San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1883-02-15
Why Men Cannot Fiy.


ever memorable for its mechanical
and engineering triumphs. II is dis
tinguished from all the centuries
which have preceded il as the age of
steam and electricity, Of rapid trans.
portation for human beings and their
products, and for bringing all the
world in ms tant 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 to 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 broadcast
gulf in the history of human progress
from era to era.
Yet, with all our mechanical tri-
umphs 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
thousand years ago, except to some
slight extent for military purposes.
Ballooning has made no progress,
and is still nothing more than an
anu sement 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 practicable flying ma
chine; nay, they have not yetso much
as taken the first step in that direc-
ton.
The London Engineer, which has
lately discussed flying machines in a
scientific way, comesto the conclusion
that there is no com bination of wings
or arrangements of any kind which
will enable a man to fly with his own
strength. He lacks muscular power
to practice the accomplishment in
which the birds are so proficient. And
even if machines are devised to COM
pensate for the lack of power and en-
durance, they will not be successful
unless they shall be SO constructed
that each pound of the machine will
develop as much energy as each
pound of bird. "Not till thep," 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 to himself
wings as well adapted to his body as
the wings of the bird are to it's physi-
cal construction. Already the wings
of many model flying machines act
just as do those of the rock and other
birds" whose movements are slow
enough for us to observe just how
they fly. For there is great differ
ence among birds as to the rapidity
of their flight, and not only that, but
also as to the grace with which they
do it. They have various styles of
in the air, some graceful and
others comparatively clumsy, just as
the walk of a courtly woman differs
from that of Sioux squaw. I'VE
have no Doubt" says our London con-
"that if men could once
fly, we should soon have as many
styles developed as there are men,"
We have said that the reason men
do not fly is not merely because they
lack wings, but also because they are
not strong enough. There is no bird
of flight which weighs as much as
even a very light man, but there are
many birds which arefar stonger than
men. The limit of weight beyond
which the air cannot be utilized for
bird flight is somewhere about thirty
pounds. Nature does not produce
heavier birds, and doubtless for the
reason that the air is not the proper
home for animals weighing more.
1.-The conditions under which species
are developed says the Engineer,
are such that everything goes as far
as it can go in size and speed" The
roc of Eastern story it pronounces
mechanically impossible creature"
The albatross is the largest bird in
and one of the heaviest.
There are heavier birds with limited |
powers of flying, but the maximum
weight of any natural flying machine
which can fly well does not exceed
30 pounds, according to the Engineer;
and the weight of the albatross sell |
lom, if ever, exceeds % pounds, or
,ne-sixth that of powerful man.
g the albatross can keep its wings,
Buffet long from tip to tip, in mo-
ion for a whole day, while the
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