Because Baldwin was too heavy to pilot his airship, he hired L. Guy Mecklem  to row it aloft. After six months, Mecklem felt he was just a “flunky,” and the two parted ways.

Thomas Baldwin’s “Aerial Rowboat” Could Do About 4 MPH on a Calm Day

However impractical, the hydrogen airship was a big hit with crowds in 1905.

Page 1 of 1