The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-07-28
FLYING MAN GETS A FALL
x,xos coILIP ~ WHILE PHHc11''
mo AND mn 1UmSLEs.
mi. u.,b,ns Had an Engine Ron Nv ''''
boi,c Acid Gas and 1t smn'he" i"'"
Mn. very First Tidal

ha
ing aeronaut MAS
Ground and badly injured ,,s ~
Aroona the more recent -
- In one form or announcer ,'o - -
-, ~ aerial navigation le" ~ =,
.~nc,cd as much attention al has apan-
tract1u, ,t".otIaI because ne mas 49,.
MIR. liiientni%d' ~ theory Tor that OF prac-
dOned the He'" -
ticc. ia ,,orld has been on Nue
,,,t Give awaiting piaNs',, no s,ic-
~, : MaNim's "aeropiahe, t'e tber
hiram a,@t remarkable man IN o'he'
49, ~ invention giving one VIZ -
,,rfiou that be Is reasohdpiy , r'bere
success Ia anything ne aA.nts,,P Gos some
go. hecn rumOfs mat Euisoh hd' s.ore-
MAJ .. ,f aerial navigation IN ms -. ga
5o,5se Of thoughts, READY 70 oe err,,inee
me puS,lic whenever ne so uo,d half
Pennington, Deiprat, Lahs'tS cir jnven-
= ao1en others have had theH In
,tons 81 aerial craft discussed ~ ~ Teal-
"y't i1,Nnthal has done more. He haa -
To- flown. His success. WINE Vs ~ ,sie,y OF
tive considered from the pom has never
eventual aerial transportation no actuaI
stetnse had the merit of being ~, ehere
occurrence. and has obtain%u q achieve
nj public interest. LiIien ma If being
mont had the additional inteIeF nroiects,
,nr.a ,,ron The most sensible oil ~
that of the imitation o! '"'
birds ,t,.od bv experts
that tullOOniuL mas ut'h ,rogrcss
Yression but also an oostatSiI i9norfant
T. no art of living. WINE, ''iGi,orv
serN,ices meteorological Snu .,,ations al
have been rendered from opP seii 10 high
nIeh attitudes. and in suphi's 80 events
',srarte of air by balloons, Inc9e',.inr
Save bnd no bearing upon the Iut1,ISion
ts vipation. which implies pfopuiS'0'
under control H. H-inci in 800. to
oitn I1lenthal. in our day. me l nun tn
md workers who IN inSI 49, come
a. imitators OF paedalus nav ara
ncarest To success In aerOh&utiOS -
~ vino have made a study OF me UiI"'
d. ,nerbauicism and its motohS' II
iI5entbal conducted long series u
.xneriments before determining Tue ~,
struetion Of his m na,,Yn Of ne Anklam
quaint. asclcnt little city near thS pot "f
tic coast of the frusslah po' ,o the
Pomerana, about Sixty, "IItSa t,,rr"d
northwest Of Stettin. His NINA ,uf lie
10 studies In the domain Of the Oh 10 lr,i ~
went with younger brother 10 b,, far,
where ne established large manu-" &C.
tory OF small steam engines. .,nn lie
SIM in active successful operation, tts
continued with the perseverance VI o, w.
race, the study Of his pet subject aueI
menting his knowledge by frequent am
repeated practical experiments. a.
These he conducted at FIRST WIN n ,'ie
WINES or Dlane surfaces until he becduic
convinced that II is the SehIs p"i"J%Gt, rd
curve Of TIE wing which enables giIu
IN sustain ltSclI WItUput dPPd'
in the air. and even to soar, wlthout a
motion of the wings against the WIND
like the seagull or albdtioAS. Ihis "
Viction. Mr.. Lilienthal has stated, If f
considers the most important outcoine, %
his Investigations In a recent mlerNIte lev
Mr. Lilienthal said, referring 10 'ilS
point. 80 evnIain
the aieht of birds, for every crow th aI
flies over our heads offers practlcuI
solution OF the riddle. Recent researches
into the law OF atmospheric fesistaiSs
icad clearly TO the deduction That cWNeu
or arched surfaces are to be preferred
10 fiat ones; but the original discovery
was by no means as simple slpu HciI o
evident as IT now appea,is. l ,iiSn S eli
not see that the arched or Vauited WlhS
includes the secret Of the art OF tilsh,.
The machine devised and used by MT.
Idlienthai in his successful experiments
S. made almost entirely Of closely woven
muslin. washed with collodion 70 rendeI
II imDeTViOus TO air ana strelche1 ui'oI
"a ribbed frame OF spit willow. WING"
was selected after being found to be tht
highest and strongest material Tor the
purpose The main parts are a PAIR OF
arched wings, q vertical ruuuef, 10 HiiOH
Mir. Iilienthai has given the shape OF q
palm leaf. which acts as the Nahe OF q
windmill does. keeping the mead Of I'M
machine always towards the wind ana q
fat horizontal Tudder, which serves u
Drevent sudden changes of equilibrium
The apparatus IS adjusted 10 the per
son i'm such way that when n0atng IN
the air he will be seated upon a narrow
bar or support near the 'front.'.
The Lilienthal theory being that birds
do not exercise great power in flying,
but keep aiiOat I'm the air by the partlc-
ular way in which their wings eaten the
air there is no tapping of the wings by
the efforts Of the operator in this ma
chine 1t is really a sailiug and not q
flying machine.
The apparatus being affixed to his per;
son. the operator, with the wings folded
behind him. takes short run from some
elevated point, running against the wlnd,
and when he thinks he has attained We
lOcity enough he jumps into the air,
spreading the wings. Atmospheric ac-
ton does the rest, and the operator scars
away majestcally like huge bird. This
action is in exact imitation Of that Of all
large birds when they take their nighl
from the ground.
complishing by this method flights of 3S
yards from a given, starting point. AZ
doing so, he has sailed against mod
crate breeze at an angle OF not more
than six degrees to the horizon.
The wings he now uses measure TWEEN
ty-thTee feet from tip TO tip. IL required
a great many experiments 10 determine
the proper size of wings. length. breadth
and backward extension. Upon these
points i'm the construction OF the machine
depends the ability of the operator TO Sc
alter his position In the shortest space Ol
time that the action Of the air may be
overcome and equilibrium restored by
change of the centre of gravity.
There IS nothing automatic in the ma
chine. There Is something for the operat
or to do. He must learn TO work the ma.
chine. or. rather TO Ike p his equilibrium
in It, exactly as one has to do on a bi.
cycle. Mr.. Lilienthal says II is a difficult
thing to icarn.
After having solved satisfactorily tc
himself the problem of aerial suspension
Mr.. Lilienthal has been experimenting
lately with actual Night by propulsion
The question Of suitable motor con.
fronted him. 1t Is the bugbear Of al
who give their attention 10 aerial nayiga
tion. whether by ballooning or fyln
machines. Under the most faVorabl,
conditions. the weight to be raised aps
supported by aerial resistance would b,
at least 300 pounds
In order TO overcome the attraction o
fraNltauon In such a case. a force q
not less than one and one-fourth horse
power would be required, which no ma
can exert more than a very short spac
OF time. Auxiliary power Is consequent
indispensable. Neither a steam engine no
an electric motor was available in MI
1.iienthafs machine so he had 10 devils
something different lie conceived IN
idea OF utilizing as a motive force IN
Napor OF LIQUID carbolic acid This. whic
-FOUR or five years ago was a mere chemi
cal curiosity, Is now commercial articl
selling Tor eight cents a pound. He con
htructed a small engine consisting Of
tiny cylinder. with the requisite valves
70 be worked 10y hand and small reser
Nor. IL was OF twO-hOrSe power and IL
supply OF acid was sufficient 90 work tn
wings by simple system Of gearing 10
TWO hours. The total weight of the adde
machinery was twenty-five pounds.
the hrst trial Of this machine prove
That It's power had been underestimate
IL smashed wings and all. The acciden
fefefTed 70 In the cable despatch doubles