Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1894-10-09

wssdsrfsi Birdiihs Msehine CssstF~e>sA
By I'rvs~ssss Liientksi.

Can o man fyi Learned professors NJ
the scienccs Of a~ronautics agree that he
cannot, and q formidable commission
Of experts appointed by the German
government to investigate into the pos.
sibiiitie- of aerial navigation have final.
" and decisively and officially said that
Il IL impossible Still nm Ingenious and
ob~ervant German Of the name Of Otto
Lilienthal. after long series of expert.
ments and In the face Of the decisions Of
the eminent scientists. has suoccsicd In
proving that clever man can fly. and
fly for considerable distances ton
Professor Lilienthai. like most men
who have solved difficult problems, has
gone clear away from the principles 20
which other men have found limitations.
When he decided TO ny. In other words.
he left the possibilities afforded by the
balloon cntirply out Of his calculations
Balloons. said he. aro crude Affairs dan.
gcrous. not TO In depended upon, non.
dirigiblc and clumsy. There Is nothing
In nature built upon the principle of
the balloon. yet there are things In ma
ture which can fiy. and fly much better
than the bcst balloons Those things arc
birds To the birds. then. will 20 for
the model Of my flying machine And
10 the birds he went
From theSe same birds 10 was that
Professor Lilienthal learned the true
principles of aorial navigation, which
principles he has succec,led to degree
In adapting 90 the usos % man lie first
learned that 10 IL the concave shape of
birds wing that enables II to soar. ris-
ing or falling ut will without muscular
cxcrtion in the teeth % q high wind
Then be- learned that birds wing
bones arc constructed similarly 20 those
In mans arm. Knowing thc-o things,
be built his flying machine. or. to h.
more currcct. his soaring machine He
made for himself of light but impcrvi.
ou- cotton cloth and split willow wands
two immense wings % feet from tip 90
tip. and q practicable II not highly or.
namental ruddcr or tail.
lie preserved In their construction n
nearly n possible tho form of birds
wings and tail. increasing the parabolic
curve ~ tho birds wings to tho exact
proportionatc degree for his larger ones.
Thos. wings and the tail. weighing In
all only 25 pounds. are - constructed
q. To fold up like the wings of hat
Having completed them. the professor
adjusted them % his arms. took run
along q hilltop AMI calmly and conf.
IDENTIFY jumped over the side. SPREAD.
ing his wings ~ he did al He scared
some distance and alishted In safety
aud comfort lie repeated his expert.
mcnt many. many times, learning how
90 control his apparatus, how 10 change
direction. how to rise or descend at will.
He improved his wings and tail and
kept on practicing until now be- can
soar for several hundred yards, rise to
q much greater height than ho started
from aud fulfill most II the functions of
q big bird. save only that OF propelling
himself In still air and starting his
flight from level ground. These two
things n man IL not strong enough Ia
do, tho bird possessing much greater
strength for its -is. and weight than the
most muscular man But what Profes-
sor Lilienihal lacks In strength he has
made up In ingenuity. for he has now
constructed q little motor. operated by
carbonic acid gas, which, while it adds
scarcely anything to the weight of his
flying apparatus. IL capable of develop
ing continuously two Horsepower. or
mOru than enough energy to work the
wings Indccd In the iir-t trial the lit
tlo motor developed too much strength
and broke tho wings. putting a stop 10
further experiments for the time
II Professor Lilienthal succccis In
psrfccting the great invention. the prac.
ticability Of which he has already dem
onstratcd. and in making aerial navi.
cation on the simple principles favored
by the birds safe for mankind. he will
have achieved u notable triumph over
the wonderful forces q nature as well
as the worlds greatest scientists And
he soems very likely TO succcci. unless
hc should grow careless In handling his
experimental wings and pcrchancc fall
victim 10 the awful fate which overlook
the lamonted and legendary lcarus. the
first man who attempted % fly.-Chi'
cago Times