The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-05-22
Fl WING MACHINES

w ASHINGTON, May 2l.-Hlram J. Max
i'm, the inventor of the famous Maxim
gun, now adopted by most Of the govern
mentS of Europe, is engaged in building
flying machine. In talk with reporter
he said:
About 200 years ago a French mathe
matician proved that a goose in flying
eXerted a force equal to that of 200 horses.
Later, another French mathematician
proved that this force was only equal to
fifty horses. Next, another Frenchman
proved that it was only ten. then one, and
finally the last Frenchman proved that it
required only twentieth part of one horse
power for the goose to fly, which is proba-
bly pretty near the truth. And on this
last discovery the whole question rests.
Lots of men all over the world are ex-
perlmentInS in aerial machines. In Eng
land there is the Aeronautical society with
the duke of Argyle as president and the
duke of Sutherland as vice president,
which has done much to popularZe bal
looming, but so far its flying machines
have not been a success. One of its mem
bers told me" said Mr.. Maxim laughing
that his machine flew about as well as a
tallor's goose. An Australian engineer is
at work on flying machine, which imi-
tates the flight of birds It actually has
tapping wings but it only weighs a few
ounces, and has no motor except twisted
rubber string. 1t is claimed that he has
succeeded i'll making it fly 100 feet. In
France the government is experimenting
with balloons, and cigar-shaped balloon
with an electric motor, is said to travel
twelve miles an hour. A French officer
told me that it only went four miles an
hour, and as the wind generally blew with
greater force than this, the balloon nearly
always travelled in a direction opposite
from that intended. The flying machine
at Mount Carmel, H., of which you have
read so much. is simply an imitation of
this French balloon"
Having thus glanced over the world,
and spoken highly also of the studious
efforts OF Prof Chanute. president of the
American Society of Civil Engineers: Prof
Langley, Prof. Thurston. of Cornell Uni
verSltv, and Others Mr.. Maxim said that
two years ago he bought a large manor
near Kent, England, and erected a work
shop IN the center of large park. 1t was
fitted with the finest tools and scientific
apparatus The most skillful mechanics
were employed. the chief engineer receiv
ing sic day. Here small flying
machine was built. Its motive power was
q wooden screw.
1T isn't necessary to initiate the fan
ping of wings said Mr.. Maxim. Sup
pose stephens had said that as a horse
was the most perfect form of locomotion
over roads and fields, he would make his
be have secured2 He might have made
his engine walk as fast As three miles an
hour. By using wheels he obtained con-
tlnuous motion, and that is why use the
screw. But the screw has TO revolve with
great rapidity-ail the way from l.09G 10
2.S00 revolutions per minute. You cannot
make sufficient impression on the air with
anything less.
My first machine was A small one. It
=. Z
long and four feet wide, and set edgewise
against the air | balanced it on an arm,
about thirty feet IN length, revolving in a
circumference of 200 feet. The arm was
movable 50 that it would rise and fall.
W hen the machine Travelled at the rate of
thirty miles an hour II remained on the
same plane. When the speed WAS in
creased to thirty-tive miles, IL began TO
rise. Az ninety miles il pulled its guy
wires with such force that it broke them,
and now we have TO keep il chained. All
our experiments were conducted with the
greatest accuracy. Delicate machines
measured the speed per minute and per
hour. the push and lifting power of the
screw, the horsepower OF the motor. ana
every other factor
am now at work on a large machine,
oullt OF silk and steel. that viii do on a
large scale what the other machine does on
sutalier scale # TWO and two make four
as they ought to DO. We found by expert
ment that one horse power viii carry I33
pounds at nate of seventv-tive miles au
hour. We proved. also, that our screw
would easily lift fourteen times as much
on plane that X propelled as 1t could
push. have built motor weighing
l.Sg0 pounds and which pushes eoa
pounds. II viii. therefore lifr 20 Goe
pounds. The weight Of my engines. een-
orator, condenser water supply, and re-
troleum and OF two men : 5,00 pounds
50 you see waat 81 murgin | have lelt. L
viii be il0 feet wide ana 70 feet long. ii
will be propelled by two immense w0od..;,
screws, nearly eighteen feel in diameter
locking very much ike the .rews of ocean
steamers, only with broaCer blaaes The
steam Is generated by heating copper by
petroleum, aud j. Condensed after being
used, so that we .et along vith two yal-
Ions OF water. : ae boiler - % iae uurst