One Hundred Years Ago

Rix Gins · December 29, 2020, 02:08:39 AM

Quote from: WOTR on December 28, 2020, 06:41:40 PM
They ever find those balloonists?

I believe that the balloonists crashed into a lake and were drowned. Pieces of the wreckage were washed ashore, and a homing pigeon (used by the balloonists to send messages, was also found in the water, dead. I think some of their bodies were eventually recovered but I'm not sure. I remember reading about some of them at Find A Grave but I can't remember their names. You see, this is what I get when I try to do research at such an ungodly hour and am dead tired.

Rix Gins · December 29, 2020, 02:11:32 AM

December 29, 1920. Public Domain

WOTR · December 29, 2020, 02:32:13 AM

Quote from: Rix Gins on December 29, 2020, 02:08:39 AM
I believe that the balloonists crashed into a lake and were drowned. Pieces of the wreckage were washed ashore, and a homing pigeon (used by the balloonists to send messages, was also found in the water, dead. I think some of their bodies were eventually recovered but I'm not sure. I remember reading about some of them at Find A Grave but I can't remember their names. You see, this is what I get when I try to do research at such an ungodly hour and am dead tired.

That's too bad. Not a great Christmas present for a few families that year.

Ciardelo · December 29, 2020, 07:35:16 AM

Quote from: Rix Gins on December 29, 2020, 02:11:32 AM
December 29, 1920. Public Domain

Nice.

Rix Gins · December 30, 2020, 02:58:20 AM

From the Library of Congress. The Rock Island Argus and Daily Union., December 30, 1920.

Rix Gins · December 30, 2020, 03:02:24 AM

December 30, 1920. Public Domain

WOTR · December 30, 2020, 03:32:16 AM

Quote from: Rix Gins on December 30, 2020, 02:58:20 AM
From the Library of Congress. The Rock Island Argus and Daily Union., December 30, 1920.

The lesson is to pay your debts in cash and not in illegal contraband.

Jackstar · December 30, 2020, 03:34:43 AM

Quote from: WOTR on December 30, 2020, 03:32:16 AM
pay your debts in cash [...] illegal contraband.

At this point, fiat cash is illegal contraband. HONK HONK

pate · December 30, 2020, 12:19:29 PM

Quote from: Rix Gins on December 30, 2020, 02:58:20 AM
...

...

Rix,

This article reminded me of the USS Akron & USS Macon the US Navy "experimental" dirigible aircraft carriers, both of which crashed catastrophically ending the military pursuit of dirigible aircraft carriers. I had a thought that it was getting close to the 100th Anniversary of either their introduction into service or their crashes; apparently I am off by an order of magnitude we have about 10 years before any of that happens.

I imagine that they would never have been all that useful in a military application, they would have made HUGE radar targets (unless old Nikola Tesla figured out some way to render them "invisible") and thus would have been easy to locate and destroy. Still, I always found them to be interesting.

If you remember this ten years from now, keep an eye out for stories about those two!

-p

Rix Gins · December 31, 2020, 03:25:42 AM

Will do, pate. I'll keep a look out for them in ten years time. Here is an interesting piece that I found in the Richmond Palladium and Sun Telegram, December, 30, 1920. I wonder if they had much success with it? I couldn't find any further info on it.

Rix Gins · December 31, 2020, 03:45:03 AM

From the Library of Congress. The Rock Island Argus and Daily Union, December 31, 1920.

Rix Gins · December 31, 2020, 03:51:07 AM

December 31, 1920. Public Domain

Rix Gins · January 01, 2021, 03:27:29 AM

From the Library of Congress. The Rock Island Argus and Daily Union., January 01, 1921.

Rix Gins · January 01, 2021, 03:32:24 AM

January 1, 1921. Public Domain

Rix Gins · January 03, 2021, 02:49:01 AM

From the Library of Congress. The Rock Island Argus and Daily Union., January 03, 1921.

Rix Gins · January 03, 2021, 02:53:31 AM

January 3, 1921. Public Domain

Ciardelo · January 03, 2021, 11:13:32 AM

I wonder which Frank Duveneck painting that was...

Rix Gins · January 04, 2021, 02:09:49 AM

From the Library of Congress. The Rock Island Argus and Daily Union., January 04, 1921.

Rix Gins · January 04, 2021, 02:12:24 AM

January 4, 1921. Public Domain

WOTR · January 04, 2021, 02:24:41 AM

Quote from: Rix Gins on January 04, 2021, 02:09:49 AM
From the Library of Congress. The Rock Island Argus and Daily Union., January 04, 1921.

What? They didn't close down the whole state, ban all social gatherings and cancel Christmas to prevent the spread of an (actual) deadly disease?

Amateurs.

Rix Gins · January 05, 2021, 02:37:27 AM

From the Library of Congress. The Rock Island Argus and Daily Union., January 05, 1921.

Rix Gins · January 05, 2021, 02:43:02 AM

January 5, 1921. Public Domaion

Ciardelo · January 05, 2021, 06:12:26 AM

Quote from: Rix Gins on January 05, 2021, 02:37:27 AM
From the Library of Congress. The Rock Island Argus and Daily Union., January 05, 1921.

Yay! I'm glad they were found. They have quite a story to tell now I'll wager.

WOTR · January 05, 2021, 10:58:53 PM

Quote from: Ciardelo on January 05, 2021, 06:12:26 AM
Yay! I'm glad they were found. They have quite a story to tell now I'll wager.

I wonder if any of their grandchildren know the story? How many generations are these things passed down before they are just forgotten?

albrecht · January 05, 2021, 11:01:40 PM

Quote from: Ciardelo on January 05, 2021, 06:12:26 AM
Yay! I'm glad they were found. They have quite a story to tell now I'll wager.

How about that hog though! Talk about a weighloss plan! K_dubb would be proud. Of course it was likely fattened up again and sold for the eventual course of events. If it only happened now adays he could've been adopted by someone in that community as a companion animal and saved his fate.

Ciardelo · January 05, 2021, 11:11:04 PM

Quote from: WOTR on January 05, 2021, 10:58:53 PM
I wonder if any of their grandchildren know the story? How many generations are these things passed down before they are just forgotten?

3? But this was quite an adventure. We have a copy of a ship's log that was supposed to be from an ancestor, but after some research we found out he wasn't related. Whah whah.

Quote from: albrecht on January 05, 2021, 11:01:40 PM
How about that hog though! Talk about a weighloss plan! K_dubb would be proud. Of course it was likely fattened up again and sold for the eventual course of events. If it only happened now adays he could've been adopted by someone in that community as a companion animal and saved his fate.

"Can I take my support pig on this plane please?" lol

albrecht · January 05, 2021, 11:18:23 PM

Quote from: Ciardelo on January 05, 2021, 11:11:04 PM
3? But this was quite an adventure. We have a copy of a ship's log that was supposed to be from an ancestor, but after some research we found out he wasn't related. Whah whah.

"Can I take my support pig on this plane please?" lol

1) stolen valor. That is bad because the story was amazing. I, personally, am glad they fell into Indian hands and not "traders" as an initial report mentioned.

2) one of the last month's administrative rules was on 'comfort animals' or so I heard. Because it was getting ridiculous. Only for real, service animals, mainly dogs, should be allowed and trained ones. Absurd the crap of animals on flights, for comfort. Allergies, Bites. Disease spread.

WOTR · January 05, 2021, 11:24:11 PM

Quote from: albrecht on January 05, 2021, 11:18:23 PM

1) stolen valor. That is bad because the story was amazing. I, personally, am glad they fell into Indian hands and not "traders" as an initial report mentioned.

2) one of the last month's administrative rules was on 'comfort animals' or so I heard. Because it was getting ridiculous. Only for real, service animals, mainly dogs, should be allowed and trained ones. Absurd the crap of animals on flights, for comfort. Allergies, Bites. Disease spread.

You would deny my seeing eye elephant's support emu from boarding a plane?

albrecht · January 05, 2021, 11:34:04 PM

Quote from: WOTR on January 05, 2021, 11:24:11 PM
You would deny my seeing eye elephant's support emu from boarding a plane?

I've on a puddle-jumper but really a commuter not a REAL one like in Alaska or your Great White North but just a KLM prop from small airport to Schipol for a connecion but they actually made people move to balance. Nobody almost on it, was very weird. One guy was VERY fat thouhh. Before they merged systems so still flew likely on government subsidies/rules. And the stewardess even was complaining about a hangover but 'rules said couldn't even take a paracetmol" (I think that is Tylenol here.) I was thinking a few passengers 'to make weight' is somewhat scary.

WOTR · January 06, 2021, 01:17:28 AM

Quote from: albrecht on January 05, 2021, 11:34:04 PM
I've on a puddle-jumper but really a commuter not a REAL one like in Alaska or your Great White North but just a KLM prop from small airport to Schipol for a connecion but they actually made people move to balance. Nobody almost on it, was very weird. One guy was VERY fat thouhh. Before they merged systems so still flew likely on government subsidies/rules. And the stewardess even was complaining about a hangover but 'rules said couldn't even take a paracetmol" (I think that is Tylenol here.) I was thinking a few passengers 'to make weight' is somewhat scary.

Things that I should not know...

Yeah- on smaller planes balance is important. They used to actually have 50 lb bags of ballast that they would move around the cargo hold to balance it out (probably still do?) It's not so much that it will crash- but for it to maintain a level flight (and improve efficiency and handling) the center of gravity needs to be balanced for the wings to function as intended. Smaller aircraft= less forgiving. But I seem to recall that there are scales in the landing gear that help them know when they are balanced.

I actually found a diagram showing the idea. You can imagine what happens if you put my seeing eye elephant behind the rear set of seats and it's support emu at the front... To put it another way, Kathy needs to sit up front while George sits at the rear to keep that narrow band of balance in the correct place. And they may need to jettison the baggage in the diagram with only 375 HP to get them airborne.

I may ask one of they guys I know if the pilot can feel it when a Human Hippo moves from the front to the rear to purge last night's XL pizza in mid flight. I bet they probably can on a small enough plane.