The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-01-18
CHEAT RlvER,s HERMIT.
A Scientist Who Lives In the Mountains
Devising Flying Machines.


For years Bernard Cressler has lived alone
away up toward the source OF the beautiful
Cheat. He Is known as scientist and
astronomers of no mean note in that locality
and of late uncanny reports have crept
down the mountains of the strange doings
in tire vicinity Of his little cabin.
In the midst of the widest scenes the sci
enlist, astronomer and hermit was found.
OF all the hobbies this man rides one is par
amount and has been the cause of his leav-
ing civilization, that he might study ind
experiment alone with nature. That hobby
is II flying machine Cressler has spent
years in this study and believes the only
perfect machine is that devised and con
trolled by the Divine Builder, and this he
has taken as his model
CresSlers model is the enormous hawk OF
these mountains. which il capable with i'm.
movable wings to soar for hours, not com
batting the winds, but utilizing such air
currents us power to lift 1t higher. This
hawk he compares to "A skillful skater who
has acquired his momentum artifcially,
and then by throwing his body this way
and that by force Of gravity continues ms he
pleiSes, his cleyerly poised body on the
Keen skates being an assistance instead OF
hindrhnce to grace md speed.
CreSsler's continuance is not II machine,
nor is 1t built TO antRgonize, but rather to
utilize the forces OF nature. He says the
schuolbuy's kite comes nearer to the ideal
flying machine than any intricate and
lahored effort of million fond expert
nents. Being n taxilermist with won.
derful eye for nature, he has scores OF
hawks in his cabin poised in all the posi-,
TORS assumed in GSiug. Some OF these
attitudes to Il layman'sey appear extreme.
lttf H..
tions are plausible and his proofs couvinc
ing
For instance, he has gone so far into the
science of the hawk flying that he has dis
sected the muscles of score, made drafts
of each particular set and noted on the
drawing their peculiar uses when the 'tir6l
is lying lie has also closely estimated the
strength eNerted by each muscle or set OF
muscles, and applying them to the whole
declares positively that man possesses each
muscle necessary and besides that has ten
fold the requisite strength
Ills machine is made to be worn like an
ordinary suit, but when donned it unfolds
marvellous possibilities 1t fits like IL
glove and is manipulated instinctively rs n
part of the body, each muscle Of arm and
leg md body excfting itself at the proper
time The weargr rises petpenlicularly in
the air, and then throwing out the bat
shaped wings Goats or ratker scars Mt case,
not descending MS one would naturally sttp
pose, but if a wind is blowing he rather
rises with it, making no effort to combat
the air current, but adapting his fight to
Its strength and fitting his wings, which
are enormous, but light as possible, to
guide his flight In fact Cressler does not
fly--he rather scars To this one end he
has bent ali his energies of mind and body
for years, and it only remains for practice
to bring more intelligent flight, coupled
with absolute certainty Of direction
Pttshurg Commercial Gazette.