The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-02-18
STUDIED THE BUZZARDS..
What John Fowler Did Before He
Began Inventing. 81. =. !.
Mobile Daily Register.


A reporter, accompanied by friend. who is a:
mechanical engineer, went out yesterday: TO
Magnolia Cemetery to- see John Fowler work
ing on his flying machine Upon nquiri1g the
way high fence inclOsing about am acre OF
ground just outside the cemetery gate was
pointed out. =: -.
On entering the gate the visitors saw am
enormous network of wood and wire that.
seemed jumbled I'D In inextrcabIe confusion
The machine is IS feet from bow: to stern and
53 feet from tip to tip Of wings. The wings
have gradual slant upward from the center.
The bow sants gradually upward until within
ten feet of the end, when it curls uplike the.
bow OF an Indian canoe. From the center To
the stern is almost in a straight line, with a
slight depression. Joined 10 the Stern is the
rudder. The rudder Is about 20 feet long, 10
feet at the widest place, tapering. TO a fine
point A simple turn Of crank VIII throw the
rudder either way or up and down at will:
When 1t is worked up and down it throws the
bow up and the pressure OF the air Will raise
me machine. The propeller Is a Wheel ten feeE
In diameter, covered with canvas. :The:prO-:
polling power is furnished by gas pumped into
the cylinder and exploded by spark from a
Single-cell battery. The Whole- machinery
weighs only 525 bounds will give d pressure of
fifteen horsepower, which VIII give the pro-
pelier 300 revolutions per minute: The
enormous spread OF canvas Will make the
machinery selt-suStalnIng when 500 feet from
the ground. -. -'+.-..
Fowler claims that the propeller, without any
assistance from the wind, Will give a velocity of
sixty miles an hour. John said that he had
been watching the buZZards flying for years.
and had studied their methods of. rising from
the ground, and 1t was really from them that he
got his idea OF starting and soaring. A pair of.
common wagon wheels and fifty or: one hundred
yards Of level ground are all. that he requires.
for starting, as, Ike. the buZZard, his machine
must gather velocity before starting from the
ground. He says he Is going 10 practice in the
enVlrons of Mobile, when IL IS completed until
be has time to remedy any defect, and get the
entire control Of his machine, when he will
make a TIP to New Orleans and thence TO
Washington, where he will present the machine
to the United States Government. John. SAID
that he did not want the name of the bird men
toned from which he got his ideas, as he
thought the buZzard was not a. very elegant
bird. -
He stated that the people here thought him
a fool, and that he built "a boat last summerto
show what a fool could do: He went from here.
to New Orleans in. his little boat, running an
average OF ten knots. On his return he en-.
cOunieTed a terrible storm, which proved that
the boat could not be swampe1. as be. threw
his oars, rudder and sail oVerbOafd and let him
self be washed ashore. f...-....t
The idea OF building flying machine has
been in his head since he was a boy, when he
made model. but he has never since attempted
to carry out his idea, but has confined him
self TO studying the methods of all birds.
When the reporter and his companion took
their leave silence was maintained for some
time, and when finally the reporter asked what
he thought OF It the engineer. who is acareful-
and practical man, said that he thought it was
as tue a piece OF work as he had ever seen;
that II had the main principle of all successful
inventions. simplicity. and that though not
willing TO say il would fly successfully. he would
not laugh at Fowler or his flying machine
again; that he was very much interested in
the principle, and did not foresee any natural
cause TO prevent Its SucceSSfuf operation.