The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1878-09-12
The New Flying Machine.

| saw the flying machine in fremont
Temple last evening and the crick is not
yet out of my neck. Not many people
were in the hall at once, but they kept
coming and going all the evening.
The inventor, Professor Ritchell, of
Bridgeport, Conn.,, was present, but the
young nan who operated the machine
did most of the talking, and was himself
no small wonder for his patience while
being questioned.
The machine is frame Of brass tubes
and nickel plated pipes and rods, shaped
something like II boat, and is hung to
tube which is supported beneath Il huge
cylindrical bag, twenty five feet long,
and some ten or twelve in diameter.
The machine is as pretty as a watch
and its working was explained by the
operator, but | am not mechanic enough
to attempt his story of gears, shafts and
clutches. The bag is made of zephyr
cloth some kind of Scotch goods, rub
Der coated, and holds when full about
3,200 feet of hydrogen gas.
The machine has two sets Of fans, one
under the operators seattle action of
which raises or lowers him in the air
propeller or rudder as he may choose to
use it, for with it he can 60 forward or
backward, to the right or to the left. The
fans have four blades in each set, are
made of white hollywood, have about
fifty square inches of surface to each
blade, and are geared to great speed
one of them 1000 revolutions per minute,
the other $500, when used at IA fair work
ing rate.
The machine weighs fifty pounds, the
bag sixty five, and the operator ninety
six. The theory of the machine is claimed
to be that of bird. If a man could in
crease his strength or diminish his weight
so that the one would have the same pro-
portion to the other, as in the case OF the
bird, he could fly. Any such increase Of
strength is impossible, but by the use of
the bags Of gas, his weight is so nearly
working his wings. The gas does not
lift the man into the air, and if he ceased
the working of his wings he would fall
as surely as would bird.
The operator sits astrde the machi..c
with his hands working the crauks and
steering with his feet. All possible
movements were easily accomplished,
going forward or backward while rising
or descending, turning sharply around or
describing wide circles. He seemed to
be tirm ~ seated and his feet were slight
ly secured by straps; but when flying in
the open air he is still more safely Sc
cured The upward and downward
movements are very gentle and cause no
nausea.
The best speed yet attained is ten
miles in thirty minutes with the wind,
but in IL calm, seven miles an hour is rs
much as can be done comfortably. Di-
rect progress cannot be made against a
wind Of more than seven miles an hour,
! but 10y lacking he had made four miles
in less than two hours. lie had not been
able to lift more than about five pounds
excess of weight, and found this very
difficult. lie had been up only about
three tourths Of mile, but the machine
can go much higher.
\ strong light in front of a large re-
Hector in the gallery made the hall light
er than had ever seen it, and threw upon
the wall the shadow of the machine. max
ing a most unCanny picture.
The machine is certainly success, but
if it were not it would still be worth
looking at and admiring for its beauty,
ana for the singular ingenuity displayed
in planning and building it. 1t can be
said of it as was said of Ericsson's origin
al monitor, that it can be worshipped
without sin, for it is like nothing in the
earth, in the waters beneath, or in the
skies above.-Boston Letter to Portland
TrdaScriDt.
STILL HAD A MoruER's HEART.-A
Hamilton (Ont.) paper relates the follow
ing touching incident: At nine o'clock
troups of police marched out in every di-
rection and invaded the bad houses in
the city. Batch after batch was brought
in. \ woman carrying "A lirtle infant is
among them. The mother is only 10:
the child is just learning to talk, the
mother weeps bitterly, the child crows
and claps his little hands as if the how
ling about it had been gotten up for its
special benefit. 1t lifted a pair of hand
cuffs from the table and jingled them
near its mothers ear. "Oh, G0d,' cried
the mother, 'let my baby go. Send
some good woman for it. Oh, | can new
er take my baby into cell. 1t is limo
oo., 40, y-;cLal Tho child ;c III