In one of our earliest Digital Collection Spotlights, published April 23, 2020, we presented a fascinating illustration of an early airship[1] found in the then recently digitized Rufus A. Grider collection. This piece, which can be read here, describes the launch of an airship, designed by Dr. Augustine Leinbach (1832-1877), in Bethlehem, PA, on July 4th, 1868, and how the craft quickly returned to earth when a seam tore leading to the project being abandoned.

Since then, further material about this event has been found in a large photo album titled “Familiar Faces in Bethlehem, PA 1800 – 1900”, created by Clarence A. Wolle and Maurice C. Luckenbach. This valuable resource has been digitized for preservation purposes and we hope to add it to our online finding aid in the future. Shown above, the relevant page presents the illustration and entry ticket highlighted in the previous post, a photograph of Dr. Leinbach, two photographs of unidentified airships[2], and an envelope containing two newspaper clippings about the launch.

Interestingly these clippings contradict each other and this has likely clarified an error in our previous blog post. There it was stated that two airships were launched, the one built by Dr. Leinbach in 1868 and a copy of it built by Dr. Caesar Spiegler (1852 – 1930) in 1878. This was based on obituaries for Dr. Spiegler such as the one found in the envelope, which can be viewed above and reads in part.

“The third of July, 1868, was a most eventful day of Mr. Spiegler’s life. It was the day for the trial flight of his model airship, which he made after a copy from an experiment by Dr. Augustin M. Leinbach, who died more than forty years ago.”

However, the other clipping in the envelope, an earlier article shown above, suggests that this is inaccurate. It was written by George Nox McCain, based on an interview with Dr. Spiegler, and was published June 7th, 1925.  It gives a similar account of the day as the obituary but describes Dr. Spiegler as having simply witnessed the failed launch of Dr. Leinbach’s airship and states that,

“Dr. Leimbach some time after the dramatic wreck of his plans engaged Dr. Spiegler to construct a model of the airship. It was made to scale of German silver. Its subsequent disposition never was learned”

While we cannot be absolutely certain, it is very likely that this is the accurate story, as it is based on an interview with the person in question and fits with references to him having worked as a jeweler [3], and that the story of the actual airship and the model of it became conflated when the obituaries were written. This highlights the value of both using multiple different sources whenever possible and the importance of recognizing that the accuracy of said sources should not be assumed.

[1] Technically a blimp as the shape was maintained entirely by gas pressure, as opposed to dirigibles which are supported by an internal framework. However the terminology is often inconsistent in period reporting
[2] As the craft in the photographs differs radically from the illustration and description of Leinbach’s it is likely that these are unrelated and included for the shared theme

[3] Dr. Spiegler was also an optometrist and a member of Central Moravian Church