Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-01-13
LinfieId's FLYING Machine.
Pan NAL Gazette

tltG ACtC UuSebEes
Mr.. Linfield, who recently made an at
tempt to fly with machine which he IN
vented, has been interviewed by repre-
sentative of the Pail NdU Gazette, to
whom he gave some interesting particu-
lars on the problem of aerial navigation.
''In short time" declared Mr.. Linfield,
you will see passengers embark for
AERIAL voyages as regularly as they now go
on board a steamboat or railway, and they
Will be able to travel go miles an hour
without any difficulty, whichever way
the wind is. That is to say, the speed
would be calculated IN a similar way to
that of ship in tideway. If the ships
speed is 10 miles an hour, and she meets a
fOur-mile tide, she really makes only 6
miles an hour; while, on the other hand,
If she is running with the same tide, she
makes IA miles an hour. The problem is
solved, and here" said he, sis the sOlu-
tlOn," unfolding, as he spoke, some elabO-
rate drawings of his new flying machine.
But will you be able to carry more than
one person." ''With the greatest ease"
he replied; "the more you carry the easier
it is to lift; the difficulty diminshes pro-
pOrtiOnally with the size. l do not, how
ever, expect to be able to carry heavy
freights, but for passengers and light
goods it will supercede all other methods
of locomOtion."
alt will readily be understood" said
Mr.. Linfield, "that the cigar-shaped hull
will be made of as light material as pos
sible, and at the same time as water
tight as a life-boat. 1t is intended to
travel over the surface of water rather
than Of land, so that you could descend
on to the denser fluid at any time, just as
a waterfowl does. By this arrangement
| conceive the Rrial architect would have
no more difficulty in storing his weights
namely, ehglne-pOWer, fuel, navigating
officer, ct than a naval architect has
with steamboat, and by landing in
water if you will allow the expression
l apprehend no danger whatever. The
weight of the machine is 24O pounds; it
is 20 feet inches long, 10 feet wide. and
8 feet inches high. The lifting gear is
arranged In two sets of supeTpOsed sails
or planes, amounting in all to 440 super
fetal feet.'
The machine, which is thus to revolu-
tionize the traffic of the world, is still in
strictly experimental stage. In aerial
navigation, as in everything else, it is the
first step which costs. Ii only the inven-
tor can get 100 feet or so in the air he is
quite sure he can keep going as long as
his motive power holds out, nor does he
anticipate the least difficulty so long as
he keeps well in the air. "There seems to
be fixed notion in the public mind" said
Mr.. Lintield, Hthat it is necessary to as
cend to very considerable height in
order to travel through the air, whereas
in still weather few inches is amply
sufficient over a smooth surface like
water; and even on land it only requires
a height sufficient to clear all Obstruc-
tiOns." Mr. Linfield's first difficulty is in
getting clear away from the ground; and
then the question presents itself whether
he would be able to come down alive.
That fact, however, it was explained to
him, in no way detracted from the inter-
est the public would take in his machine;
either, if he flew, he would, OF course, be
the hero of the hour, as the pioneer of q
great transformation in the mode of
transit; or he would break his neck, in
which case he and his machine would
equally become Interesting