Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-09-20
MR.. MAxIM'S FLYING MACHINE AGAIN
some Details and Significant Express
sfOns of Confidence I'm II.


sfOns Of Confidence in IL.
From the New York Tribune.
A few additional facts OF interest in re-
gard to Hiram S. Maxim's flying machine
were brought out at the recent meeting of
the British Association for the Advance
ment Of Science. Although living abroad
because he believed himself ill-treated by
the United States government in connec-
ton with his rapid-fire gun patents, this
gifted inventor is an American, and any
glory which may be conferred by his sue
cess In aerial navigation belongs to this
country.
One OF the most rema rkable features of
the trial airship is the lightness of its mo-
tor The engine proper weighs only GA
pounds and the boiler Containing 10
pounds of water) loo. AS the latter fig
ures also include various appurtenances Of
the boiler. and 362 horsepower were
actually developed. We have only five
pounds of engine and boiler to horse
power! Mr.. Maxim himself believes that he
can get 500 horse power out of that same
engine.
In passing 1t may be well to recall that
an ordinary locomotive weighs about 100
or 100 pounds for every horsepower it de-
velops; marine engines in big steamships
from 2OO to 500, and even engines for fast
light yachts of large size. seldom less than
lO A good draught horse weighs about
l,5OO to 1900 pounds to a horsepower; but
bird in flight only 20 or - pounds. Engi-
neering experts have computed that in or
der to make aerial navigation a success the
motive apparatus employed must weigh less
than this. In few exceptional instances
small engines. not including the boiler
haze been Quilt which reduced the proper
ton to between Z and IL pounds. Mr. Max
inns achievement therefore, Is utterly with
out precedent, though Prof Langley is said
to have come pretty close to 1t with a ratio
If to G.
n,.n~ a.
ried In some Of the trials. and the inventor
says that he can run the pressure up from
200 to 300 pounds inside of a minute,
Naphtha is the fuel used, of which 100
pounds are carried. There are also 400
pounds of water in reserve Framework,
aeroplanes, propcllers and human freight
bring the total weight up to three and one
half or four TONS lifting power of about
10000 pounds Is developed when full speed
is attained-tha, is. from thirty-fve to forty
miles an hour. About $40 revolutions of
each Of the huge two-bladed propellers a
minute has been the maximum thus far.
The aeroplanes, which look like fat roof
and a pair of huge horizontal wings out
stretched therefrom have a lateral spread
OF more than 40 feet and an aggregate
area Of 1900 square feet. These parts of
the machine are made of thin and very
under side with balloon cloth. 1t was found
Impossible to keep this latter from bagging
TO matter how tightly stretched The upper
forded much resistance to the air. The in
ventor has consequently covered the top as
well as the lotion of the frame with cloth,
and the upper cloth is held down with lines
running fore and aft. This double-skin
aeroplane overcomes a hitherto apparently
insuperable dificuity-the huckling of the
cloth surface.
Lord Rayleigh declared that Mr. Maxim
had solved three out of the five chief prob
lens involved in aerial navigation, and he
had confidence that the inventors great in
genuity would enable him to solve the 9TH
ers. Available reports Of Lord Rayleigh's
remarks do not quote him specifying
what these two remaining difficulties are,
but they are probably balancing and steer
ing the craft In free air. Ability to lift and
Prof Langley of Washington who. by the
way, took occasion to declare that he has
not yet gotten up any airship of his own,
expressed admiration OF Mr.. Maxims work
and expressed q belief that the world would
see practical airshps in Use before the
close Of the century. Lord Kelvin also
commended our ACKNOWLEDGING ef-
forts though he was inclined TO think that
a platform with four vertically working
propellers at the corners would afford 4
better plan OF operation. Some doubt was
expressed by others whether Mr.. Maxim
estimates highly enough the skin resistance
or friction of his aeroplanes On the whole,
though. both inventor and invention were
treated in a highly encouraging manner.
The leading British experts I'm MECHANICAL
regulations. and not given to liberation
of cranks, especially IL foreigners Such a
recognition Of the merit OF Mr.. Maxim's
work Is not without Significance