying Airships?)
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After a brief appearance at Edinburg, Illinois, where he collected
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some 50,000 dollars from the inhabitants for yet another 'pulley
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works' he came to rest at Mount Carmel, Illinois, in 1890.
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Now things begin to develop...this new Company was actually a four
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cylinder radial engine..."for the propulsion of an aerial vessel".
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Page 2
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He also let it be known, that he was "readying a vessel to fly from
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Mount Carmel to New York".
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In 1891 he exhibited a captive airship some thirty feet long and six
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feet in diameter. It flew in a circle propelled by an airscrew
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turned electrically. The current was conveyed by wires in the
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tethering cable.
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In 1893 he turned his attention to motor driven vehicles and again a
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spate of patents flooded from the Pennington brain. Soon he was
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making motor-cycles in Cleveland, Ohio and here he invented the
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first balloon tyre.
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Such giddy progress was bound to meet with reverses and due to his
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dogmatic attitude and ruthless decisions he began to make enemies:
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yet his uncanny instinct for avoiding trouble kept him from falling
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foul of the law.
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During 1894 he joined Thomas Kane who made kerosene engines widely
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used in dairies for milk seperation. This event is most important in
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this thesis which will be evident later. Here, in Racine on the
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shores of lake Michigan they financed a really large concern for the
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development of petrol engines.
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They patented among other things an 'electric igniter' for petrol
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driven engines which was really the first sparking plug, in 1895.
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In this year Pennington visited England and took some of his
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vehicles with him.
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Exercising his well-known assurance and charm he persuaded Henry J.
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Lawson, a successful manufacturer of bicycles to purchase patents to
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the tune of a half a million dollars. He was still here in 1896 and
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entered the Brighton Run. After an altercation with Mons. Leon
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Bollee his claim to have won the event was not disputed. After this
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he participated in the aerial demonstrations in the U.S.A. late in
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1896 and during 1897.
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In December 1895 he had deposed with the American Patents Office the
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design for a full sized Airship. Many of the features of this design
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are so close to those described by witnesses of the aerial ship seen
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in 1896 and 1897 that on this evidence alone one would suspect that
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Pennington could have been responsible.
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Basing the scale of the design on the size of the passenger seats
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the overall length of the ship would be about 140 ft. The keel
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beneath which provided accommodation for the crew and passengers,
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also housed large batteries and extended for 70 ft. with an equal
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amount of overhang of the envelope at each end. At the front end of
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the envelope a large airscrew about 50 ft. from tip to tip provided
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traction. At the rear an ample rudder and a horizontal fin allowed
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control of direction.
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At the sides two horizontally disposed propellers furnished lateral
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'trimming'. Along the top of the ship a high dorsal fin would help
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to prevent sideways drift and yawing at slow speeds. Altogether a
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very impressive aeronautical design for that period of time.
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It is probable that the finished airship based on this plan would
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Page 3
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deviate in minor details. Perhaps laterally placed airscrews were
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found to give a better lift and control if suitably shaped.
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Wings or large ailerons above the envelope would also help to
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provide lift if suitably angled. In 1895 during his motorcycle phase
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Pennington was heard to remark: "Suppose I have a cycle, screw
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driven, making a mile a minute...just suppose that...then suppose
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that I put aeroplanes on that machine...and they are under good
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control, what then?"
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What then indeed, the Wright Brothers would have been forstalled by
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several years.
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The sighting of the Airship on the ground in 1897 by Captain Hooten
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at 6:00 p.m. on about 20th April is usually regarded as a true
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account of his experience which he recounted in the Little Rock,
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Arkansas, Gazette. He was, he said, out hunting near Homan when he
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heard the sound of 'pumping' like the noise of a Westinghouse
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locomotive brake.
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Going in the direction of the sound he was amazed to behold "the
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famous airship" in an open space. A man wearing dark glasses was
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doing something at the rear of the ship. As he approached four other
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men appeared.
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During the ensuing conversation there was no doubt in his mind that
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the crew were American. When the ship was ready, three large
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'wheels' started to rotate on either side of the airship and with a
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hissing sound she took off. The 'aeroplanes' on top of the envelope
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sprang forward and the ship rapidly gained height and speed.
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((For a more detailed account of this sighting please refer
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to the JULY / AUGUST 1966 issue of The Flying Saucer Review.))
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The 'pumping noise' is of great significance. This noise is noted in
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at least three of the sightings. Twice it was referred to as being
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similar to that made by a milk separator. This is almost conclusive,
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it was Thomas Kane whom Pennington joined in 1894, who made the
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motors for these separators.
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All witnesses agree that there were lights aboard in abundance with
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one very bright searchlight which was seen to dim as the airship
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accelerated.
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One witness encountering the aeronaut grounded claims to have asked
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why he turned the light on and off so much. He replied, no doubt
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truthfully that it consumed a great deal of motive power. We are led
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to the conclusion that Pennington's ship was propelled by a petro-
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electric, or diesel-electric system. A bank of large batteries would
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be charged by a motor driven dynamo and would then operate electric
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motors geared to the airscrew(s). This system was widely used for
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the propulsion of road vehicles in the early years of this century.
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After a trip of some miles it might be necessary to land to recharge
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batteries. Such a propulsion system would be well within
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Pennington's capabilities at this time.
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Page 4
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The crew referred to by some witnesses included a woman, and it was
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customary for Pennington to take his wife on most of his exploits.
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(He married three times but I cannot find record of any children.)
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Also a bearded man.
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I have a photograph of Pennington with one of his vehicles and here
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he is accompanied by a man with a beard. Pennington himself was tall
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and of good physique. He usually sported a rather long dark
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moustache.
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The next evidence required toward proving that the ship was not only
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terrestrial but Pennington's, is to plot the course of the airship
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from recorded sightings during the 'voyages' of 1897 and to show
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that its speed was within the capabilities of such an early craft
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and that it operated in the vicinity of Pennington workshops.
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Here I suggest the reader obtain a good large scale map of the
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central States of America. Those included in the Encyclopedia
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Britannica of 1911 are most useful being nearly contemporary.
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Two series of sightings occured in 1897.
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EXPEDITION ONE.
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Starting from Pennington's base at Oswego, Kansas, to Belleville,
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Kansas, to arrive March 25th, thence to Sioux City some 200 miles
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northward travelling at night. Making around 40 mph and in fair
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weather the six or so hours of darkness would make for an easy
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arrival by 28th March. Here the ship landed and charged batteries?
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Turning southward an easy night run of 100 miles allowed late
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worshippers leaving church at Omaha, Nebraska to view the aerial
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visitor. Continuing via Lincoln and Beatrice on the southerly run
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arrival at Everest, Kansas on April 1st., another 100 miles apart.
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In fact Kansas City was reached quite early at 8:15.
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Back to base at Oswego without serious mishap on about the 3rd.
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April?
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After this there are three possibilities.
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a) Pennington flew to Racine on lake Michigan by April 9th
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keeping to out-of-the-way landing sites.
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b) The ship was partly dismantled and carried by rail in
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Pennington's closed rail cars to Racine.
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c) That Thomas Kane had another similar airship at Racine.
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I would suggest (b) as being the most probable in the circumstances.
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Pennington had the resources and the experience in moving large
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objects by rail from place to place, vide (as for example), his
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captive airship which was shown at exhibitions at Chicago and
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elsewhere.
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Page 5
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EXPEDITION TWO.
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The Airship would have taken the air on the evening of April 9th
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1897 and leaving Racine some 60 miles from Chicago was seen first
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north of the city and then to south-east at 9:30p.m. passing over
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the lake.
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Turning westward the ship would have reached the vicinity of Eldon
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in Iowa some 200 miles after five hours at around forty mph.
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Spending the day of the 10th on the ground at some secluded spot the
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batteries would again be charged and ready for the take-off on the
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evening of April 10th. Then passing over Eldon westward to Ottumwa
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(10 miles) at 7:25 and 7:40 p.m. respectively, the ship is seen near
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Albia 25 miles further on at about 8:10 p.m.
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This chain of sightings allows some estimation of the airship's
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speed-35 miles in 45 minutes which is better than 45 mph. Wind speed
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must be taken into account, but from the sighting reports the
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weather during this period seems to have been remarkably calm.
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Steering now toward the north-west apparently en route for Racine,
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the ship would have passed near Mount Carroll but the date given for
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the airship over this city is April 9th. One must conclude that if
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this date is correct that the craft passed over this city on the
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westward leg of its journey before turning south-east toward Eldon.
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This is perfectly possible on the time schedule estimated.
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However, and here one must speculate on Pennington's movements, it
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is not certain how the airship arrived at its next point at Yates
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Center, Kansas on April 19th. It could well have travelled at night
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over the next week or so southward which would be well within its
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40 mph capabilities. Or it may have been once more despatched by
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rail.
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At Yates Center there was the unfortunate incident of a young heifer
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becoming entangled in the mooring rope on takeoff. Then southeast
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and a fairly long haul- 400 miles - to near Texarkana, but at 40 mph
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only ten hours of darkness were necessary. Here the ship was obliged
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to land on April 21st. to recharge batteries. In the evening when
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all was ready for take-off the airship was spotted by one Captain J.
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Hooten whose detailed report is well known.
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Airborne again and travelling in a leisurely manner Hot Springs,
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Arkansas was reached on May 6th. Once more the ship landed and was
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encountered by the Law Officers, Constable Sumpter and Deputy
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Sheriff McLemore. Both these gentlemen have sworn affidavits to
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their evidence in which they tell of a bearded mechanic and a young
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woman.
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There was also a young man who was engaged in filling a water bag.
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They were informed that the ship was en route for Nashville,
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Tennessee. This may well have been so, but I feel that it was not
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long before it was once again safely in Oswego, Kansas with
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Pennington highly satisfied with his aerial exploits. There is
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little evidence of its re-appearance.
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From the foregoing evidence it must be conceded that the itinerary
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Page 6
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followed by the 1897 airship was not particularly miraculous even
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for a craft of that period, only it took place in America where
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hitherto no such aerial exploits had been seen. No wonder then, that
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the onlookers became scared and confused, suspecting the work of the
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Devil. The only Devil responsible was in my opinion one eccentric,
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brilliant inventor named Edward Joel Pennington.
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Of course there are so many questions left unanswered. For instance
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why did Pennington decide to drop the whole project just when fame
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and fortune might seem to have been within his grasp? I would
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suggest that he was clever enough to realize that his airship,
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though a very remarkable invention, had very severe limitations
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which could not readily be overcome.
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There would be little prospect of increasing the battery capacity
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without making the ship larger and unwieldy. It was obviously very
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much a fine weather craft and he had been extraordinarily lucky to
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have had such a long spell of fine, calm weather for his trials.
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Also, he would have realized that until the internal combustion
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engine could be improved considerably in size and reliability the
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whole airship had better be shelved. The new and more financially
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rewarding field of the motor car must have seemed to Pennington to
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offer much better prospects of immediate financial rewards. He must
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also have known that there were aeronautical designers in Europe who
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had forged ahead in the airship field with whom he could hardly
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compete.
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In the Motor Museum in Beaulieu, Hampshire there is a very rare
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vehicle. It is an 1896 Pennington motor-tricycle. It is worth
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looking at closely. The twin-cylinder, water cooled engine functions
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by fuel injection and the ignition system is remarkably ingenious,
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operating an early form of spark plug on each cylinder.
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The wheels have wire spokes and furnished with wide tires of modern
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cross section. It is a really remarkable piece of advanced
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engineering for its time and marks its designer, Pennington, as a
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brilliant engineer of foresight and genius.
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--------------------------------------------------------------------
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|
||
If you have comments or other information relating to such topics
|
||
as this paper covers, please upload to KeelyNet or send to the
|
||
Vangard Sciences address as listed on the first page.
|
||
Thank you for your consideration, interest and support.
|
||
|
||
Jerry W. Decker.........Ron Barker...........Chuck Henderson
|
||
Vangard Sciences/KeelyNet
|
||
|
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--------------------------------------------------------------------
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||
If we can be of service, you may contact
|
||
Jerry at (214) 324-8741 or Ron at (214) 242-9346
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||
--------------------------------------------------------------------
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Page 7 |