The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-05-27
Ships Of the Air.

III 0oN "oSS ~
air. On all hands the statement made
by Professor Alexander Graham Bell,
the inventor Of the telephone, is ac-
cepted as evidence that Professor
Langley has practically solved the
problem.
1t will be recalled that in the pres
ence Of the inventor and Prof. Bell,
the aerodrome-constructed of steel,
and propelled by a miniature steam
engine operating a screw-made two
fights, one of half a mile and the 9TH
er of a quarter mile, at the rate Of 20
miles an hour, only settling to the
earth because the water supply of its
non-condensing engine gave out. This
mechanical bird had scarcely greater
stretch of wings-in its case, "aero-
planes'-than the condor Of South
America. It showed itself capable of
rising, in circles, as well as of being
steered in desired directions.
The New York Sun prints the views
of Mr.. Frank j. French, of the Amer
lean Engineer and Railroad Jour
mel, upon this achievement. Nh.
French, who is an expert on %aeronaut-
les, said:
:From the meagre data given out by
Prof. Langley, it is difficult to judge
with any certainty of the nature Of his
continuance. If it does what is claim
ed for it, however, that is, if it rises
in spirals and returns to the ground
gently, it excels in stability and in its
ability to rise to a point directly
above its standing point anything that
has gone before it. [ take it for grant
ed that the aeroplanes, which cores
pond to the wings of a bird, are not
movable, and that the aerodrome is
dependent for its propelling power
solely upon the propellers, the aero
planes serving merely as sustainers.
Now, here is an application of two
principles. The first is the aeroplane
principle, which Lilienthal of Berlin
has so successfully demonstrated in
his soaring flight against the wind,
that an aeroplaue properly balanced
will, for a time, support weight and
sail against the wind. The second, a
corollary to this, is the principle sue
cessfully proven on a large scale by
Maxim, that aeroplanes propelled with
sufficient rapidity will rise from the
earth, just as a kite can be raised in a
dead calm by running with it. Maxim
built a huge %aeroplane to run on tracks
but had to build an upper track to hold
it down, because he did not dare send
a man up in it, not knowing how it
might light. Hargrave Of Australia
built a big four-winged artificial bird
that was propelled for nearly half a
mile by steam propellers, but the in
vention came to grief when the steam
gave out, for it fell to the ground with
great force and was smashed.
"What Psof. Langley appears to
have achieved is the discovery of some
arrangement Of the aeroplanes first,
to give great stability, SO that the
equilibrium is preserved after the pow
er gives out and the downward fight
begins and, second, to cause the fly
ing machine to follow a spiral course.
- I should ST ose, must be
ack we'd by flexible W..,gs which would
adjust themselves to the proper angle
as the a~eroplane curved. If you have
ever watched a hawk soaring upward
you will understand what I mean. Its
course is always spiral. Every previ-
Gus flying machine has either gone
against the wind or outstripped it in
speed, since the machine must depend
upon the air for its lifting power.
Rargrave' machine, for instance, if it
ran out of a brisk southeast into a
brisk northwest wind would come
tumbling down, probably. I should
suppose from what I have read of this
new invention that, supposing-it went
up in a good breeze, that part of its
course with the wind behind it would
be about on a level, and that when it
reached the quadrant of the circle
where it ran into the wind it would rise
rapidly.
"Scme time ago Prof. Langley was
experimenting with a six-wiuged aero
plane, believing that an increase in
the number Of wings gave an increase
in stability. should not be surprised
to hear that this was a s%ix-winged fly
ing machine. At any rate, / shall
await with great interest further infor-
nation, as this would seem to be the
most, important advance in wears in
aeronautics.
The Sun adds:
"This is not Professor Langley's
first flying machine that has flown.
In his capacity as secretary of the
Smithsonian Institution he has had
time to devote to the study Of aero
nautics, and has made many expert
ments, the most successful previous
one being that of December ID, 1894,
at Quantico, Va. The machine had
four wings of which the front pair
measured 12xS feet, and the real pair
about half as much. The body. of
aluminium, was Ak feet and weighed
but two pounds. Propeller blades one
foot long, moved by steam with great
rapidity, gave a heavy thrusting pow
er. The air craft travelled 900 feet on
a straight line against the wind before
it's motive power gave out. 1t lighted
in the Potomac river without much
damage to it. I was directed by a yer,
tical rudder, and its wings were rigid.
Professor Langley does not tell wheth-
err the steering of his aerodrome is
done by the rudder or by the wings.
A man who has known Prof. Langley
for years said yesterday:
"'It is surprising to me that he
should have allowed even the little in
formation that did come out to be
made public. He is extremely close
mouthed, not to say crotchety, on the
subject Of his invention; he is, to my
mind, the foremost student Of aero,
nautics in this country, if not in the
world. He has tied himself to no one
theory, but has always been open,
minded and willing to give his time
and experience to any new idea which
seemed to promise any results. The
fact of his giving out any information
about this aerodrome is sufficient in,
dication of his belief that he has
solved the problem of flight"