Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1889-03-01
Can We Learn to Fly?
Recent Experiments in New York
Bring the Question Before the
Academy of Sciences.
Some of the Members Think that the
Puzzle Has Been Solved. and a
Company VIII Test Ii.
The Boom in Aerial Essays the Result
Of the Invention of Very In
genious Old Scotchman.

NEW 1oRK.-Shall we mortsls ever be
able TO fl?
The ordinary answer TO this in the
minds of most people would be, Yes,
when we enter into the angelic state"
This answer would hardly be satisfac-
tory, however. 1t is An accepted though
melancholy fact that we are not all of US
going to be angels. Consequently there
Is q certain percentage of Us who will new
er be able to e : unless some more imme
date means than those afforded by Join
ing the angelic throng be found.
But it Is now claimed that such means
are at hand.
Even the august academy: of sciences,
which orce every week discusses subi -cts
| that most people know nothing ABOUT
and whose nembers know pretty much
everything that mortal man ought TO
| Know, Is taking some cognizance of the
| analr At Issue, aud IN quiet way Is dis
| cusSlng the question as 10 whether or not
man will be able to fly. MANY of the
! learned professors lusGs that as man has
| by AID of machinery been able to propei
! himself through the wa-er, he can
| Conquer the air IN the same manner. But
many more of the professors shake their
| heaos IN solemn uegstIon when this argu
| meut ls advanced.
! SJlIl the Scotch inventors success has
! created an impress ion. His fiyiug
! machine Is cigar shaped. some 60 feet in
! length and A. feet in diameter. tswiups
| work exactly like those of a bird by the
| aid of a propeller worked by electricity,
| and the passt uger Is carried Just as the
eeg'e carries its prey. Il is pecu-
liar affair, but has been more sue
! cessful than anything of its kind, AMI
! hence the arguments emorg the scientific
! professors. Most Of these professors be
lieve that man will be able to hy by means
of mechanism only when that mechanism
Is made after that of the bird One OF
! these learned men, discussing the matter
entire nous the other day, expressed this
| opinion: He said that from the earliest
time the dominant wish of man hiss been
to lily after the manner and method of the
! bird. Most models of the air ships that
have been attemp ted have been after the
bird of flight, and particularly of the sea
blr1, whose ability for contiuuaI flight,
owing to It's power of tightening its body,
is well known.
should man ever fly successfully" said
| the learned man, 'ke will have to do it by
means of mechanism modelled after the
elastic and muscular form of the sea
bird"
In general way this seems to be the
opinions of scientific men, though few will
| say just what their opious are But these
opinions OF the learned are humilisring
enough IN their way, for they show that
we are but little ahead of the ancients af-
ter all despite the general opinion hat we
have distanced them. The authorities
tell Us that the flying machine is of pre-
| historic origin. We are told also that
some 400 years B. G. wooden pigeon
was made TO fl with considerable success
As this exploit was accomplished more
| than ? 100 years before the Montgoifer
| brothers started their balloon on its fly
ing trip and more than 2,200 years before
| the trial of our Scotch inventors machine
the opinion on the part of experts thar
we must inmate the bird If would fly is
not much to boast of.
But whether we are initiating the
ancients or not it is certain that this
craze fer flying has seized upon good
many people lately, and that Il good deal
will be heard of it in the future. 1t IL
probable that the wOuld-be flyers will &c
slow about the matter, however. The
ambitious ones are waiting until there
can be no doubt as to the reliability OF
their wings. After that time the air will
probably be filled with all sorts and con
ditiOns of men.
just what will come of the discussion
at he academy of science remains to be
seen. Nothing at ali may come of it in
the end except good deal of theOrizing
But in the meantime Patrick G. Camp.
DELL, the doughty Scotchman, who is the
inventor of a machiue that made the re
cent successful light through the air, is
going right ahead and is terribly in ear
pest. He has worked nearly all his life
on his invention, and now, backed as he
Is by capitalized company, he thinks he
sees success ahead.
He is confident that the time when men
will float through the air like a bird is ap.
| preaching. DAVID WECHsLER.