St. Paul daily globe., 1891-06-29

dt from thirty 10 ninety miles an nOur.
1.-THE machine was also provided with
system of levers similar to those used
in ordinary druggists scales, and to
this were attached planes, generally
made of wood and arranged in such
manner that they could be placed at
any angle above the horizontal. BY
carefully measuring the power required
for certain speed without any plane
attached, and then attaching the plane
and running the machine at exactly the
same speed, the difference in the force
required for both operations indicated
the actual force required to propel the
plane.
''The apparatus for holding the plane
was provided with carefully-made
dynamometer, which measured and
registered The lift of the plane-the
amount it would lift when being driven
through the air. When these planes
were perfectly horizontal and the
machine was allowed to travel at a high
velocity nothing was registered, but
If the front or advancing edge of the
plane was raised slightly above
the horiZontal-say one in thirty-then
1t was found to have tendency to rise.
On one occasion. when plane was
placed at an angle of one in twenty-five.
it was found that it wCuld carry 250
pounds to the horsepower, but this result
was only obtained on one occasion. The
angle was so slight and the speed was SO
high that it was difficult to arrive at the
same result the second time on account
OF the trembling of the plane in the air.
The angle was accordingly changed,
and nearly all subsequent experiments
were tried with the plane placed at an
angle of one in fourteen-that is, that
when the plane advanced fourteen feet
it pressed the air down one foot.
lin these experiments it was found
that with every pound of push given by
the screw fourteen pounds could be car
ried by the plane, The skin friction on
the screw and on the plane was so small
like the friction of screw in the water.
With the angle of l in IA everything
ran smoothly and experiments
were tried with all speeds be-
tween twenty miles and ninety
miles all hour. These experiments
proved that certainly as much as 133
pounds could be carried with the ex-
penSe of One-hOrse power. These are
the data | personally obtained and
which know to be true. They do not
depend OH theory at all. The small
planes experimental with were from
feet to 13 feet long and from inches
to feet wide. Fifty different forms of
screws or screw prOpellers were used in
conducting these experiments.
"My large apparatus" Mr.. Maxim
continued, 'is provided with plane
ITO feet long and 40 feet wide, made of
frame OF steel tubes covered with silk.
Other smaller planes attached to this
make up surface of $500 square feet.
There is one great central plane,
and to this are hinged various
other planes, very much small
er, which are used for keep
ing the equilibrium correct and for
keeping the flying machine at fixed
angle in the air. The whole apparatus,
including the steering gear. is 145 feet
long. The machine is provided with
two compound engines, each weigh
orator weighs $50 pounds. The
other things = the casing about
the generator, the pump, the steam
pipes, the burner. the propellers, and
the shatting-all weigh 1,SOO pounds.
Everything is remarkably light, so re-
markably light that one great bar in
boiler that generates as much
steam as mine would weigh more
than my whole boiler. 1t is
made of copper and steel brazed with
silver solder. There are $4,000 brazed
Joints i'll the generator, and it is heated
by $4,000 gas jets, there being forty feet
duced IS perfectly terrific. The boiler
was tested up to 900 pounds pressure,
and it didn't lehk drop. 3ita
"Ihe most novel feature about the
engine Is the system by which l burn
petroleum and generate steam. PetrO-
leum is turned into gas, and then that is
burned for generating steam. The en-
gines have lately been tried, and it was
found that they gave push of 1000
pounds on the machine, which seems to
indicate that the machinewill carry A. 600
pounds. The actual amount of power
shown in useful effect upon the machine
itself was 12O-horse power. A part of
areO-plane, or actual kite, is made of
very thin metal and serves as a very
efficient condenser for the steam."
You call it kite-doeS 1t look like
one?' the reporter inquired.
VERY much like kite" said he;
Indeed, that is what it is-a huge kite,
with the machinery hanging beneath 1t
from Its under side. If it were in the
air, in flight. you would see great sheet
of silk and a little platform under it, be-
tween it and the earth"
"Well, what then?'' the reporter
asked, simply to urge the inventor on
ward.
'Why, if the thing works-there is a
though; think enough of it to have
spent $4,000 on tiff it works, am
goin G to take great package of straw
and label it dynamite and drop it into
Woolwich docllyard or ON the roof of
the houses of parliament, and then go
to the British government and ask for
an order to make lot of 'em."
You have not tried it yet?"
"No; have been away from England
ten months out of the last twelve. 1t is
ready and awaiting my return. 1t is
now resting on a track twelve feet wide
and half mile long in my park. The
first quarter of a mile of the track is
double-that is to say, the upper track
is three inches above the lower. BY
that means | am able to observe and
measure the lift of the machine when it
starts, because the upper track will
hold it down when it lifts off the lower
one. When completed the machine will
weigh, with water tanks and fuel, some
where between 5000 and 5000 pounds.
and the power at my disposal will be
800 horsepower in case | want to use it.
but it is eXnected that about 40 horse
power will suffice after the machine has
once been started, and that the con-
sumption of fuel will be from forty
to fifty pounds per hour The
machine is made with it's present great
length so as to givea man time to think:
its length makes it easier to steer and
to change its angle in the air. Its
quantity of power is so enormously
great IN proportion to its weight that it
will quickly get its speed. 1t will rise
in the air like a sea gull if the engine
be run at full speed while the machine
is held fast to the track and if it is then
suddenly loosened and let go.''
''But ordinarily wouldn't the machine
remain close to the earth for a long
distance while it was slowly getting its
heightin the air?''the reporter inquired,
land could not an enemy pepper
it with missiles?"
''Oh, no. If it were necessary, it could
mount right up, spirally, around and
around in circle of mile in circum-
ference, in its own country"
"HOw far will it gO-hOW much fueI