Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1894-01-24

That's What John Fowler Did Be
fore He Began Inventfng the Fly
Ing Machine.
TFTon the Mobile Daily Registerl
A reporter, accompanied by a friend.
who Is . mechanical engineer, went ont
yesterday to Magnolia Cemetery to see
John Fowler working on his flying ma
chine. Upon iDquiring the way, high
fence, enclosing about an scre of ground
just outside the cemetery gate, was pointed
out.
On entering the gate the visitors saw an
enormous network of wood aud wire that
seemed jumbled up in inextricable coDfu-
sion. The machine 10 eighty Eve feet
from bow to stern. snd Fifty. three feet
from tip to tip of wings. The wiDgs have
gradual slant upward from the center
The bow slants gradually upward until
within ten feet of the end, when It eurls
up like the bow of an Indian canoe. From
the center TO the stern Is an slmost straight
line with slight depression. Joined to
the stern is the rudder. The rudder IL
about twenty feet long, ten feet at the
widest place, tspering to q fine point. A
simple turn of 9 crank will throw the rnd-
der either way or up and down at will.
When Ii is worked up and down 1t throws
the bow up and the pressure of the air
viii raise the machine. The propeller is a
wheel ten feet in diameter covered with
canvas. The propelling poTer is far
nished by gas pumped into the cylinder
aud exploded by o spark from . single cell
battery. The whole machinery weighs
only Ave hundred and twenty FIVE pounds,
will give pressure of fifteen horse power,
which will give the propeller three hun
dred revolutions per minute. The enor-
NOUS spread Of canvas will make the ma.
chine self-sustaining when three hundred
feet from the ground.
Fowler claims that the propeller, with
ont any assistance from the wind, will give
q velocity of sixty miles an hour John
said that he had been watching the bug
yards flying for years and had studied
their methods of riting from the ground,
and II was really from them that he got
bis Idea of starting and soaring pair
of common wagon wheels and FIFTY or one
hundred yards of level ground are all that
he requires for starting, ss, like the buZ-
z.rd, his mschine must gather velocity be-
fore leaving the ground. He ssys he is
going to practice in the environs Of No
bile. when 1t is completed, until he hes
time to remedy sny defect, and get the en-
make trip to New Orleans and thence to
Washington, where he will present the
machine to the United States government
Jonn said that he did not want the name
of the bird mentioned from which he got
his ideas, as he Thought the bazzXrd was
not q very elegant bird
He stated that the psople here thought
him o fool, aud that he built a boat last
summer to show what q fool could do. BE
went from here to New Orleans In his lit
tie boat, running an average Of ten knots
On his return he encountered q terrible
storm, which proved that the boat could
not be susmped, ne ne threw bis oars,
rudder and sail overheard and let himself
be washed Ashore.
The idea of building Q flying machine
| has been in his head since he was q boy,
when he made q model, but be has never
| since attempted TO carry out his ideas, but
has confined himself to studying the meth
| DDS 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 1t, the engineer,
who Is careful and practical man. said
| that he thought IL was as fine g piece of
| work as he had ever seen; that II had the
4 main principle of all sucoessful inyen-
tione, simplicity, and that, though no.
| willing to cay Ii would fly successfully, he
would not laugh ut Fowler OF his flying
machine again; that he was very much in.
terested In the principle, and did not fore
Zee any natural cause to prevent Its sue
csssful operation.