The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1885-06-17
Flying Machines.

sVule VI tnb mAln points Oh lew
for the benefit Of those who may be
interested in this science.
a Frenohman invented a flying
machine, or dofanny, as We scieu.
tist call il, in 1900 and something,
where by he could sail down from
the woodsbed and not break his
neck. He could not rise from the
ground like a lark and trill a few
notes as he skinned through the
sky, but he could fall Of an ordin.
airy haystack like a setting hen
with the aid Of his wings. His
name was Besnier.
one hundred and twenty-five
years after that a prisoner az Wen
ma named Jacob Dagon told the
iailer that he could ay. The jailer
seemed incredulous, and 50 Jake
constructed a pair of double barrel
umbrellas that worked by hand
and tlattered with this machine in.
othe air Fifty feet. He came down
in a direct liuc and in so doing ran
one of the umbrellas through his
thorax. Lam glad that it is not
the custom new to wear an umbrel.
la in the thoraS.
In England dlring the present
century several inventors produc.
ed flying machines, but in an evil
hour agreed to rise on them, them,
selves, and so they died from their
injuries. Some came down on top
of the machines, while Others pre-.
ceeded their inventions by a few
feet, but the result was the same.
The invention Of flying machines
has always been handicapped, as it
we're, by this fact. Men invent a
| flying machine and then try To
ride it and show it OF, and thus
they are prevented by death from
perGecting their rolling stock and
securing their right Of way.
In 1912 Mr.. William Henderson
got out a "two.propeller" machine,
aud tried to incorporate u company
to utilize it for the purpose of car.
rying letters, running errands,
driving home The cows, lighting
the northern lights and skimming
the cream of the milky way, but
it didn't seem to compete very sue.
cessfully with other modes Of tray
el, and so Mr. Henderson wrapped
it up in au old tent and, put il
away in the haymow.
In 1S53Mr,J, II. johnson patent.
ed a balloon and parachute din.
gus, which worked on the principle
of a ducks foot in the mud. use
scientific terms because / am un.
able to express myseltin the com.
mon language of the vulgar herd.
This machine had d tail which un.
der great excitement, it would
throw over the dash board as ii
bounded trough the air.
Probably the biggest thing in lis
way under this head vas tho rcyi.
val of flying under the presidency
Of the Dnke Of Argyle, the society
being called the Great Britain@ron
aujieal society. This society made
some valuable calculations. adding
much to our scientific knowledge
and filling London with cripples.
In 1869 Mr.. Joseph T. Kaufman
invented aud turned loose upon
the people in Glasgow an Internal
machine intended to soar consider.
ably in quiet kind Of way, and To
be propelled by steam, 1t looked
like the bird known in ornithology
as the "ly.up.the Crick," and had
an airbrake, patent coupler, buffer
and platform. 1t was intended to
hold two men on ice and a rose
wood casket with silver handles
1t was mounted on wheels, and as
it did no. seem to skim through
the air very much, the people Of
Glasgow hitched a clolhes.line to it
and used it for a band wagon.
Rufus Porter invented an arial
dow.dad ten years ago in Connect
cut where SO many crimes have
been committed since Mark Twain
moved there. This was called The
"eroport," and was worked by
springs connected with propcllers
A saloon was suspended beneath it,
1 presume, on the principle that
when u man is intoxicated he
weighs a pound less, This machine
lloated around the rotunda of the
Merchants exchange, in New York
city, eleven timos, like a hen with
her head cut Of, but has not been
on the wing much since then.
Other flying machines have been
invented, but the airiS not peopled
with them as | write. Most nf