The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-03-15

United States government has con-
cludod to take u hand in thu ages vexed
problem of aerial navigation and,
through u famous scientist in its en-.
ploy, is secretly conducting an elabor-
ate experiment to demonstrate the
principle Of mechanical flight by
%aeropIanes.
In other words, Uncle Sam has a
flying machine.
Lightly poised in a locked and guard
cd room in tho southeast corner oil the
third floor OF the Smithsonian building
this curious sxpectant mechanical bird,
built on the slender lines OF mackerel,
the product Of lIghteit aluminium, OF
finest steel, thinnest copper, with broad
silken wings patiently folded, its won.
deriul engine and propellers still, awaits
the coming Of Its muster mind, Prof. s,
7. langley, secretary OF tho Smithson-
ian, to Try II he may bring it into bouy'
ant triumphant life and write his name
above Stevenson and Fulton and Morse
in tho almanacs OF the future, The
transport for its conveyance to some
secluded place down the Potomac, there
to meet its fateiul trial, now lies moored
to tho bnnk in II little v Of Rock
creek u roughly romodeled iatboat man
ned by bIuck.haired Billy Bransen, rs
%thoughtlesa and innocent . skipper III
ever turned u helm,
wnATT II MACHINE is.
The machine ia a working model. 1t
is not intended to carry passengers. In
conGguration the body portion closely
Stimulates n mackerel. The backbone,
then, is Il light but very rigid tube OF
what is technically known us title
metal, zone OF the many alloys Of alumni.
ium and steel. 1t is fifteen feet in
length and five centimeters, or practi-
Cully two inches, in diameter. To give
rigidity to tho skeleton longitudinal
ribs OF stiff steel arc provided, inter-
sected at intervals by cross ribs OF pure
aluminium, tho result being q lattice
framework Of great strength. The en-
gines, which are located in the portion
OF the framework corresponding to the
head OF tho fish, are OF the double
oscillatiug type. They weigh sixty
ounces and develop II horsepower, the
lightest Vi that power ever made. There
arc four boilers, Of thinly hammered
copper, Weighing q little moro than
seven pounds each, and they occupy the
middle portion OF the fish. Instead OF
water a very volatile hydrocarbon is
employed, tho exact nature OF which is
IL matter OF secrecy, but which Vapor'
ICES at q comparatively low tempera-
ture. The fuel used is refined gasoline,
and tho extreme end OF the tail OF the
fish is utilized for n storage tank with Il
capacity Of ono quart. Before passing
OH to tho boilers the gasoline is volatil.
lied by going through u heated coil.
There are twin screw propellers, which
would DO made adjustable to different
angles in practice, to provide for the
steering, but which in simply q work
ing model are necessarily fixed at a Ger
tain point for a given trial. Screws OF
various pitches and ranging from TWEEN
~ to eighty centimoters in diameter
have been experimental with, but it is
not yet definitely determined which
shall DO adopted for the trial. With the
smallest the engines develop a speed OF
100 revolutions o minute. With the
larger ones the speed is somewhat do
creased. A thin jacket OF asbestos
covers the upper portion OF the body OF
the fish. 1t is unusually porous, and
probably is employed to prevent undue
loss Of heat by radiation. The wings,
or aeroplanes, arc sector.shaped, and
consist OF light frames Of tubular alum.
mum steel, covered with China silk.
The front one Is forty-two inches wide
in the widest part and has an extreme
length OF forty feet from tip TO tip.
The real one is somewhat smaller.
Both aeroplanes are designed to be ad.
Unstable with reference TO the anglo
they present to the air. A tubular
mast extends upw0rdly and downward
ly through about the middle OF the
craft, and from its extremities run
stays Of aluminium wire to the tips OF
the aeroplanes and tho ends OF the tub.
ular backbone, and by this trusting ar
rangement tho whole structure IL rem.
dered exceedingly stiA.
HOW THE SECRET HAS BiES GUARDED.
Tho machine was constructed and
perfected to Its present degree in the
room whore 1t now rests. 1t was con.
ceived about twenty months age by
Prof.. Langley, who associated With him
in the work Of experimentation Chief
Clerk W. Q. Winlock and DR.. Kidder, q
scientific expert, employed at that time
in the institution. Four skilled work.
mon in mechanics and metallurgy were
put to work attifty cents an hour under
pledge Of secrecy. Tho work went on
at old hours, mostly at night and on
Sundays. At the institution the strict.
eat injunCtions we're laid on the watch.
mon to keep all intruders OF tho scent.
Tho watChmen themselves were in
structed to turn thor backs or walk to
the otherend OF tho corridor when word
was passed from tho chief that some
article was to DO conveyed TO or from
the secret chamber. II Ia said that one
employo was discharged merely for be-
ing seen on the third floor Of the build.
ing. None OF tho regular employees were
supposed to know what was going on
there. AS q matter Of fact, very few OF
them do know that anything is there Mt
tho present time.
Prot. Langley went to France to per.
sonnlly suporintend the making Of tho
central tube, which constitutes tho back.
bone OF tho structure, and brought II
back with him among tho personal of
focts to insure careful handling. II IL
30 light as TO DO handled easily by mn
infant During his French visit, whilo
in touch with the most advanced invos.
tigators, he Is believed to have reached
his conclusion as 10 tho best model Tor
the general confirmation OF the proposed
air G~eatt-namely, tho long, thin, taper.