The morning call., 1892-09-18
MAZIM'S AERIAL SHIP.
The Inventor Tells What He
Is Doing.
PARTIAL SUCCESS ACHIEVED
Difficult Mechanical Problems to Be So,vsd.
Mary Experiments Being
Made.

Hiram 5. Maxim. the famous inventor,
contributes the following letter to recent
number Of the London Graphic. 1t Will be
read with interest by all who are interested
in the efforts now being made to solve the
problem of aerial navigation:
In reply TO your representatives ques-
tioh as to what | am really doing in the way
Of experiments on machines designed to
navigate the air, think | should first of all
state what am notdoing. The great amount
that has lately been said of me and my ex-
periments in the newspapers renders this
necessary. as doubtless these articles have
led to great deal of misapprehension.
some of the newspapers say l am making
balloon to cross the channel and drop
ton or SO of dynamite into an English town;
then some other paper proceeds to let the
gas out of my balloon. Another states that
L stuff my balloon with three-quarter
vacuum which l pump out" aud that |
have.ribs to keep my balloon from collaps-
ing. Some say that / use an 500 horse
power petroleum engine, and others that |
use twenty-horso steam engine. Some
hope that may succeed, Others pray that l
may not. Some think that IL / succeed IL
willabolsh war, while others say it will only
abolish the English Channel = "siver
streak and that an invasion of England
will follow Then all are not agreed as to
whether England would suffer or be bene-
flted by third invasion. In answer to all
this L would say: | am not building a
balloon; l don't want to drop ton Of dyna-
mite into an English town; | am not max
ing athree-quarter vacuum balloon with or
without ribs | am not making any kind of
balloon whatsoever. Having stated what l
am not doing, l will now state what | have
done and what am now doing.
When l commenced my experiments these
were the chief questions to be solved: How
much power is required TO perform mechani-
cal flight? What form Of machine will re-
Qure the least power? What kind of pro-
peller shall be used :? Ii screw. how shall
1t be made, aud will it get a sufficient grip
on the air? III an aerOplane is driven
through the air by screw propeller, how
much more will it lift than the push it re-
ceIves from the propeller? How shall the
weight and supporting surfaces be adjusted
In relation to each other. so as to avoid
diving and pitching? How can experiments
be conducted on the ground to ascertain the
proper adjustment of the parts before free
flight is attempted? How shall the machine
be steered both 10 vertical and in hori-
zental directlonp And more than all, can
motor be made which shall develop sufficient
power and still not be too heavy? OF these
questions the following have been solved:
In my experiments l carried 1873 pounds
with one horse power. The aerOplane re-
qulres the least power. A good aeroplane
can be made OF very thin steel tubes, steel
wire and balloon material. A screw pro-
peller. when we'll made, operates well, and
an efficiency OF so may be obtained. 1t can
be made Of American white pine and linen
cloth. 1t does get good grip on the air, as
l nave obtained push OF 1860 pounds with
an expenditure of 800 horse power. An
aer0plane Will lift fourteen times the push it
receives from the screw. The weight, as i:
relates 10 the surface, can be adjusted by
running the machine on a railway track at
full speed. secured down to the track by
heavy wheels, and then observing the lift
on each of the four wheels, changing the
center Of weight and the angles of the
planes until the lift is equal. All adjust
mentS may be made on a railway track.
The machine may be steered to the right or
left by changing the speed Of the engines,
twin screws being used, and up and down
by means Of very large horizontal rud-
ders. A motor can be made that will de-
velOp the power of one horse with the
weight of common harnyard fowl.
The first experiments were with q small
machine attached to very long and light
revolving arm. The usual load carried was
about fifty pounds. These experiments
were described in the October Q69D num-
Der OF the Ceutury Magazine. Experiments
are now being tried on straight railway
track with a load computed in tons in place
of pounds. The most time and the greatest
expense have been used in the development
of suitable motor. When will the ma
chine be finished? l don't know; 1t is
big job. Whether l succeed or not
shall have done much to simplify
the problem for the next man. Who
besides me are at the work? Many
the Gar is said to have spent 100000
rubles. Professor Langley is at work
The great Edison has actually succeeded in
lifting four pounds with one horse-po wer.
The French end German Governments are
both experimenting. II / don't succeed
who will be the most likely to? The French.
without doubt. and TO them it will be a
machine for the reetiticatiou of the map OF
Europe. II they succeed first they will not
be likely to let the world know it until they
are good and ready. and then finding them
selves absolute masters OF the situation
they will probably see to 1t that no one
else. at least in Europe, tries experiments in
the same line-that is, so long as dynamite
will af0n them