The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-09-18
Irrearesa or aaroaautles.

Crystal Palace. Sydenham, Bngland,
under the auspices of the Eronauti-
cal Society, q curious collection of
machines, which are intendedto aid
maasin navigating the cir. lnih1e fol
lowing description, taken from the
London Daily Ne,os, indicates the
progress Whiich English inventors
have made in solving that difficult
problem: a~ 91"aa19 e
''Mr. Charles Spencer is the author
of o flying machine which, it is alleg-
ed, when attached to the body, will
enable o man to take short flights.
The an.fyer has to take short run
to begin with, and then up and away.
We have waited patiently to see this
performance, but delay is excused by
the difficulty of adapting q perfect
apparatus to novel experiment, and
the possibility that when complete,
it may not prove upon trial t. be the
best form of construction which could
have been devised This is slightly
inexplicable, when the exhibitor in
the catalogue tells us he has with less
perfect apparatus flown 16O feet.
There is, too, the model of balloon.
with ring or belt attached. This
in ascent or descent is placed in an
inclined position, the current of air
rushing through the open side urging
the structure in that particular direc-
tion. There is the model of an nro-
motive constructed for rising in and
steering through the air by the rapid
rotation of screw on each side of
the machine, which, by creating a
reaction in the air, overcomes gravi-
tation, and rises accordingly. This
machine is propelled by screw, on
the principle OF Rennie's conoidal,
and is guided like an ordinary sea-
going vessel; but the model bears the
extraordinary notice, 'Not quite per-
feet, for want of time.
cat the end of the basement there
is model of an mrial steamship. It
is q clumsily-shaped hull, propelled
by two wings on each side, working
from where the main chains would
be. Screws are placed under the
stern. Then there is a model of an
aerial boat to be propelled by hot air
or steam engine, or possibly by
treadles acting upon two double
screws; another of steam or hot
air engine, chiefly constructed of vul-
canized India rubber; another of
balloon that is to dispense with gas
and ballast Mr.. G. f. Ansell, of the
Royal Mint, demonstrates O PROPOSE
tion to omit ballast in balloon as
cents; by it gas would be withdrawn
by an air.pump, which would com
press the gas into a chamber when
descent becomes necessary. The ad.
vantage claimed for this plan is that
the natural balance used by fishes
would be applied to balloons, in
which the gas would be reserved for
use, instead of escaping, as it now
does. A curious and so far perfect
model of an mrostat, or @rial float, is
shown by Mr.. D. Brown, of Stoke
Newington. tits eighty inches long,
twenty inches broad, and one and-a-
half deep, and is rendered rigid by
Initiation. When the two shorter
ends are doubled together it assumes
the form of an open boat or canoe,
and will then balance itself in the air,
and can be used as parachute, for
it will always descend with its convex
side downwards, and in doing so may
be propelled and steered in any di-
rection. It is expected, however, that
when made on a large scale, inflated
with gas, and propelled horizontally,
it will support itself. The engine
intended to be employed is on am
moniacal one. Among the working
models is one to illustrate a model of
flying vertically by direct action on
the air without any screw motion in
the wings. The ascent is vertical.
Another model, whose flight is hori-
zontal, will illustrate natural flying.
A gentleman from Vienna shows
the model of an air ship, and, if
finished in time, the Duke of Argyll
would have exhibited o model show
ing progressive motion by Tapping
action of the wings. Mr.. L. Heron,
Crystal Palace, has the model of a
cigar-shaped balloon. Several other
models of aerial engines to sustain
themselves by fight are in the cata
logue. The largest appears to be one
shown by Mr. Kaufman, of Glasgow.
This engine, which is about two
horse power, is of q total weight
Including machinery, boiler, shell,
wings, @roplan, &c.,) not exceeding
115 pounds; working pressure is 12O