Stephens City star. (Stephens City, Va.) 1881-1883, 1883-02-24
WHY MEN CANNOT FLY.
Lack ofProgress in Mans Competition with
the Birds--Reasons Why No Practical
Flying Machine is Likely to be Invented.

the Birds--Reasons Why No Practical
Flying Machine is Likely to be Invented.
The New York Sun concludes that
this century is likely to be forever
memorable for it's mechanical and en-
gineering triumphs. 1t is distin-
guished from all the centuries which
have preceded it as the age of steam
and electricity, of rapid transportation
for human beings and their products,
and for bringing all the world in in
slant communication, one part with
another.
Other eras may have surpassed us
in literature and art. Some of our
metaphysical science may not be so
wonderful in the future as it seems to
us; but our mechanical and engineer
ing development has been so far be
yond anything of the same sort in the
past, even taking many centuries to-
gether, that this century is separated
from the eighteenth by the broadest
gulf in the history Of human progress
from era to era.
Yet, with all our mechanical
triumphs and our engineering achieve
ments, the Sun thinks that we are no
further advanced in one respect than
men were one hundred years ago, or a
thousand years ago, except to some
slight extent for military purposes.
Ballooning has made no progress, and
is still nothing more than an amuse-
ment of no practical value. We do
not seem to be any nearer flying than
men were at the beginning of the
Christian era.
Our modern engineers have not yet
constructed a practical flying mach me-;
nay, they have not yet so much as taken
the first step in that direction.
The London Engineer, which has
lately discussed flying machines in a
scientific way. comes to the conclusion
that there is no combination of wings
or arrangements of any kind which
will enable man to fly with his own
strength. lie lacks muscular power
to practice the accomplishment in
which the birds are so proficient. And
even if machines are devised to COM
pensate for that lack Of power and en-
durance. they will not be successful
unless they shall be SO constructed that
each pound of the machine will de-
velop as much energy as each pound
of bird. "Not till then," says this
engineering critic, can flight for man
be achieved.
Because birds fly, that is no reason
why man should do the same thing,
even if he is able to fit himself wings
as well adapted to his body as the
wings of the bird are to its physical
construction. Already "wings oi
many model flying machines act just
as do those of the rook and othel
birds" whose movements are slow
enough for us to observe just how they
fly. For there is II great differenc'
among birds as to the rapidity of thei
fight, and not only that, but also as t.
the grace with which they do it. The
have various styles of moving throug
the air, some graceful and others com
paratively clumsy, just as the walk o
courtly woman differs from that of
Sioux squaw. ave have no doubt,
says our London contemporary, "tha
if men could once fly, we should sool
have as many styles developed as tber
are men,"
We have said that the reason mel
do not fly is not merely becaus9 the.
lack wings, but also because they ar
not strong enough. There is no bir(
of flight which weighs as much as ever
very light man, but there are man,
birds which arefar stronger than men
The limit of weight beyond which tn
air cannot be utilized for bird fight i
somewhere about thirty pounds
Nature does not protuce heavier birds
and doubtless for the reason that tn
air is not the proper home for animal
weighing more. "The condition
under which species are developed
says the Engineer, "are such tina
everything goes as far as it can go il
size and speed" The roc of Eastern
story it pronounces "mechanicall,
impossible creature
The albatross is the largest bird il
existence, and one of the heaviest
There are heavier birds with limited
powers of flying, but the maximum
weight of any natural flying machin,
which can fly well does not exceed
thirty pounds, according to the Engi
neer; and the weight of the albatrosi
seldom, if ever, exceeds twenty-eigh
pounds, or one-sixth that of power
full man. But the-plbatross can keeI
its wings, thirteen feet long from tiI
to tip, in motion for whole day
while the strongest man would be ex
hausted, if he had to keep beating tn
air with them, in half an hour. An,