"Ken McCutchan is a life-long resident of Vanderburgh County, Indiana, descended from pioneer families that entered the area in the early 1800s. He is veteran of WWII, having served with Army Corps of Engineers in both North Africa and Europe. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Composition and Modern Language from the University of Evansville, a certificate in French Language and Culture from the Sorbonne in Paris, and an Honorary Doctor of Letters Degree from the University of Southern Indiana. His other books include: The Adventures of Isaac Knight, From then Til Now, Saundersville, An English Settlement, At The Bend in the River, and Dearest Lizzie. Mr. McCutchan's books may be purchased at Willard Library in Evansville, IN.

Arcidas Farmer's Dirigible   

by Kenneth P. McCutchan

As far back as Leonardo da Vinci, and maybe even before, humans have dreamed of flying. It was not in 1903, when Wilbur and Orville Wright achieved engine-powered flight, but as early as 1783, that man learned he could rise with the help of a bag filled with gas or heated air, and balloon ascensions became popular curiosities.

Evansvillians had witnessed balloon ascensions as early as the mid-1870s, but there was great excitement at the ballpark one summer afternoon in 1899 when a large crowd gathered to see for the first time a dirigible balloon flight.

There had been living in the city for some time a Frenchman named Arcidas Farmer (or Farmier) who was employed at the Vulcan Plow Works. In his spare time he had been experimenting with balloon flight and came up with the idea of a pedal-propelled dirigible.

He constructed a cigar-shaped balloon filled with gas; beneath the balloon was suspended a basket to carry the operator. Across the balloon was along rod with light propellers at each end that could be spun by foot pedals. These, with levers, enabled the operator to guide the contraption from left to right or up or down.

When the hour of the demonstration arrived, Farmer, who weighed around 190 pounds, found that he was too heavy for the balloon to lift him off the ground. A local boy, Charles J. Brizius, who weighed 127 pounds, volunteered to try out the machine. For safety, a long rope was attached to it so that several strong men could pull it down if it got out of control.

Brizius reported that it was the thrill of his life, and the dirigible maneuvered perfectly. He sailed around and around over the ballfield until the pedal chain broke. The he went out of control and would have sailed off into “the wild blue yonder” had not an anchor that he had aboard been thrown out to catch on the ball park bleachers.

Farmer believed that his invention had great possibilities, and he sold stock in a company called the Improved Aerial Navigation Company. Some of his backers were Dr. J. S. Beeler, Louis J. Legler, Henry Weinberg and Brizius.

Several more successful flights followed, and Farmer’s dirigible became a popular attraction at county fairs. It was in Chrisney, Indiana, that it met its end.

Because Farmer was too heavy, he was never able to fly in the machine himself, so he always had to engage a substitute.

At Chrisney, Indiana, a man named Veatch volunteered. Either there was something wrong with the craft or Veatch didn’t know how to operate it, because he drifted off and the balloon wrapped itself around a church steeple and collapsed. Veatch hugged the steeple and, before a cheering crowd, managed to slide down to safety.

Farmer was then convinced that pedal propulsion was not strong enough to combat the wind. He worked for a while to develop a light-weight gasoline engine, but lack of funds kept him from completing the project. After a time, he left Evansville and nothing more was ever heard from Farmer or his dirigible.