The San Francisco call., 1896-08-29
FLYING MACHINES
MAY HAVE A RACE
Odd Tourney Suggested for
the Mechanics
Fair.
PRIZE FOR A WINNER.
Chairman Doolan of the Enter.
tainment Committee Is
Interested.
WOULD BE a DRAWING CARD
Mr.. Erickson of Oakland Invites Mayor
Sutro and Mayor Davie to
Fly With Hun.
WOULD BE a DRAWING CARD.

1t is barely possible that a competition
between hying-machines may be made
one of the features of the Mechanics In
stitute Fair. Chairman DooIan of the en-
tertainment committee has corresponded
with inventors or aeroplanes and flying
machines, and last evening Mr.. Doolan
| said:
'There has been a great deal of talk re-
Gently about fying-machines, and you
would be surprised if you could learn the
amount of interest which propositions to
| navigate or fly through the air Lave called
into existence. A proposition has been
made by Charles Erickson of Oakland to
| fly from the Mechanics Pavilion to the
| State Capitol at Sacramento during the
progress of the fair. Now, in my opinion,
it would be better, if Mr.. Erickson desires
to give an exhibition of his machine by
long-distance fly to Sacramento, that the
test should take place toward the end OF
| the season, which would permit the enter
tai nment committee, possibly, to get other
flying here and so institute a
com pc tition which would prove draw
ing card if the tests were attended with
any degree of success.
mot little scientific interest would at
IL. IL
ed the name of the Mechanics Institute
would be coupled with it. l do not know
what any of these inventions can perform.
There are possibly three sorts OF ma
chimes that might be entered. The first is
Mr.. Erickson's. Possibly DR.. Smith, who
has an aluminium cylinder deyice may
com pete, and then there is Professor
Langley of the Smithsonian Institution at
Washington. DR.. Smith tells me that he
saw Professor Langley fly half a mile re-
Gently. Part of the aim of the Mechanics
Institute is to encourage inventions.
| think that we could afford to offer quite a
large prize, perhaps as much as $1,000, for
the successful competition in a flying
| match, under certain conditions to be
specified"
Carl Erickson of Oakland has invited
Mayor Sutro to go with him in his air
ship Christopher Colum bus on the after
| noon of September l, when he will at
tempt to sail from the roof of the Meehan-
| les Pavilion TO the dome of the State Cap
| itol at Sacramento. In his invitation to
Mayor Sntro Mr.. Erickson -eassuringIy
| says: "Do not be alarmed in the least, as
l guarantee a safe trip. / have asked
Mayor Davie of Oakland to accom- pany Us.
l trust l may have your presence at an
event which will go down into history as
| one OF the greatest achieved wonders of
the nineteenth century" Whether Mayor
Sutro and Mayor Davie will make a flight
with Mr.. Erickson from the Mechanics
Pavilion roof the officers of the Mechanics
| Institute do not know. There is no doubt
that the presence of the two Mayors of
| the bay cities would lend distinction and
enhance the value of the drawing card.
Little is known about Mr. Erickson's ap-
paratus. The tone of his letter to Mayor
Sutro indicates that at least he has conf
dence in his invention in its practical ap-
plication.
DR.. Smith of this City, who has an in
vention which has already been described
in The CALL, said last evening that ne
would not be able to have his apparatus
ready for competition during the fair sea-
] son. He will enter a model in the fair
| which will be on exhibition. He will not
| be able to get aluminium enough to make
a machine for an out of door test in the
time allotted. The aluminium has to be
| brought from Pittsburg and il is very
difficult TO procure much. As a matter of
| fact, when he was making his model he
was unable to get the aluminium he
needed, and consequently the gas cylinder
which will lift his apparatus had to be
made of zinc, which is heavy.
The exhibition of Professor Langley's
flying machine, which DIR. Smith wit
messed, took place few Sundays ago on
the Potomoc River, few miles below
Washington, d. =. DR.. Smith went with
Professor Ian gley at the invitation of the
latter. They took a scow and dropped
down the river some distance, and then
Professor Langley flew with his machine.
First he rose about 75 feet and then he
sailed off against the wind and came
down when he wished into the river.
Professor Langley's apparatus consists of
a propeller, which he treads with his feet,
and the motion of the propeller showed
him-Ap against the wind. DR.. Smith ex-
pressed doubt whether Professor Lang
ley's contrivance would do so well going
with the wind, the tendency of coinciding