Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-05-22
MAXIMs FLYING MACHINE
xhs Great Inventor Says He Can Rsv.
olutionizs ths World.

WASHINGTON, May 2l.-''If can rise
from the coast of France, sail though the
air across the Channel, and drop half ton
Of nitro glycerine upon an English city
can revolulionizs the world. behave
can do it it ! live long enough. If die
some one will come after me who will be
successful where | have failed"
The man vh) made this prophecy was
Hiram j. Maxim, the famous gunmaker.
He has built at his workshop, near Kent
England, small flying machine with a
wooden screw as its motive power.
''It is not necessary to initiate the flap
ping Of wings in mskir q flying machine,
said Mr.. Maxim. Suppose Stephenson
hsd said that, as horse was the most per-
feet form of locomotion over roads and
fields, be would make bis steam engine walk,
What speed would he have secured? He
might have made his engine walk rs fast as
three miles an hour. By using wheels he
obtained continuous motion, and that is
why | use the screw. But the screw has
to revolve with great rapidisy-sll the way
from 1000 to 1900 revolutions a minute
You cannot make sufficient impression on
the air with anything less"
Whist is your machine like?"
wss an inclined plane l3 feet long and 4
feet wide. and set edeewise against the air.
l halar ced it on an arm about 80 feet in
length, revolving in a circumference of
200 feet. The arm was movable, so that
it would rise and fall. When the machine
travelled at the rate of 80 miles an hour it
remained on the same plane. When the
speed was increased to 35 miles IL began to
~ Az on u1iioo IL rnIfod ita uiraa
with such force that il broke them, and
now we have to keep it chained. All our
experiments were conducted with the great
est accuracy. Delicate machines measured
the speed per minute and per hour, the
push and lifting power Of the screw. the
horse power Of the motor. and every other
factor"
But this little machine can hardly be Of
practical use?7
"Very true, but now am at work on a
large machine, built of silk and steel that
will do on large scale what the other
machine does on smaller scale. We
found by experiment that one horse power
would carry 1873 pounds at a rate of 10
miles an hour. We proved also that our
screw would easily lift forty times as much
on & plane il propelled as it could push.
and which pushes 1000 pounds. II will
there fore lift 10 0G0 pounds The weight
Of my engines, generator, condenser, water
supply and petroleum and Of two men is
5000 pounds, sa you see what margin |
have left"
What is the size Of your large machine
at will be lie feet wide and 40 feet
long. II will be propelled by tEo immense
rIt in, Jiar
looking very much like the screws OF ocean
steamers, only with broader blades. The
steam is generated BY heating copper by
petrols sum, and ig condensed after being
used, so thst we get along with two gallons
Of water. The boiler is Of the fires, Whit
worth steel. and we shall use about 40
pounds Of petroleum an hour"
"Hov are you going to test the mschinei'
at will be placed at an angle of about
one foot in IS inches on railroad track IL
feet wide. At 30 miles an bour it will
barely skim along, the pressure Of the sir
underneath il being then equal TO pound
for each square foot, or Just sufficient to
lift it. A. 35 miles an hour it will begin to
rise and as the speed increases il will mount
higher and higher. When you want to de-
cend ycu will slscken speed or if you wish
to proceed in sirsish. line at a certain
height you come back 10 30 miles m hour.
1t can be done IS sure IS fate. | have
spent si5 eco already upon it and did aot
enter upon the work until vas convinced
that The idea was practical
But suppose you should tip over
'Oh no." said Mr.. Maxim with laugh.
"You may be sure that tha. is one contin-
gency we are bound shall not occur. It
will be impossible for the machine to fall
forward. to sink backward or fall over"