Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-01-07

fury, devised method of supporting the
body by pinions, which enabled him, after
sharp run, to fly across river Of con-
siderable width.
Such experiments, extended by using
either gravity or some motive force to give
greater velocities before flight is COM
menced, can be conducted with perfect
safety. They could be made to develop
most interesting and striking results if car
ried out by athletes, insomuch that as
mere performances they would be attract
i've, and would fully repay any time or
trouble devoted to them. And as | have
said, so soon as men had learned to float in
this way, they could readily adopt such
mechanical devices as would suffice to give
them propulslve power and to turn floating
into flight.
1t is certain that very little is to be
gained from the attempts which have been
made to direct balloons. The velocity
which can be given to balloon in still air
is very small. A very moderate breeze
would carry balloon one way despite all
mechanical attempts to direct it in another,
let the balloon be shaped as it may. More
over, all such attempts are dangerous for
the wind has great hold on the neces-
sarily large surface of balloon, and going
age inst the wind would subject the balloon
to destructive influences.
In passing, | may dwell 70, moment
on notion once widely prevalent, respect
ing an imagineds buoyancy possessed bv
birds, which gave them as was supposed,
something of floating power of balloons.
1t was suggested that within the quilts of
birds there may be some very light GAS
sustaining the bird even as hydrogen sus-
tains balloon. Apart from the physioIog-
ical absurdity of the idea, it is to be
noticed that no gas has any sustaining
virtue, as these theorists fondly imagine.
The hydrogen in a balloon is in reality
drawn downwards by gravity; it is only
because the surrounding air is drawn
downwards more strongly that the balloon
moves upwards, just as the less heavily
loaded scale in a balance moves upwards.
not because its contents are not acted upon
by gravity, but because the contents of the
other scale are acted on more strongly. If
the hydrogen could all be distracted the
balloon still retaining its shape, the ascent
would be more rapid, and in like manner
1t there were nothing at all inside birds
bones and quilts, the birds buoyancy would
be greater than if any gas, however light,
occupied those spaces. But how much
would the bird be supported? or rather
what proportion of his weight would be
taken Off? Surprising these internal spaces
occupied one-tenth of the birds volume.
the birds weight would be nine-tenths Of
what it would be if his whole volume was
filled with matter at the birds mean
destiny, which is about 500 times that OF
AIR. Thus he would still weigh 720 times
his volume of air. As he displaces only
his own volume, 719-720ths of his weight
would be unsupported or he would not be
perceptibly helped even by an arrange
ment which is for more favorable for
buoyancy than any actually existing or in
deed conceivable in birds frame A
balloon fully 800 times his volume would
be required to float birds body!
Whenever man attacks the problem of
| flight, seeking real advantages from its
mastery, he will aim at much more than
such mere floating power as the balloon
gives, at more even than the rapid floating
motion, with power of guidance, which
may be attained by the experiments sug-
gested above. There must be also a power
Of energetic propulsion while still in the
air. This might be obtained by suitable
'iuJ uSlLAShtS vi lSNSIS 10 Dc worked Dy q
man in actual flight But while believe
fight to be possible for man in this way,
| consider the only kind of flight which is
likely to be really useful to men to be that
of flying machines, propelled, balanced
and directed by some one or other of the
natural forces man has brought under his
control. That man who has learned to
traverse the land more swiftly by mechani-
cal means than its most active denizens.
and to make the wide seas his highway by
similar devices, should be unable to travel
in the air which by natural selection
alone has become the home of creatures
descended from reptilian FORMS is to me
unthinkable.
Whenever the power of flight, as dis
tinguished from mere floatation, has been
obtained, the swiftest methods of travel
ever employed by men will be devised.
For one of the conditions of safe and
speedy flight is very high velocity.
Swift motion must be secured at the be-
ginning of each journey and maintained
throughout. This will be an advantage.
Another great advantage will be that
though aerial mechanIsms win have to be
renewed at probably somewhat frequent
intervals. the aerial roadway will never
need repairing.