The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1891-10-16
Problem of Aerial Navigation.

| In spite OF the repeated failures which have
been met with in attempts to construct flying
machines, NJ. Hiram S. Maxim, the celebrated
inventor of the Maxim automatic gun, insists
that aerial navigation Is one of the strong
probabilities of the early future and In theCen'
fury for October be sets forth his views at
some length. He says that for many years
engineers and scientists have admitted that
navigation of the air was certain to come as
soon as q motor could be discovered which
had sufficient energy In proportion to Its
weight. He holds that this motor has been
found and It, power tested and be concludes
therefore that we are within measurable
distance of successful machine for navtgat-
Ing the air. which he believes is certain to
come within the next ten years. He thinks
the flying machine will at once become an en-
CINE of war, not only to reconnoiter the ell.
emy's positions, as has been attempted with
the so-called dirigihle balloons, but also fer
carrying and dropping into the enemy's lines
and country large bombs charged with high
explosives. He continues as follows: ely
Ing machines of the future will OF necessity
be OF q complicated and delicate nature, and
will require the very highest order of scientif.
ic and mechanical skillto construct and oper'
ate them. France 10 to-day the only country
in the world which has the plant and In
which 1t would be possible to manufacture
all the material and to construct a machine
such a. am now experimenting with. Fly
Ing machines will therefore be employed only
by the rich and highly civilized nations. Small
nations and hslf.civiiized tribes will stiIl haye
to content themselves with their present
mode of warfare"
This subject is also discussed by Mr.. Octave |
Chsnute, the presidentof the American So |
ciety Of Civil Engineers, In the Engineering |
Magazine. He admitsthat aerial navigation |
is no longer regarded as wholly impractical
or visionary, and points out the fact that |
many skilled Investigators are now looking |
into the elements Of ar resistsnces and reac.
tons and the law whth governs flight. He |
divides the men who are making the expert |
ments into two classes-the aernauts who are |
seeking to drive balloons through the air at a
satisfactory rate OF speed and The aviators. so
called. who hope 10 initiate the birds and TO
fly by purely mechanical means without the
use Of the gas bag.
As regards balloons Mr.. Cbanute points out
the fact II has been proved that an elongated
gas bag can be propelled through The air with
a screw and steered with a rudder; that 1t
can be made stiff enough by internal gas pres
sure TO resist the speeds hitherto attaiued,snd
that tue velocity 10 limited bv the power and
weight OF the motor. which the buoy ancy of
the bal Don enables II to carry up Thus far,
as the outcome OF various experiments dating
back TO 1852. MAXIMUM speed of fourteen
miles an hour has bten attained.
In relation to the sviators be says that for
the past . years. th,re hsve seronautical 80
cieties In Great Britain, Frsnce Germany and
II Is believed IN othsr European countries.
which have been encouraging experiments.
The machines proposed have been wondrous
and many. a chart o. illustrations published
bv ~ Dieuside In lSS0, delineating no less {
than % machines. rnDre than half of which {
bad been experimsned with. G
Inc obstacles 10 ssrisl navigation are point d
d out oy Mr.. Chantic Is follows: "WheB,