Cuba is going to fight the Spaniards from the clouds. In a secluded grove in Florida a French engineer now has under construction an airship which is to he placed in the Cuban service. It will carry 125 men, 1,000 rifles, a half million rounds of rifle ammunition and dynamite shells. The airship is one of the most remarkable things of its kind ever conceived by an aeronaut. Its chief feature, which excites the greatest wonder, is its extreme lightness considering its tremendous strength. The airship consists of a boat-shaped car that does not swing, but is held solidly, though pendant, from a cluster of five balloons.
    These balloons are held steadily in place by five aluminum belts, which go around the girths of the balloons and are connected at the points of contact by easy working ball-bearing joints, so that there can be no strain, and each belt can give gently one way or the other, as the balloon it holds might sway, without getting away from its mate. In this way the balloons are always manageable.
    Besides the system of network which surrounds the balloons and which holds them attached to the car there are aluminum braces securing the belts or girths to the car below. These braces are also the stays for the sails forward and at the sides for steering purposes.
    The principle upon which this wonderful airship is steered is the same which governs the sailing of a yacht. A series of uprights over the car and just under the lower valves of the balloons sustains a shaft, which is revolved by electricity, and turns an immense fan, or screw at the rear of the ship, which acts as an air rudder as well as a propeller. Every piece of metal in the entire construction or this greyhound of the air is of aluminum.
    There are nine windows on each side, something more than ten feet apart. A series of long, narrow openings, closed with aluminum bars, run around the upper guard which incloses the upper deck of the boat.
    This marvelous air coach is provided with comfortable accommodations for 125 men. There is an electrical engine room, an electrical kitchen, and bedrooms, smoking-room and an observatory. The vessel is lighted, heated, and worked by electricity. Water is taken from the clouds, and not a spark of fire is used in working this monstrous air ship. The balloon valves are operated by a system of electric buttons, and there is no confusion of ropes or lines. The observatory is provided with powerful glasses, and while the operator can ride far above the earth, out of reach of the longest range guns known to military science, he can bring the enemy’s camp close, to his range of vision and can throw dynamite bombs down upon his adversaries with remarkable precision.

From—Lincoln County Leader. (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.), 13 Aug. 1896. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.