Daily Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1876-1884, 1878-05-02
is THE PROBLEM SOLVED?
Electro. Magnetism the Key to Erial Navige-
tion-A New Flying Machine-A Plausible
TheOry-A Los Angeles Invention.

Clly WIN ud5 utNOteu COuSlutTuDlt
attention to recent scientific dis
coveries, such as the telephone and
phonograph, and has long been u
student of electricity aud its eff
fects, had perfected the model oil
what he considers successful fly
ing machine, we detailed our local
reporter to interview the gentle.
man, whom we shall call, for the
purposes of this article, Inventor
as he has not yet perfected arrange
ments for his patent, and shuns
the notoriety that would be at.
tendant upon the publication OF his
name and the consequent destruc-
ton of the peace and qnietness of
his secluded home circle. The dis
covery is only an illustration OF
the law that seems to govern these
matters, that one rem arkable In.
vention is rapidly succeeded by
another; the series that began with
the telephone and phonograp phi
seeming now likely to ba followed
up by the flying machine.
THE INTERVIEW.
Reporter-I have called to see
what information you are willing
to give the public In relation to
the flying machine, of which, not
wlthstanding your efforts at secre.
sy, hints have now and then
reached my ears.
INVENTOR don't care to say
much about the matter now. lam
making arrangements for my
patent, and L don't want to do
anything that would initiate
against my success in that direc-
ton. Still, ! would not object to
giving you a few ideas in regard to
the principle upon which my ma
chine will work. OF course, my
remarks will be general.
Reporter--Do you follow in the
footsteps of others, or have you
struck out in q new path?
Inventor-Se far as the inven-
ton is concerned, it may be said to
be a new path, untrodden, l think,
by any one. The principle, how
ever, is not original With myself.
I do not claim credit for the princi-
pile.
Reporter-What is the leading
mechanical principle?
Inventor The principle is that
of electro magnetism. BY the APP
plication of electro magnetism in
the machine, as you may be pleased
to call it, which J. have invented.
flying, instead of being difficult to
do, will be the easiest thing in the
world. In fact, with my machine,
the difficulty will be not to fly, be-
cause all who apply my invention
will, to their surprise, Immediately
lose their ponderaoility-the effect
of gravity, as philosophers would
say-and, instead of having o ten
dency to adhere to the earth, will
have an impulse to fly off from it
into space, Just as bits of metal fill
ings will fly off u magnet after
having lost the attributes which
cause the substances to be electri-
cally attracted toward each other.
Every time n piece of iron rises
and jumps up to meet u magnet
held above it, it flies, to all intents
and purposes. The Newtonian
theory, scientists are now being
forced to acknowledge, was incor-
rect.
VERSUS GRAvITATION.
Reporter-Why, 1 thought the
of gravitation was GER
tainly one of the things estab-
lished IN this uncertain world of
ours. What shall we do il we lose
our familiar illustration of the APP
pie falling from the tree suggesting
to Newton the truth of that great
principle?
Inventor-The Newionian theory
of gravitation, as applied to the
universe of material objects, would
never have been promulgated by
its great author if he had under
stood electrical science as we under
stand it to-day. If he had known
the power of magnetism and the
of electricity, he
would never have employed that
meaningless term, gravitation, to
denote the grandest fact in nature.
The latest, and, L think, the correct
theory, is this: All the material OBJ
jects in the universe are held in
their respective and proper places
by means Of magnetic attraction.
The sun is the great central mag
net of our system. We know that
it has heat and light, that the eff
fects of its philosophers are electri-
cal, so that we can say with almost
certain knowledge that this is the
case. The earth, too, is q magnet
which may be said to be positively
electrified; for, as every one knows,
electricity, magnetism, magnetic
electricity, galvanism, ana all the
various forms and phases of this
occult principle are so closely in
terblended and connected, that,
WlInOuI sOlHS INV iShsthJ Ca
PLANTATION, they may be all said to
he only parts Of one whole.
WEIGHT A MYTH.
Reporter-This is all very scien.
tiflc, but appears to be covering too
much ground. What has this to do
with the flying machine?
Inventor-Simply this-to return
to the flying machine-the earth is
a magnet; all bodies and persons or
its surface are magnets of differ
ent or opposite character, an d are
held upon the earth by means OF
magnetic attraction; 50, then, all
that is necessary to fly or rise in
the air-because it will be compul-
sorry to fly if you can destroy what
is known as gravity-is simply &c
destroy the magnetic character of d
ho1v xyhinh nausae tho anrtb RI at-