The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-03-22
Why Men Cannot Fly.

| The London Engineer, which has lately
| discussed flying machines in scientific
way, comes to the conclusion that there
is no combination Of wings or arrange.
ments Of any kind which will enable n
man to fly with his own strength lie
lacks muscular power 10 practice the nc.
complishment in which the birds arc so
proficient. And even if machines are
devised to compensate for that lack of
power aud endurance, they will MT be
successful unless they shall be so con
strIcted that each pound of the machine
will develop ms much energy as each
pound of bird. "Nol till then" SAYS
this engineering critic, can nigh; for man
be achieved"
Because birds fly. that is no reason why
man should do the same thing, even IL
he is able to fit himself wings az well
adapted 10 his body rs the wings Of the
bird are 10 its physical construction.
Already "tlie wings of many model ny.
ing machines act just as do those of the
rook and other BIRDS" whose movements
are slow enough for us to observe lust
how they fly. For there is grca, differ.
cncc among birds as to- the rnpidity of
their flight, and not only :hat, but also
as to the grace with which they do it.
They have various styles of moving
through the mir, some graceful and others
comparatively clumsy, just IN the walk
of courtly woman differs from tha, of a
Sioux squaw. eve haze no doubt" says
our London contemporary, "that if men
could once fly, ne should soun have M
many styles developed rs there are men,"
We have already said that the reason
men do not fly is not merely because
they lack wings, but because they are no,
strong enough. There is no bird of flight
which weighs rs much rs II very light
man, but there are many birds which are
far stronger 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 rca.
son thst the air is not the proper home
for animals weighing more. "The con
dltions under which species are develop.
ed, says Tie Engineer, are such that
everything goes ms far rs it can 60 in size
and speed"
The albatross is the largest bird in cx.
istence, and one of the heaviest. There
are heavier birds with limited power of
flying, but the maximum weight of any
natural flying machine which can fly well
does not exceed thirty pounds, according
to The Engineer; and the weight of the
albatross seldom exceeds twcnty-cight
pounds, or one sixth that Of powerful
man. But the albntross can keep its
wings. thirteen feet long from tip to tip,
in melton for whole day, while the
strongest man would bc exhausted if he
had TO keep beating the air with them in
half IN hour. Aud to fly he would need
far heavier wings to be kept in motion.
Aner a mathematical calculation 7he
Engineer comes 10 the conclusion that the
albatrOss possesses as much muscular
energy rs a man, and far more endurance
with which to propcl the twenty. eight
pounds of its body. eve havo in the
bird, it adds, "a machine burning CON
centrated fuel in large crate at trc-
mendous rate, and developing n very
large power in small space. There is
no engine in existence, certainly no steam
engine and boiler combined, which,
weight for weight, gives out anything like
the mechanical power exhibited by the
alb8trOss"
Men, therefore, will have to give up
the hope of competing with birds in
flying. They cannot propei themselves
through the air by any wings devisable
for considerable distance. A bat can
beat them mt that. And even if .hcy
seek a motor outside Of their physical
strength, they will not find it in steam.
Possibly electricity could be made to
suffice after a fashion, the motor being
email electric machine run at very
high speed; but even then they would
have to BIO connected with the earth by
wires. Man is tied to the ground.,-N