Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1871-11-03
CAN MEN FLY?
now Aerial voyages May be made.

How Aerial Voyages May be Made.
Careful observers in Europe and the
United States express the conviction
that the time is at hand when the
first arial voyage, as distinguished
from aerial drifting in balloons, will be
accomplished. The reasons for this be-
lief are given with emphasis by writer
in the Cornhill Magazine, who reviews
the progress Of the eronautic research,
and contends that the existing difficult
| ties are rot insuperable. The balloon
gives perfect solution of the problem
Of securing buoyaney, but all attempts
to direct balloons have failed, and must
continue to fail. 4 balloon must be
large-many times larger than any ma
chine to which it can be attached II
we take even the case Of one man raised
by balloon, and inquire how large the
balloon should be, we at once see how
disproportionate the size Of a balloon
must needs be to the bodies Of a heavier
nature which 1t is intended to raise. We
know that man can barely float in wa
ter, so that he is about equal in weight
to an equal volume of water. But q vol
ume of water is more than eight hundred
times heavier than an equal volume Of
air, even at a sea level, where the air is
the densest. So that the weight of
man is more than eight hundred times
greater than that Of the air he displaces.
II follows that II a very light hollow yes
sci could be made, which should be more
than eight hundred times as large as
man, and which should be perfectly ex'
L - u, 10
thing wholly impossible,) the buoyancy
of that vessel would barely enable it to
support the weight Of man. But the
balloonist is unable to obtain any vessel
of this sort. But, says the writer, when
we study the flight of birds, we see that
velocity OF horizontal motion is point
of extreme Importance as respects the
power Of flying. For though there are
some birds which seem to rise almost
straight from the ground, yet nearly ALL
especially the larger and heavier birds,
have to acquire considerable horizon
tai velocity before they can take long
flights. Even many which seem, when
taking flights, to trust rather to the up
ward and downward motion of their
wings than to swift horizontal motion,
will be found, when carefully observed,
to move their wings up and down in such
sort as to secure rapid forward mo
ton.
Then comes the inquiry whether u
smaller extent of supporting surface
than has hitherto been deemed necessary
may not suffice in the case Of man, a
| fortiori in the case of powerful and
l'ayins-machine. This inference is found
to accord perfectly with the observations
which have been made upon flying crea-
lures of different dimensions 1t has
been found that the supporting surface
of these creatures whether insects,
birds, or bats---by no means varies in
proportion to their weight This is one
of the most important results to which
the recent inquiries into the problem Of
fight have led; and we believe that our
readers cannot fail to be entertained by
an account of the relations which have
been observed to hold between the
weight and the supporting surface of
different winged creatures. M. de Lucy
of Paris, made the first actual expert
ments in this direction in the years 1868
and 1869
1t is further contended that the art Of
! flying, if it is ever attained, will probably
be arrived at by means of attempts d.
rected, in the first place, toward rapid
passage along terra .tfrmd; As the ira
peze gymnast avails himself of the sup
porting power Of ropes, so the support
ing power Of the air may be called into
action to aid men in traversing the
ground, and our veloeipedists may soon
be outyied by halfhying pedestrians.
A gymnast of our own day, Mr.. Chas.
Spencer Tone of the best teachers Of
gymnastics in England), has met with
even more marked success, for he has
been able to raise himself by the action
of wings attached to his arms. The ma
terial Of which these wings was made
was too fragile for actual fight; and Mr..
Spencer was prevented from making
strong efforts because the wicker-work
70 which the apparatus was attached,
fitting tightly round his body, caused
pain, and obstructed his movements.
Yet he tells us that, running down a
small incline in the open air, and jump
ing from the ground. he has been able,
by the action of the wings, to sustain
flight for a distance Of one hundred and
twenty feet; and when the apparatus was
suspended in the transept of the Crystal
Palace lin the spring OF 1863, he was
able to raise himself, though only 10. a
slight extent, by the action Of the wings
Il should be remarked, however, that his
apparatus seems very little adapted for
its purpose, since the wings are attached
to the arms in such sort that the weak
breast-muscles are chiefly called into
play.
The objection founded on the relative
weakness Of the muscles Of man as com
pared with those Of birds without refer
ance TO the question of absorption
seems at first sight more than serious.
Although there can be little question
that the superior strength Of the muscles
Of birds has been in general enormously
exaggerated, yet such superiority I'M
doubtedly exists TO some degree. This
gives the bird clear advantage over
man, insomuch that man can never hope
by bis unaided. exertions to rival the
bird in its own element. II by no means
follows, however, that because man may
never be able TO rival the fight Of the
pigeon or the swallow, he must therefore
needs be unable TO fy at all -.a.r