The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1872-01-04
The Mysteries Of Flight.

It's WING. c. C. Nanford.
The Mysteries Of Flight
Perhaps in the whole range Of All
mated nature there II no greater mech.
anicai mystery than the flight Of birds.
We zee : well authenticated account
Of most remarkable flight Of some.
carrier pigeons, one flying at q rate Of
1914 miles per hour through distance
Of .OO4 miles; aud another. 2O2 miles
and hour for distance Of 1885 miles.
The article referred to gives accounts
Of other remarkable flights which, a.
we do not deem them well attested, we
shall not further refer to at this time.
The power necessary to propel a
pigeon 200 miles per hour proves, npon
computation. to be something aston
ishing. The shape o one Of these birds
il almost perfectly adapted TO reduce
cross-section resistance to minimum;
but We think We shall be considered ~
entirely within bounds when we as
sumo that such resistance would be As
great rs that exerted upon one half q
square inch Of fiat surface. The pres
sure upon this surface moving through
air of ordinary density 1t the rate Of
one mile per hour rs, according to
SMeaton. OOO0l7 OF one pound.
Through the air, At the hight at which
pigeons fy, has less than the ordinary
density close to the earth's surface, its
rarity tells as much against the action
Of wings rs 1t lessons resistance to
advance. aud may, therefore. be neg
lected IL the computation. At n
velocity Of 200 miles per hour the resis.
lance Of air upon one half a square
inch Of fiat surface would be 10000
.imes that at speed Of one mile per
hour, or 0 So Of pound. The bird to
fly three and third mile per minute
would, therefore, be obliged to over.
come II, 96s foot pounds per minute, or
to exert Q force Of over one third of q
horse power.
It IL impossible to believe this can
have been the case with the pigeons in
question. We are rather inclined to
believe that they availed themselves
Of the aid afforded by air currents
flowing in the direction of their flight.
Though the wind might appear blow
ing against them when released, it is
well known that 1t different attitudes
currents Of air may be rapidly flowing
in opposite directions, and thus we
have good ground for our supposit,on.
We last week commenced the publ.
cation Of an article, which is conclud
ed in our present number, entitled
Notes on Flying aud Flying Ma
Chimes" which contains much inter-
esting information. Mention is made
therein OF many kinds of bird and
insects; but We believe that the fight
| Of sea guiis affords more useful study
than can be obtained from the move
ments OF any other bird OF equal
strength Of wing, on account OF the
frarlesness with which they approach
the observer. We think no one can
watch the evolutions of these birds
without conceding that we are far
from having solved the mystery OF
flight. Taking into account tier
weight, it Is impossible to conceive
their power, to float in air and to sail
against strong current Of wind, as
due to the slow aud easy movements
Of their wings. We have watched
these birds daily for months together,
and We are wholly ct loss to account
for their ability to sustain themselves
With 30 small an effort A. they appear
to exert. The more rapid movement
Of their wings appears to be made
when they poise themselves i'm air
without advance or retreat. When
sailing either with or against the |
wind, they seem to need but little |
power to propel them. This PECULIAR
~ NAV be noticed In all the birds I
which can sail slowly through the air,
like The eagle, hawk, etc. The swal.
lew, which skins like an arrow, moves
its wings, which are large in proper
ton to its size, with great rapidity.
The stroke of the pigeon is also swift
and strong. The wings of the wild
goose scarcely move more than one
hundred and twenty times per minute,
yet they they are small in proportion
to the weight Of the bird which is often
from ten to thirteen pounds.
Standing with glass on some higl,
peak, one may see, in certain locali-
ties and seasons, flock after flock of
wild geese traversing the sky from
horizon to horizon with steady and
Uniform stroke, and probably passing
thirty or forty miles from the time
hey are first discovered till they dis.
appear in the distance. Now let the
curious reader calculate the power
necessary to sustain body weighing
en pounds, by one hundred and TWEEN
v successive and uniform impulse
r minute .i x9ns::::!Sa'" tai a!nS into AZ.
unit cross section resistance to al. be
nee, and he will begin to appreciate a. -
e mystery Of fight. 81
It is because this mystery exists 70
at the problem Of human fight =,
rough the aid Of machinery is still
lsOlved. AZ soOn a. we know the in
echsnical principles Of flight, we CO
all have some ground for judging it's pa
or impossibility to birds ii,
thout feathers. "-Scientifc Ameri- be
n. 81
--z~----> ~ -
Iowa in Congress. 81