The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-07-27
A. Els fng. STachine-Th Invention Of
q FDetrOitcr. and How He Drdn't
from the Detroit FREQ praas. !

a nk.Macntne--ThG Invent ION al
a FDetroitcr. and How He DYdn't
Fly.
from the Detroit FREQ Preas.J
Our reporter was yesterday notified that
an item, Of no small consequence would
await him at the corner of Fort and Beau.
bien streets ut noon, and appeared there ia
Hnd b select party of half dozen gentle.
men ,Swho were about to witness trial Of
what might have been ftFulger's patent
wings" but which may never be, owing to
circumstances related further on. About
five years ago man named Fulger, en-
poyed in n machine shop at Butfllo, con.
ceiYed the idea that he had solved the ques.
ton of human being navigating the air
like n bird. He had read and pondered,
drafted and experimental, and at length
brought out pair of s.fiyers," which
were intended to assist him in soar.
ING to the clouds, but which didn't.
The wings were in the shape of
Fans, composed of whalebone and oiled
silk. and fastened to the shoulders. BY
means of a large spring, which held the
two together, and a sort of handle falling
over the head and clasped by the hands.
the wings could be worked fast or slow,
and with ease. As they would not raise the
inventor from the ground, he suspected
that current of air was first necessary,
| ana plmlpu uJOl u TIIbu w r'NS i''
| Ills select audience shouted "timc," the
wings commenced to flop, and Fulger went
nm His head, getting bump which made
| him see stars Tor an hour. He tried his ILL
vention twice altcrward, but the result was
fine same each time; and then, rs his lie
was not insured, lie concluded to preserve
| II nv walking the earth with the gifts which
notnre gave him. But his bumps had
hardly ceased TO ache when Fulger's IDEAS
| heoar1 TO return TO the old channel, ana ne
has wasted months of time and consider
able amount of money i'll pursuing the de-
lusive vision. :.
| Six months ago, on coming to Dctro!t,
he was taken sick, and not beingab 10 40
heavy work, and having several h'lhareu
dollars by him, he has spent tue last loul
months in perfrcting another PAIR OF WHY'S,
and these he had with him yesterday, lie
was very enthusiastic, and promised our
reporter that he would telegraph him fro III
Grand Rapids before shutdown, having no
doubt that he would arise OH the noon-day
breeze and sail the ar like Il huzZard. IL
was ut first proposed to 80 up the alley ana
let him try the experiment 10y jumping oil
Il barn, but Il crowd began to gather, and
his modcsty obliged the invited guests TO
follow him nearly Il mile up Bcaublen street
to the commons. close on which STANDS q
tumble down story.and-a-half house. The
audience made halt here, and Fulger care
fully unrolled twenty or thirty newspapers
and brought out the wings. Each one
measured exactly seven icet III length, anu
the broadrst part was three feet ana eight
inches, lookingin shape like the wings OF IN
eagle. at the butt Of The wing was piece
of cork say six inches square ; from this
| eight strips of rattan not quite us large
around as lead pencil ran the whole
length, being bound together at certain
places with light wires. at the butt each
rattan was fastened with the cork with a
| small screw. The wings were made TO
| fasten directly under the arms, stout cords
| running up over the shoulders to hold
them. The covering was oil skin, being
| The same material aS that which used to be
worn TO protect ladies' bonncts from ~
jury. The weight OF the two was just Two
pounds and half. On the upper side OF
each wing, just where the bands could
handily grasp them, strip OF stout rubber
was fastened, and the flying was to be done
by the man grasping these handles and
working the wings up and down, the hands
| first pushing and Then pulling.
| At last, after everybody had admired,
| doubted, and congratulated, Mr.. Fulgcr
shook hands all around and announced that
| he was about 10 pay visit 10 the sun, nav
ing changed his mind in regard TO going to
| Grand Rapids. With the wings hanging
down behind he mounted TO the roof, Il
distance Of about fourteen feet, and then
warned his audience not TO jar his nerves
| by any remarks. Standing on the extreme
end of the ridge, just over bed OF rank
grass and tall weeds, the s. bird . seized
The wings firmly, threw out qud of fine
cut, and took the leap. Exactly what took
place cannot be described, Is every one
| was laughing so that his eyes refused 10 see.
But this much our reporter will swear to
| There was jump, flop, two or three
keel overs, q rustllns of silk, and the good
humored audience saw Mr.. Fulger lying
on his stomach on the ground, the spread
ing wings making him figure comic be-
yond description. lie was raised up,
| turned over, and soon opened his eyes and
wanted to know wat had occurred, and
was soon leaning against the house and
breathing hard. He claimed that lie had
| lost his balance at the critical moment, or
else he would have sailed away like Mus
| covy duck, but declined TO repeat the eX.
pertinent again, saying that he didn't feel
well. Sympathy for his failure kept the
gentlemen from laughing all they wanted
| to, but Mr.. fulger left them with the as
sertion that he should soon have the pleas
IRE of calling on the same audience 10 viii
ness him taking moonlight excursion
above their heads.