The Portland daily press., 1896-05-23


direction. The active aviators propose to
Fly through the air in unbuoyant machines
actuated by wings or screws and de-
pend both for support and propulsion
upon the energy Of extremely light and
powerful motors. The passive ayIaror
proposes to soar on, outstretched vipgs
and depend for support and PROPULSION
entirely upon the energy of the wind.
1t has long heen cherished dream of the
passive balloonists that there may be dis
covered in the upper atmosphere trade
winds similar to those which prevail near
the surface, in which they may sail with
ease and precision over vast distances.
Mr.. Wise, the pioneer Of aeronnutics in
This country, Was SO confident Of n
straight west wind few thousand feet
above us that he thought it could DO
employed for regular voyages across the
continent If not across the ocean. Mr..
HAGEN Of the Weather Bureau was no less
enthusiastic about the existence and i'm
portanca OF such winds, and thought
there ought not to DO the slightest diff
Guilty il making the voyage from Denver
to New York and after that from New
York to England. AT the Chicago confer
ence on aerial navigation NJ. de Fonvielle
| of Paris describing some records obtained
at extraordinary attitudes, put further
hope into tho hearts of the passive
aviator.
lii the meantime, however, active
aviators, of whom Prof. Langley and
Mr.. Maxim ara the most notable exam
pies, seem to have the best of it so far as
practical results go. Among other ad-
| vocntes of devices heavier than air arc Il.
M. Depre Of Homer, Ill; Judd Green of
Salem, ILL.,; John ? Holmes, Oak Val
ley. Kas. I. Lancaster of Chicago; Ed
ward Cakes OF Danville; and DR.. L. j,
| Southeastern of Effingham.
Among the advocates of devices lighter
than air are Gen. Sooy Smith, f. N. At
wood, DR.. De Boissett, DR.. Edward
Pynchon, P. e. Mcdonnell and R. L.
Hallett, all of Chicago, E. J. Penning-
ton of Mount Carmel; B. +. Barnes of
Circlevills. O.; Eugene Faloonetr, Nash
Vile; Albert L. Blackman, Nashville
and DR.. Il. Booth of Chippewa Falls,
Wis.
Among those scientifically interested,
some Of whom have made suggestions Us
| to the form and ST. le of airships, are @.
E. Duryea. formerly of the Rousse-
Duryea Bicycle Misunderstanding company.
now theRouse- Hazard company of Peoria;
Pref. A. E. Zahm of the University of
Notre Dame. South Bend, Ind. and II.
Jillson, No. 4l46 Cottage Grove avenue,
Chicago.
GEN. SOOY SMITHS IDEA.
One Of the most original ideas which
have been advanced is that of Gen. Sooy
Smith, who does not pin his faith in
aerial navigation alone on either the bird
or the balloon idea, but thinks that a
judioious combination of the good points
of balloon and fish might accomplish
the desired result.
"Some time ago." said Gen Sooy
Smith, while on an engineering tour
sat down on the banks of stream and
watched fish that was floating quietly
few feet from the surface / soon
noticed that it rose and fell at will with
out the slightest movement Of fin. Il
| became interested in the operati on from
mechanical standpoint. l naturally
supposed that the fish was able to sink
by letting out few bubbles of air. But
how was he to get air with which to riser
That set me to thinking, and when I
studied the matter I found that the fish
rose and fell by contraction of his mus
| cles that compressed him and altered his
size slightly, according to the depth he
wished to sink. Now Notwithstanding
the amount of attention that aerial nayi-
CATION has lately received, the balloon is
as crude in principle as it was the day it
was invented. 1t is still lowered by let
ting gas escape and raised by throwing
out sand bags. When balloon has once
thrown out its sand bags and liberated
enough gas to come to the ground its
usefulness is at an end until it Is re-
charged. The present balloon is, there
fore, not an air travelling machine, but
merely the means of single excursion.
I think the first step in solving the prob
lem OF aerial navigation is in making
sailing ship or balloon that is capable
Of unlimited voyages that is to say.
balloon that could come to the ground
and rise again without wasting any gas
lying in wait for favorable winds, and do
this any number Of times, and DO in fact
a perpetual balloon capable of returning.
The way to do this would be to take ad-
vantage of the principle OF the fish. AS
it would not be possible to 60 impress the