The herald., 1896-05-13
THE LANGLEY AERODROME
Solves the Great Question of Navigating
the Air
Steel Machine Run by a Steam Engine Con-
vinces Prof. Bell That Flight
Is Practicable

WASHINGTON, May 1.-THE first
public statement regarding the f1ylnS
machine experiments conducted by PROT
Samuel p. Langley, the secretary of the
Smithsonian institution, for some
months past was made today, with the
authority of Prof. Langley. The we'll
known scientist has been believer in
the eventual practical use of air Venl-
Giles for years, and for a long period ne
has been making experiments with
device of his own invention near Occa-
uuan, Va Much secrecy has been at
tached to these trials of the aerodrome.
and the little that has leaked out has eX-
cited intense interest among scientists
throughout the world. Prof. Langley
has always been very guarded about the
experiments, and the account of his lat
est attempts with the flying machine
embodied in the following statements
prepared by Prof. Alexander Graham
Bell. the well known inventor, published
with the sanction of Prof. Langley,
therefore will be of great interest to the
scientific world GENERALLY.
Last Wednesday, May 9Th, l wit
messed a very remarkable experiment
with Prof Langley's aerodrome on the
Potomac river. Indeed, it seemed to me
that the experiment was of such his
torical Importance that it should be
made public.
II should not feel at liberty to give
an account of all the details. but the
main facts l have Prof. Langley's con-
sent for giving you, and they are as
follows:
1.-THE aerodrome, or flying machine
in question syas of steel, driven by
steam engine. 1t resembled an enor-
nous bird, soaring in the air with ex-
IRENE regularity, in large curves,
sweeping steadily upward in spiral
path, the spirals with a diameter of per-
1. 49, I. .rrl,k
of about 100 feet in the air.
"At the end of course of about half
a mile, when the steam gave out, the
propellerS which had moved it had stop
ped. and then to my further susprise, tn,
whole, instead of tumbling down, set
tied as slowly and gracefully as it is pos
sible for any bird to do, touched the wa
ter without any damage, and was i'm
mediately picked out and ready to be
tried again.
"A second trial was like the first eX-
cept that the machine went into one con-
tinuouS gentle course, as it swung in
circles like great soaring bird. At one
point it seemed to be in danger as it's
course carried it to a
neighboring wooded promontory,
but apprehension was Immediately al
layed as it passed twenty-five or thirty
feet above the top of the highest trees
there and then ascending still further,
it's steam finally gave out again and
it settled into the waters of the river
not quite a quarter of a mile from the
point where it rose.
mo one could have witnessed these ex
permentS without being convinced that
the practicability of mechanical flight had
been demonstrated. (Signed)
ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL
Prof Langley also made public a sup
Elemental statement giving more import
ant data regarding recent experiments.
The aerodrome or flying machine has
no gas TO lift it, as in the case of a bal
loon, but on the contrary it is about 1000
times heavier bulk for bulk than the air
on which 1t is made to run and which Sus
tains it somewhat in the way in which
thin ice supports a swift skater. The
power is derived from a steam engine,
through the means of propellors. but ow
ing to the scale on which the actual
aerodrome is built, there has been no con-
denSinR apparatus to use the water over
and over. Enough can be carried only for
very brief flight, difficulty which does
not belong TO larger machine than the
present example, in which the supporting
surfaces are but about fourteen feet from
tip TO tip. The distance flown each time
was about one-half mile. The rate of speed
depends las in the case of any vehicle on
landt on whether it is going on a level or
M hill. In the case of this last on MAY
9Th the machine was ascending, that is to
say. it was going up hill all the time and
went through a distance OF one-half mile
or more in ane and one-half minutes or at
the rate OF little more than twenty miles