The Arkansaw traveler., 1883-02-10
Why Men cannss Fly.
gNew yssk saa.9

Other eras may have surpassed 1s in literature and art. Some of our metaphy- sied scsence may no, be sc wonderful to the future as scems to us: but oar mechanical and engineering develop. ment has been so far beyond anything ot the same sort tn the pass, even taking tary ,s separated from the eighteenth by the ereadest sult in the history oi human pogscss from era to era.
 Yet, with all our mcS hanleai uaumphs and our engineering achievements. ~e arc no further advanced n one respect than men ~efe one hundred yrars ago. or a thousand years ago. We have nn, vel been ahle 10 construct | fiSins ma. ohtnc. and hallaauing. except to same slsIh, extent ter military paspazc>. ss Stii nothing more yhAn an angE>rmsnt ai na prsrsrrai vzistr.
 We do uei ~Sem e hc sas nearer as- ms than men ~ete at the heeinasng oi the hess,aa era. Car nlosseEn engtas erfs hAse nat >ei constructed < praenoa- hle ilsing maehine nay. they have pe, yei >o much as taken the hiSi step u that dises ton Many halt~, f,t ked tei.
 
 Ia destsiag such enni,t1aace>. as athess have spcu, thrtrs m ihe altcmp. "a solve the un>alvshlc problem ot petprtaal motion. llai no man has been aiie ta make h's taftune hy getting up a ma hinc whith would give uS the novr tr- iaNaucn et asing through the ar like a bifd. and as hIeyclisiS travel over the ground on ticif vcloci ipcslrs And hao fashionable the amusemrnt would he f ,; eeuia aniy be made sa'e and delight iul
 I sie tonzsHn / n TH7sT-. vhTgh iIss istc Y ds essScd flying maehsnes m xticfi. isiIs ~aY. 's4laeS To Inc csFn -fHvTTvr1 fi17s.- thstc un combination ut NtaZs at 4l. tafzscateris ai tA} klHa Whst l. wtlI ena hle man la Ily tn hs own strength tir A,s ks maze ai9i pAs q ip pfactisr ihe 6amg.s>hmrnt tn whsfh the blfAs are se fuot4scni And even I maehne afe 'dcs8sca to compensate iar tAe Lax ai p.uAcl aI.d endurance. they wiil not be ,gee ecsetal unless they shall he com ytrur.cfi that each pound al the ma hine ~ill develop, as much energy as each pound ei A blfd Not tll then. = says lhi> engineering eri,is. can flight toi nan be arhes cd
 fe, ausc buds fly. tha, |. 10 reason shy man should do the same thing. even II he is able to ht ta himself wings as wei adapted to his bedy A the ~ings ef the hsrd asc Ia iix physieal- -cona,Iac ton Already ",he wings of many model fly ing mac hlncs at just as do those of the rock and other bifds,e whose movements are slow enough for us to observe las, ho~ they fly. For there ls a great differ. enee among blrds as to the rapidi,y oi lheit light. ard 80, only that. bu, also as ,o the grace sith which they do |. They have vauogs s,yles ot untgng ulf0a h The air. some gfaecfsl and otil efs eeapHAselY tiumsy. lasr as rtlc ss1ais, If s-saasi!l ~s-s,.sa .!.aes. lufa thai oi alous slaaw. We have ne aossDs ,.,fs our London contemporary. that I men rould oBtc t}. sc shouid soon have u many styles desciopcd la there are men.
 Nc have sad that ,hc reason men do no' ''y is ret merely hefsuse they lack ~JHss s. bUt alse because they are s5t stfang enongH There IS no bud ei flight sh,eh ueis shs A much A even Scf5 ltit man. but there are many blfds ~ht' sIc Lar >ifeHEer than men he hmd oi wesghi beyond winch the alf an. not be usilifed for bud high, is some. where about thiry pounds. Nature does no, produce heavier birds, and doubtless tof the reason tha, the air is not the proper home for animals weighing more. The conditions under which species are deselopcd. says the Eagfn<e,. are saf h tha, everything goes as taf as !, can 20 ln slsc and speed" The roo of Eas,etn story Ii prunouns es A ''meeh ehanic ally ltn- possible creature.
 The albsiross is the largest bird m es- isienre. and one of ihc heaviest There arc heavier birds with limited popers of iiyins, bat the masimum weigh, of any natural fiying machine which can fly well does no, exceed thirty poaads, according to the Esgineey. and the weight of ihr alba,ross seldom, if evcf, exceeds txenfy- eight pounds. or one-sixth that of po.- efful man. But ihr aibatross can keep its wings, thirteen feet long from tip to ,p. in motion fos a whole day. while the strongest man souid be exhausted li he had 10 keep beating inc su ~.th them in half an hogr. And to fly he would need fAf heavier wings to be kep, in motion.
 Alter < mathematical caleula,ion the Engfne<y comes to the conclusion sha, the aibAtsoss posse.ses as much mus1ts- lar energy as man, and far more en- darsnce, with which to pfopei the tsen,y- elsh, pounds of it's body "We have in the bird." i, adds, "a machine burning concentrated fuel in large grate at tre- mendoas rate and developing a very large power iNA small space. These is no engine in existence. certainly no steam engine and boiler combined. which, weight ior~eight, gives out anything like the mechanical power ezhibised by the aibzssoss."
 Men, therefore, will have to give up the hope Of competing with the birds in flying. They cannot propei themseives through the ais by any wings devis4bIe for considerable distance. A bat can beat them al that And even if they seek motor outside of their physicaI strength, they viii not hnd il in steam. Possibly electricity could be made to-sui- ice afser fashion, the motor being a