The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-05-20
is IT POSSIBLE TO FLYp
Maxim, the Maine inventor, Thinks
n Is. Kx1
Prof. Langley, OF Smithsonian Insti-
tuition, Also Says soI
The Principle Expected to solve the
Problem.

| WASHINGTON, May 19.-Mr. Maxim, the
inventor OF the famous gun, q native OF
Maine, but now resident In England, came
here several days ago to consult with Prof.
Langley Of the Smithsonian Institution about
erial navigation. Prof. Langley claims to
have demonstrated the scientific possibility
OF artificial flight, and Mr.. Maxim Is said TO
have been engaged meanwhile In devising
some practical apparatus. No announce
ment has been made Of the plan Of Maxim's
device; out quite likely its principle Is the
same as that governing the flight Of birds.
At any rate this Is the principle Of Prof.
Langley's calculations.
Prof. Langley Is attempting to produce a
machine adapted to fotatlon upon the air
| currents like kite. A very simple illustra-
ton OF the principle ne Is work king on IL
the prestidigitateur Hermann. who throws
/ them from the stage into the highest gallery
| OF the biggest theatre In the United States,
distributing them one after another among
the gods" Of that select circle. He does 1t
simply by skilfully utilizing the air currents.
The scrap Of pasteboard Is heavier than the
atmosphere, but, judiciOusly projected, IL
mounts to great height and distance with
very little force. Itwould stay up, too, even
II thrown QUO doors. supposing that 10 pos
modate Its surface TO the winds.
Prof. Langley claims that what can be
done In this way may be accomplished on a
larger scale: Lest this proposition be dis
puted ne refers to flying machine recently
patented In Australia. II weighs altogether
nineteen pounds, and Its backbone Is a long
copper cylinder two inches In diameter, filled
with compressed air. The compressed air
supplies power tor small engine, weighing
ten pounds, at the rear end Of the cylinder,
which works q fan propeller. To the back
bone, on either side, Is attached great wing
OF light material, so that the whole appara-
tus resembles big butterfly, with two fans
for tail. This eontrivance has been mad8
TO fly horizontally $50 feet. OF course, It's
only beginning, but all the same. herel
the nearest approach TO the practicable hy-
ing machine Of the future thus far attained
With the help OF a money bequest fromI
deceased enthusiast. Professor Langley has
constructed recently a machine for produc-
ing an artificial wind, which he Is able TO
vary In strength all the way from the gent
lest zephyr to storm Of sixty miles velOci-
". de has been experimenting with this
for the purpose Of finding out how air cur
rents act In supporting plane surfaces. One
very astonishing discovery that he has made
Is that the faster such plane surface, like
a nat plank, Is projected edgewise through
the air, the less power Is required to propel
IL. On land or In the water. the greater the
speed the more the power required to pro-
duce 1t; but In the atmosphere the case Is
the very reverse, and the faster you go the
less expenditure Of force Is requisite.
In like manner Mr.. Langley has demon
strated that, the faster the flight, the less Is
the sustaining power necessary. Take an
ordinary shlngle and drop it upon the
ground. It will fall In fraction Of a
second. Then take the same shlngle and
skim 1t horizontally through the air.
Three or four seconds will perhaps
elapse before IL touches the ground.
The more power employed In throw
snlngle well thrown, Is upheld by the cur
rent OF air, as bird Is In flight, aud the
swifter they go the more easily they are so
sustained. This seems very surprising, but
Prof. Langley asks: Did you ever skate
over thin Ice? II so, you did not stop long
In one place. lest 1t break beneath you. You
knew lnstinctively that the faster You went,
and the more your weight was In this man
ner distributed, the less thickness Of ice was
needed to support you. II you were able to
travel fast enough, the surface Of still water
would uphold you: likewise that other fluid
called air. III you could only achieve sufficient
speed. Now you have the two important
principles on which the flying Of the future
will be based. First. the bird idea
must be applied TO utilize the cur
rents Of air for support In that
element. All fying-machines that dis
pensed with balloons have employed the
bird as their model in more or less degree.
but they have almost invariably embodied
the mistaken notion that a bird relies for
flight upon happing.
At the beginning, the problem of steering
and the weight Of the motor present Them
selves as the two most serious obstacles.
Prof. Langley has proposed to get over these
preliminary difficulties by running the first
lying machine on wire, such as Is used for
a certain kind Of electric cars. In this case,
however, the machine Is TO fly above, per-
haps at height Of 200 feet, with an attach
ment to the wire below that runs along the
tops OF telegraph-like poles. A motor at
each end Of the line will DO the propelllng.
Thus there will be no engine to carry and
the wire will do the steering.