Frederick John Bahr
Encyclopedia
Frederick John Bahr was an inventor from Baden-Wuerttemburg, Germany, who eventually settled on top of Wills Mountain
in Cumberland, Maryland
.
A B&O Railroad magazine wrote an article noting that Frederick was "an eccentric German with indefatigable energy." When Frederick opened a beer garden
and bowling
alley, he first built a railroad up the mountainside and had mules turning a pulley
system at the top, which moved the railroad cars up the mountain, carrying tourists. But that was not sustainable, so he invented a type of cigar-shaped balloon/blimp
to be filled with hydrogen and which was made of fabric pieces sewn by Margaret, his wife, by hand. Paddle wheels were on the sides and it had two cranks for propulsion windlass
. Although hydrogen was plentiful, it was very expensive, and Frederick sunk all his money into financing the gas. Numerous newspaper accounts were made interviewing him about his secretly keeping his inventions in a cave in the Knobly Mountains of West Virginia, and that he applied for patents in New York. One of his balloons was destroyed by fire as it was being filled with hydrogen. Another was supposedly cut to pieces by some of his enemies who thought he was crazy. Another was taken away suddenly by a terrible wind.
It was advertised in the Cumberland Times that a balloon exhibition would be held in the Cumberland City ball park on October, 1885. But there was no newspaper follow up on what ever transpired after that date - whether success or failure - or even if he was injured in the trial.
Before his unknown demise, he might have worked as a laborer in West Virginia
, but nonetheless, he lived alone in his last years, and is buried in an unmarked grave somewhere on Mt. Savage.
See also other photos including Lover's Leap, and the log cabin homestead (painted in 1878 by daughter, Norma Bahr) at www.findagrave.com / search non-famous/frederick john bahr.
Wills Mountain
Wills Mountain is a quartzite-capped ridge in the Ridge and Valley physiographic province of the Appalachian Mountains in Pennsylvania and Maryland, USA, extending from near Bedford, Pennsylvania to near Cumberland, Maryland...
in Cumberland, Maryland
Cumberland, Maryland
Cumberland is a city in the far western, Appalachian portion of Maryland, United States. It is the county seat of Allegany County, and the primary city of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2010 census, the city had a population of 20,859, and the metropolitan area had a...
.
A B&O Railroad magazine wrote an article noting that Frederick was "an eccentric German with indefatigable energy." When Frederick opened a beer garden
Beer garden
Beer garden is an open-air area where beer, other drinks and local food are served. The concept originates from and is most common in Southern Germany...
and bowling
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
alley, he first built a railroad up the mountainside and had mules turning a pulley
Pulley
A pulley, also called a sheave or a drum, is a mechanism composed of a wheel on an axle or shaft that may have a groove between two flanges around its circumference. A rope, cable, belt, or chain usually runs over the wheel and inside the groove, if present...
system at the top, which moved the railroad cars up the mountain, carrying tourists. But that was not sustainable, so he invented a type of cigar-shaped balloon/blimp
Blimp
A blimp, or non-rigid airship, is a floating airship without an internal supporting framework or keel. A non-rigid airship differs from a semi-rigid airship and a rigid airship in that it does not have any rigid structure, neither a complete framework nor a partial keel, to help the airbag...
to be filled with hydrogen and which was made of fabric pieces sewn by Margaret, his wife, by hand. Paddle wheels were on the sides and it had two cranks for propulsion windlass
Windlass
The windlass is an apparatus for moving heavy weights. Typically, a windlass consists of a horizontal cylinder , which is rotated by the turn of a crank or belt...
. Although hydrogen was plentiful, it was very expensive, and Frederick sunk all his money into financing the gas. Numerous newspaper accounts were made interviewing him about his secretly keeping his inventions in a cave in the Knobly Mountains of West Virginia, and that he applied for patents in New York. One of his balloons was destroyed by fire as it was being filled with hydrogen. Another was supposedly cut to pieces by some of his enemies who thought he was crazy. Another was taken away suddenly by a terrible wind.
It was advertised in the Cumberland Times that a balloon exhibition would be held in the Cumberland City ball park on October, 1885. But there was no newspaper follow up on what ever transpired after that date - whether success or failure - or even if he was injured in the trial.
Before his unknown demise, he might have worked as a laborer in West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, but nonetheless, he lived alone in his last years, and is buried in an unmarked grave somewhere on Mt. Savage.
See also other photos including Lover's Leap, and the log cabin homestead (painted in 1878 by daughter, Norma Bahr) at www.findagrave.com / search non-famous/frederick john bahr.