The record-union., 1895-12-14
Edison

Thomas A. Edison has a solution OF
the flying machine problem that Is a.
once novel, plausible and simple. he De
Iieves that the day is coming When men
will fly. But he does not think TINS VIII
be accomplished either with pallooh
or with an aeroplane.
"rhe trouble with the aeroplane,
said Mr.. Edison one day last week.
sis that it is cumbersome ana IN
wieldly. I have watched with much IN
terest the progress made IN the eA-
periments of Hiram Maxim in EnglaIlu-
He has expended some $10O,0OO IN
building a track and constructing an
immense machine on the aeroplahe
principle, while Professor Langley Oh
washington has been making expert
ments along the same line in TINS couh-
try, but on a smaller scale
Theoretically, these gentlemen have
developed the principle shown by a
bird in soaring, such as the eagle ana
the albatross, either of which can san
for hours in the air without motion
of the wings I do not beneVe, now
ever. that the aeroplane principle can
ever be developed successfully SO thal
men can fly. -
that OF Maxim, which carries several
men and a small engine, could not pos
SibIy be managed in the air; neither
could small aeroplane sutticlent TO
carry a single man, for it would not be
under proper control.
LAS for the balloon or gas-bag pr1n-
chile" said Mr.. Edison, that has been
practically abandoned by all recent eA-
perimenters along this line. The rea-
son for this is that balloon forms
body of a large bulk which is at the
mercy of the wind.
I'm other words, it is impossible at
present to construct balloon Whlch
will carry a machine or engine SUM
GENTLY powerful to force it against the
wind The more powerful is your engine
or storage battery, the heavier 1t must
be and the larger the balloon to carry
what is wanted is a flying machine
that will go in any desired direction
under ordinary circumstances. The pal
loon is unwieldly and the aeroplane is
unmanageable. Now, / have an idea
that the proper solution of this problem
is to be sought in an entirely different
direction. We must abandon both the
balloon and the aeroplane.
Il would construct actual ships Of
the air-yachts, schoonerS and br1ga-
tines-which would tack and gybe and
sail De1O1e the WlLO- MY lQed - lLeN :
the lifting power for these air ships
should be gas stored in the sails.
In other words, you apply the bal
Icon principle in such a way that the
gas bag, instead of being an impedi-
lnent as it is at present, would be the
actual means Of propulsion. 1 would
construct gas bags shaped like the sails
Of a yacht.
Take the mainsail for instance.
You could have that made out Of two
sheets of canvas, say one or two feet
apart and kept in shape by a net. Fill
that with gas Do the same with the
jib, the topsau and the flying jib.
These sails would be actually bal
looms, which would hold the ship up
from the earth, but they could be so
set against the wind at angles as to
drive her in any direction. The masts
and spars could be made of bamboo or
any light material.
in this way an airship could rise
from the ground, and it would make no
difference to her what way the wind
was blowing. A yacht can sail to any
particular point SO long as there is
wind enough to fill the sails. An air