The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-05-13
FLIES LIKE A BIRD
PROF. LANGLEY,S AEEODROME, on
FLYING MACHINE. TESTED.
Prof. Alexander Graham He'll Tells
What He Saw-The Inventor Also
Makes q Statement.

WASHINGTON. May 12--The first public
statement regarding the flying machine ex-
periments conducted by Professor Samuel
P. Langley the secretary of the Smith
sonian Institution, for some months
past. was made to-day. with the
authority of. Professor Langley. The
well-known scientist has been a be-
lever In the eventual practical
of air vehicles for years. and for a long
period he has been making experiments
with device OF his own invention near
Occaquan, Va. Much secrecy has been at
tached to these trials OF the aerodrome. and
the little that has leaked out has excited
intense interest among scientists through
out the world. Professor Langley has al
ways been very guarded about the expert
ments. and the account of his latest at
tempts with the flying machine embodied
in the following statements. prepared by
Professor Alexander Graham Bell, the weH-
known inventor. published with the sanction
Of Professor Langley, therefore viii be OF
great interest to the scientific world gen
orally:
Last Wednesday, May 6. / witnessed Q
very remarkable experiment with Prof.
Langley's aerodrome on the Potomac river.
Indeed. 1t seemed to me that the experi-
ment was of such historical importance
that II should be made public. should
not feel at liberty to give an account OF all
the details, but the main facts I have Prof.
Langley's consent for giving you. and they
as follows: The aerodrone, or flying
machine, in question was OF steel, driven
nous bird. soaring In the air with extreme
regularity In large curves, sweeping stead
lily upward in a spiral path. the spirals with
a diameter of perhaps one hundred yards,
until it reached a height of about one hum
dred In the air at the end of course Of
on the whion aS moved IL sss
the whole. instead Of iumbiins down. set:
for for any bird to do. touched the water With
out any damage, and was Immediately
picked out and ready to be tried again.
that the machine went In a different direc-
ton. moving in one continuous gentle as
craat as osr,ny hard AZ one r,rnn - .,.S
to be In danger as its course carried IL to
a neighboring wooded promonotory. but ap-
passed twenty-five or thirty feet above the
tops of the highest trees. and, ascending
still further. its steam finally gave out
again and II settled into the water not quite
it arose. No one could have witnessed these
experiments without being convinced that
the practicability Of mechanical flight had
Professor Langley also made public q sup
Elemental statement giving some important
data regarding recent experiments Tho
aerodrome, or flying machine, has no gas 10
lift 1t as in the case of balloon. but, en-
the contrary. 1t is about one thousand times
heavier, bulk for bulk, than the air on which
1t is made to run and which sustains II
somewhat the way In which thin Ice sup
ports swift skater. The power is derived
from a steam engine through the means Of
propellers, but owing to the scale on which
the actual aerodrome is built there has been
no condensing apparatus to use the water
over and over. Enough can be carried for
only very brief flight a difficul-
Nv which does not belong to larger
machines than the present example in which
the supporting surfaces are but about four
teen feet from tip to tip. The distance flown
each time was about one-half mile. The rate
OF speed depends Gas in the case OF any We
hicle on land, on whether IL Is going on a
level or up hill In the case OF this last trial.
on May 6. 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 one and one-half minutes, or al
the rate OF little more than twenty miles
an hour"