Solomon Andrews (1806-1872)
D
r. Solomon Andrews was a man ahead of his time, inventing the first self-propelled balloon that could be steered. His flying machine, the "Aereon," could master the stiffest wind, using the same principle that a sailboat uses sailing into the wind. In actuality, Andrews discovered that the difference of specific gravity between the balloon and the atmosphere in which it floated could be applied as power to propel the airship in any direction to propel the airship in any direction. The Aereon made its maiden voyage over the Perth Amboy on June 1, 1863. The dirigible made of three parallel cigar-shaped balloons, each 80 feet long and 13 feet wide, included 21 cells inside the balloon to prevent the movement of the hydrogen gas. It also included a rudder and a basket for the fliers. In the ensuing months, more trials were performed until Andrews wrote a letter to President Abraham Lincoln on Aug. 26, 1863. After much delay, he met with Lincoln in January 1864 and shortly afterward gave a demonstration before a scientific committee in the Smithsonian Institute, with thoughts of using the airship to the Union's advantage during the Civil War. Nearly a year later, after much red tape, the Military Committee informed Andrews of little interest in the airship, and by that time the war was nearly over. Undaunted, Andrews organized the Aerial Navigation Co. to build commercial Airships and establish a regular line between New York and Philadelphia. He built a new Aereon No.2 and on May 25, 1865, using only one cylinder shaped like a giant lemon, he sailed over New York City, stunning the populace. On June 5, with great fanfare, Andrews again sailed over New York, brought the city to a standstill, and landed at Oyster Bay, Long Island. Although more spectacular flights were predicted, he never flew again. In post war panic, hundreds of banks failed and the Aerial Navigation Co. was wiped out. To this day, no other man has been able to fly an airship without a motor. Beside his airship, Andrews is cited with 24 inventions including a sewing machine, a barrel making machine, fumigators, forging presses, a kitchen range, a gas lamp and a padlock used by the U.S. Post Office since 1842. In addition, he built a successful medical practice, served three terms as Mayor of Perth Amboy, constructed the city's first sewer, and saved the residents from cholera and yellow fever epidemics.
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