100 YEARS AGO
Mr. Charles Hamilton, American aeronaut, attempted the first trial of his airship at Kawasaki yesterday morning. The attempt, attended by several officers of the Military Balloon Corps, was a fair success. In the first attempt the aeronaut sailed a distance of some several cho (1 cho = 109.1 meters), the height being about 20 ft. or so, before safely returning to the starting ground in a few minutes. In a second airy trip he achieved the height of some 30 ft. But when the ship was on its return an interruption occurred to the engine which came to a stoppage, and the ship landed on a marshy spot, breaking the propeller. The reliable use of the airship for aerial voyage has however been fully exemplified, the only question being its practicability.
The 28-year-old Mr. Hamilton is an engineer of New Britain, Conn., U.S. and the designer and builder of the Hamilton Airships and flying machines. He came here only a short time ago accompanied by Mr. K. Wadamori, formerly a barrister, who was in America for some years past.