Source

Omaha, Nebr., April 4. The supposed airship that has been floating around in the heavens above Nebraska for the last four months is causing the most animated discussion at present. There is no disputing the fact that either there have been some very unusual atmospheric disturbances visible throughout Nebraska or else a number of artificial lights controlled by a human agency have been exhibited from time to time in the sky at night.

The opinion is becoming quite general that some inventor of a real airship is experimenting with his machine in this vicinity at night for the purpose of avoiding detection until the invention is perfected. Too many people have witnessed those peculiar lights and vague outlines of a foreign body of gigantic proportions in the heavens to attribute them to the distorted imagination or the befogged fancies of people who have been imbibing too freely.

For three months, these reports came from the interior of the State. They all agreed with reference to the size of the lights, the manner in which they were carried swiftly through space, and other details that indicated that the same object was attracting the attention of many people. Then these lights were seen in Omaha by several people, and now the belief is quite general that an airship really has been invented.

The inventor of the mysterious vessel is, by most people, supposed to be John Preast, who lives three miles north of the limits of the city of Omaha. Preast, however, denies that he has anything to do with this mysterious light, though he admits having experimented for years on airships, and his house is filled with all kinds of models of monsters of the air which are expected to develop power to carry them through space swiftly.

Preast is a highly educated German, who has resided alone at his present home for twenty years. Many look upon him as a crank because he has given his time wholly to the study of mechanics as applied to vessels that may sail through space. So well-known has he become on account of his hobby, and so interesting is his collection of airship models, that he has of late years charged a small admission fee to his place. His airships are of every conceivable design, but Preast declares that he has no practical invention. But every time lights have been seen in the heavens around Omaha, they have disappeared directly over the old Preast homestead.

Only the most vague description of the vessel carrying the lights can be secured in Omaha because, while many say they saw the lights, they can't say that they saw anything else. These incidents are accounted for on the theory that every time the lights of the supposed ship have been seen, it has been on a very dark night. This is given as another reason for believing in the new invention because the author would select such a night to fly a machine which he wanted to keep a secret.

On the night of March 14, the lights were seen in South Omaha. The "thing" flashed into view about 9:30 o'clock. It appeared to be coming from the southeast. It had the appearance of a big engine headlight and floated off toward the west and the north, and finally disappeared behind some buildings. It was in sight half an hour. Among those who saw the strange object was J. J. Copenharve, who is a compositor and who lives at Twenty-sixth and H streets, South Omaha. Mr. Copenharve was going home from church at the time. He, with several others, saw the object very distinctly and could not be mistaken.

"We thought at first that it was a balloon," said Mr. Copenharve. "If there is such a thing as an airship, however, I believe now that it was one. There was a bright light, about a foot in diameter, and some of us who saw it thought we could distinguish some dark body below the light, but we might have been mistaken in that."

Mr. Copenharve and his friends are not the only people in South Omaha who saw the stranger. Some railroad men working in the north end of the railroad yard near the Burlington switch shanty saw it. It had then altered its course and was sailing toward the northeast. The men watched it until it disappeared. That was the second time that the visitor had appeared in South Omaha. The thing showed itself a couple of weeks before. All that could be seen was a big light that burned very steadily. Nothing more definite could be distinguished. On the occasion of that visitation, the object caused a good deal of speculation.

Last Sunday night, the ship again appeared and was seen by a number of Omaha's reputable citizens. It came into sight about the time that church was over and, in half an hour, had traversed the heavens and had once more disappeared. It was seen by people in all parts of the city. This time, the airship came into view in the southeastern portion of the horizon.

It was in the shape of a big red light, too big for a balloon, and glowed steadily. It sailed over the city to the northwest and then disappeared behind the bluffs. It moved very slowly and seemed to be quite near the earth. Nothing but the light was visible. A big crowd of people watched the trip of the visitor at Twenty-fourth and Lake streets and speculated upon it. In this crowd was Herman Matties, an employee of the Bee, who is quite positive that the thing was not a star.