Breguet's Pre-1914 Challenge #130

[Varese2002]

Originally Posted by aerohydro

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I am, however, plumping for 1904. This is because of the only contemporary accounts I've found about the Bott's Flying Machine date from 1904. One of the accounts appeared in the September 10, 1904 issue of Scientific American. I have not been able to obtain a readable copy of the actual article, so do not know if the text could cast more light on the matter for us.



I am happy to shift the date back to 1903, but would like a contemporary newspaper account, or the like, to substantiate that as being the case.

Cheers,
Paul

Thanks Paul for all your research and effort in presenting this very interesting Flying Machine of Botts. It is a very little known machine.

I will try to get a readable scan of the SciAM article on the Botts' flying machine. Will be placed here when available.

About the dating of the machine, there are references to periodicals appearing in 1903.



The periodical is the Aeronautical World, Glenville, Ohio which appeared from 1902 - 1930. Copies are in the Library of Congress (at least of the copies about Botts).

Cheers and thanks for all the information about Botts

Kees

[Varese2002]

Originally Posted by aerohydro

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As to the exact dating of the Botts Airship and when it was actually tested , one can take your pick of different options. One part of the PRHA website quotes January 1903, the This Point in Time booklet says late in 1903, the PRHA newsletter articles simply has it as being "sometime in 1903".

I am, however, plumping for 1904. This is because of the only contemporary accounts I've found about the Bott's Flying Machine date from 1904. One of the accounts appeared in the September 10, 1904 issue of Scientific American. I have not been able to obtain a readable copy of the actual article, so do not know if the text could cast more light on the matter for us.

I am happy to shift the date back to 1903, but would like a contemporary newspaper account, or the like, to substantiate that as being the case.

Cheers,
Paul

Having read the article of Wiliam L. Thompson on Professor Botts and his airship, I could only conclude that the Botts Flying Machine was completely destroyed in 1903 by force of a gale. It did not exist in 1904 anymore and Botts had stopped his flying odyssee completely.

SciAM was surely late in reporting on Botts in September 10, 1904.

A minor point certainly but the title of US Patent #688,584 is spelled as AIR-SHIP, probably Airship was then not settled down as a concept / word. Something for our linguists

Cheers

Kees

[aerohydro]

And, thanks to Kees, and to Steve of the Scientific American Past website, we now have a scan of the 1904 article. Here's a better view of the photo:



The text for the article is fairly dry, and unfortunately does not cast much light onto the story of Prof Botts or of his flying machine. The article ends stating that the Professor intends on taking his machine to the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair and entering the aeronautical competitions there.

Kudos to Kees and Steve for the scan.

Cheers,
Paul