The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-10-19

side pressure the moment the mactnlne tends to move sideways, An open air space between the two operates in some as yet mysterious way upon the air currents so as to cause stability in longitudinal direction. so that when 1t is allowed to fall freely the cellular kite drops quietly and steadily without any tendency to oscillate or invert. This kite forms the aeroplane basis of the Hargrave flying machine Several ad- ditions to this will be made to enable It 10 be more effective and dirfgible, such as movable horizontal front plane to direct it up and down and reg ulate the inclination, side wings to act as floats, rudders and lateral directors, like the wings of the soaring and sail ing birds, and horizontal stern and vertical rudder planes.
 The motive apparatus consists of a specially light engine actuated by pe- troleum, and with the fine boiler tubes arranged In such a manner as to be packed together In the smallest possi- ble compass, and yet easily reached for cleaning and repairing. The whole of the machinery is placed in the central gap between the two double planes, and works a vertically rotating screw fan placed astern. Hargrave estimates that three and one-half horsepower is sufficient to propel the aeroplane so as to support the weight of man and ma chine together, and the entire weight of the engine does not exceed from thirty to forty pounds. To secure extra sta.- bility and support, a single kite cell is placed above the central gas at a dis tance of about seven feet from 1t. The rigid parts of the structure are all made of hollow steel, and the coverings of balloon material.
 The chief difficulty in connection with the success of aerial flight by such machine will be Tn maintaining it's balance when steered against or with the wind, and in counteracting the ef- fects of the incessant variability, which Professor Langley and others rave shown to be so peculiarly characteristic of air motion. Practice and experience alone will overcome the former, while, when the flying instinct is properly de- veloped, the latter may be iitilig d so advantageously that by small al.era- tions of inclination of front and side wings the machine may in 8 suitable current be able to dispense to a large extent with it's motive power, and the operator learn to soar and sail like the condor of the Andes or the albatross of the Antarctic
 The feasibility of human flight, either individually on a small or In numbers on large aerial ship of the combined l Hargrave- Maxim Langley Lilienthal
 
 of aeronautics and when more means are available for experiment and the public come forward, as they appear to be about to do, and furnish both mate rial support and encouragement to the I inventors, who have hitherto been l forced to attack the problem single handed and in the face of much opposi- ton and ridicule, there is little doubt that aerial travel by man will become a matter of days and months, rather | than years It is a. matter for congrat- ulation that Boston is taking a decided lead in aeronautical matters by its publication of the Aeronautical Aunnal 1 and by the kite and aeroplane experi- ments of many of it's prominent citi- zenS.
 The high kite flying at Blue Hill may seem to have only an indirect bearing on the problem of manfight, but it ilev- | ertheless materially aids us in our knowledge of the conditions which oc- cur in the element which aerial ships will have to traverse and is just as nec- essary to the flying craft of the future | as marine soundings are to their ana- | logues on the ocean of water. At pres ent there appears to be an information | al race amongst the aeronauts, and it will be interesting to see which of the | two modern countries, America or Aus 1 tralia, is going to win. So far Profess l sor Langley has made an admirable l start, but Hargrave appears to he a most formidable rival.-Boston Even- i ing Post.