The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-10-02

Chalais was directly TO our left, the
balloon was then turned to the left
with much more ease than it
changed its direction before, and
very soon it was lowering eS4 feet above
its point of departure. The tendency of
the balloon to descend at this moment
was caused Principally by opening the
valve. During this time il was necessary
to make the balloon move forward and
back several times in order to bring it ex-
actly over the spot where we desired to
land. At 262 feet above the ground cord
let down from the balloon was seized
by some men, and the aerostat was landed
in the field from whence il was started"
On the 18th of August, 1885, Capt.
Renard. in conjunction with his brother,
made other experiments with 'sdirig-
able" balloon. The ascension took place
at about O'Clock in light breeze, but
nevertheless the balloon, under the action
of Its screw. resisted the strong aerial cur
rent, and accomplished with great success
a number of maneuvers in different direc-
tlons without always returning to its
point Of departure The Landing took
place near Petit-Bicetre.
On the I'D of September, 1885, other ex-
periments we're tried, which gave satis-
factory results. The aerostat advanced to-
ward the fertilization of Paris, in the
vicinity OF Point-du-Jour, and returned
with great facility to the point Of depart
ure. These experiments took place under
favorable circumstances, because the
balloon was kept in q sheltered enclosure
and ready inflated, and ascensions were
only attempted at favorable moments;
nevertheless, the French themselves say:
Files men constituent pas moins I'M des
plus grands resultats de la science mod
erne."
If ordinary balloons, completely without
any means of directing them, proved of
such great service 10 the French during
the siege Of Paris, how much more useful
would they have found the latest ''dirige-
able" balloons, which would have enabled
them not only to leave Paris, but to return
again, and thus to keep in communication
with the outside world.
Experimenters who attempt the navi-
CATION Of the air are divided into two
classes. namely, those who seek to accom-
plish it by the use Of balloons-that is to
say, apparatus lighter than the air; and
those who seek to accomplish it by ma
chimes heavier than the air, which it is
proposed to sustain in the air by dynamic
energy, after the manner Of birds. So far
no machines have succeeded, except those
which are sustained by gas. and, con-
sidered as a whole, are lighter than the air.
For many years the leading scientists of
the world have admitted that the naviga--
ton of the air by machines heavier than
the air would become possible whenever
a motor sufficiently powerful in proportion
to its weight should be discovered. 1t has
long been known that birds and all other
animals which sustain themselves in the
air by muscular effort are capable of de-
veloping an enormous amount of power
in proportion to their weight, but
just how much power has not until
lately been definitely determined. As it
may be presumed that artificial machines
could not be made which would operate
more economically than natural machines
or birds, it is selt-eyident that some mo-
tive power should be discovered which
would develop at least as much power in
proportion to its weight as bird is able
to develop. Heavy birds with relatively
small wings, such as, for instance, the
goose, carry about $50 pounds to the horse
power while birds such as the aibatross
and the vulture, in which the wing sur
face Is very large in proportion to the
weight, carry probably in the neignbor-
hood of $50 pounds per horse power. All
who have witnessed the flight of these lat
ter birds have remarked the apparent ease
with which they fly: in fact. they appear
to exert hardly any muscular energy at all.
Two complete sets of experiments have
been Independently conducted recently,
with view of ascertalning how much
power is required to perform artificial
flight. One set of experiments was tried
tronomer and mathematician, Prof. Lang
ley; the other experiments were con-
Quoted by myself at Bexiey, in the county
of Kent. Both series of experiments were
conducted with the aeroplane, because it
was believed that this system was the one
which would require the least amount of
power. We were both provided with very
perfect apparatus, with many instruments
of precision, which enabled us to ascer-
tain accurately just how much power was
required TO drive plane through the air at
various angles, how much the plane would
lift. the kind of screw best adapted for pro-
pulsion, the efficiency of the screw and the
power required to operate it. Prof Lang
ley'sexperiments were tried on q rotating
arm thirty feet long. In my apparatus the
arm was made slightly longer. so as to
make the circumference of the circle round
which it travelled exactly 200 feet. Prof.
Langley's experiments were con-
Quoted for the most part with small
planes, which carried loads of only two or
three pounds, while my experiments were
conducted with large planes, carrying
weights of from 20 to 100 pounds. In Prof.
Langley's experiments the load carried
was at the rate of 80 pounds to the horse
power of energy expended, while in my
experiments, where the load was heavier
and the area of the plane less in proper
ton. the load carried was at the rate ot 1873
pounds to the horse power. However,
when | carried light load at q very high
speed en- q relatively large plane, l some
times approached very closely to Prof.