The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-06-14
RITCHEL'S FLYING MACHINE.
SUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENTS WITH a
NEWLY-IN TENTED AIR SNIP.
~ - W - a = Z
An An.n.asuss a!

an apparatus thnt tnu ne Mndt TO MISC OF
Sink In the Atmosphere as the Operator
wis. and that Will Sail In any Direction
The first open-air exhibition OF Prof @. F.
Rtchell's flying machine was conducted at
Hartford. Conn. on Wednesday afternoon last.
1t went up to n height of fully two hundred and
fifty feet, past the spire Of the Colt Memorial
Church. and sailed of until over the Connecti-
cut river. the operator meanwhile exhibiting his
power to change its altitude and direction mt
will When he assembled there was but little
wind blowing. and the machine appeared to be
under perfect control; but gradually breeze
sprang up. and II was deemed safest TO make
speedy return. as there were indications in the
sky OF gathering storm. The machine turned
and made its way back in the teeth of the wind
until directly over tho ball ground whence 1t
hadascended. and then aliRhted within few
feet of the point from which it had started.
| From this demonstration OF its capacity II
was generally conceived that II could do much
more than its modest inventor claimed for IL.
He never exp ected II to move against Q wind of
any strength and has not had the attainment
but he does claim that 1t can be raised or
and enter favorable ones: that it can be- made
| TO tnck SO to effect a l.tle headway sven
| against n breeze. and that in n still atmosphere
II can be moved about rs readily and perfectly
| at the will OF the operator as boat can be
moved upon quiet water Al that and even =, "a
having done on Wednesday.
The inventor. Mr. Ritchell. is Maine man.
@ but has during several years past. LIVED at
flying machine has been fayorits subject
Sr years. past WS and @ tSe SSr seven @
e that time ne, and his friend, Mr.; W;
his idea together. In November. 1876. they went
to Bridgeport. Conn. 70 put their plans into exc
cution. ~ they believed they could there obtain
| tn - fb..n in nj fhay
most perfect manner Their confidence in Yam
| their crude ideas were not Immediately crystal
lized into perfect machine nevertheless. -,
some parts were too heavy. others too large,
and there was an Ineffective application OF
power Then seccpd & one was :, nmt; that ia nov nov
to be so far perfected as to be capable OF appli-
cation to practical service such as serv-
lar Vehicle i 'Ioi'' foT travel, t is still Of
very great importance as proving the correct
Mr Ritchell took II to the Permanent Exhibition
at Philadelphia May 10. 1877. and 80 succeeded
IN sydusy co1,eeaiing IRON pa public n, kn9Y n bs
proper course f : either securing its develop
ment or making i worthy pioneer for other
The flying machine Is all slumsi%ness ness above.
all lghiness and grace below. Ihe lifting
Cylinder Of eosssmer cicth." Gne linen coated
with india rubber. twenty-five feet in length
six pounds and charged with hydrogen
gas. which Is made by the usual pro-
cess from iron turnInGs and suphure acid;
down 10 a rod OF mandrel drawn brass tNhng.
nickel-pated. IL inches in diameter and % feet
by slender cords. The after portion OF the ma,
chine is at the base parallelogram Of rods
aeS curved is Is Tn THE the
ss rods ssS afs araTS ts tubes oi
drawn brass, light and very strong. Above the
apex OF this form rises cog edged steel wheel.
| IL inches In diameter. with double handles so
geared 10 n four-b -bladed fan moving horizontal
ly. directly beneath. that the operator can give
blades Of the IAN are Of White holy each having
asuperlcial area Of about 80 square inches.
and the extrem" diameter OF this revolving
fan Is "a inches. The blades are set at
| peer. just behind the wheel is very small
seat. upon which the operator pcrches His
feet rest upon TWO light treadles above and in
front Of the fan. From the front OF this form
spring other rods. carrying at their eXtrem-
ity y vertically-working revolving fan. like
that beneath the operators seat except that i Is
the the main f or horizontal fan that il may be be
operated or not, at the pleasure OF the driver OF
side TO the other, so as TO defect the course OF
me, maehine oi IN the air. This fan
wh whan aSss R Other 2YSO maEns o its maTs moT
When he presses the left ireadle he throws il
into gear. when he presses with the toe Of his
right foot IL turns TO the left and n sight pres
sure OF his heel whirls il over TO tho right. He
can also reverse the action OF his main fan So
that when II whirls one way he goes down, and
when ts course Is reversed he mounts in the air.
That this is not merely claim. has been
operator and machine. and the lifting power OF
the gas cylinder have been so nicely adjusted
that they We're exactly balanced. six pounds
have been added TO the weight OF the mach ma
and the working Of the horizontal fan has
: to ascend as long as the lifting power OF the
, machinery was exerted The weight normally
suspended. is As pounds This. then. gives liz
pounds as tho weight of the entire apparatus
! The, operator. Mark Quinlan. who Went up on
Wednesday mud again yesterday, weighs 9G
q pounds. and 10 balance him and the dead
/ weight agunst the lifting power OF the gas. he
had To carry along with him about nine pounds
| Of shot and stones.
; The second exhibition was given yesterday
afternoon. The weather was far from favor
t able. The wind came in quite sharp gusts an A
there We're tlirentenngs Of coming ctOrm.
| Nevertheless the ascent was made Little
| Quinlan. even II he does only weigh ninety-siX *
. | pounds. has confidence and nerve enough 10 70
: up in gale. some time WAS spent n getting
3 | the weight and lifting power So neatly balanced
as to show thatthe machine could exert a lifting
power of lis own When this had been effected
10 Prof. Rtchel's satisfaction. the apparatus
rested quietly on the grass but could be- lifted
I or set back with the light pressure OF
, one finger; Then the word was gwen tc
, " Co Quinlan began turning the wheel, the
I | horizontal fan revoved with anoise like buzz
saw and the machine darted up almost ,verli-
! | eally to height OF about two hundred feet
! There; strong, steady current Of wind setting
} | toward the southwest was encountered
and the machine was swept away by
4, broadside on to the spectators
Then the operator was seeu throwing his
vertical fan into gear .and by its aid the nGra
ship turned around ptntlng lis head in what
r ever direction hs chose TO give II. All this
was the work Of but a few seconds. Al
though Quinlan could move the apparatus
about. he could not make any head
way against tho strong wind. Reversing
the motion Of his HORIZONTAL ian, he descended
, | apparently about one hundred feet. TO get out
| | of tho current. but, finding that lmpraot cable
Q reascendcd To Il much greater height thUn ~
| had first reached. Still he WIS swept OF toward
New Haven. and after a, Little timC
t behind a distant hill. and ior while it wns
a supposed he had aliglited. Then he WAS again
. sighted, far away and not less than one thou.
b sand feet above tho earth. The cylinder OF the
| | machine looked no larged than an orange. Al
: | length he disappeared altogether.
AT GlS o'clock. having been up battling with
! the wind very nearly an hour, he descended
= safely at Newngton. and at AZ o'clock was back
in Hartford. He said that at one time he was
4 | eight or ten miles away from his starting point
= but, 10y tacking and work ng between the gusts
OF wind. won his way hnck MS tar MS Newngton
[, | only five miles from Hnntford. He says thai
| the working Of the machine is so easy That he
could continue it for four consecutive hours
: | without fatigue in a quiet atmosphere.
..rl So L. VN ' IA A